Tea just goes with geeks. Or maybe geeks go with tea. Either way, if you get a bunch of tea lovers together you are likely to find a high proportion of geeks, or at least people who are really passionate about more than just tea.
Geek+Tea caters to this group of tea lovers with fandom blends for nearly everyone. Being a Star Wars geek myself and mother to a 501st member, I was pretty excited to try Light Side, even though the Dark Side allegedly has cookies and would probably be more up my alley.
This is an organic Bai Mu Dan with blueberries, blue cornflower, Scotch heather, and elderberries. Of all those ingredients, there is only one that is completely new to me – Scotch heather. It can be a bit of a challenge to describe an ingredient you have never tasted when it is blended with other ingredients, but I will do my best.
First of all, I have had a few blueberry teas that are quite delicious but taste like grape Dimetapp. While this well-known antihistamine is indeed delicious and candy-like, it is not quite like real blueberries.
I found this tea to be more…believable. The white tea is organic, the blueberries are the real deal, the elderberries I recognize from my sambucus concoctions, so… that remaining hay flavor must be from the heather. Although many white teas have a hay flavor, Bai Mu Dan is more floral, so I must credit the heather. I searched sites selling pure heather tea for a description and didn’t get an adequate one, just a statement that it tasted like regular tea but milder, which I am not finding here.
Fun fact: The tea steeped up blue, and surprisingly with such light and natural ingredients, it resteeped quite handily and the second pot was as strong as the first. I also tried it cold since they remark that it makes a naturally sweet cold drink and I enjoyed it that way. It is a light sweetness and nothing like the Southern sweet tea I grew up on, which is nearly syrup. This is something light and natural, and thanks to the natural ingredients, you can drink up without guilt, more like the ready made unsweet or lightly sweetened teas that are the rage now in health food stores.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Geek + Tea
Description
… and 43,300 light years from the Galactic Core covered in dense woodlands, tall mountains and savannah, you will find a foreign forest moon filled with fresh, crisp scents and floral breezes in the morning fog of Endor.
An infusion of Bai Mu Dan white tea and organic herbs, the Light Side is an exotic blend of blueberry and scotch heather and is relaxing as a hot tea, and comes out wonderfully sweet when iced
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Ginger Peach Snowcone from T by Daniel. . . .
Ginger and peach are both popular tea flavors. Two flavors that can also be quite hit or miss. Here the two are paired on a white tea, something that can also be hit or miss. Ginger Peach Snowcone by T by Daniel is a hit.
Normally when it comes to tea with ginger, I always want a ginger burn. This tea has no burn but I think that is for the best. It is like a mix of fuzzy peaches sprinkled with some ginger flavor. A little sweet and slightly spiced. The best of both worlds to keep things in check. Both flavors come through while also being harmoniously blended and that’s what makes this tea great. It’s also what makes this ginger great even without the burn. The white tea is a bit roasty to compliment the other flavors.
T by Daniel is a Canadian company that has been around for as long as I have been drinking tea. They have a cute gimmick, displaying all their teas on their site in cute bow ties to compliment the bow ties they also sell online. They have some interesting blends and so far the ones I have tried have been enjoyable. One day soon I will probably crack and place an order with them, if for no other reason than I will want more of this tea.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: T by Daniel
Description
There’s nothing more refreshing than a snowcone. It’s chilly goodness, perfect shape and icy texture reminds you of childhood fun.Combining the bite of ginger and the sweetness of peach, we blended this White Monkey Chinese Tea, to get you reminiscing and sipping on some healthy magic. Detox and relax with this blood purifying concoction that can be brewed hot or iced!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Blueberry White from Adagio Teas. . . .
The Adagio website lists a Blueberry White tea, which is what my package says, and a white blueberry tea, but scrutinizing the website I believe my tea is the Fresh Portions – Single Serve Packet. It is loose tea, and it does say Blueberry White on the packet and not the other way around. I am guessing the two are the same product with different packaging.
There is a LOT of leaf in this package but white tea is lightweight and fluffy, so I trusted them that this is the right amount for one cup. The white tea leaves are broken pieces of green and light brown, so I am guessing this is a Bai Mu Dan. It is similar in appearance to shou mei, but color and flavor seem to say otherwise, so I will stick with Bai Mu Dan.
