Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
This tea is available from Amoda Tea.
Tea Description:
This tea brings together the best of all the earl grey worlds – bergamot, vanilla, cream and lavender. Why have them in 4 separate Earl Greys!? This is a sweet, creamy, delicious black tea with floral hints. The vanilla and cream soften the bergamot citrus edge. You can still enjoy this variation with milk.
Learn more about subscribing to Amoda Tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I received my Amoda box a few days ago and this is the first tea that I’ve tried from the box! While it’s not a surprise that I should reach for the tea that would be my clear favorite in the box, I generally like to save the one that I think will be my favorite for last. Like dessert, right? You save dessert for after the meal, but sometimes, you have to give in to the inner child and have dessert first!
So, I gave in to the inner child and drank the tea that I was sure would be my favorite in this month’s box first. So, it should come as no surprise that I’m loving this Lavender Cream Earl Grey Black Tea from Aromatica Fine Teas!
To brew this, I used my Breville One Touch. The entire sampler packet appeared to be just enough tea for one small pot of tea from my tea maker, so I poured the contents of the packet into the basket and added 500ml of water to the jug. I set the parameters for 205°F (I like to go with slightly lower than boiling temperatures when I have herbs in the tea – in this case, the lavender and hibiscus) and 2 1/2 minutes.
Then I let the tea cool for about three minutes before sipping. I’ve got to tell you that they seem the longest three minutes ever when you’re waiting to take a sip of something so aromatically alluring!
Mmmm! I’m loving this tea!
Rich! The black tea is a vibrant tasting tea – it’s good and strong. There is a fair amount of astringency to this tea, and if I’m to offer any complaint about it at all, that would be it. I would like the astringency to be toned down just a bit.
The flavoring, though, is spot on! The bergamot is strong and flavorful. The vanilla cream notes are pretty evenly matched with the bergamot, with maybe just a little bit more bergamot than cream. The combination of the two is sweet, creamy and tangy with a bright flavor of crisp bergamot.
Then there is the lavender. Ah … I do adore lavender. Lavender is a lot like bergamot, in that it can be overdone in a tea and end up tasting a bit more like soap than a flavoring. Here, the lavender is done nicely, not tasting even a bit soapy, instead, it has a touch of floral to this cup. It’s a pleasing contrast, the floral notes of the lavender with the silky sweetness of the vanilla cream and the energetic flavor of the bergamot. It’s a compelling flavor combination that keeps me sipping and makes for one very happy tea sipper.
So, this is definitely a win. My only real complaint is – again – the astringent black tea base. But this is something that I can overlook because the flavors are so delightful! And those who detest hibiscus like I do, take note: I can’t taste the hibiscus here! Yippee! That’s a win right there!
Organic Avaata Supreme Nilgiri First Flush Green Tea from Golden Tips
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Golden Tips
Tea Description:
An exquisite green tea from the coveted organic Avaata Tea Estate in the Nilgiris in southern India. The perfectly manufactured leaves boast of a light green texture combined with opulent long silver tips. The liquor has a very pale green appearance in the cup. The flavour is extremely smooth and fairly sharp typical of non-fermented green teas but without any hint of bitterness. A sensation of fruits and flowers flush your mouth with every sip of this certified organic green tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
As I’m sitting here sipping this tea, I find myself mesmerized by how good it is. I then decided to do a search to see if I’ve ever tried a Nilgiri Green tea. And as it turns out, I’ve tried two green Nilgiri teas, one of which was more of a smoky tea (reminiscent of a Chinese gunpowder) and one was the base for a Chai. Neither were like this tea.
The dry leaf looks very much like a white tea, except that these are greener in color than most white teas I’ve encountered. The dry leaf also has a stronger ‘green’/vegetal scent than most white teas I’ve encountered. But the shape of the leaves – the appearance of the leaves – reminds me of a very high quality Bai Mu Dan.
