Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Tay Tea
Tisane Description:
Soothing and relaxing with a tangy kick that screams at you to make iced tea. As a hot tea, this is still a delight. Layers of red berries, tart currants, lavender and rooibos with subtle hints of rose. The texture of this tea is amazingly soft on the tongue and the lavender persists all the way through each sip.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about subscribing to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
This is really lovely! Despite the suggestion above to make this into iced tea, I opted for a hot tea – there’s just something about lavender that tells me to make hot tea and since it would seem that A Day in Provence Rooibos Blend from Tay Tea has a strong lavender presence I figured hot tea was the way to go this evening. And as I said … it’s really very lovely!
The lavender is a strong, well-defined essence but it never tastes too floral, perfume-ish or soapy. The lavender (and the rose) have been added at just the right amounts so that the flavors are present in every sip without tasting of Aunt Mildred’s favorite perfume.
And as much as I enjoy lavender, what I’m enjoying most about this particular cuppa is that I’m not tasting a strong rooibos flavor. I taste subtle notes of a woody flavor and hints of nutty tones and that familiar honeyed note, but it isn’t a really powerful presence.
Instead, I taste notes of currant and this gives the cup an almost wine-like taste, and the rose and lavender are very complementary to the wine-ish flavors. I taste a sweet-tart berry note. Overall this has a very indulgent, beautiful flavor that I am finding very nice.
I’m really happy that this tea was part of this month’s Amoda Tea Box! Usually, I approach the rooibos/herbal blends with a certain amount of skepticism, but, this is one with which I’m quite pleased.
Berber Tea Blend from Tay Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Tay Tea
Tea Description:
The light and sweet Moroccan spearmint is a crisp counterbalance to the rich, smoky gunpowder green tea. So refreshing, this tea goes down easy. Re-steep this tea a few times to let the rolled gunpowder tea unfurl and release its full flavour. If you want to get authentic with this tea, sweeten it until your heart’s content.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about subscribing to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
Wow! Minty! After I opened this Berber Tea Blend from Tay Tea, the first sampler packet from this month’s Amoda Tea Tasting box that I decided to try, I was a little overwhelmed by the fragrance of mint. The aroma reminds me of Wrigley’s Spearmint gum. It’s very, very minty.
The strong minty scent worried me a little. I started thinking this was going to end up tasting more like a mouthful of toothpaste than a cup of tea. Fortunately, this doesn’t taste quite as much like toothpaste as the aroma led me to believe. I am happy to say that I can taste the flavor of the gunpowder green tea in this tea as well as the crisp flavor of spearmint, and while it is a minty tasting tea … as I’m sipping it, my palate recognizes that I’m drinking tea and not mouthwash that has been heated up and poured into a teacup.
The Moroccan spearmint was a good choice to use in this mint tea blend, because I generally find spearmint to be a “lighter” tasting mint than peppermint. I’m also finding that this spearmint seems to unite with the gunpowder green tea to create a smooth flavor. The spearmint is crisp and refreshing, but not overpowering.
The gunpowder green tea is light and sweet, and there are some vegetal notes that meld beautifully with the herbaceous tones of the spearmint. It all comes together in a very pleasant way. The texture of the liquid is somewhat broth-y which offers an intriguing contrast to the invigorating mint flavor.
It’s a very clean and fresh taste. It’s revitalizing but also soothing. I’m not about to say that this is my favorite tea that I’ve ever pulled out of my Amoda Box, but, I am enjoying it, and I’m happy that I got this opportunity to try something from a new-to-me company like Tay Tea. Thanks, Amoda!
Honey Scented Black Tea from Oollo Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Oollo Tea
Tea Description:
This is a luxurious black tea! Dark leaves and an amazing honey aroma. The body of this tea is round and feels smooth on the tongue. It has a very pure flavour profile. Delicious honey and natural caramel notes.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about subscribing to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
This Honey Scented Black Tea from Oollo Tea is a very interesting tea. Here’s something that Amoda Tea has to say about it:
To keep with the oolong education. This is a curious black tea made from an oolong tea plant varietal that grows in Taiwan.
And when I opened the pouch and examined the leaves, I have to say that they have the big “bulky” look of a dark Oolong.
The flavor is much more like an Oolong tea than a black tea as well. This reminds me of a Honey Oriental Beauty type of Oolong. It doesn’t have that deep, “dark” flavor of a black tea, it has a the lighter, silkier flavor of an Oolong.
But that’s not a bad thing. I love Honey Oolongs, and this tea tastes mighty fine! It’s remarkably smooth with a light astringency. I’m loving the honey notes. The profile of this tea on Amoda’s website focuses on the “clean” and “pure” taste of this tea, and I find myself in agreement with the assessment. Even though it has a beautifully sweet flavor, it’s a very crisp and clean sweetness, and the finish is very lightly sweet.
