Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Della Terra Teas
Tea Description:
When it’s time to relax and “mellow out” it’s time for our Mellow Mango Peach. Perfect for summertime, the real pieces of mango and peach along with the rose petals also make this perfect for anytime.
Ingredients: Black Tea, peach and mango flavoring, peach bits, mango bits*
For allergy info visit our FAQ
Serving Size: 1 level tsp./6oz serving
Water Temp: 210°F
Steep Time: 2-5 minutes
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Mellow Mango Peach from Della Terra Teas is one of my favorite blends from Della Terra, although it is difficult to pick a favorite from all of their amazing teas!
This tea taste so light, so fruity, and I absolutely love the tropical notes playfully bouncing around on my palate! The peach and mango in this tea are unmistakable and so natural tasting. This tea is absolutely amazing hot or iced and I love drinking it both ways. This is a summer staple for sure. I adore a good peach tea, but this is my all time favorite peach tea around! Not to forget about the mango but I do enjoy the peach notes most because I have always been on the search for the best peach tea, and I have yet to find one I like more.
I also really like that Della Terra lists all possible allergens on their site. I had purchased a lot of tea for someone last holiday season and she has some severe allergies, so I went right to Della Terra Teas knowing they had allergens clearly listed for each tea. This made shopping quite simple. Della Terra also ships to a lot more countries than some tea companies.
The base in this tea is good, it supports all of the flavors without being lost behind them all. The tea has the perfect amount of sweetness. I also notice the slightest hint at vanilla in the tea, even though this is not on the list of ingredients. Perhaps it is how my taste buds interpret the blend, but I love it. The rose gives just this light, subtle hint at a floral note but I would never call this a floral tea. Everything works in perfect harmony here, its awesome!
Rwanda Rukeri from Butiki Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Butiki Teas
Tea Description:
Rwanda Rukeri is an Orange Pekoe grade green tea that originates from a cooperative of small farms in Rwanda. This tea is grown at an altitude of 5,900 feet above sea level. The thin forest green leaves unfurl during steeping to produce a vibrant lime-colored liquor. This unique tea has a juicy mouth feel with notes of artichoke and seaweed. Rwanda Rukeri is an assertive tea that produces a pleasant astringency.
Ingredients: Green Tea
Recommended Brew Time: 2 minutes
Recommended Amount: 1 level teaspoon of tea for 8oz of water
Recommended Temperature: 180 F
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I love sweet and salty snacks, Rwanda Rukeri from Butiki Teas satisfies both cravings for me. Even though I have had this sample hanging around for quite some time, and I never should have neglected it, the taste is so fresh that I can only imagine how amazing it was when I first got it!
Rwanda Rukeri is green, vegetal, grassy, and sweet, with lingering notes of freshness that do remind me of seaweed but more so ocean mist. If you have ever visited the coast and appreciate nature the way that I do, there is a smell, a feeling, an aura, and energy about being near the ocean. That is the way this tea makes me feel.
I do pick up the artichoke note which is surprising to me as I have only had artichoke made properly a handful of times. Artichokes intimidate me so beyond some canned artichoke in a salad or dip here or there I have limited experience, as I can’t cook (or is it bake?) artichoke myself.
This tea is better when you go gong fu style because it truly evolves releasing more flavors the more you steep it! Buttery notes come forward in later steepings. I do not recommend this tea if you are wanting to make something fast and run out the door because you will miss out on a really wonderful experience. It also needs to be steeped properly or you could end up with a bitter or overly astringent cup. This is a delicate tea that needs to be treated with respect but it will give you that back and so much more.
Obviously this is not the first tea I reach for in the morning while I still have the duhs but in the afternoon or early evening I love it. Its a tea to relax with, a tea to contemplate, a tea to relish in.
Prince Vladimir from Kusmi Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Kusmi Tea
Tea Description:
Blend of black teas from China flavored with citrus fruit, vanilla, and spices. A Kusmi tea that is simply too good to miss out on!
Prince Vladimir is a unique blend that was created by Pavel Kusmichoff in 1888 to celebrate the 900th anniversary of the Christianization of Russia by Vladimir the Great.
We suggest to enjoy this tea during the whole day.
Main flavor: Smooth citrus and spice
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I received some of this Prince Vladimir from Kusmi Tea from a tea friend, and I am sorry that I do not recall who sent it to me, but thank you whoever you are. I have not sampled many teas from Kusmi so wanted to give this a try.
This tea is somewhat reminiscent of a chai, but not spot on for one. It has far more citrus flavor than most chai and is far more mellow, which is nice if you are not quite in the mood for a chai tea. The base tea reminds me of the teas my grandmother would drink when I was young, it is very basic. No maltiness or real depth, which is not necessarily a bad thing but something you may want to know. There is a good tea taste however, meaning the flavors do not compromise the flavor of tea itself. The vanilla is light in the flavor profile. The citrus seems to take more of the forefront but the vanilla is present to mellow the citrus notes. It is a nice blend that is mellow, relaxing, and tame. I can see how some would consider this a rather dull blend if they are looking for a strongly flavored tea, but if you want something that is relaxed in the flavor then this is it.
In some ways it reminds me of Constant Comment from Bigelow but it has more flavor, more kick, and more roundness to the blend. I think it is the vanilla that helps round it out.
Getting this as a sample, I am not disappointed at all, however had I paid the 27.95 tag for it I might be. Then again it is a 8.8 ounce tin, and well, I do love tins. I believe there is also a smaller tin, but they are out of stock on them at this time.