So as you can imagine, it was a little more difficult to measure these leaves into the basket of my Kati tumbler. Rather than attempt to measure the leaves using my bamboo scoop, I eyeballed a measurement in the palm of my hand. Then I added 12 ounces of water heated to 175°F and let it steep for 2 minutes.
Delightful! This is a wonderful green tea! It has a delicate quality to it that reminds me of the aforementioned Bai Mu Dan, but it isn’t quite that delicate. The flavor is a lot less vegetal than I would have expected after the aroma I experienced with the dry leaf. In fact, those that tend to shy away from green teas because of that strong vegetal tone would probably find this green to be very much to their liking.
It’s light and crisp and very refreshing. Sweet with almost a sugar-like flavor. The texture is light yet creamy. It has a nice softness to it. There is no bitterness, but there is some astringency to this that is experienced primarily in the aftertaste, I can feel a dry, puckery sensation on the inside of my cheeks at the very end of the sip and into the aftertaste.
This is very CREAMY tasting. I like that while it has that creamy taste and texture, it isn’t a super heavy texture and the astringency seems to cleanse the palate somewhat so that my palate doesn’t feel overwhelmed by the creaminess.
Truly, a delightful green tea. This is one that should be on every tea drinker’s list to try because it’s so different from the green teas you’re probably familiar with. It’s so lovely!
Lady Grey® Black Tea from Twinings of London
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Twinings of London
Tea Description:
Lady Grey® is offered exclusively from Twinings. This light black tea is perfectly balanced with the citrus fruit flavours of bergamot, orange and lemon to deliver a delightful tea with a refreshing taste and uplifting aroma.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
After my less than exciting experience with Earl Grey tea from Twinings of London, I found myself skeptical about this Lady Grey® Black Tea from Twinings of London. So, my hopes and expectations were not high when I brewed this tea. I guess it’s a good place for me to start with a tea because it’d be difficult to be disappointed by it, right?
And fortunately, with low expectations, I’m finding this much more tolerable than I found the Earl Grey tea. I guess when I say “Earl Grey” I get excited because I love me some bergamot and so my expectations are immediately set pretty high and that tea really let me down. This one doesn’t disappoint me and I’m not sure if that’s because it’s a tasty tea or because I wasn’t expecting all that much from it.
I like the combination of lemon, orange and bergamot. I like the way the other citrus flavors bring out the flavors of the bergamot. That said, the black tea is still kind of blah. It tastes stale. It tastes boring.
Not horrible, just boring and blah. I can’t help but feel like the flavors would be much better suited for a better tea leaf. Or perhaps a tea company that actually cared about its product to not mince it to dust and stick it in a tea bag.
Ahh … I feel the tea snobbery steeping into my soul!
Dark Feather Oolong – Dawuye Dancong Tea from White Two Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: White Two Tea
Tea Description:
Dark Feather Dancong oolong tea is a Dawuye variety oolong from the Guangdong province of China. The tea has a light to medium roast and is sweet, fragrant, and has a lasting complex finish. Best brewed Gongfu style, the Dark Feather can be resteeped many times.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh how lovely! This Dark Feather Oolong – Dawuye Dancong Tea from White Two Tea is a wonderful Oolong tea.
To brew, I went gongfu style and grabbed my gaiwan. I eyeballed a bamboo scoop size measurement (these leaves are too long and wiry to actually fit in the scoop) and put them in the bowl of my gaiwan. Then I heated water to 180° and poured enough water in the gaiwan to cover the leaves. I let this steep for 15 seconds to rinse the leaves. Then I strained the liquid and discarded it and started over with more hot water. This time I let the tea steep for 1 minute. Ordinarily, I will steep an Oolong 45 seconds for the first infusion, but after 45 seconds, the color was very pale so I went with another 15 seconds. I added 15 seconds onto each subsequent infusion. I combined the first and second infusions for my first cup; my second cup was infusions three and four … and so on!
