Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Tea Licious
Tea Description:
China green oolong, safflower, blue flower and acai berry.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
Hmm … this Berry Flavored Oolong Tea from Tea Licious is pretty tasty. But, it took me a while to get to the point for me to determine that I liked it. After a quick rinse of the leaves, I really wasn’t all that crazy about the first infusion. I mean, it was OK. But, I don’t know that I’d actually say that I liked that first cup. I didn’t dislike it, but I didn’t like it. I was just kind ‘meh’ about it … kind of neutral.
Then I decided to give it another shot, and I re-steeped the leaves. The second infusion is quite tasty! And now that I’m tasting the second infusion, I think I’ve figured out what it was about that first cuppa … the acai flavor was just too bitter … that it threw off the natural sweetness of the Oolong tea. With this second infusion, the flavors have melded somewhat, and the bitterness of the acai has softened. Now I taste just a hint of that bitterness, but, now, because it’s a softer bitter tone, it actually contrasts the cup in a nice way … I like the way the sweet, creamy Oolong with its floral tones tastes with the tart berry.
This tea is best enjoyed when it’s hot, I think … and it’s one that you definitely want to infuse more than once. The second infusion was delightful, so I took it for a third infusion, and this cup was also quite pleasant. The flavors are softer, but it’s still a very flavorful cup. The third cup is the smoothest of the three, while I would say that the second cup had the roundest flavor … very palate pleasing. As for that first cup, I’d suggest trying it with just a little sugar (or perhaps a teeny pinch of salt!) to offset the bitterness of the acai.
Overall, an enjoyable Oolong … and one that proves to me once again that sometimes it’s a good idea to give a tea a second chance!
Acai Tangerine from The Whistling Kettle
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White and Pu-erh
Where to Buy: The Whistling Kettle
Tea Description:
Inspired by Dr. Oz and Canadian natural health guru Bryce Wylde, our pu-erh/white tea blend is designed to shrink fat, burn deposits, and prevent new fat from depositing. Tastes excellent hot or iced. The rich smoothness of pu-erh is contrasted with delicate notes of white tea, and accentuated with acai, tangerine, and chrysanthemum.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
My initial reaction to Acai Tangerine from The Whistling Kettle was me blurting out loud “Fruit Striped Gum!!” I don’t know if Fruit Striped Gum is available to everyone everywhere but its one of my childhood favorites! This tea from The Whistling Kettle is a spot on reminder for me. What fun when tea can bring back a good memory.
This tea has a slightly tangy note, I presume from the acai, along with a light sweetness of tangerine, that is not cloying, but helps cut the twang of the acai. Gentle chrysanthemum adds a delicate but lovely floral aspect without being perfumery.
To me however the predominating flavor with all elements combined come together in a bright and cheerful, yet full mouthfeel cup of fruity goodness! A little tropical, and a little reminiscent of fruity pebbles cereal or fruit loops perhaps.
I can not say that the white tea flavor comes out much and now and then the earthiness of the pu-erh does slip through but for the most part this is a cup of tea for a fruity flavor lover.
It provides a nice experience and I think this would be lovely to have iced in the summer.
Another thing I really like about The Whistling Kettle is how they have “flash sales” and Tea of the Week sales here.
Acai Tangerine from The Whistling Kettle
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White & Pu-erh
Where to Buy: The Whistling Kettle
Tea Description:
Inspired by Dr. Oz and Canadian natural health guru Bryce Wylde, our pu-erh/white tea blend is designed to shrink fat, burn deposits, and prevent new fat from depositing. Tastes excellent hot or iced. The rich smoothness of pu-erh is contrasted with delicate notes of white tea, and accentuated with flavors of acai, tangerine, and chrysanthemum.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
According to the description on The Whistling Kettle’s website, this tea was inspired by Dr. Oz and health guru Bryce Wylde. To tell the truth, I don’t know who Bryce Wylde is, and I don’t really put a lot of stock in what Dr. Oz says. I don’t drink tea because it’s healthy or because it is supposed to enhance weight loss. I drink tea because I like the way it tastes. If it is also good for me, that’s a bonus, but not one I allow to influence me one way or the other.
And this tastes good! I’m not usually a big fan of the tart Acai berry, but, when combined with the sweetness of the tangerine, the tartness mellows somewhat, making this a very enjoyable drink, indeed.
There is so much flavor in this cup. From the deep, mellow, earthy tones of the Pu-erh, to the crisp sweetness of the white tea… combined with the sweet-tart notes of fruit and the hint of floral taste from the chrysanthemum, this cup has a taste that is very palate pleasing. These different flavors all come together in a way that is very well-balanced. Nothing competing with anything else, nothing overpowering the cup. Just smooth, mellow, delicious flavor.