There is no astringency and bitterness only comes if you are completely abusive and overstep a lot so it is a really good blend in that aspect. It is just slightly lackluster for a tea at this price point from a well known company. On the other hand I would not label it a tea to stay away from either. I suggest you try to get your hands on a sample and try before you buy.
Bai Mudan Organic White Tea from Samovar Tea Lounge
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Samovar Tea Lounge
Tea Description:
Hand-picked, sun dried for three days, baked, then cured. Woody hints of roasted hazelnuts, and sweet corn. Lingering notes of hot cocoa. A golden infusion to soothe monkey mind. Explore the darkest of the white teas.
Tea Type: White
Origin: Fujian Province, China.
Caffeine Level: Low
Processing Details: Hand-picked, dried under the sunlight for 1-3 days and then briefly oxidized from 30 minutes to 3 hours, varying by weather, before being baked to package.
Tasting and Aroma Specs: Smooth, sweet, woody flavor with hints of roasted walnuts, sweet corn, and hot cocoa.
Food Pairing: Any dessert, including chocolate walnut brownies and Samovar’s Honeycomb Platter.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The aroma of Bai Mudan Organic White Tea from Samovar Tea Lounge is so scrumptious that I almost don’t want to drink it, but I will. You don’t have to twist my arm either! I am not a big fan of white tea as a rule, but when I find one that I do like, I am overjoyed! I like this one a lot! Samovar spares no effort in finding the best teas to offer their consumers. I only wish there were a Samovar Tea Lounge local to me. I am happy that they offer their fine teas to us online, and if you keep reading you will find a special surprise for their online customers!
I agree that this tea would pair lovely with a dessert as mentioned in Samovar’s tea pairing suggestion, because it has such a sweet, yet earthy quality to it. I can see how it would compliment dessert beautifully. The notes of sweet corn are prominent, and the cup provides a full, but cleansing mouthfeel. I love the earthy flavor in this tea, and there is such a wonderful caramelized note within it but my taste buds keep going back to the more woodsy, nutty notes. There is also almost a mineral like quality to the tea that is deeply intriguing. A bit like a Wuyi rock mineral flavor without the oolong taste.
There is a velvety, buttery sensation on the palate as I allow it to sit in my mouth, and it causes a mouth watering effect in a slightly vegetal way. The tea finishes with a dash of sweetness that lingers on the palate but as you exhale you taste fresh hay, sunlit fields, a very slight flavor or sesame. I also think this tea would pair wonderfully with Asian food.
This tea is so mysterious, so much mystique, it romances your mouth and makes you want to just take sip after sip to uncover the next note, the next tease on your tongue. The sensation in the mouth long after the sip leaves it feeling slightly numbing, but not medicinal. It is sparkly and tingly, and kind of trippy.
And now, for a limited time, you can use coupon code sororiteasisters for 25% off any online order! The coupon is active now, and is good through May 11, 2013. This is an amazing discount offered by our friends at Samovar Tea Lounge. Thank you to Samovar for offering this special discount to our readers! The coupon is active now, and is good through May 11, 2013.
The head feel of this tea is something else! It leaves you feeling heady, dreamy, and a bit outside of yourself. This is a tea to drink before and after meditation, or when you just want to release and escape from the troubles of the world. Perhaps with a great book, or movie. This is like the champagne of tea, not to steal from the description of a darjeeling, but this is a tea you could toast to or serve at a romantic occasion, or as an aphrodisiac! It does release stress and gives you a freeing feeling.
Love it!
Hoppiness is Happiness from Handmade Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Handmade Tea
Tea Description:
For this blend I wanted to bring together something sweet, fresh, and light. Taking a cue from the beer industry, I wanted to create something very seasonal. I’ve been wanting to use hops in a blend for months and it took a lot of experimenting but I believe we have a hoppily delightful April blend. PLease, enjoy Hoppiness is Happiness from Handmade Tea.
Happiness is Hoppiness consists of a pan-fried green tea which is subtle, sweet, and fresh. Next we added apricots for a fruity, sweet flavor. Lastly this blend contains common hops for a bright, grassy, and bitter punch to the palate. The hops and green tea work together to build that super fresh and bright flavor with the apricots sweeten the blend up and help round out the flavor.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
When I received Hoppiness is Happiness from Handmade Tea I nearly squealed. Some of you may know I love hops in tea. I have had a couple custom blended just so that I could get my hop fix in a tea blend. I was thrilled to see that I am not the only one who loves a hoppy tea!
Now this is a good tea. Its a bit on the lighter side than I would prefer but its not lacking in flavor, I would just have liked it a bit stronger in the flavor department. One thing that is bothering me to no end however is the term “common hop”. Call me a hop elitist but there are so many wonderful types of hops, each imparting a different flavor into beer, or tea, or whatever it is used in. I am just not sure if this is a mixture of many different hops, or if it is a specific type of hop. Generally the term “common hop” is used to describe any number of hops used in beer brewing, and now sometimes tea blending. I would love to know specifically which type was used in this blend. Caleb of Handmade Tea is a nice guy and almost always available for chat on his website, so I may have to pick his brain on this one soon.
I will say the hops in this blend are large, some whole. That may or may not be a good thing, depending upon the type of hop being used. Some hops may require a bit of breaking down to release the potential flavor. Regardless, the tea does have hoppiness to it but it by no means too hoppy, or so hoppy that the average tea drinker would wrinkle their nose at the flavor imparted in this tea.
The apricot in the tea is what really shines. I can taste its sweet fruitiness well, and the pan-fried green tea is lovely as a base. I have found I prefer this tea when cold and it will make a lovely addition to my summer iced tea stash.
A big thanks to Caleb for always thinking out of the box and making us some unique blends to savor!
You can check out his monthly tea subscription plans here.