Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Angelina’s Teas
Tea Description:
STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE
(Black Tea with natural flavors)
Country of Origin: Sri Lanka
Region: Nuwara Eliya, Dimbula or Uva districts
Shipping Port: Colombo
Grade: OP (Orange Pekoe)
Altitude: 4800 – 7600 feet above sea level
Manufacture Type: Orthodox
Cup Characteristics: A full bodied sweet and creamy cup. Perfect with a dash of sugar and a splash of milk. This ones
amazing over ice.
Infusion: Bright and Coppery.
Information: Who doesnt love Strawberry Shortcake? Fresh strawberriespastry icing sugarfresh cream. In a word, scrumptious. The original recipe can be traced back to a 19th century American food writer named Eliza Leslie. Her shtick, (even back then all food writers and celebrity chefs had one) was to incorporate various elements of French cuisine into American cooking. Her recipe called for a special pastry crust that was a cross between traditional pastry and cookie dough, cut into rounds with mashed strawberries sandwiched between them, covered in icing sugar. Phew! The recipe spread like wildfire and spawned many variations. One that saw the addition of fresh whipped became the Strawberry Shortcake most of us are familiar with today. This tea has all the great flavors of the sweet creamy dessert with none of the calories, (read guilt free). Dessert in a teacup. Nothing could be finer.
What type of tea do we use, how do we flavor the tea and why do we use natural flavors?
Firstly… we only use high grown teas from the top 3 tea growing regions of Sri Lanka – Nuwara Eliya, Dimbula and Uva. These three high-grown districts produce flavorful teas that have classic Ceylon tea character which is noted by floral bouquet and flavor notes, touches of mild astringency, bright coppery color and, most importantly – perfect for use as the base tea of our flavored teas. (We have tested teas from various other origins around the world as base stock for our flavored teas, but none of these teas made the grade.) Dimbula and the western estates of Nuwar
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Strawberry Shortcake from Angelina’s Teas is another excellent creamy strawberry tea, and many of you know how much I adore a good strawberry tea, especially if it is sweet, and creamy!
I have a handful of favorite strawberry teas and I have to say this one rivals them all. Considering the cost point of just a tad over 2.00 USD per ounce, this one may be the best so far. Not that I mind paying more for a better tea, but this is right at the level of my favorite strawberry teas that are more expensive.
I love that Angelina’s puts so much effort into their tea descriptions and has such a huge assortment of teas, tea ware and goodies on their site. I could spend an entire day just browsing!
This is a stash keeper in my book. Fresh juicy strawberry flavor with a creamy dessert finish.
Not a lot to say about it other than it is delicious and I love it.
If you are a fan of creamy teas, strawberry teas, or creamy strawberry tea then grabs some!
Miami Mango from Steep City Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Steep City Teas
Tea Description:
Much like Miami, this black tea has a distinct sunny-like smell filled with passion, a colorful character and a sweet sweet taste. This mango blend with elder berries, apple pieces and lemon peels will evoke the paradise of sunny beaches with fresh fruit in your mouth. It combines a lemon zest with mango undertones that will leave you refreshed and energized. Prepare yourself for an amazing black tea that is great hot or iced. If you love Miami and you love mangos and lemons, this is one not to miss.
Black tea, mango pieces, natural flavors, lemon peels, apple pieces, rose hips, hibiscus, and elder berries.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Finally a tea blend using hibiscus done right! Miami Mango from Steep City Teas is refreshing, sweet, excellent hot, or iced, and just a perfect blend. Fruity, with definitive flavors of mango, and a lightly zesty flavor that makes you feel revived and energized. The hibiscus in this blend is truly necessary to give it the added zip and tang that it has yet it is not overly done as in so very many teas that have hibiscus in them!
This tea is surprising and versatile. I could see this being mixed into a tea cocktail with alcohol, or just lightly sweetened a little more and served to the kids at a party. I love it with no additives hot, and iced it becomes this dreamy island drink that reminds me of hot steamy nights in Miami Beach, listening to Jimmy Buffet or Reggae music while digging my toes into the sand.
