Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Puerh
Where to Buy: Samovar Tea Lounge
Tea Description:
Wild-crafted from 30-foot trees in the jungles of Southwest China, this tea is a traditional wedding gift and evening mood-setter. Dark, creamy, and luxurious with notes of bittersweet chocolate and espresso.
Details
Tea Type: Pu-Erh
Origin: Jing Mai Mountains in Yunnan, China
Caffeine Level: Medium-high
Processing Details: Tender, young-leaf, vintage, loose leaf Pu-Erh
Tasting and Aroma Specs: Very balanced, smooth, rich and dark, with a slightly sweet, wildflower honey finish. Deep, strong forward notes of earth and moss with a lingering raisin sugar sweetness.
Food Pairing: Dim Sum and Samovar’s Mushroom Quiche
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
It is really difficult to sum up a puerh in a review without mentioning each and ever steep. Especially when it is such an excellent puerh like this Maiden’s Ecstasy Organic from Samovar Tea Lounge.
Maiden’s Ecstasy is one of the first pureh that I ever tried and is still one of my favorites. I stopped drinking coffee shortly before I found my love for loose leaf tea, and this Maiden’s Ecstasy provides such a rich, full, and robust cup that it brings back memories of my once loved coffee, but is so much better, and far more flavorful!
With a creamy, heavy mouthfeel, this tea has notes of german rock sugar, brown sugar, raisins, tree bark, oak moss, and so much more. Sometimes you will taste a more woodsy note, while other times you get a taste of chocolate, and other times a savory note of mushroom!
There is something otherworldly about this tea. It is the kind of tea I like to drink while watching a movie such as Avatar, or The Never Ending Story. I would take this and drink it at the Renaissance Festival every year if I could find a way to keep steeping it! It makes me feel like jumping from toadstool to tree trunk and swinging from branches of friendly tress and cavorting with gnomes but beware of the trolls because this tea does have a sparky, spicy kick to it at times as well! Its not dangerous though, it won’t burn your tongue at all, its just a little spark of playful now and then in the middle of an otherwise dreamy cup.
It does evoke thoughts of sipping on a very luxurious espresso, a good one though, one you could probably only find at one of those quaint cafes in Italy, as you sit writing in your diary at a white linen clothed table, dreaming of a romantic interlude. Flavors of molasses peek through resembling the sweet desires playing out in your mind as you gaze into nothingness, while someone, sitting at a table not too far away can see everything emoting through your eyes.
Yes, this tea is that special.
Eggnog Matcha from Red Leaf Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Matcha, Green Tea
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
Despite its name, eggnog is a delicious and sweet drink which can be combined with other beverages to make it truly delicious and unforgettable. Combined with exotic Matcha, Eggnog Matcha can easily become a favorite especially at many social occasions where people want to appear trendy and adventurous at the same time. This interesting and sweetish vanilla-like drink is perfectly blended to suit many audiences both young and old and because of its lingering taste, can be very sumptuous on the palate. It can be taken both night or day depending on the audience and occasion.
Eggnog Matcha, despite its name, does not taste at all like eggs but borders more on the taste of vanilla or even custard. This taste is refined by the balancing effect of Matcha to make a mellow treat that is very pleasurable for the palate. Its thick creamy feel in the mouth makes it an easy favorite for those wanting to treat their palates to pure leisure and unforgettable pleasure. It can be an excellent companion to many snack alternatives because of its sweet base and sumptuous feel on the palate. Eggnog Matcha is a heavenly snack for those occasions where guests deserve to relax and enjoy a full bodied sensation on their palates.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
When I want something really frothy and creamy, Eggnog Matcha from Red Leaf Tea fits the bill!
So I am trying to slim down my matcha stash, not because I want to get rid of it, but rather I want to order some of the awesome new flavors that Red Leaf Tea has! So I looked over my matcha stash and saw this Eggnog Matcha sitting there beckoning me. I decided that it was what I was craving! Thick, creamy, very frothy, and heavy in the mouthfeel. It reminds me of custard, just like the description says. I like making mine with vanilla almond milk to give it a bit of a sweeter taste, but the flavors are dead on for Eggnog, and who says that it has to be the holidays to enjoy eggnog? Not me that’s for sure.
