White2Tea says that this Daily Drinker is a tea “for the everyday”, “for the people.” I was like “uh, what does that… mean?”
I’m still not sure what that means.
But I *do* know that this orchid/honey tea is incredibly sweet while still not losing that rustic pu erh charm. It’s aged, but in a way that’s not rancid, or fishy, or musty, or cardboard-y, or whatever else you might fear out of pu erh.
It’s like an orchid oolong that’s in a retirement home, still sweet and sharing jokes that have been worn smooth and refined through multiple retellings. She’s the old lady in the nursing home that has a boyfriend (YOU GO GIRL) and slips other people’s grandkids the best candy.
This is one of the first teas I’ve ever drank that came from a cake, which meant it was a little more work. I had to snap off bits and try to crumble the right amount into my steeper. I think I gave it a good whack.
I don’t know what makes a tea a “daily drinker.” I sort of imagine it as an old shoe that you know will fit you nicely, even if you don’t wear it on special occasions. But that seems… somehow disparaging of the tea? Like “oh, this old thing? I drink it daily. I don’t even notice it any more.”
I think that this tea deserves to be a little more special. I shall drink it only every once in a while, until it’s complete.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Pu Erh
Where to Buy: White2Tea
Description
A blend of raw Puer material meant for the daily grind. Sweetness and a delightful fragrance. Solid, reliable, affordable, and better quality than you’d expect for the price. Tea for the everyday. Tea for the people.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
JK Tea – Pasha Village Small Tree Raw Pu Erh Tea
This tea has a robust, deep, tart, and woodsy feel. It reminds me, oddly, of some kind of classy alcohol. Maybe, like, bourbon?
Something that a successful CEO would pour out of a crystal decanter. “This is the finest 100-year-old whatever,” he’d puffily boast. “It has spent all that time in the most fancy type of wood possible.”
His other men would gather around and sip it in their fancy glasses and go “ah, a fine year. GOES DOWN SMOOTH.”
Now, as you can tell by this description, I don’t know much about alcohol; but I do know a bit about tea, and I can tell you that it’s distinctly pu erh, in the best way possible. It doesn’t have that tragic fish taste that they sometimes do. It is just a solid, distinctive flavor that keeps it real. It’s masculine, but not so much so that I’m choking on smokiness or bitterness.
I think that this tea is just the right thing to drink at work. Gotta earn those dollars.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Pu Erh
Where to Buy: JK Tea
Description
Tea tree: small tea tree over 80 years old from one single tea plantation only. Vintage: 2013 Spring
Picking standard: One bud with two leaves Fermentation: Raw Shape: Tight, fat, plump. Dried tea color: dark yellowish green color Aroma: high floral aroma, and honey fragrance Tea soup color: Yellow color Taste: flowery and honey taste, sweet.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Pumpkin Spice Chai from Art of Tea. . . .
Repeat after me: “There is no time of year that pumpkin spice is inappropriate.”
Feel free to shout it: “THERE IS NO TIME OF YEAR THAT PUMPKIN SPICE IS INAPPROPRIATE.”
All right. Now that we’ve covered that important subject, we can get into the Art of Tea’s Pumpkin Spice Chai.
I’m coming down firmly “pro” on this tea. It tastes, more than anything, like a pumpkin pie. It’s got sweetness to balance the spiciness. There are some creamy notes here that I’m really digging. I can ALMOST taste the turkey and cranberry* to go along with it!
* (Cranberry and turkey, by the way, are ALSO year-round foods, by the way.)
Unfortunately, like Thanksgiving, this tea is only available seasonally. It’s not in stock at the moment, but it could come back! Keep an eye out for it. It’s worth snapping up.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Art of Tea
Description
This tea is currently not available but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Strawberry Apple Green from Teavana. . . .
After getting swallowed whole by Starbucks, I thought Teavana would disappear off the face of the earth. Starbucks would stick it into its maw and digest it utterly.
But I was wrong! Starbucks turned the company from a high-ish-end tea company into a pre-brewed in-store product.
Today, I tried the unsweetened Strawberry Apple Green Tea because I was in a hurry and, franky, lazy. (Making iced tea is pretty easy.)
I was also intrigued by the promise of “a mosaic of lush fruit flavor and lively lemongrass” “for a cool, crisp taste.” This tea’s ingredients are green tea, apples, rose hips, licorice, hibiscus, lemongrass, “natural flavors” (????), and citric acid. It contains zero calories.
Unfortunately, the flavor tasted like zero calories, too. It was a little bit sparse. I wanted to love it, but the other flavors fell behind the apple, which wasn’t holding forth very well, either. The result was a watered-down apple juice sort of experience. It was a “mehhhh” moment.
As I was talking about the tea to a coworker, another jumped in. He’d tried a different Teavana one (a black tea) and said it was also disappointing.
Feel free to try these while you’re out and let us know if you have a different experience!
Or, if you want iced tea, please keep in mind that it is, in fact, really easy to make your own.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Teavana
Description
This bright blend combines refreshing green tea with a mosaic of lush fruit flavor and lively lemongrass—all without any added sugar for a cool, crisp taste.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Ruby 18 from American Gongfu. . . .
This tea tastes like… and I might be crazy here… a gingersnap. It has a malty, almost sweet thing going on. The site from which it came, American Gongfu, is currently down, so I have no way of checking whether I am a madwoman or a genius.
This is a very smooth straight black with some very crisp notes. I’m thinking that it’s got a French café vibe. You’re outside; it’s crisp dawn; and there are people going by clutching baguettes. It’s morning-bread time. There is a farmer’s market opening up, and you can see them setting up produce and baked items. People are wearing aprons and long skirts unironically. There are mimes, riding bicycles, dinging their little bells and scooting along.
The day is beginning, and you’re now awake and ready to take on your day of, uh, working in a bibliothèque or what-have-you. Yum.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: American Gongfu
Description
Organically grown in Nantou, this hong yu (紅玉） black tea, affectionally known as Ruby 18 for the cultivar name and number, is delicious.  Notes of brandy, candied fruit and spice characterize this pick
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!