Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black, Darjeeling
Where to Buy: Darjeeling Tea Lovers
Tea Description:
Margarets Hope Muscatel comes from one of the best known gardens Margarets Hope Tea Garden. The dry leaves are black and dark chocolate in colour with fresh floral notes to the nose.
When steeped for 3 mins, it gives a brilliant deep golden liquor. It has a full bodied muscatel flavour with a distinct mint ‘twang’ in the nose. A perfect cup to make your evenings delightful.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
2012 Margarets Hope Muscatel (2nd Flush) from Darjeeling Tea Lovers is such an easy tea to drink. It’s light but full bodied, has that wonderful muscatel wine like flavor of fermented grapes, but is accompanied by an almost bubbly mouthfeel.
The tea is also complimented by spiced earth notes and woodsy flavors.
My sample is going on at least 5 to 6 months in age but its flavor is wonderful. I wish I had tried it when it first came out and truly hope I get to experience the 2013 leaf while it is still fresh and full of flavor.
I do love a good darjeeling and this one is slightly different from others I have enjoyed. This has a far more earthy and musk like note to it, which I love, yet a really good balance with its lighter fruity, berry, and red currant notes.
The more the tea cools the more rich and full it becomes. I find it reminding me almost of a pu-erh with notes ranging from peat, oaky, and other aged woods. While the cup begins rather light by the end of the more cooled cup it thickens up and becomes far heavier in the sip.
What an interesting tea! One everyone should try in order to understand a truly wonderful Darjeeling!
Oriental Beauty (Dong Fang Mei Ren) from Driftwood Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Driftwood Teas
Tea Description:
Oriental Beauty is also know by several other names including: Dong Fang Mei Ren; White Tip Oolong; and Champagne Oolong. Whatever name it goes by this is perhaps Taiwan’s most special tea and cited by many connoisseur as one of the world’s finest.
Key Flavours: Ripe fruits, honey and sweet muscatel notes combine with hints of warming spices and exotic woods.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Oriental Beauty (Dong Fang Mei Ren) from Driftwood teas does what Oriental Beauty always does for me, surprises me. I am always taken aback by this tea because I adore oolong, but this is never what I expect an oolong to be! This tea is light, sweet, and fruity, with notes that lean toward muscatel, and juicy peach.
Then we have the woody and spicy notes that come forward but very subtle on the spice more strong on the woodsy notes. I do love the wood notes in this tea, it feels so natural and wonderful and makes me long to go hiking!
One thing that is a bit different from this Oriental Beauty is that the honey notes are really thick, as in lay in the back of your throat thick, and so wonderfully sweet. Also unlike some Oriental Beauty this tea does not have that drying sensation in the back of the throat. The tea coats the throat and lingers lightly with honey kissed floral notes.
I can’t mention enough how lovely these wood notes are and with the honey sweetness, and that light touch of floral and spice. This may be one of my favorite Oriental Beauty oolongs, yet I find myself saying that in almost every review I do of Oriental Beauty. Yet then I say that I normally do not gravitate toward lighter oolong. Maybe I am changing in that aspect.
Driftwood Tea certainly does bring us a wonderful example of a high quality Dong Fang Mei Ren with a light smooth taste and mouthfeel. Light, yet so very flavorful! You won’t be wishing for more flavor because this tea has it all from woodsy, sweet, fruity, spiced, and, muscatel, almost in a Darjeeling way, to apricot and floral notes.
This is truly a tea to savor through multiple steeps Gong Fu style!
White Ambrosia from White Lion Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: White Lion Tea
Tea Description:
Rare white tea leaves are laced with sweet toasted coconut and juicy pineapple. It’s like having a vacation in a cup!
Canister $42.95 7 Ounce
Glass Jar $15.95 1.5 Ounce
Sample Tin $4.75 0.5 Ounce
Also available in Sachets
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
White Ambrosia from White Lion Tea is a smooth blend with a full and creamy mouthfeel.
You can taste the toasting of the coconut, which sets it apart from many of the other coconut tea blends out there. The pineapple is lighter and a nice afterthought that is not too powerful but present in the sip. It gives the tea a fruity punch toward the end of the sip.
A great iced tea but I actually prefer this one hot which surprises me!