I like my flavored matcha from Red Leaf Tea cold, or made into an iced latte personally, and I have only had eggnog served cold as well, so it makes sense to me to prepare it cold.
There is a distinct vanilla flavor to eggnog, but also a slight nod toward nutmeg as well. What I really love about this flavor is that the matcha flavor is not lost in the blend. I can taste all of the matcha goodness here too! I would suggest you consider ordering the robust or at least distinctive blend in this specific flavor because it is not as strong as some of the other Red Leaf Tea flavor options. That is not to say you can’t taste the Eggnog flavor, you can, but if you really want that punch in the face flavor you need to at least go with Robust. When I order this flavor again it will be in the “There’s Matcha In There?” option.
I have enough of this left to do one more thing with it that I have been dying to do, and that is make an Eggnog Shake with it! This is one of those flavors that is a must try with ice cream!
Tim Finnegan’s Wake-Up from Cuppa Crew Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Cuppa Crew Tea Company
Tea Description:
Top’o’the’mornin’ our pasty Irish butts. If you need a kick with a kick to start your day (or wake you up after lunch), here’s your tea, good ma’am or sir.
We start with our hearty Irish Breakfast blend and add a drop of the craythur — Irish Cream (cream + Irish whiskey). The resulting cuppa is bold, creamy, sweet, and just reminiscent of a fine Irish whiskey. Feel the burn (in a fabulous way)! Uisce beatha (“water of life”), indeed.
The name of the blend is borrowed from an old Irish street ballad by the name of, “Finnegan’s Wake,” embedded below. We thought it appropriate!
Ingredients: Black Tea, Blackberry Leaves, Cornflower, Sunflower, Calendula Petals, Natural Flavors.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Tim Finnegan’s Wake-Up from Cuppa Crew Tea Company tastes like a good merlot in my opinion. There is not a thing wrong with that! It’s no surprise it is after all an Irish inspired blend and since I have Irish blood in me I think I am politically clearned to say the Irish do love their alcohol although not necessarily wine. Okay now if I have not offended everyone I will continue. Alright so maybe my Irish blood is not thick enough for a stout whisky and perhaps this is spot on for Irish Whisky but to me I keep tasting that wine note, although I am far more partial to wine than whiskey. I hope my ancestors are not turning over in their graves.
The creamy element to this tea is lovely. Its not too creamy that you feel like your drinking something heavy or cloying but it does evoke that Irish Cream flavor quite well.
I do not usually do this but I did add some sugar and a splash of milk half way through the cup as it is recommended by Cuppa Crew even though the tea was rockin without it!
Sure I do think the sugar and milk, only a splash, do help highlight some of the notes in the tea, especially the more savory notes of calendula, a wonderful healing herb, but I believe I may prefer this one just as is, why mess with something that is good on its own? Still it is nice that we have choices and its great both ways!
The dry leaf is pretty with sprinkles of purple, and gold color from the calendula, and cornflower, and it has a lovely aroma. The steeped leaf expands to at least twice its size. A note on the leaf from Cuppa Crew:
We use only orthodox tea leaves in both our standard Irish Breakfast and in Tim Finnegan’s Wake-Up, so the texture of the leaves is beautiful and consistent. We also like the somewhat mellower flavor of the full leaf versus a CTC blend.
The folks at Cuppa Crew are awesome people with in my opinion a good sense of humor and good nature. I enjoy reading their web site and blog with the quirky sense of humor and antidotes.
Check them out and give a nod to a new and upcoming tea company!
As for last notes on this tea … I have never had a tea like it! Truly unique and original! Kudos Cuppa Crew!
White Christmas from Lupicia
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Lupicia
Tea Description:
Tea flavored with white chocolate and apricot, conjuring up images of baked Christmas sweets.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I received a bagged sample of this with my Lupicia Magazine this month. You get the “magazine” which is more of a leaflet when you place an order of thirty dollars or more with Lupicia. Once you qualify for the magazine you receive it for one year. In each issue is one free bagged tea sample. I have found several new Lupicia tea favorites this way. More information on the magazine and samples here.
