Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh
Where to Buy: Wymm Tea
Tea Description:
This is a sheng pu-erh that brews bright yellow liquor with a delicate taste and silky texture. The tea is full-bodied with minimal astringency, and brings back a prolonged honey-like aftertaste.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This 2011 Mahei Sheng Ancient Tree Pu-erh from Wymm Tea is quite a wonderful tea! It has a really lovely honey note to it that I don’t usually expect when I drink pu-erh. It’s not often that the first thing I really notice about a pu-erh is the strong honey tones!
This has a light vegetal flavor that is – to me – reminiscent of a buttery green tea. I get a slight creaminess from this cup: a light, buttery vegetative note. It is wonderfully smooth with no astringency and no bitterness. It’s mellow yet flavorful and really quite pleasant to sip.
My second infusion was a little less smooth than the first and I’m picking up on some citrus notes as well as a hint of astringency toward the tail. The creaminess of the first cup has waned and while I’m finding this tea to be different than the last cup, it’s still quite lovely!
The vegetal notes are a little more defined now and I’m not sure if that’s because the creaminess has waned or if it’s because these notes are emerging. They are lightly herbaceous.
My favorite thing about this cup is the aforementioned citrus notes and the honey notes – I like the way these two profiles taste together. There is a nice balance to the flavors of this tea and this is something that remains consistent through it’s many infusions.
Later infusions maintained their honey-like tones. As I continued with the infusions, I noticed that the vegetal notes that I noticed especially in the second infusion began to transcend into a fruit-like note, reminiscent of melon. Some floral notes began to emerge.
What I didn’t get – throughout those many infusions, I lost count after about six! – was a briny or fishy flavor. I didn’t taste a strong, earthy quality that I normally associate with a pu-erh. If you’re someone who tends to shy away from pu-erh because you don’t care for those strong flavors, you really should try this one! This is a really lovely pu-erh and a very interesting tea – one that’s well worth trying!
Apricot Fantasy Black Tea from Tea Temptations
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tea Temptations
Tea Description:
A blend of Ceylon teas, diced Apricots and Apricot flavor.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
When I opened the package of this Apricot Fantasy Black Tea from Tea Temptations I could smell the apricots! It was such a strong and distinct aroma that it evoked memories of late summer when my gramma’s apricot tree in her back yard would start yielding it’s bounty of golden, juicy, delicious fruit.
The black tea base of Ceylon teas offers a mild, even-toned flavor that works well with the apricot notes. The apricot flavor is sweet but not too overpowering and I appreciate that there is a balance between the flavoring and the black tea.
The tea is fairly smooth but there is some astringency toward the tail. I’m also noticing just a hint of citrus at the finish from the Ceylon. I like how this whisper of citrus-like flavor melds with the apricot, the bright note of the tea offers a nice contrast to the sweetness of the apricot flavoring.
This is good served hot. I drank it straight up and I enjoyed the subtly of the apricot flavor. If you want to punch up the apricot notes, add a little sugar and this will encourage the flavors to emerge. If you want a real treat, try it with a dollop of honey. I like the way the honey and apricot notes play together.
As good as it was hot, I liked it even better as it cooled. This is one that would make a stunning pitcher of iced tea that everyone in the family will enjoy.
Green Tea Peppermint from Tea of Life
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Learn more about Tea of Life and Amazon Teas here.
Taster’s Review:
This Green Tea Peppermint from Tea of Life is alright but to be honest, I really expected a bit more than what I’m getting from it. The flavor is just a wee bit flat and “flat” isn’t a word that I normally would associate with peppermint.
The green tea is pleasant enough – it’s soft and buttery and doesn’t impart a strong, grassy flavor. It’s a nice complement to the herbal notes of the peppermint.
But generally when I drink a peppermint tea, I’m expecting a burst of zingy flavor. You know? That bold, refreshing, unmistakable flavor of mint? And I didn’t get that with this tea. My first few sips, I found myself thinking, “There’s mint in there?” Because it was just sort of … flat and uninspiring.
