Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  52Teas

Tea Description:

My wife wanted to pick out the tea of the week this week. With her Irish-Scottish heritage, it wasn’t enough to choose the tea for the week of St. Patty’s Day without an additional tip of the hat to her Scottish ancestry. For that reason, our tea of the week for the week of St. Patrick’s Day: what else, but a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, a butterSCOTCH flavored black tea.

I realize butterscotch is not as groundbreaking as maple bacon or pancake breakfast, but let me assure you, it IS delicious! Creamy and smooth, and satisfying in that way that only butterscotch can be, but without the guilt. And yes, it is 100% vegan.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

Oh YUM!  Yum YUM yummy YUM yum!

As you probably know, I’m a big fan of 52Teas, so it probably comes as no big surprise to you that I am enjoying this tea.  But, as much as I love 52Teas, I will be the first to admit that Frank (chief Zoomdweebie at 52Teas, aka the “Willy Wonka of Teas”) doesn’t always hit it out of the park with every single blend.  But, more often than not, I enjoy the blends he creates.  Usually, they are a hit, less often they are a miss, but every once in a while, he puts out a blend that knocks my socks off.

This one knocks my socks off.

The flavors and the black tea blend works so well together.  The blend of Assam and Nilgiri teas tastes rich and smooth with hints of malt in the background which meld perfectly with the Scotch notes.  The overall cup is sweet and buttery rich with hints of caramel.  This is a remarkably smooth black tea – no harshness or bitterness at all, and only a trace of astringency toward the tail.

This is AWESOME!

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black & White Teas

Where to Buy:  Capital Teas

Tea Description:

A commemorative union of our bold Cream Earl Grey Black and our light and refreshing Cream Earl Grey White, enhanced with the essence of roses.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

One year ago today, there was a wedding that captured the attention of millions around the world.  This tea was created to commemorate that occasion, and what a lovely tea it is!

Because the tea base is a blend of both black and white teas, I opted for a fairly low brewing temperature (175°F) and a brewing time of 4 minutes in my Breville one-touch.  The results is a tea that is rich and creamy in flavor, where I can taste both types of tea as well as the tangy bergamot, the touches of cream and even the hint of rose.

The black tea flavor is much softer than one might expect from a black tea … a consequence from not only the lower brewing temperature, but also from the addition of white tea leaves in the blend.  The black tea doesn’t taste bold or strong, exactly, but the black tea does offer a certain richness to the blend that is quite nice.

The white tea is a less distinguishable flavor than the black tea, which is to be expected as white tea tends to be a more delicate tasting tea to begin with.  What I notice more than the fresh flavor of the Pai Mu Tan is the lightness in flavor its presence offers as well as a soft, creamy texture that is quite “white tea like.”

Each sip is enchanted with a sweet, vanilla cream taste that when brought together with the other components of this tea end up tasting a bit like delicious vanilla caramel.  YUM!

The bergamot is a mellow yet tangy citrus flavor that has hints of flower within its bright, sunny flavor.  These floral notes are further highlighted by the addition of roses to the blend.  The rose is sweet and pleasant, giving the cup a distinct feminine overtone – an enjoyable contrast to the somewhat masculine undertone of the bergamot.

What a beautiful tribute to the wedding that captured the imagination of so many, and gave little girls hope that anyone – no matter their status in life – could one day marry their prince.

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Life in Teacup

Tea Description:

Production Year – 2011

Production Season – Summer

Production Region – Qimen, Anhui Province

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

Keemun is among my favorite black (or red) teas.  Such a wonderful complexity to Keemun tea – at once it is a deep, smoky tea, but it isn’t too heavy.  It is light enough to allow the drinker to experience its delicious fruit notes.  It is rich and bold and flavorful, and it has gusto to spare!

This Keemun Mao Feng from Life in Teacup is an excellent tea.  It has all the flavor components I mentioned above and more.  I love the sweetness to this, it is like a honey caramel and it melds nicely with the smoky tones.  The sweetness of the caramel curbs the smoky tones just enough so that they do not taste too harsh, creating a very smooth, well-rounded flavor.

This would make a delicious breakfast tea (0r that all-important first cup of the day), and it has such a pleasant set of fruit tones that it would also make an agreeable afternoon cup.  And while I personally prefer a Keemun served straight, with no additions, this Keemun would accept the additions of milk and honey quite well, if you like to take your tea that way!

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  The Tao of Tea

Tea Description:

Only certain tea plant varietals can produce the golden colored tipped leaves. The golden color emerges during processing and after accurate withering (moisture drying) of the leaves. Few areas in Yunnan contain these type of plants. Other areas known to have golden tipped varietals Hunan and Fujian in China and Assam in India.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

Ahhh-maa-zing!

This tea is absolutely incredible.  Sure, I probably say that about a lot of teas; trust me when I say I mean it about every tea about which I say it.  And trust me when I say that this one might even need to be considered even better than absolutely incredible!  Because this is one of the best teas I’ve encountered in a long time … and I’ve encountered a lot of delicious tea!

