Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Butiki Teas
Tea Description:
Our luxurious Champagne & Rose Cream pairs our Glenburn Silver Needle with sweet champagne, fresh cream, and delicate rose notes. The initial sip delivers a lingering sweetness and tang of champagne. Rose and cream notes remain long after each sip. The malty flavor of the Silver Needle tea adds to the champagne flavor and there is a bubbliness that can be felt on the tongue. With each continuing sip the rose and cream notes become stronger. We recommend drinking this tea at a cooler temperature.
Ingredients: Glenburn Silver Needle, Rosebuds, Amaranth, Organic Natural Flavoring (vegan)
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’m impressed with this Champagne & Rose Cream White Tea Blend from Butiki Teas! That shouldn’t surprise me, of course, because I’m often impressed by this company … that’s why Butiki Teas is one of my favorite tea companies. They know what they’re doing!
I’ve tasted several different champagne flavored teas, but I think that this one just may be the most impressive to date. The champagne notes are so clear and on point. The white tea base is delicate and sweet, and accentuates the champagne very nicely, and I especially appreciate how these two flavors don’t seem to be competing with one another. They meld almost seamlessly, offering a flavor that is both champagne and tea – but in a soft, delicious way that is in keeping with the nature of the white tea. The rose is also subtle here, and the floral notes linger on the palate.
The sip starts off sweet, with notes of champagne and white tea making their presence known immediately. A soft rose note comes through next. Throughout the sip, I notice notes of cream, but it isn’t a heavy cream taste. It’s sort of there, just beneath the rose notes.
I have mentioned on more than one occasion on this blog that I’m not much of a consumer of alcoholic beverages, but one thing that I do remember from the days when I did consume an alcoholic beverage or two is how quickly champagne would go to my head. I’d start feeling “bubbly” very quickly (I guess I’m kind of a lightweight when it comes to booze), and I guess the reason I bring that up is because I’m feeling bubbly (but in a non-intoxicated way!) over this tea too!
A really amazing tea!
Two Dragons and a Pearl from Teavivre
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Tea Description:
When you brew Two Dragons, two arms of jasmine and globe amaranth petals will slowly expand upwards cupping a single marigold flower – and so it is given the name of Two Dragons and a Pearl. Thanks to the jasmine and amaranth, this tea has a wonderful sweet, flowery aroma and taste. The taste is long-lasting and will survive 2 or 3 infusions.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is the third and final tea from my Steepster Select box from February: Year of the Dragon. It is a very slow-to-open blooming tea from Teavivre. It’s fun to watch it slowly unfurl to reveal the beautiful flowery display tucked inside the handcrafted bulb.
The instructions suggest using boiling water and 2 minutes steep time. However, I couldn’t bear to pour boiling water over these bulbs, I was afraid I’d burn them. Instead, I heated the water to 185°F, and steeped for 2 1/2 minutes. Only a few leaves opened away from the bulb, so, I infused it a second time, adding 1 minute onto the steep time. With the second infusion, the bulb expanded more, revealing hints of the colors of the display, but, still did not open fully. 
It wasn’t until the third and final infusion that the bulb fully opened, revealing a beautiful orange flower at the base of the leaves, and jasmine “arms” that reach up to hold a gorgeous red flower. The photo to the right doesn’t begin to do justice to how lovely this bloom really is.
The tea from the first infusion was a very gentle flavored tea, with notes of jasmine and hints of fresh grass and hay. It was delicious, but I do think it could have improved with a longer steep time. Perhaps a hotter water would have produced more flavor as well, but again, having scorched more than my share of green and white teas in my past, this is something I do not wish to repeat.
The second infusion provided a much more flavorful cup. The flavor is sweet and floral, and the tea tastes fresh and even a little creamy. Very smooth, with no notable astringency or bitterness. The third infusion was a little less flavorful, but still was quite enjoyable … and even though the flavor had waned a little, the splendor of the bulb finally opening fully made it worth the effort to steep it a third time.
Another lovely tea experience from Teavivre. I’ve come to expect greatness from them, and they’ve yet to fail!
Halo Blooming Tea from The Persimmon Tree
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: The Persimmon Tree
Tea Description:
A beautifully hand-crafted blooming white tea that displays a ring of jasmine and amaranth flowers, with blueberry and peach essence.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
There are those who avoid blooming teas because they think they’re gimmick-y and that the tea they produce does not taste up to par. I used to be one of them! But, since that time, I have found quite a few blooming teas that are quite delicious. This blooming tea – Halo from Persimmon Tree Tea – is one of my newest favorites!
This tea is slow to unfurl; it did not completely open after the first infusion of five minutes. I infused the partially open bulb again, and after the second infusion of six minutes, I enjoyed a beautiful display. There was a white floral arch that extended to support a pretty bright pink flower.
In the first infusion, I found the floral tones to be sweet and soft, and they meld quite nicely with blueberry and peach flavors. The flavor of the white tea lends a delicate creamy note to the cup. With the second infusion, the floral notes were a bit stronger, but it was still a very delicious cup.
This is a really lovely blooming tea. I think it would be a perfect tea to serve at a tea party, it would surely make a great conversation starter!
Green Tea Fruit Smoothie Tea from Ovation Teas
Tea Type: Green Tea
Where To Buy: Ovation Teas
Product Description:
Green tea blended with strawberry pieces, mango, pineapple, marigolds, and globe amaranth with strawberry and mango flavoring.
Tasters Review:
I tell everyone that I have FUN with my tea. Some think that isn’t appropriate just like it may not be appropriate to ‘play with your food’…but I do. I encourage it! I like to tweak infusion amounts and times and sometimes ‘hand pick’ what I infusion from the loose leaf mix into my infusion basket.
Green Tea Fruit Smoothie Tea from Ovation Teas was one of those FUN Teas.
It’s FUN and Flavorful but natural and true. I like this very much! It’s a solid flavored green. The first attempt I drank was hot and it was FAB…I think this would be just as good if not better COLD…The mango-straw-pineapple jive well together and none are too over powering. It’s quite smooth which is rather rare for these flavors, I believe.
Green Tea Smoothie…lives up to it’s name! See…even the NAME is FUN! And tasty! This is a real winner! Be sure to check out Ovation Teas – they have some awesome flavors available and swing by our friends at Daily Gourmet for hooking us up with some RAD Tea!
Halo Tea from The Persimmon Tree
Tea Type:
Flowering Tea/Blooming Tea (White Tea)
Where To Buy:
Direct link to this tea in their store: http://www.persimmontreetea.com/halo-tea.html
Product Description:
A beautifully hand-crafted blooming white tea that displays a ring of jasmine and amaranth flowers, with blueberry and peach essence.
* Characteristics Mild * Flavors Fruity * Steep Temperature 180˚ * Steep Time 3-5 mins
Tasters Review:
Halo from The Persimmon Tree Tea Company is just outstanding and AMAZING!!!
It perfectly opened/bloomed the first time around without any imperfections whatso-ever and smelled of blueberry and peaches and that’s on top of the floral aroma…how awesome is that for a blooming tea!!??
I could taste the blueberry, peach, and flowers and it’s very yummy!
I tried a 2nd infusion on this and it was still very tasty! The only notable difference was the 2nd infusion was more floral. It was still an overall wonderful flavor tho!
This is probably one of my favorite blooming teas or flowering teas I have tried to date! This is VERY special!