Now, as I’m about halfway through my cup, I can taste the peppermint and it’s pleasant. It feels cool and crisp and it leaves that fresh flavor on the palate. But, it’s still very lackluster and boring and mint shouldn’t be like that.
It’s as I said at the start. It’s alright but not my favorite selection from Tea of Life.
Taiwan Alishan High Mountain Oolong Tea from Fong Mong Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Fong Mong Tea
Tea Description:
Developed around 15 years ago, the tea estates on Alishan area produce the newest type of high mountain oolongs. At the elevation of 1000 meters, the mountainsides are covered with fog or clouds which are ideal for growing Oolong. The tea estates are nestled in a beautiful scenic area with a 1000 years old forest nearby.
Due to the unique local climate and selection criteria for the leaves, this tea is a high quality grade Alishan Oolong. The tea liquor has a pale yellow hue matching its faintly fresh aroma. Once tasted, the tea presents itself with a fresh taste followed by a faintly sweet aftertaste.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
There are very few teas out there that make me happier than a lovely Alishan Oolong like this Taiwan Alishan High Mountain Oolong Tea from Fong Mong Tea.
I brewed this tea in my gaiwan. I start with a bamboo scoop of tea in the bowl of the vessel and then I heat the water to 180°F. I add just enough of the hot water to the gaiwan to cover the leaves and I let them steep for 15 seconds to rinse them. Then I strain off the liquid and discard it.
I fill the gaiwan with hot water and let it steep for 45 seconds. I add 15 seconds to each infusion that follows. And because this is an Alishan – I strained the tea into my designated YiXing mug. My first cup was the combination of infusions 1 -5 and my second cup was the combination of infusions 6 – 10.
The first thing I note is that the Alishan High Mountain is a little less creamy than the Alishan Jin Xuan. This tea is more a celebration of floral flavors than the creamy, milky texture and flavor of the Jin Xuan.
This is sweet and delicate with beautiful floral tones – I taste orchid! – and very subtle butter tones. Hints of rice mingle with the buttery notes.
In the background, I pick up notes of fruit. This is a pleasantly sweet cup with some contrasting sharp notes from the floral notes. It’s smooth from start to finish: no bitterness and very little astringency. The mouthfeel is thick and broth-y. The aftertaste is sweet with notes of flower.
My second cup was not quite as thick in texture as the first and I noticed that more of the floral notes as well as some of the fruit notes have emerged while the whispers of vanilla that I experienced in the first cup have diminished. This cup is still very sweet from the fruit notes and I’m picking up on distinct honey-esque notes now.
A beautiful, contemplative tea. Really lovely – put this on your must try list!
Strawberry Pie Iced Honeybush Tea from Southern Boy Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: Zoomdweebies
Tea Description:
Our premium organic caffeine-free honeybush blended with organic strawberry, cinnamon, brown sugar and pastry flavors. A delicious caffeine-free treat. Don’t miss your chance to grab one.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn about SBT’s subscriptions here.
Taster’s Review:
From the moment that I tore open the pouch of this Strawberry Pie Iced Honeybush Tea from Southern Boy Teas, I knew I was in for a treat! I could smell the strawberry right away! And the berry with the cinnamon produced an aroma that was absolutely irresistible! YUM!
And this really is yummy. The nutty, honey-sweet honeybush with the notes of buttery pastry, earthy cinnamon and sweet brown sugar notes create a really delightful ‘pie-like’ flavor. The strawberry tastes sweet with hints of tart, just like the real thing. It tastes like the glazed strawberries in a strawberry pie (or a strawberry shortcake!)
It makes a really refreshing iced tea. It tastes a lot like I remember the “My Sweet Honeybush” version of this flavor tasting: sweet and delicious. I think that ‘hot tea’ version of this tea also had more of a vanilla-y taste to it. I do taste some vanilla-ish flavor to this, like a creamy sweetness, but it’s not as strong as my taste buds want to remember based on reading my past review.
However, I don’t feel like I’m missing that vanilla note in this tea because I rather like that this is about the strawberry and the pie. Very refreshing, pleasantly sweet and dessert-like. Nice!