Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Tea Description:
Origin: Tanyang Village (坦洋村) in Fu’an, Fujian, China
Ingredients: Tea buds with pure leaves
Harvest time: May, 2012
Taste: It presents slight aroma of sweet potato when brewed; tastes smooth and mellow with sweet aftertaste
Being the first one among Fujian’s three best Gong Fu Black Teas (Bai Lin Gong Fu, Zheng He Gong Fu, Tan Yang Gong Fu), Tan Yang Gong Fu Black Tea has tight and thin leaves, looks glossy, which could be seen from TeaVivre’s product photo. When looking at this tea, the golden pekoe is particularly eye-catching, strongly connected to its high quality. Under the effect of photosynthesis, fresh buds contain the largest amount of beneficial substances than other parts. Moreover, the traditional making method of black tea has retained the nutrition in the most volume.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Superfine Tan Yang Gong Fu Black Tea from Teavivre offers quite a different experience. It has a lot of the same flavor notes that one gets from a Fujian black tea such as sweet potato, malt, and cocoa but Superfine Tan Gong Fu is much lighter both in flavor and mouthfeel.
It is quite relaxing and soothing in the way it makes me feel thus a good afternoon or early evening black. I don’t think I would particularly select this tea for morning as I find it brings about a tea high state rather than the wake up call I need.
As I sipped on this tea I found myself so relaxed, and spaced out that I checked my blood sugar (I’m type 1 diabetic) just to be sure I was not running too high. High blood sugars often mimic a spaced out state of dizziness and being sleepy. My blood sugar was perfectly fine. Outside of aliens having zapped my brain I am pretty sure it was the tea. I have had tea highs before, generally with pu’erh but now and then I get it in other leaf types. This is one of those times.
The tea itself is rather sweet and has a fruit nectar note to it. There is also very much a pipe tobacco note within this tea as I have noticed a couple of other reviews mentioning. It causes the throat to feel a bit dry after the sip, a little scratchy too but that feeling does not last too long.
Seriously – I keep spacing out writing this review so I am going to close by saying – a truly unique experience. I am very glad that I had a sample of it from my last Teavivre order.
2009 Shou Mei from Life in Teacup
Tea Information:
Leaf Type:
Where to Buy: Life in Teacup
Tea Description:
Production Year 2009
Production Season Spring
Production Region Fujian
Style Traditional
Also known as Sow Mee or Longevity Brew
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
2009 Shou Mei from Life in Teacup is a light, juicy, white tea that has a lovely buttered vegetal after taste and an almost earthy note in the sip.
In the aroma is this very subtle essence of jasmine but that does not translate into the flavor. It has a sweet and lightly creamy mouthfeel but leaves you feeling refreshed and your thirst quenched.
There is also a light and lovely toasted marshmallow flavor that just touches your taste buds gently on the initial sip but does not stick around long.
This is a very forgiving tea! My first steep I spaced out preparing to write this review and over steeped it by far too much. I was certain I was going to have to dump the cup, but alas it tasted lovely! My second steeping – with new leaves – also provided a delicious cup as well. I noticed very little difference in the two cups. This would be an excellent tea to put in your travel thermos for many infusions throughout the day without having to take the leaf out!
I love the look of the dry leaf! Its so wild and natural looking! It appears as if someone scooped up fallen leaves from the forest floor! I love the uninhibited appearance of this leaf, so care free, so low maintenance yet so beautiful. The colors are striking from deep tones of brown to variegated shades of green, even some lighter almost white tones in my leaf.
I would not say this is a “to-die-for” cup or anything, and I’m not really that into white teas as a rule, but they do have some wonderful health benefits and this one is quite pleasing.
I would purchase this again.
As per a note on Life in Teacup’s website
Our web store is temporarily closed and we aim at re-opening it in February 2013. Meantime, please feel free to send any inquires to admin@lifeinteacup.com. Thank you and have a great holiday season!
I do hope they open back up soon as I have been eyeballing many of their teas!
Strawberries & Sham-pag-nee from Cuppa Crew Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Cuppa Crew Tea Company
Tea Description:
Skip the “real” bubbly and go with this gorgeous tea instead!
We start with our Margaret’s Hope 2nd Flush Darjeeling – the “champagne” of teas – and add a touch of wild strawberries and whipped cream for a cuppa that’s fantastic hot or cold and with or without cream and sugar. You’ll love figuring out which way of prepping it you like best!
A perfect tea to enjoy with (or in spite of) that special someone….
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Strawberries & Sham-pag-nee from Cuppa Crew Tea Company is simply perfection, divine, delicious, creamy, strawberry, goodness!
Cuppa crew may not have the largest list of teas yet, as they are still building their site and tea collection, however what I have tried form them thus far have all been stellar!
I love a really well done strawberry tea. Before this cup, I had two stash staples of strawberry tea. Now I have three! I also love a really good champagne inspired tea. I always have one or two of those in my stash as well. Usually I run into champagne and strawberry blends featuring white tea, but this one is with a lovely Darjeeling black base. First of all, Darjeeling, YES PLEASE! Second of all, who said I can’t have champagne in the morning? Well, Cuppa Crew understands my needs! A wonderful black base of really fine Darjeeling, with a creamy soft strawberry flavor and that sparkling like essence of champagne. I am in heaven!
This tea is everything I want in my strawberry tea and my champagne tea. The funny thing is I never really knew I wanted a creamy champagne tea before this cup! Its like having an iced Italian champagne soda with delightful and quite flavorful strawberries.
There is not one bit of astringency, no bitterness, and I even over steeped my first cup! The strawberry flavor is not tart but rather quite sweet and juicy. It tastes like creamer has already been added and a touch of sugar, but not too much as this is not a cloying cup.