White Lion Tea is served in spas and I can absolutely see why! Every blend I have sampled from White Lion Tea has been excellent! They are all in their own way either relaxing, or rejuvenating, and I can see how you could easily find one of their blends to fit your mood and needs perfectly!
Every time I order from White Lion I get a couple of sample sized tins, which are really cute. Each time I wish I had ordered a glass (full size) instead. I have never had a tea from White Lion Tea that I did not like! There are some companies that do a few teas really really well, and the others are more or less fillers in their inventory, either so so or really not worth ordering. With White Lion Tea you can be assured that all of their teas that they sell are top quality!
This is one of those teas I ordered as a sample only. And as per usual, I want to order more!
I love the glass jars! Even though you want to keep them out of direct sunlight to preserve the flavor of the teas, they are so kitchy, so cute, and they look amazing displayed!
Citrus Punch Matcha from Red Leaf Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Matcha, Flavored Matcha
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
This tangy flavored Citrus Punch Matcha is a delight on the palate that seeks for new horizons with Mother Nature’s bounty. Its fruity appeal makes it unique in its ability to delight and freshen the taste buds. Its flexibility makes it easy to add to virtually any drink or snack around the kitchen. It can also be used to enhance the refreshment offering in many special occasions with its delectable fruitiness. This makes it favorite for anybody looking for variety and spice.
Citrus Punch Matcha is ideal for lifting the flavors of many ordinary-tasting snacks to become well-rounded and exciting to the palate. Its delicious taste makes it a favorite among people who want to venture into new fruity directions that entice and delight the palate. This unique flavor is also excellent for many hot or cold drinks that require an added tangy fruitiness, especially for special occasions where people can truly sample the delights of Mother Nature’s special fruits.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Citrus Punch Matcha from Red Leaf Tea is really rather quite yummy! The reason I say that is because honestly I was a little apprehensive about trying this matcha.
I really thought it would be too tart, or too bitter, but its not! Its fresh, natural tasting, mix of orange, lemon, and lime. It reminds me a lot of a juice I used to drink when I was younger called Five Alive.
I made a latte with almond milk, and a splash of vanilla creamer and this matcha really tasted like a smoothie, or a Julius.
I am eager to try this matcha blended with some sparkling water or ginger ale as well!
Sometimes, with some matcha flavors I worry about a chemical after taste, and I am amazed that so much flavor can be packed into this dusty fine matcha powder! I don’t know how Red Leaf Tea does it, but I am so happy that they do!
Red Leaf Tea also has a fruit punch flavor I am dying to try, I have that on my shopping list! Then they recently released Apple Pie, Berry Pie, and French Butter Cookie, all which instantly made it on my shopping list as well.
Keep coming out with the amazing flavors Red Leaf Tea, and like a minion I will keep on buying!
As for this flavor, love it!
Beverly Hills Breakfast from Compass Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Yellow
Where to Buy: Compass Teas
Tea Description:
An antioxidant-rich Mimosa! Champagne & Orange flavors over a rare Yellow tea. Smooth, elegant & refreshing.
Ingredients:
Yellow Tea – High in antioxidants. Smooth, mellow flavor.
Organic FlavoringLearn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Beverly Hills Breakfast from Compass Teas is a must try. First of all its a yellow tea, which I adore yellow teas, secondly it is a bright, cheerful cup that is an excellent breakfast treat.
This tea can be purchased by the ounce or in a try me size which is really special because yellow teas are not only a little more rare to come by but usually you won’t find a means to sample them easily.
You can learn more about yellow tea here.
I was really happy to find this tea in my most recent package of tea samples from my SororiTea Sister Jennifer. I love yellow teas and am always eager to try a new one. I do recall having seen this tea offered by Compass before but I sort of spaced it out and never got around to ordering any. Also I will admit, orange flavored teas are not generally my “go to” flavor in teas, yet I am so happy to have had the chance to sample this one. It’s quite delightful!
Its sunny, crisp, citrusy, yet there is this champagne bubble like sensation that reminds me of a mimosa!
I suppose I should not be surprised, after all this is how the tea is described, but I’m really happy with how the blend comes over on the palate. Its light, refined, yet flavorful.
Compass Teas did a really good job on this blend!