This tea takes you right to the edge of tart but is absolutely not puckering or sour, the sweetness is just perfect, like being kissed by candied lips but not being spoon fed sugar.
The apple peeks out more as the tea comes closer to a room temp and when iced the apple pops even more but does not leave luscious mango behind!
Lets not forget though, through all of these sunny flavors, this is a tea, that is one thing that is fairly easy to forget as you get lost in the plentiful flavors of this blend, however there is a nice black tea base used here that is mild and compliments the true nature of this tea.
Miami Mango from Steep City Teas is an excellent steep for those like me, who are dreaming of sunny summer days ahead.
Taiwan Honey Black Tea from T-OolongTea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type:
Where to Buy: T-OolongTea
Tea Description:
All Natural Tea
Season: 2012 Spring (harvested in 2012 April)
Altitude: 300 meter above sea level
Varietal: Qingxin Dapa
Origin: Hsinchu County, Taiwan
Semioxidized
Packing Method: Vacuum packagingThis high quality Taiwan Honey Black Tea Oolong is all natural, handpicked, handcrafted and produced from Qingxin Dapa varietal, the tea leaves used to produce Oriental Beauty. This tea has an intense honey aroma and taste, very pleasant and enjoyable. The taste is a mixture of black tea and oriental beauty oolong. This tea is very rich, complex, smooth and delectable with almost no bitterness and astringency. The aftertaste is very sweet and long lasting and makes you want another sip.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Taiwan Honey Black Tea from T-OolongTea has the most decedent, honey kissed, chocolate, flavor one could imagine, it
gives such a sweet thick mouthfeel that just begs to be savored slowly.
There are also some sweet dark cocoa notes within the cup as well which are not to be overlooked as this cocoa note provides even more depth and complexity to the cup.
Then just as you think you have this tea figured out you will experience some caramel notes followed by candied plums playfully hiding in the background and peeking out now and then.
This is a very thick and rich brew that may please some coffee lovers because of the deepness of the flavor and robust flavors. This is not a shy tea! There is also a feeling in the throat that is more like a coffee than a tea in how full it feels.
Really this tea is like drinking a melted candy bar, its just that much of a treat! No bitterness, no astringency, so smooth, and invigorating. An excellent wake up tea for those lazy Sundays when you just want to snuggle into the covers of your soft warm bed, and sip slowly, reverently, and savor each pleasurable drop.
I for one love a tea that really stands up and demands to be recognized. This is a tea with attitude, “recognize” it states boldly – and I do! Yet it is so sweet, so succulent, that it woos me, makes me want to just keep breathing in its aroma.
A bold tea, with muscle, that has a soft romantic side. Oh yes!
Butterscotch from Angelina’s Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Angelina’s Teas
Tea Description:
BUTTERSCOTCH (Black Tea with natural flavors) Country of Origin: Sri Lanka Region: Nuwara Eliya, Dimbula or Uva districts Shipping Port: Colombo Grade: OP (Orange Pekoe) Altitude: 4800 – 7600 feet above sea level Manufacture Type: Orthodox Cup Characteristics: Smooth and creamy with that Highland taste – a dash of sugar will help open it up. Infusion: Bright and Coppery. Ingredients: Black tea, Elder blossom, Calendula petals, Natural flavors. Information: There is no question that the good people of Scotland can be credited with introducing the world to many, many fine things. For example: the fine game of golf, the handsome kilt, and Scotch. What is in question however is whether or not the Scots can take credit for introducing humankind to Butterscotch. There are people in Scotland will argue up and down that yes, the Scots were the ones who first boiled down brown sugar and butter to create the sweet hard candy. However, there are those who will argue up and down that in fact the confection derives its name from the process of scorching the butter, a process that in older times was known as scotching. Aha, but the Scots will argue, the scotching of butter was invented in Scotland! The truth is, the actual origin of butterscotch has been lost in the mists of time. We shall perhaps never get to the bottom of the dispute. What we can get to the bottom of time and time again however is a delicious cup of piping hot butterscotch tea. This tea is wonderful with a dash of milk to open up the buttery sweet flavor. You can also try it over ice if you like. Its like candy in a cup! What type of tea do we use, how do we flavor the tea and why do we use natural flavors? Firstly… we only use high grown teas from the top 3 tea growing regions of Sri Lanka – Nuwara Eliya, Dimbula and Uva. These three high-grown districts produce flavorful teas that have classic Ceylon tea character which is noted by floral bouquet and flavor notes, touches of mild astringency, bright.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
In the dry leaf form, Butterscotch from Angelina’s Teas has a funky vinegar like aroma that is off putting, however due to my long search for the perfect butterscotch tea I steeped it anyway. I am glad that I did. While this may not make it to my top ranks in butterscotch flavored teas, it is quite nice, especially nice the more it cools. This may be resigned to being an iced tea for the summertime, but once steeped that off putting vinegar aroma fades and leaves behind a mildly sweet butterscotch flavor. Even yummier with a dash of milk and some sweetener. I prefer almond milk and sugar in the raw or german rock sugar myself.