My first cup: It’s so sweet and has delightful fruit and honeyed notes. The sip starts out with the honey flavors right away, filling the palate with delectable sweetness. Then I start to pick up on some hints of flower. Mere hints, this is not what I’d call a floral tea, but there are subtle whispers of flower in the distance. Then I taste the fruit. I taste notes of plum and peach. They are intensely sweet fruit notes – like cooked fruit (pie filling, perhaps!)
Just after mid-sip, I start to pick up on subtle notes that are slightly earthy and woodsy. Again, these flavors are very subtle, because this tea is mostly about the fruit and honey flavors! It’s all about SWEET with this tea – I like that! The texture is soft and thick, almost brothy. Before I knew it, the cup was empty and it was time to steep those leaves again and discover what the next two infusions had in store for me.
My second cup: This cup has a slightly lighter texture to it. The flavors are different than the first cup too. This is more focused on the fruit notes and I taste both sweet and savory elements from the fruit tones. I get a slight tart note to the flavor; it’s a nice contrast to the sweeter flavors of the tea. I taste a slight mineral-y note now. There are notes of honey, but these have thinned a bit from the first cup are not as dominate.
I can taste more of the roasted flavors now. They taste savory and slightly smoky, but, again, this smoked note is very slight. It’s not really a ‘nutty’ flavor the way so many other roasted Oolong teas taste, instead, this tastes more like the fruit has been drizzled with honey and then roasted. YUM!
My third (and final) cup: Because I noticed that the texture was lightening up in my second cup, I decided that my third cup would be the last for me. Oh, don’t get me wrong – the flavors are still there and still ABUNDANT! This tea is delivering many wonderful infusions, just like a good Oolong should.
And this third cup is probably my favorite of the three! Yes, the flavor and texture is lighter than the first and second cups, but I like the way the flavors have all melded together. It’s sweet with just enough savory flavor to bring a nice contrast to the palate. I’m picking up on light buttery notes and I find those to be so lovely! There is a light creaminess to this cup that I didn’t taste in the previous two cups – the texture is lighter but it’s creamier.
A really lovely cuppa. If you’re into Oolong teas (or even if you’re not!) this is a tea you should try. Those early fruit and honey flavors as well as the creamy, buttery notes of the later infusions make this a tea journey definitely worth the trip!
Lime Gelatin Salad Iced Green Tea from Southern Boy Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Zoomdweebies
Tea Description:
Grandma’s Jello!
Okay, but seriously, This is a tea that combines all of the goodness of lime gelatin, pineapple and marshmallow without forcing you to stare down the quivering mass that looks like something from outer space. When these flavors combine with our sweet, buttery Chinese sencha fannings, well, trust me, this is a tea that will blow you away.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Mmm! Lime Jello was one of my all time favorite teas from 52Teas, and I loved Southern Boy Teas’ black tea version of the Lime Jello too. So, I felt very confident that I’d love this Lime Gelatin Salad Iced Green Tea from Southern Boy Teas too.
And it is YUMMY! I have to admit that it isn’t quite as tasty as I remember the original Lime Jello tasting. It’s still really good though. Very refreshing. The flavors are delightful with bright notes of lime that’s sweet with just enough tart to keep it from tasting too sweet.
I also taste a little bit of marshmallow in there. The pineapple is a little more difficult to pick out. It doesn’t just jump right out and say “hello, I’m pineapple.” But you taste something a little different, something that’s fruity but not quite lime and after a while, my taste buds start to recognize it as pineapple.
This is a really enjoyable iced tea. I like that it’s sweet without adding anything to it – you don’t need to add sugar or other sweetener to this tea. It’s really enjoyable as it is.
And what I really LOVE about the green teas (and white teas) from SBT is that you can resteep the bag with no loss in flavor. Actually, I find that the second pitcher is even tastier than the first!
Please take a moment to check out Southern Boy Teas’ Indiegogo Campaign – they’re looking to take their teas to new heights and could really use your support!