This tea has an okay aroma. I have to note here that I am not too fond on anything apricot flavored. I am not sure why but the flavor and aroma just turns me off. I don’t mind fresh apricots, but as a rule I have only found maybe one or two apricot flavored teas I enjoy. With that said, this tea does have that “off putting” apricot aroma. Yet there is also something else here I find pleasing. The chocolate perhaps as Lupicia does have many well flavored chocolate teas.
Upon the initial sip this tea is quite pleasing. There is a nice robust black tea base which is detectable in flavor even with the apricot and chocolate flavors. The apricot flavor in this tea does not come across as off putting as the aroma for me. That is a plus. I would also note that the white chocolate does taste like white chocolate and not that of milk or dark chocolate which gets points from me as well.
I am noticing as the tea sits a little the apricot aroma I was not enjoying has settled down and blended nicely with the chocolate aroma and that of the tea itself, no longer off putting. That is interesting.
I walked away from my tea for a few moments to let the flavors mingle on my palate and I was surprised to notice how long the flavors lingered. No bad aftertaste was detected – rather a quite pleasing one!
The mouthfeel is somewhat thick, and creamy. Close to a hot chocolate mouthfeel but not quite. I could however see younger people enjoying this tea during the holiday season because of the feel and flavor.
It is definitely a sweeter tea but does not have unnecessary sweetness and is not cloying.
Overall a nice cup. I don’t think that I am in love with this tea, and if I were not a hound for Lupicia’s collectable tins I probably would not rush to grab this one, but it is nice, and I think many of the younger people, and non tea drinkers in my family will enjoy this over the holidays. I can also see this tea being tweaked for other holiday drinks, with or without alcohol. I think this would be a good purchase regardless.
Huo Shan Yellow Sprouting from Mark T. Wendell
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Yellow
Where to Buy: Mark T. Wendell
Product Description:
This rare yellow tea from China’s Anhui province is comprised of beautiful hand-crafted leaves and downy silver buds. This tea is notable for its rich, full and smooth tasting floral infusion. When brewed, our Yellow Sprouting produces a naturally sweet and refreshingly clean tasting cup of tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I was very lucky to be introduced to yellow tea early in my loose leaf tea drinking experience! It was the first time I had ever stepped foot into a real tea house, in St. Louis, Missouri. The London Tea Room. At that time they had a lovely yellow tea which was not on their regular tea menu as it was a special tea not normally sold in the store. They told me about yellow tea and gave me a good education on it. I was sold and bought it on the spot not even really knowing just how precious yellow tea was. So that was my introduction and how I fell in love with Yellow teas. Even still yellow teas seem to be quite rare, and while they can be found online and in tea shops, I find people are still not quite as aware of them as they could be. I was thrilled when I received a sample of this from my SororiTea Sister LiberTEAS.
I am finding this cup to be every bit as delightful as my first experience with yellow tea. As I do not currently have many yellow teas, perhaps one or two, in my own stash, having a new one to try is a lovely gift!
This tea, from Mark T. Wendell, is captivating! Its creamy and buttery, but also there is this really nice savory element to it as well and many know how much I love a savory tea! The mouthfeel is heavier than the color of the cup may indicate. Don’t let the beautiful, delicate, golden tone fool you, its quite rich. There is a natural sweetness just as the product description says, but the fresh floral and grassy notes make it pleasing and healthy tasting. I get a note that speaks towards wheat grass flavors.
It is not as buttery as many oolong or green teas, which of course it is a yellow tea and has its own voice. Yet, these elements are present. There is a juiciness and freshness to the cup making it quite bright, a “happy” tea. To me, this is not a tea you choose when wanting to sit down and get absorbed into a great novel, but more of a tea for when you want to have loose fun conversations, or enjoy a sunny day, or brighten up a dreary one. And again, being in a category of its own, you won’t find this tea as vegetal as some greens, yet in the under layer of this tea – toward the base of the flavor levels, does exist a slightly vegetal flavor, which learns more toward a salty seaweed like note.
Also, if you allow this tea to cool quite a while you will find a light candy like note, sort of like a meringue cookie flavor or perhaps the curst on a creme brulee although its not going to jump out at you that flavor is in there.
Yellow tea is such an interesting thing to me. I always love trying any yellow tea I can get my hands on and I hope that more people become aware of how wonderful yellow teas are. Why not start with this one? I am finding it to be my favorite so far.