Angelina’s Teas has an amazing assortment of teas and you can really get lost in their web site gazing at all their tea variety! They also offer tea ware of all types, and food items as well.
Angelina’s shipping was super fast which of course is a plus.
I love the through descriptions on Angelina’s site! They really go into great detail describing each tea and it can be very educational.
Is this the ultimate tea? No, quite honestly it is not. However it is a good tea, at a more than fair price, just 2.14 USD per ounce.
I would suggest that anyone new to the world of teas give Angelina’s a try. They have so many variety of teas to select from, from flavored, to straight, and they give you a really great idea of what is out there.
Now in fairness, I was in the mood for some flavored teas when I placed my order, but Angelina’s Teas does offer higher quality teas as well such as Dragonwell Lung Ching, Aged Wu Yi Oolong, as well as offerings in Pu-erh, and mate, just to give you an idea of the selection on their site.
As for this tea, its just all right, nothing to jump up and down about, but absolutely one to keep around for iced tea in the summer at the price it is offered at its not a bad idea!
Cinnamon Swirl Bread from sTEAp Shoppe
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Puerh, Black
Where to Buy: sTEAp Shoppe
Tea Description:
Cinnamon Swirl Bread Puerh & Black Teas touches your tongue with a rich depth of flavor and the bright embrace of cinnamon. Aromatic cinnamon, combined with rich bread like puerh and the sweet honey notes of gold bud black tea. This combination of tea and spice creates the perfect cup to wake up with or as a dessert. Full bodied with a smooth buttery goodness embraced by bright ribbons of cinnamon.
Pu-erh tea is a post-fermented tea, specifically Dark tea, produced in Yunnan province, China. The difference between this and all other teas is that, Pu erh tea undergoes the standard process of rolling and drying, after which it will then undergo a microbial fermentation. This style of processing tea is unique to China. A process created by the Chinese and produced in Yunnan, a leader in quality Chinese teas.
Taster’s Review:Learn more about this tea here.
Janet does it again with her Cinnamon Swirl Bread from sTEAp Shoppe. Her blend of 2008 Loose Puerh and Yunnan Gold Needle Black tea, with just the right mix of cinnamon, cocoa nibs, vanilla bean, and maple crystals make this tea taste like you just toasted up some sweet cinnamon bread!
I love her use of organic ingredients and that the tea is not overly sweet, nor overly spicy. This blend is balanced perfectly.
The aroma that fills your home when you steep it is nothing short of delicious.
Earthy puerh gives a flavor and mouthfeel of whole grain bread, while the Yunnan Gold Needle provides provides a smoothness to support the zippy cinnamon. The vanilla plays a supporting role that compliments the maple crystals, leaving a lightly sweet taste on the tongue.
The resulting effect is a delicious lingering flavor on the palate of sweet spicy cinnamon, and a toasty flavor.
Janet really does a great job with her blended teas. She takes great time and care in making sure she has them perfected before putting them up for sale. Her selection has grown slowly but steadily over time and I can say that this blend is masterful. I am not generally a big fan of cinnamon teas, or spicy teas, with the exception of an occasional chai latte, but this Cinnamon Swirl Bread tea is a stash staple.