Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Whispering Pines Tea Co.
Tisane Description:
Sweet notes of mint and tart hibiscus with just the perfect elderberry twist flow smooth as water through the rooibos base – It’s like a cup of serenity pulled straight out of the deep northern forests!
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
This Ancient Forest Rooibos Blend from Whispering Pines is really quite nice! I was surprised to find that this has hibiscus in it, because, while I do taste the hibiscus, it isn’t a strong, prominent flavor … and hibiscus is one of those herbs that tends to get strong and prominent in no time at all. And I steeped this tisane for 10 minutes! But … it did not get thick, syrupy or overwhelmingly tart! Hooray for Whispering Pines Tea Company … they know how to blend with hibiscus!
The hibiscus here seems to accentuate the elderberry flavor … and I like that just fine. I’m not a fan of hibiscus (as I’ve said many times before) but, I don’t mind it if it’s done right, and Whispering Pines did hibiscus right with this blend.
The spearmint is done right too – it’s not a powerful minty taste … it is crisp, cool and refreshing … but it doesn’t taste like toothpaste! There is a really enjoyable balance of flavors here. Even the rooibos – which is another herb that I’m not particularly fond of – works well with this blend. The natural nutty tones of the rooibos melds nicely with the berry notes and the minty notes, while the sweetness of the rooibos offsets some of the tartness of the cup.
A really enjoyable blend, this Ancient Forest Rooibos Blend!
Ancient Yellow Buds from Rishi Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Yellow
Where to Buy: Rishi Tea
Tea Description:
Yellow Buds is composed of a single, ripe bud shoots. Usually, yellow teas are made with small leaf or medium leaf varietals from central and eastern China. This is a one of a kind Yellow Tea made with Mannong Manmai’s ancient heirloom broad leaf tea trees.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This isn’t my first sampling of Ancient Yellow Buds from Rishi Tea, I’ve tried this tea and reviewed it previously, however, that was a couple of years ago, and I believe that this is a tea from a more recent harvest … and tea changes fro year to year, harvest to harvest.
I was really excited to receive YELLOW TEA (my precious!) in the Steepster Select box for the month of May. No tea makes me as happy as yellow tea. So, for all the complaining I might have done last month because of a less than exciting box – I take it all back and apologize, because this month’s box more than makes up for last month’s shortcomings! This is the very best box from Steepster Select yet, and it has single handedly (single boxedly?) renewed my faith in the Steepster Select subscription.
And … oh. my. goodness! Is this ever good. Seriously, if you haven’t yet tried a yellow tea, I recommend trying one. Get yourself a really good quality one like this one from Rishi Tea. The leaves are soft and covered with fluffy, downy fuzz and they look a bit like Silver Needle, except that they have a slightly golden/yellowish color to them. The aroma of the dry leaf is like a cross between freshly cut grass and hay – lightly vegetative and very crisp and fresh smelling.
The brewed tea smells very much like the dry leaf, and it is a treat to inhale deeply before taking a sip … this really enhances the overall taste to engage the olfactory nerves in this way. The flavor is sweet and delicious. I have often compared the flavor to tasting a little like the “lovechild” of white and Oolong tea. It has a similar mouthfeel of a good Oolong tea, with a lovely smoothness and a hint of buttery flavor, while also maintaining the delicate, sweet features of a high quality white tea.
But really, it’s even more than that. An experience with yellow tea is just so amazing. Every tea lover should try this yellow tea from Rishi Tea – it’s excellent!
Ancient Gold Organic Black Tea from Samovar
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Samovar
Product Description:
Gold-flecked tea from the tribe on Jingmai Mountain. Wild-crafted, 1,300 year-old trees deliver a smooth, fuzzy, malty brew of sweet ore. Brew once for balance. Brew twice to enter a dark forest.
Taster’s Review:
As I sip this tea, I think I have found a new favorite. Now, mind you, I have many “favorites” – as my favorites tend to fluctuate depending upon my mood, the season of the year, and so on. But, there are a treasured few teas that I consider FAVORITES – ones for which my love seldom waivers regardless of time or mood.
This tea has almost immediately (love at first sip) become one of those favorites. It is so rich and smooth and well-rounded. It is bold and has a malty tone to it that would rival some of the best Assam teas I’ve tried. There is a delicious, deep flavor to this tea. It is a toothsome tea with a baked-biscuity kind of character to it. I get a bittersweet cocoa note and by about mid-cup, the sweetness develops into a fruit-like flavor. This is so amazingly good.
The sip begins with a hint of sweetness, and as the sip washes over the palate, a complex set of flavors comes to life: deeply set flavors of chocolate with an earthiness in the background. Around mid-sip, I notice hints of fruit, spice and wood. The sip ends with a drying astringency and an aftertaste of sweet raisins.
I highly recommend this tea to any tea enthusiast – it is a MUST try.
Ancient Forest Black Tea from Shanti Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Shanti Tea
Product Description:
Cultivated from the ancient protected tea tree forests of Yunan Province, China, this rare and exquisite black tea makes a full-bodied and earthy infusion with a rich and penetrating aroma heavy with age and collective wisdom. The flavor of this deep amber infusion is unlike any other black tea available. Truly exceptional.
Taster’s Review:
This really is an exceptional tea, and one that teaches me not to judge a tea by its dry leaf presentation. It doesn’t smell exceptional, and it doesn’t really look exceptional. But, the taste – is truly remarkable!
The tea has a very deep, rich taste to it. Earthy, yes. I can taste a Pu-erh kind of taste in the background that is earthy. But that isn’t all there is to this tea – and if it was, I probably wouldn’t consider it remarkable or exceptional, since I’m not a huge fan of Pu-erh. I like this much better than any Pu-erh I’ve ever tasted, because there is so much more to it.
The flavor has a hint of woody taste to it, like a damp wood. Consider an old growth forest just after it rains. The smell of the trees, the earth, the leaves and the air … that is what I taste in the background… that essence.
If I were to attempt to describe this tea, I would say it is somewhere between a Yunnan Pu-erh and an Assam tea. It has that maltiness that an Assam usually possesses, and there is the most exquisite underlying tone of sweetness too that is caramel-like. Sweet and almost creamy. The finish is sweet with a light, cleansing astringency. The aftertaste focuses on hints of earthiness as well as the deep sweetness that I am falling more in love with after each sip. This is really good.
An excellent black tea!