Product Information:
Where to Buy: Sugimoto America
Product Description:
“Washi” Green Tea Gifts – Sen Cha feature high-quality Japanese green tea packaged in a beautiful Japanese “Washi” canisters. “Washi” is traditional Japanese paper printed with authentic Japanese patterns. Sen Cha is a premium tea renowned for its balance of sweetness and astringency. For over three centuries Sen Cha has been Japan’s favorite green tea.
Learn more about this product here.
Taster’s Review:
I have said before on this blog that I’m a sucker for beautiful packaging. This Sen Cha Green Tea “Washi” Gift Set from Sugimoto America has to be the most beautiful presentation that I’ve ever seen. The tin has been covered with beautiful blue washi paper (just as you see to the right), and yes … the paper pattern has been matched up precisely! I was actually quite amazed by this, because you can see the true love, care and craftsmanship that was put into this gorgeous tin.
Tucked inside the tin is a 30 gram bag of Sen Cha Japanese green tea. And this is the good stuff! The flavor is sweet, slightly buttery and lightly grassy. It isn’t overly vegetal, and I’m not detecting a strong bitter bite from this tea. It’s sweet and really quite lovely to sip.
This Sen Cha has that fresh and uplifting flavor that I look for in a Japanese Sen Cha. It’s a crisp and pure flavor that revitalizes from the inside out. If I drink this after a long, busy day, I start to feel less weary and drained. It’s the kind of tea that puts the spring back into your step.
It’s hard to say what excites me more about this product: the tea or the tin? The tin is absolutely stunning and the tea tastes wonderful and refreshing. But what’s great about this product is that you don’t have to choose which is your favorite because you get both for a really great price. It’s an outstanding value and would make a great gift for your favorite tea lover (even if that tea lover is you! Hey, you deserve a gift too!)
A Box of Chocolates … err, um, make that, A Box of Chocolate Tea!
HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!
Product Information:
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Product Description:
They say life is like a box of chocolate teas; you never know what you’re going to get.
Here’s an assortment of eight different hand-crafted chocolate teas, each in a keepsake tin with a clear window, all bundled together in an elegant gift box. There are a few of our bestselling chocolate teas and some created just for this sampler. Each tin contains enough tea for a 5-6 cup pot of tea: enough to share–if you feel like sharing.
All of the teas in this collection are vegan-friendly, and make a perfect gift for your sweet-toothed sweetheart, or yourself. Quantities are limited, so don’t delay, order yours today.
Review:
This is my kind of Valentine’s Day present! A beautiful little box filled with an assortment of chocolate flavored teas … I mean, seriously, what could be better than that for this chocoholic tea addict?
The box is gorgeous. It measures 4 inches long by 4 inches wide by 2 1/2 inches tall. The base is a deep, chocolate brown color, and the top has the same brown color with pale pink polka dots. The box is then accented with bright pink grosgrain ribbon with cute white stitching along with a coordinating pink and white polka dot ribbon. It’s so adorable!
Tucked inside are eight tins of 1 inch tall round tins with clear tops. Each of the tins is filled with approximately .25 ounces of tea … just enough for about 4 cups of tea.
The assortment includes a few favorite chocolate teas from 52Teas collection, including Chocolate Mint Black Tea and Malted ChocoMaté, and SIX (count ’em, six!) chocolate teas that I have not yet tried! Yippee! The only thing better than having chocolate tea that I have tried and enjoyed is having a new chocolate tea to taste! These new teas are:
- Cherry Cordial Black Tea
- Almond Happiness Black Tea
- Smoky Chocolate Black Tea
- Chocolate Caramel Black Tea
- White Chocolate Strawberry Black Tea
- Chocolate Raspberry Honeybush
While I have previously reviewed the other two teas (click on them to check out those reviews), I will be reviewing each of the new teas separately, starting with the White Chocolate Strawberry, and that review will be published this evening at midnight (or 9 pm for those of us who are on the West Coast).
This Box of Chocolate Teas was offered from 52Teas several weeks before Valentine’s Day and a limited supply is still available. If you didn’t get what you wanted for Valentine’s Day, now is the chance to treat yourself! You deserve it!
Harvest Apple Spice from Tea Forté
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Tea Forté
Product Description:
A naturally-caffeine free blend with the taste of crisp sweet apples and the luscious warming of spices, for a cup reminiscent of Mom’s apple pie.
Ingredients: rooibos, organic cinnamon, apple chunks, hibiscus, natural apple flavor, clove buds, natural cinnamon flavor, other natural flavors
Taster’s Review:
I’m ordinarily a little hesitant when it comes to rooibos blends based upon my past experience (now it is a few more years into the past than I care to admit to) with this herb. But, to be honest, over the past few years, I’ve tasted more rooibos blends that I’ve truly enjoyed than those that I haven’t. So, why hesitant? I don’t know… it seems to be more or less an automatic response.
This has to be one of the very best rooibos blends that I’ve tried. I can’t really taste much from the rooibos … what little I do taste is a slight woody/nutty character deep into the distant background. Mere hints, nothing too strong, and none of that funky taste I often associate with rooibos.
This tastes so strongly of apples! Like freshly picked apples that have been baked with autumnal spices and served warm. YUM! The thought of such a treat makes my mouth water … just like this tisane does.
The apple flavor is crisp and sweet with just a slight tartness to it, reminding me a bit of a Jonagold apple. It is certainly more sweet than tart, and as the tisane in my cup cools slightly I notice more of a apple-cider-y kind of taste and texture to it. It feels very smooth to the palate, and the spices are warm without being too spicy-hot. Pleasant notes of sweet cinnamon and warm clove.
There is also hibiscus in this blend – which is definitely not one of my favorite herbals – but, here, the only thing I really notice from the hibiscus is the reddish hue of the tisane and a slightly thicker consistency (contributing to the aforementioned cider-like texture). I don’t taste much of the signature tartness that hibiscus generally brings to the party, and that is certainly a good thing in my opinion.
I received this blend (and several others) as part of the Warming Joy Collection in the Petite Ribbon Box (as shown in the photo above). This would make a most welcome (and delicious!) gift for the tea lover on your gift-giving list, or perhaps a perfectly charming hostess gift for the holiday parties you might be attending.