When I opened the tin, I could smell the notes of cocoa and caramel.  YUM!   The brewed tea has those same cocoa and caramel-y notes.  As does the flavor!

This tea has well-defined chocolate-y notes, with a delectable caramel sweetness.  It is remarkably smooth, there is no bitterness and no astringency.  There are some deep earthy tones that meld with the chocolate-y notes very well, giving it a rich, luxurious flavor.

I can see why they chose to call this tea “Emperor’s Gold” … because I feel like royalty to have this opportunity to be drinking it.  This is one that you want to have in your tea cupboard for those times when you want a little something special … this one is VERY special!

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Harney & Sons

Tea Description:

In honor of our new shop in Manhattan, we are introducing our SoHo Blend. Emeric Harney, the store manager, came up with this flavored black tea concoction. Our SoHo Tea is a beautifully delicious blend of Chocolate & Coconut flavors.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

YUM!

Over the last couple of months or so, I have been reading the tasting notes for this tea on Steepster (drooling all the while), and I’m so glad that I finally get to try it!

And this tea has definitely lived up to my expectations of it.  It is so incredibly good!  The black tea base is a strong, sturdy tea but it doesn’t have an overly aggressive flavor to it so it doesn’t overwhelm the nuances of the chocolate and coconut flavors.

There is a delicious balance between chocolate and coconut.  The coconut tastes sweet, creamy and authentic, as though someone purified real, fresh coconut and put it in my teacup!  The chocolate is rich and decadent tasting, like a fine quality bittersweet chocolate with hints of milk chocolate-y undertones.

Until now, my favorite teas from Harney and Sons have been Indian Nimbu and Paris (which I am shocked to find that I have not yet reviewed!) … now, I think it’s time to add a third favorite.  This is a MUST TRY for chocoholics!

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Le Palais Des Thés

Tea Description:

Rich and sensual, Thé des Amants is a heady, fragrant blend of black tea, apple, almond, cinnamon and vanilla, spiced up with a hint of ginger.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

I have been mesmerized by the aroma of this tea since I first opened the little cylinder tin.  It smells very autumnal, with its lovely cinnamon and apple notes, and hints of vanilla and almond.  The fragrance is so deliciously comforting that I find myself continuously lifting my mug to my nose just to inhale this delightful scent.

This is a pleasant tea.  I would classify this as medium-bodied, and a little lighter … thinner? … than I expected given its powerful aroma.  It is quite tasty, but I find that I enjoy the fragrance more.  I think this blend would benefit greatly from a stronger black tea base, one that could withstand the strength of the cinnamon notes.

What I do like is that the flavors are all there.  The most dominate flavor is the cinnamon, but despite its power over the black tea base, I don’t think the cinnamon is too strong.  The apple flavor is more subtle, but it melds nicely with the cinnamon, which seems to bring out some of the sweet apple-y tones.  The ginger is surprisingly soft here, and I say surprisingly because ginger has a way of being very strong even when its not intended to be.  I taste the ginger as a hint of pepper toward the end of the sip, a peppery note that lingers into the aftertaste along with the spicy tones of the cinnamon.

The almond and vanilla are very soft here, and didn’t really expose themselves much until I reached about mid-cup.  I taste light creamy undertones and a sweet, nutty background from these flavors, and they add a nice dimension to the overall cup.  I taste an occasional hint of orange with this blend … which sometimes I think I’m imagining because the overall “holiday” like flavor of this cup seems to inspire tea blenders to create orange-spice blends, and perhaps it’s just flavor association because of that.

A very pleasant cup, quite nice as an afternoon tea after lunch, as it satisfied that desire for me to indulge in something sweet.

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Ovation Teas

Tea Description:

Blend of Assam and Ceylon loose leaf black teas with bing cherries, sliced almonds, and coconut pieces with cherry, almond, and coconut flavoring.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

I’ve had this tea twice now, and interestingly enough, the flavor was a little different each time.  The first time I tried it, the coconut came out strong from the very first sip.  The cherry was there, but, it sort of lingered in the background.  The almond was the most subtle flavor of the three.

One thing that remained consistent with both cups is that the tea was the prominent flavor of both cups.  I was happily surprised by this, because a tea with so many flavors could have easily been overwhelmed by them.  The flavor of the tea is rich and a little malty, with hints of earth and even a sweet biscuit kind of quality to it.

I found the cherry flavor to be a stronger flavor in this second cup.  It is a sweet cherry flavor, reminding me of my summers as a child when my family and I would take a days drive down to Cherry Valley in California.  We’d spend the day picking cherries off the tree, and then bringing them home to enjoy.  Over the course of the next few weeks, our days would be filled with cherry goodness, eating cherries by the bowlful, and having cherry cobbler for dessert.  (By the way, try freezing Bing cherries … they’re so yummy and refreshing, one of my favorite treats as a kid!) I love how this tea tastes so distinctly like Bing Cherry that it brings those memories to life for me.