The Pu-erh is what I notice first, but what stands out about this Pu-erh from some others that I’ve tried is that it doesn’t taste overwhelmingly earthy. It does have an earthiness to it, it is somewhat peaty with a woody note. It is very mellow, and the softness of the white tea curbs the flavor so that the earthy tones of the Pu-erh do not come across as too strong. The white tea is not as prominent a flavor, but then again, it shouldn’t be. White tea has a delicate taste. But I can taste it: light, fresh, almost hay-like. The flavor is slight but where the white tea is primarily noticeable is as a softening agent to the Pu-erh.
The tangerine and acai seem pretty evenly matched. In one sip, I seem to notice more tangerine, and in the next, I’ll taste a little more berry. It’s quite lovely the way these two flavors play with one another, very enjoyable, especially for this taster who often finds the tartness of acai to be a bit much. When paired with the sweet taste of tangerine, it becomes much more palatable.
I’ve tried a couple of blends from this company – The Whistling Kettle – and I’ve enjoyed what I’ve tried. And I’m liking this blend a lot! It’s also really good iced!
Acai Berry Blend Oolong from Fusion Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Fusion Teas
Tea Description:
A rich floral Chinese Oolong combined with the amazing fruity flavor of the acai berry.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
When I took my first sniff of the dry leaf of this tea, I did not expect to be blown away – but I was! This smells phenomenal! Very berry-fruity, with hints of floral notes that compliment the berry tones. Once brewed, the tea maintains much of the fragrance that I experienced with the dry leaf, but I notice a bit more of the floral tones from the Oolong along with the aroma of the acai berry.
But what really took me by surprise is how good it tasted. I wouldn’t normally be so excited about an acai berry flavored tea – as I’ve mentioned before, it’s one of those ingredients that often earns a cringe reaction from me because of its tendency to be a bit more tart than it is sweet. But with this tea, there is the perfect balance between tart and sweet, with less tartness really revealing itself during the sip. It is in the aftertaste where I experience most of the tartness with that tingly sensation that tickles the tip of the tongue. That might almost be a tongue twister!
Anyway, I don’t know if it’s because the Oolong is so naturally sweet and smooth that the flavor of the acai berry seems softer and sweeter during the sip, but, whatever is the reason – I like it like this! The sip starts with a very pleasing sweetness as well as a creamy buttery kind of taste and feel. The sweet fruit and creamy butter taste and texture continue throughout the sip, with mere hints of tartness peeking throughout the sip. The finish is barely astringent, it is as though the creaminess of the tea has washed over some of the astringency to make for a smoother finish. Then, in the aftertaste, the tartness emerges … but only just slightly stronger than it was throughout the sip. This never becomes overtly tart.
This is a very enjoyable tea. I think that if this tea was my first experience with the acai berry, I wouldn’t cringe at all! This is absolutely wonderful!
Acai Raspberry Sencha from Tea Licious
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Tea Licious
Tea Description:
Sencha green tea with safflowers, acai berry and raspberry leaves.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
There are a few teas and/or ingredients (or flavors) in teas that just sort of make me cringe. And for the most part, the cringe is unfounded, because, I end up enjoying the tea. Acai is one of those ingredients. I had a pretty bad experience with the acai berry at one point – it was way too sour and bitter for my liking – and since that one tasting, I find myself cringing when I receive a tea with acai berry. However, since that one tasting, I’ve tasted many different teas with acai berry and really enjoyed them … but that one distasteful moment seems to outweigh the many really tasty ones when it comes to my reaction to acai.
So when I pulled this tea sample out of my stash to try today, I did, indeed, cringe. But I decided to ignore that initial reaction and reminded myself that I have liked more acai berry flavored teas than I’ve disliked. Then I opened the pouch and smelled it – WOW! It smells really good. I smell more raspberry than acai. It smells fresh and vibrant, reminding me of the aroma of one of those berry stands at the side of the road in the summer. Mmm!
This has a stronger raspberry flavor than an acai – and it is far less tart than I expected it to be. Oh sure, it is still a tad tart, but, it is more sweet than it is tart, and that’s the way my taste buds like it. The tartness is most noticeable at the finish and in the aftertaste, when I experience that tingly tart feeling on my tongue. But the sweetness is there from the moment the tea touches my palate, and lingers into the aftertaste as well.
And even though the berry flavor is strong with this tea, I taste the Sencha and it provides a really pleasing creamy note to this – slightly buttery and agreeably sweet. I find that it gets even creamier as the tea cools a bit, the buttery tones really seem to pop after it’s cooled for about five minutes.
A really enjoyable tea – it’s good hot, but even nicer iced! Very thirst-quenching!