And one of the best things about this tea is that because it’s so “Oolong-esque” … it’s good for several infusions. I highly recommend taking this tea through it’s paces – it’s definitely worth the effort. An excellent tea from Oollo tea – via Amoda Tea – I’m glad this one was part of the tea tasting box this month.
Caramel Toffee Flavored Oolong Tea from Octavia Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Octavia Tea
Tea Description:
This is sweet and creamy with decadent caramel. It’s certainly rich with flavour, but balanced out enough by the profile of the dark oolong that you can enjoy every last sip without getting overwhelmed. The oolong lends an amazing roasted character that blends perfectly with the hazelnut.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about subscribing to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh … yum! This Caramel Toffee Flavored Oolong Tea from Octavia Tea is so good, and as I’m sipping on this tea and writing this review, this song came on my Pandora Radio – a perfect tune for this tea experience!
I had high expectations going in to this tea experience. With a tea called “Caramel Toffee Oolong,” well, it better be good, right? And it is.
The caramel/toffee notes are very well-defined and they meld so beautifully with the dark Oolong. The Oolong has a slightly smoky character that complements the toffee. It’s a sweet, smooth and silky Oolong. I typically find that darker Oolong teas have more of a fruity character than a floral one, and that is true of this tea base.
The caramel and toffee bring a sweet flavor and a hint of bitter burnt sugar taste to the cup. The natural nutty tones of the Oolong are enhanced with the notes of hazelnut flavoring, creating a very delicious, dessert-y sort of flavor that would make a great next-to-no calorie substitution for something fattening. It tastes like it should be naughty but it isn’t.
A truly decadent and delicious tea treat – I’m glad that this one was in my Amoda Tea Tasting Box for this month!
Master Han’s 2013 Sheng Pu-er Tea from Verdant Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh
Where to Buy: Verdant Tea
Tea Description:
Beautifully complex, this young pu’er is creamy with citrus notes and a floral finish. Steep small and short infusions up to 10 times and experience this tea transforming on your tastebuds. Starting sweet, this brand new pu’er develops woody and nut characteristics. Enjoy the bright astringency of this tea as it layers over each steeping.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about subscribing to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
Yeah, I’m really behind on the February teas from my Amoda Tea Tasting Box! I’ve already received my box for March, and I haven’t finished sampling the teas from February! This Pu-er Tea from Verdant Tea – Master Han’s 2013 Sheng – is the last from my February box.
I guess it just goes to show how I tend to procrastinate when it comes to pu-erh teas. And I really shouldn’t, because I have enjoyed most of the pu-erh teas that I’ve tried in the last couple of years. After learning the proper way (or at least the proper way for ME) to brew a pu-erh, I’ve come to appreciate a good pu-erh. And this one from Verdant is a good one!
Then again, I can’t think of a time when I’ve been disappointed by Verdant Tea!
This pu-erh is quite special. The aroma is not at all what I’d expect from a pu-erh. Usually, I detect some earthy notes – even from a young Sheng – but, all I smell here is a strong vegetative note that falls somewhere between kelp and steamed spinach.
After a quick rinse, the first infusion was steeped for 1 minute. Normally, I would go for just 30 – 45 minutes, but, I got distracted and it steeped for a full minute. This cup was light and refreshing! Sweet! It has a creaminess to it that I don’t recall ever experiencing with a pu-erh tea. There is a distant nutty tone to this, and a crisp, bright citrus note.
My second cup (also infused for 1 minute) has a stronger flavor. There is a slight floral note to this cup – again, not a flavor I’d usually associate with a pu-erh – and it is somewhat sharp. This cup is less creamy and delicate than the first was. I can also taste the woodsy notes start to develop and the distant nutty tone start to emerge.
Subsequent infusions brought those woodsy notes forward, and the warm, sweet nutty flavors were more pronounced. The citrus notes were still present in the third cup, but by the fourth cup, I couldn’t find them without really focusing on the flavors swirling around on the palate. The fruit notes seem to have melded with the other notes. The same is true of the creamy notes that I noticed in the first two cups.
Most of the flavors started to taste more mellow and unified with the third cup and this seemed to continue with the infusions that would follow. The floral notes were delicate in the third cup, but I really enjoyed their presence. I liked the slight sharpness and the contrast it brought to the cup.
Despite my misgivings about having a Pu-erh in my Amoda Tea box for February … I really enjoyed this. I shouldn’t have been so apprehensive – it is, after all, a tea from Verdant Tea!