This is a tea for you cream/sugar tea drinkers. Not that us purists won’t enjoy it but I find this one is lacking the appeals of a cup that can manage on its own. No dry aroma.
This is a gifted review tea so I suspect some of the other teas have leached.
However, the wet aroma is quite nice! The smell of wet peeled twigs! I love that smell. The flavor is good but just not what I would expect after smelling the leaves.
The malt is prevalent with this one. Subtle woodsy notes make an appearance at the beginning but they disappear with a bit of astringency at the end. The liquid is dark amber.
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Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Simpson & Vail
Description
The black, slightly tippy leaves brew to a dark amber cup with a woodsy aroma. The brewed cup has the malty flavor profile that characterizes Assam teas with a pleasing, light peppery finish.
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2019 Original Tieguanyin Revival/Verdant Tea -Skysamurai-
Have you ever tried to use a dehydrator to dry herbs?
It gives you a good sense of all the work it takes to make a good tea. Too hot, too cold. Too long, too short. And so on.
A unique tea like this one, which one can tell just by looking at the leaves, requires concentration and years of hard work.
Let’s not forget either that Master Zhang uses the highest and above standards for sustainability when it comes to his tea and other plants. One sip of this tea transports you to the mineral rich mountains of Anxi, China. Straightforward mineral flavors. It’s like licking a wet rock.
Tasting the purest granite surrounded by spicy dark woody notes. They mention florals along with the woody notes but honestly all I can taste are the mineral and woody notes.
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Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Verdant Tea
Description
This unusual tea is based on Master Zhang’s ongoing research into early Anxi oolong teas with a half-rolled / half strip-style shape, and a very meticulous turning and fluffing process that goes further than most modern tea would. In this experimental offering, he applies this research to the Tieguanyin varietal and provides enough roast for a deep, rich aroma. The result is a very well-balanced tea full of toasted sweetness, rich plum, and an lilac floral complemented by lingering minerality.
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Ginger Lemon Zest/True Honey Teas – Ashmanra-
A friend sent me some samples of Ginger Lemon Zest recently, and since the bags were so huge and plump with all the goodies inside I pulled out a gallon pitcher thinking that these must make two quarts each, or at least one quart with the possibility of resteeping. Fortunately, I decided to look up the instructions online before boiling my water because each bag is good for just eight to ten ounces! I had to look twice to be sure I wasn’t misreading that!
I used two bags and twenty ounces of water. When I pulled the bags out of the steeping cup, they were limp little bundles with very little left in them! Wow! That’s because much of what had filled the bag was the granulated honey infused with the ginger flavor.
The resulting brew looks like cloudy tea because this herbal mixture has LOTS of honey granules. Have no fear, it is not overly sweet.
I drank a small cup hot before bedtime to help with the reflux and heartburn issues I have been having lately and put the rest in the fridge.
This is really ginger forward, very warm but not unpleasantly hot and spicy, and nicely sweet from the honey. So convenient for carrying with you to work where a jar of honey might make a mess! The lemon myrtle is very light and more on the back of the sip, much gentler than citrus would be, with ginger rising again and lingering after. This would be brilliant to have around for colds and sore throats, not just tender tummies.
I enjoyed this as a relaxing bedtime cuppa but as a Southern gal in the dog days of summer, I am seriously looking forward to mixing this half and half with my sweet black tea on lots of ice!
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Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: True Honey Teas
Description
Our Ginger Lemon Zest is more than just a delicious tea – its an experience. Upon the first sip, you are hit with a bold ginger taste that fills your senses – we infuse only real ginger into the honey granules in its natural form. Real ginger is a delight, and you truly feel a healthy zest in this all natural blend. After the burst of ginger, your pallet is soothed with lemon undertones brought out by Australian Lemon Myrtle. As with all our blends, the Ginger Lemon Zest is paired with honey granules to offer sweet finishing notes
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Relaxation Herbal Tea/Culinary Teas -Just Tea-Zen-
I have to admit: I had to test this one two nights in a row. The first night, I literally guzzled it. Kind of hard to get the flavor details when you chug your tea! So, night two: I sipped slowly and carefully to enjoy and get the full scoop on this tea.
There is something so soothing about lemon at bed time. On occasion I sometimes just drink warm lemon water; it’s calming and it’s great for digestion (especially if you eat late).
This blend by Culinary Teas brings soothing and calming to a whole new level. Lemon verbena, lemongrass, and lemon peel offer an intoxicating aroma; it’s relaxing just inhaling the steam off of your cup. With this combination of lemon notes, you’re getting some of the best components you could ask for in an herbal tea: bitter-tart from lemon peel, bright herbal from lemon verbena, and a hearty and earthy herbal note from lemon grass. Lemon grass is packed with a ton of health benefits on top of being relaxing.
Finishing it off with my favorite fruit to mix with lemon: raspberry! There’s also apple pieces which are helpful in bringing a good balance to the flavors when you have a lot of ingredients. I’ve heard rumors of cornflowers tasting a little spicy like clove but, I’m not getting that with this tea. However, cornflower mixed with the hibiscus give this liqueur a pretty hue. Pretty tea is more fun to drink!
Altogether, this tea is a good one to keep around. It’s relaxing, it has an amazing aroma, and the flavor is smooth and delicious. I followed the steeping directions the first time with one teaspoon for 3-4 minutes. The second tasting, I did a full tablespoon in a bigger mug and gave it about 5 minutes. It was perfect both times, but I much preferred the longer steep.
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Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Culinary Teas
Description
This House Blend will relax and comfort you at any moment.
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**this tea was gifted in exchange for review**
Yame Ceremonial Blend Matcha/Naoki Matcha -CuppaGeek-
Matcha, oh I love thee but how I have been disappointed in thee. Matcha is one of those teas that you really get what you pay for. If you pick up a cheaper priced matcha on say Amazon or in the grocery store, chances are you are going to get a matcha that you are not going to enjoy. I know. because I’ve done it. Those matchas aren’t bad in a pinch but once you’ve had the good stuff, you really crave that matcha from that moment on.
That is exactly what happened when I first enjoyed Yame Ceremonial Matcha from Naoki Matcha. I knew that I would only have the matcha for a short amount of time since I was sending the delight off to another one of the SororiTea Sisters to check out. So I took out my lovely whisk, my favorite bowl to whisk up some matcha in and went to work whisking and frothing up almond milk to add in at a later time.
I was in for a treat! This matcha is delicious and on point. Lovely notes of sweetness mingle beautifully with a hint of floral here or there along with a richness that I devoured. I really can’t say that I’ve ever picked up on floral notes in matchas I’ve enjoyed in the past so that was a unique experience. Beyond the floral notes, the smoothness that this matcha offers is just so alluring along with a touch of a buttery finish.
All in all, just lovely. Once I added in a dollop of frothed almond milk, I had myself a treat that almost seemed to good to be true for a matcha I whipped up at home that was unflavored without any additions beyond the dab of milk. Spot on, one of my favorite matchas that I’ve had in some time and I plan on picking up more once my current matcha supply runs low.
What is even better is that the matcha seemed to be a finer powder than I usually use and whisking up the matcha took no time. Highly recommend this one and a great matcha that is worth the price.
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Leaf Type: Matcha
Where to Buy: Naoki Matcha
Description
his blend won a Silver Award in a National Tea Competition. It has a naturally sweet taste with floral notes.
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