Sometimes when you do tea swaps with other tea lovers, you find yourself surprised by added teas you did not expect nor ask for. And by sometimes, I mean basically every time. Gotta love the generosity of tea friends!
Well, this particular tea is one of those surprises and I was super excited to try it out. If I am being honest, it was the fact that these were black dragon pearls that appealed to me the most. I just love being able to pop a couple of balls of tea into the mug and watch them blossom. It is calming as the tea opens up and releases all its flavor into the brew. I will say though that I probably should have put these in a filter as opposed to directly in the mug because as fun as it was to watch, the pearl completely disintegrated and I had to strain out the leaves before drinking.
As I sip the tea now, the first thing I notice is the taste of the yunnan base. Smooth and malty which transitions nicely into a light note of vanilla. The almond is also present and adds depth to the tea. Unfortunately, I am not sure how much maple is coming through. As a Canadian, maple is a flavor that I get easily excited about but I have noticed it is a flavor that often isn’t done how I would want it to be. This is no exception because I find myself searching for it but to no avail.
This was a little bit of a miss for me given the lack of maple. That is not to say it was bad since I enjoyed the tea and had no trouble finishing the mug of it. However, I was disappointed that this didn’t exactly deliver on what the name promised.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
Rich and malty handrolled tea from Yunnan, China with natural maple, vanilla and almond flavor.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Smoked Maple from Shanti Tea. . . .
When my fiancé and I first started dating, he was a) charmed by my goofy nerdiness (or so I like to tell myself) and b) totally baffled that I had never really eaten smoked meat beyond the occasional barbeque. A few years into our life together now, I’m well acquainted with the intricacies of home-smoked brisket (mainly, how to eat it. YUM), which are the best BBQ joints within a fifty-mile radius, and how to reeeally love that earthy, rich flavor that smoking imparts on food. And on tea. (See! I promise this story had a point.)
This smoked maple tea from Shanti may be more nuanced than a brisket, but man, is it delicious. The dry leaf smells unmistakably maple, and brewed, you get the same delicious sweetness with the addition of classic, almost-floral oolong undertones. While I wouldn’t necessarily call this one abundantly smoky, there are some hints of smoke and spice at the end of the sip that elevate this tea to the next level. With the addition of some coconut milk, it takes on almost a toasted-marshmallow-y goodness.
I may be a relative newbie to the world of smoked-flavors, but this tea hits on all notes for me. Now to figure out if I could pass it off as a compliment to the brisket at my in-laws’ next family gathering…
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Shanti Tea
Description
A lightly smoky blend of dark oolong and maple, a best-selling breakfast Oolong.
Ingredients: Tea (Camelia Sinensis), Safflower, Natural Essences
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Black Maple from Shanti Tea
The holidays are upon us, which means two horrific things: 1) “Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer,” which I STILL have not yet heard, thankfully; and 2) my annual Throat-Destroying Nostril-Apocalypse Cold.
This tea was JUST the thing! It’s organic, which means it’s healthy. Therefore, I chose it this morning to wash down Robitussin and an I-Deserve-It donut (the Breakfast of Champions).
This tea was JUST the thing! It’s organic, which means it’s healthy. Therefore, I chose it this morning to wash down Robitussin and an I-Deserve-It donut (the Breakfast of Champions).
Like, you know how Wolverine is Canadian? That kind of maple syrup ancestry. Wearing a flannel shirt. Brooding a little. Lots of chest hair. Claws.
This is not a Cupcake/Sugar type of tea. It is still, however, very rich and delicious. (Like Wolverine.)
In summary: this is a great tea, I have a crush on Wolverine, and this entire post was brought to you by Tripping On Robitussin.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Flavored Black Tea
Where to Buy: Shanti Tea
Description
Try our “Canadian Breakfast Tea”, the sweet flavor of maple with a soft black tea.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Maple Splash Tea from Tealuxe
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Tealuxe
Tea Description:
This tea is no longer on their website but the package states it was a result of the company’s fascination with the Canadian tradition of making Maple Taffy. The ingredients in this tea are as follows…black tea (71%), cinnamon pieces, dehydrated maple syrup, cinnamon rods, flavoring, popcorn, and white cornflower blossoms.
Learn more about this company here.
Taster’s Review:
The tea I’m reviewing today is called Maple Splash Tea from Tealuxe. Maple Splash Tea from Tealuxe is no longer listed on their website but I thought it was worth a mention anyways. If you like Maple you will like this tea. Maple Splash lives up to its name that is for sure!
I love the aroma but that is because I love maple but I also adore the addition of popcorn in this tea. The tea leaves are a drab brown and are smaller in length while still being tightly dried and semi-twisty. Some of the wet leaves look like twigs while the others look like your typical small to medium sized black tea leaves.
After infusing Maple Splash for about 3 minutes I noticed the cinnamon aroma pop thru a bit better. The Maple aroma deteriorated a little but was still in the forefront.
This is a sweet, warming, comforting flavored black tea with Maple Splash, indeed! Maple Splash Tea is a ‘party in your mouth’ and I sure wish that Tealuxe kept it in their shop! Another noteworthy flavor to mention is the aftertaste of sweet-woody, too! The flavor and aroma linger and I like that!
Snow Maple Tea from Shanti Tea
Tea Type: White Tea
Where To Buy: Shanti Tea
Product Description:
Brand New Tea Offering – not yet on Shanti’s Website
Tasters Review:
Our Friends at Shanti Tea have released many new flavors including several Maple Teas! If you have checked them out – you will want to! Keep your eyes right here at Sororitea Sisters because we will be reviewing MANY of them and SOON!
I have been waiting for someone to try a MAPLE White Tea and Shanti is the first I have tried…and it’s pretty good.
The aroma is a gentle yet vibrant maple and the white tea prettiness really comes thru nicely. The color is darker than most white’s I have seen but it’s a neat shade! The taste is like a candied maple and slight floral flavor…it’s very soothing and fairly mouth-watering, too!