By the time I’ve consumed about half of this second cup of tea, the almond and coconut begin to assert themselves, although never in a very aggressive way.  The coconut is smooth and creamy note to the cup that might otherwise taste TOO cherry which might end up giving it too much of a cough medicine-y taste.  But the coconut brings it back into the dessert tea realm.

Of the three flavors (and in both cups!), I find the almond to be the most subtle, providing more of a delicious, nutty hint of sweetness to the cup rather than a distinct almond flavor.  But, I love the way the three flavors come together – cherry, coconut and almond – it is creamy, sweet, and juicy, and absolutely YUMMY!

I really love this tea, and I enjoy how it offers a different adventure every time you brew it!

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black Tea & Honeybush

Where to Buy:  Inspired Leaf

Tea Description:

Cocoa nibs and indulgent flavors of the islands. Brew up a vacation!

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

YUM!

This is the first tea that I’ve tried from Inspired Leaf, but I must say that I’m a fan.  My experience with them has been very positive, and this tea is like the cherry on top of the sundae!  I would say coconut on top of the sundae but that didn’t seem as illuminating as cherry on top.

The base is a blend of black tea and honeybush which I find enjoyable because I have the rich flavor of the black tea – lightened somewhat by the presence of the honeybush, but not too much.  It is light enough to enjoy the complexity of the tea while adding a delicate sweetness from the honeybush.  There is a hint of nutty flavor to this as well, and this compliments the coconut in this blend.

The chocolate flavor is at a pleasing level, but, I (being the chocoholic that I am) still find myself wanting MORE chocolate.  Some cacao shells would give this more of a truffle-ish flavor, I think.  As it is, it is quite delicious, but even more chocolate would make it over-the-top indulgently awesome.  (Remember my simple equation?  more chocolate = better)

The coconut is creamy and sweet and luscious … and definitely the star of this cup.  Sure, I love the chocolate, but, its the coconut that makes this so remarkably good.

And that’s exactly what it is!

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black & Green Teas

Where to Buy:  Empire Tea Services

Tea Description:

Sencha green tea, Ceylon black tea, Almond slivers, and Caramel flavoring.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

I debated with myself about whether or not I should publish this review now, or if I should wait until it was closer to the holiday season, but decided that since this tea is indeed available year round (and certainly quite enjoyable any time you choose to brew it!) I would publish the review now.

I was also a little confused by the tea, because the sample I had received was called “Caramel” and I couldn’t find it on the website!  Fortunately, though, the staff at Empire Tea Services is very friendly, and they got back to me to let me know more about this tea, including that it is also called Season’s Greetings!

Well, whether you call it Caramel or Season’s Greetings … and no matter what time of year you steep it … one thing that remains consistent with this tea is that it is AWESOMELY GOOD!

The base of this tea is a blend of black Ceylon and green Sencha teas.  I infused it using a lower temperature water (175°F) to ensure that the green tea would not be scorched, and this made for a perfect cup.  The flavor of the black tea was not quite as rich as it would be if it were brewed with boiling water, but, this allowed for the buttery nuances of the Sencha tea to come through.

And it was those sweet, buttery tones that really made this tea shine.  The sweet, creamy notes of the caramel married beautifully with the flavors of the green tea, while the black tea flavors seemed to meld naturally with the sweet almond notes.  Together it created a fusion of amazing flavors.

Normally, when I think of a “Christmas Tea”  … this isn’t the combination of flavors I envision.  But, I love this different interpretation of the holiday season … it makes for a perfect cup of tea any time of year.

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Stone Leaf Teahouse

Tea Description:

Grown in the shadow of Makalu (27,765 ft), the cool Himalayan air currents envelope the gardens to produce a truly unique environment that is best suited for tea. Add the considerable wisdom and experience of the tea manager, and you have the tea we present to you. A fine leaf selection with a remarkable honey aroma, followed by bright amber infusion with a full body. This black tea has characteristic tannins similar to Darjeeling, but distinctly holds up on its own.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

While I haven’t tried a large number of teas from Nepal, I have had several, and I’ve always been very pleased with what I’ve tasted from this country.  This tea is no exception.  This is fantastic!

The flavor is similar to a Darjeeling, but it has a fuller body and more robust flavor than what I typically experience from a Darjeeling tea.  The flavor is deliciously bright, with lovely honey-esque notes that are detectable not just in the flavor but in the inviting aroma as well.  There is some astringency to the cup that dries the palate slightly, as if to ready it for another sip.  The aftertaste is lightly sweet.

There is a lovely wood tone to the flavor with hints of earth.  There is also a delicious dark cacao note in the distance that mingles with a hint of flower.  So many wonderful flavors, so deliciously complex, such an amazing tea!

I highly recommend this one!