It is sweet all on its own and does not need any added sugar, or creamer, or anything. All I have to do now is roll out of bed, stick some tea in my strainer, add boiling water, and I am good to go. However I could see this tea making you want to stay in bed just a little longer, dreaming of laying on rose petals with a handsome man or pretty lady next to you. Its a romantic flavored tea and PERFECT for Valentine’s day which is fast approaching!
Right now, Cuppa Crew has a sale going on as well and you better believe I am grabbing some more of this up RIGHT NOW!
See ya, gotta go get in on that deal!
Dandelion White Tea from Nature’s Tea Leaf
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Nature’s Tea Leaf
Tea Description:
Dandelion Leaf White Tea is our own blend of Dandelion leaves with select white tea leaves. White tea is well known for its significant levels of antioxidants and is becoming more popular in weight loss programs by helping to block the absorption of fat. The Dandelion has been used for food and as an herb for much of its long history. Among the many benefits of the dandelion is its ability to aid in weight loss by acting as a mild diuretic and reducing excess fluids in the body. Other valuable benefits include acting as a stabilizing agent against extreme high and low blood sugar levels, stimulating the production of digestive juices, and aiding in reducing inflammation in the liver. Dandelion leaves contain significant numbers of vitamins and minerals including vitamins A, C and K, and are also a good source of calcium, potassium and iron.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
When I saw Dandelion White Tea from Nature’s Tea Leaf I nearly squeed and I KNEW I HAD to have it!
I love dandelions, yes that’s right love them! I will not turn this review into the myriad of reasons why I love them but lets just say this, I love them so much I have a tattoo of one on my ankle with the dandelion roots going right onto my foot. Dandelions are wonderful gifts of nature.
With that said … This tea … it tastes just like buttery sweet simmered veggies. It reminds me of my veggies from my stir fry before I add one of the many sauces I usually add.
This tea is not bitter as one may fear or think.
It really tastes just like a succulent green tea! Buttery, savory in some ways with herbal type flavors throughout. There is also a slight taste of fenugreek as well. The lingering after taste is reminiscent of avocado. Specifically the part of the avocado that is very close to the skin, a little earthier than the heart of the avocado.
I am so happy to have found that Nature’s Tea Leaf has this tea and will even say, regardless of my love of dandelion, is one of the better white teas I have had in a very long time. I almost said “flavored” white teas but its not even flavored which makes it all the better! Its a beautiful thing what nature can capture in tea, then to add to that a wonderful, beneficial herb like dandelion which is simply not used in enough things, we have perfection!
I am fairly new to Nature’s Tea Leaf as a tea company but I have been looking over their site more since I obtained this tea along with two others from them and I have to say it is wonderful to feel this type of excitement over a tea company.
Dandelion White Tea is creamy in the mouthfeel with a velvet like feeling, more than silky, thicker than that. Its so very naturally sweet I would think adding sugar would make it just too sweet.
This tea calls for a steeping of up to five minutes and I steeped it for a good 4 minutes and got plenty of flavor. I only found one other review on this tea which is on the Nature’s Leaf Tea site and that person said it was bitter to them. While I suppose all of our taste buds are slightly different I have to say I do not detect even the slightest amount of bitterness in this tea. Perhaps this person’s experience was bitter due to over steeping or using the wrong water temp but I don’t want to assume that because this other reviewer may be quite knowledgeable about tea. The point is – remember water temp and steep times are important and I think even more so when dealing with delicate herbs like the dandelion.
So overall – being the dandelion lover that I am I am 100% approving of this lovely tea! Thank you Nature’s Tea Leaf for providing us with some very unusual and wonderful blends!
Tropical Pineapple from The Persimmon Tree
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: The Persimmon Tree
Tea Description:
The sweet and refreshing Pineapple Green tea comprises organic green loose-leaf tea hand-crafted with tropical flavors of pineapple, mango and papaya. Enjoy this tasty pineapple tea at any time of day.
Ingredients
Organic Green Loose-Leaf Tea, Pineapple, Organic Cornflowers, Organic Safflowers, Natural Flavors, Pineapple Tea, Pineapple Green TeaSteep 1-2 tsp at 175deg for 1-3 mins
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Tropical Pineapple from The Persimmon Tree really makes me feel like listening to Jimmy Buffet music, or Calypso music. I tried this hot first, just because I do all my reviews sipping on hot tea, but then I had to toss some ice into the cup because mmmmmm it is SO very extra good iced! I even went against my “no sweetener” grain on this one and added some rock sugar because it becomes this incredible tropical island get away treat that way! It feels like I swam up to a bar at a fancy resort and ordered this tea! Now, if only I could find an island that has a swim up tea bar! But hey this is my fantasy world here and your welcome to join me but for now I should get back to the review on this fine tea!
The organic green base has just the right amount of butteriness to make the tropical fruit flavors really pop! There is also a natural sweetness to the tea base with just a slight amount of astringency which to me only makes it seem more like a mixed drink beverage.
This is a tea you could serve family, the neighbors, your friends, or even the kids on a hot summer day, that is if you serve it iced of course.
The pineapple notes are excellent, but at the same time its not overdone to where it tastes like your drinking the syrup from a can of pineapple cuts. Its light enough to be refreshing yet sweet and fruity enough to appease the desire for something a little more than just a good green base tea. There is nothing fakey tasting about the flavors either which is a huge bonus!
I love the mixture of the fruit flavors, because its not just a pineapple flavor in here but more like a tropical punch without all the cloying syrup junk. I get a bit more of a mango flavor than a papaya flavor myself, but I have had far more mangos in my day than papayas so it is probably just easier for me to pick that flavor out.
Be sure while you are at The Persimmon Tree website that you check out their blog too!
You can follow The Persimmon Tree on Twitter here.
Or on Facebook here.