Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Lupicia
Tea Description:
Vibrant autumn leaves are blended into black tea. A sophisticated flavor of apple and apricot is limited to the autumn. Limited Quantity & Period Only
Learn more about this tea here. 
Taster’s Review:
When I saw that there were autumn leaves in this tea I HAD to have it! My favorite season is autumn. I also am a confessed tree hugger. I adore the changing colors of the leaves falling to the ground, and I am known, even at my age, to go out and play in the leaves, just like a child.
This tea smells in dry form like an apple cider and when steeped it taste like apple cider wine! This I was not expecting! This I welcome! I no longer imbibe but as autumn rolls around I do miss mead, and making wassail so having this tea to add to my “wine tea” selection makes me do a happy dance!
I am already spinning thoughts around in my head as to what to do with this tea in addition to drinking a LOT of it. In fact, this evening I was planning on making a squash soup and I just may find a way to incorporate this tea into that recipe! It is seasonal and I am already thinking I should order more.
Yes apricots, and apples, are the central flavors in this tea, and wine, and I swear I even had just a small lady like “wine belch” – sorry to be crude but it is so much like wine that I noticed it in that moment! I realize there are many teas that tout wine infusion, and some of them are quite lovely, yet this tea, one that does not tout that at all is more wine like than any tea I have had. I have had to correct myself several times when typing wine, when I meant to type tea!
Now in all factuality, I really can’t say if the autumn leaves do much of anything for this tea, but perhaps that is what gives this tea the wine-like flavor although I am sure the fruits had something to do with it. I mean I suppose there is a backdrop here of a nice earthy note, but it is slight and could come from the black base as well, which other than being in the background is not all that intense, bold, or present. Lupicia does not indicate what type of black tea is used but based on the blend it makes me think darjeeling. Which is never a bad thing.
So off I am to contemplate another order with my beloved Lupicia, and I highly recommend this tea to you!
Apricot Matcha from Red Leaf Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green (Matcha)
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
The sweet taste of apricots reminds someone of peaches and combined with the balancing effect of oriental Matcha, makes for true palate entertainment. Apricot Matcha is a sweet treat that can be taken anytime day or night when someone just wants to savor the wonders of their surroundings while enjoying a sumptuous treat. It is also the perfect treat for the special occasions of kids whose guardians want to expand the assortment of refreshment alternatives with great additions. Apricot Matcha can be taken with or without food because it’s fulfilling taste leaves its takers wanting more.
Learn more about this Apricot Matcha here.
Taster’s Review:
I didn’t really want to write this review. Why? Because, well, I just don’t like this flavored Matcha. I have tried quite a few flavored Matcha by now, and this is the first one from Red Leaf Tea that I’ve tried and did not like. I have loved the others that I’ve tried up until now, and I really love this company, and I hated to say anything bad about them.
But ultimately, I did decide to write this review, because not only is honesty important to me as a tea reviewer, but honesty is equally as important to Red Leaf Tea too – they actually ASKED me to write a review on it, even though I did not like it!
And really, you’ve got to respect that. I think it’s very cool of Red Leaf Tea to actually WANT me to write this review, even though I didn’t really care for the product, and makes me respect them more as a tea purveyor. This is a company that I highly recommend to everyone.
Unfortunately, I wouldn’t recommend this flavor of Matcha to anyone. It just doesn’t taste very good. And it’s not even that I dislike apricots – I love them! And I had such high hopes for this Matcha, unfortunately, it just didn’t prove to be as delicious as some of the other Matcha that I’ve tried (and LOVED) from Red Leaf Tea.
The flavor is overwhelmingly chemical, tasting a bit like perfume-y soap. Now, I didn’t like getting my mouth washed out with soap as a child, and I don’t like drinking soap now. And unfortunately, this soapy taste is so strong that it dominates the entire bowl. I can’t really taste anything beyond the strong perfume-y soap.
I even tried it a second time, hoping that maybe my taste buds were just having an off day or something. But three days later and I get the same result. This time, I tried mixing it: 1 part of this Apricot Matcha with 1 part of the Royal Matcha (which is pure/unflavored). This softened the soapy taste only somewhat, I am able to explore the flavors beyond the soapiness but, the chemical flavors are still very strong – overwhelmingly so. I can taste hints of apricot and Matcha this time around, but, not enough to be able to phase out the strong perfumed soap taste.