What you get is a light and smooth cup of white tea with – in my opinion – just the right amount of blueberry flavor. The aroma is very natural. This isn’t the super grape-y blueberry flavor that I find a little unbelievable but a more natural, more realistic blueberry flavor. I added no sweeteners and found it to go down quite easily with no astringency or grassiness.
A nice bonus is that I got three steeps out of these leaves with the third having good color and still some light fruit flavor, making the price for the individual Fresh Portions a little more palatable, so keep that in mind as you weigh convenience against cost. Whenever possible, I purchase for the most responsible environmental impact that I can, so I would go for loose leaf in bulk, but if you need to carry good, loose leaf tea with you and want an easy to transport, pre-measured portion, this is a good option. I enjoyed all three steeps.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Description
This tea blends together the taste of juicy blueberries with premium white tea from Fujian province, China. Very fragrant, like freshly harvested ‘highbush’ blueberries (the aromatic variety). Soft, rounded mouthfeel with a clean, refreshing finish. A customer favorite, this tea is delectable both hot and cold. Full-leaf tea in portable, individually wrapped bags – superior taste and maximum convenience.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Silver Needle from Teabook via Sipsby. . . .
Today was the day that I finally decided I would go through my many teas that I have received from Sipsby. If you aren’t familiar with Sipsby, I encourage you to take a moment and check out their service. For $15 a month, you are sent a curated box of teas from a variety of tea companies based on your flavor profile. Each month the teas vary and I’ve discovered and rediscovered tea companies that I adore.
Silver Needle has always been a favorite of mine and as soon as I saw the Silver Needle from Teabook in my stash, I knew today was the day for this tea.
I brewed this tea with water at 180F and infused in my Wall Infuser Mug, the perfect combo!
After I allowed the water to cool for a moment and I instantly picked up notes of fresh stone fruits like peaches and a delightful contrast of hay. Each sip is as satisfying as the last- I really enjoy the two flavors playing off each other and after having a cold for a few weeks now, I’m glad I can taste both flavors.
This tea maybe simple but the flavors are spot on and quite enjoyable, just what my afternoon needed.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Teabook
Description
This tea does not appear to be on the website but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Strawberry Shortcake from The NecessiTeas. . . .
I want to start by saying that CuppaGeek sent me this sample a long time ago and I stupidly let it get lost in my stash. Though my teas are kept away from Sunlight in a cool and dry place, this was only stored in a single ziploc bag and might have had some flavor deterioration due to improper storage. As a result, my review should be considered with that in mind…
When I looked up the NecessiTeas’ Strawberry Shortcake on their website, it was suggested to try it hot or poured over ice. I decided to try it both ways since the sample I was sent was quite generous. I brewed both the hot and iced tea for 3 minutes in 185F degree water, my standard temperature for brewing white teas.
The hot tea is very subtly flavored but pleasantly so. Again the subtlety of the flavoring could be due to flavor deterioration from age and improper storage but then again a Strawberry Shortcake is a lighter and more gently flavored cake so that could also be intentional. Subtle as it is, there is still all the components of its namesake in the flavor. The white tea makes this buttery, like an angel food cake, while there is a smooth creaminess to the tea as a whole. The strawberry sneaks up on you but really fills out the aftertaste. It is good and now I am kicking myself for not trying it sooner because I want more strawberry and more cream but perhaps there was more when the tea first arrived. I guess I will never know.
The iced tea I don’t like as much. That creaminess that is portrayed in the hot cup is entirely lost here. Instead it is a whole lot of white tea flavors with a touch of strawberry tucked in. No cream. No cake. More sweet hay notes and that little bit of fruit. It is also just the slightest bit soapy from the base.
All in all, this tea is middle of the pack for me. Granted I might have felt differently if I’d try this sooner but I also might not have. There are other teas that have been stored in a similar fashion for an equal amount of time that still pack a flavor punch. This is just too subtle and since I don’t love white teas, I find myself seeking more flavor. It is pleasant enough but one I feel I might forget as I continue on my tea journey.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: The NecessiTeas
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for white tea blends that are!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!