It makes me very sad that I disliked this Matcha so much, but this bad experience, while it did leave a bad taste in my mouth, it is one that will easily disappear after I’ve had a bowl of one of the other delicious Matcha that I’ve tried from Red Leaf Tea. And the fact that they are willing to have me say I dislike a tea – and in fact, encourage it, I think is very honorable.
Osmanthus Tea from Driftwood Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Driftwood Tea
Tea Description:
Osmanthus Oolong combines high quality Jin Xuan variety loose leaf tea with fresh osmanthus flowers to produce a most spectacular tea. Handmade and scented using only natural methods this is an example of an aromatic tea that tastes as good as it smells.
Key Flavours: Bright soft stone fruits. Juicy peaches and ripe apricots with delicate touches of natural creaminess.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
After receiving a wonderful mixed box of samples from Driftwood Tea I selected this as the first one to taste and review. When I opened the bag I was greeted with the aromas of a wonderful milky oolong! The dry leaf is quite pretty with small bits of osmanthus flower through out.
The flavor of this tea is creamy which I love in tea. Beyond creamy what I get is a candy flavor! Yes candy. It reminds me of the White Rabbit candies that my daughter loves so much. Okay I admit, I love them too except they are terrible on my teeth! Now I can have my creamy milk candy in a tea! This tea is somewhat sweet but in a natural manner of course which is so much better! I am sure that comes from the fruity flavors in the tea which I find to be far more subtle than other teas with fruit flavors, yet they are present and pleasant!
The peachy apricot notes come out much after the tea cools. They are light flavors however so do not expect a peach flavored pow in your cup.
I did not do an initial rinse and I am glad as thus far it is my favorite steep being the sweetest and most candy like out of my two steeps thus far.
The oolong base is wonderful, light, and fragrant in and of itself so the osmanthus does not totally take over whatsoever, rather just add a lovely light floral element to the tea and I believe also add to the creaminess.
Overall this is a light oolong and while I do love darker deeper oolongs I am absolutely appreciating the wonderful flavor characteristics of this lighter oolong tea! This is what I would consider a late afternoon or early evening oolong.
As I wait on steep three I wanted to mention how fast Driftwood Tea’s shipping is! I was shocked when it arrived within only a matter of days! I can’t remember for sure if it was three days or five days but it was well under a week and I have waited well over a week for teas from some tea companies right here in the United States!
This third steep is so far the creamiest. Its not as sweet nor as fruity but it is like a mouth full of silk! It has a puffy marshmallow like texture that is just so luxurious! As I reflect upon the smooth sensation in my cup I refer to the founder of Driftwood Tea’s philosophy:
Frequently I have encountered tea aficionados – pompous and aloof – seemingly preoccupied by the grade of a loose leaf, or a wonderfully exotic name, when in reality the resulting liquor that was being produced was, well, blah. For me that’s not what tea should be about.
I have now spent the last ten years searching for and sampling some of the world’s finest teas. During this time I have learned many things about loose leaf tea, yet there really is only one point which I have found to be crucial: do I like it? If you like what you’re drinking nothing else should really matter.
I for one agree, and I can say I DO like this tea!
Apricot Cheesecake Shou Mei from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
We’ve had a few cheesecake blends over the years, and I’ve heard from a number of customers that the cheesecake is a bit on the subtle side. So I’ve decided to try a cheesecake blend with a lighter tea that might not normally be a good match for cheesecake flavors. (I tend to want to pair our white teas with sweet, fruity notes.) So here is our delicious shou mei white tea, blended with real freeze-dried apricot bits and natural apricot and cheesecake flavors. And it is truly delicious!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
One thing you can pretty much count on is when 52Teas creates a cheesecake flavor for its Tea of The Week, that cheesecake flavored tea is going to sell out pretty quickly. Frank – the chief Zoomdweebie at 52Teas – is the master of cheesecake flavored tea!
But I have to be honest, this isn’t my favorite cheesecake blend that Frank has ever come up with. That said, this is still a really tasty blend!
While hot, the flavors tend to be a bit more jumbled – I can taste notes that are apricot-like and cream cheese-ish. There are some buttery and brown sugary notes in there too. But there is nothing really about it – when it’s served hot – that screams out to me and says “I am Apricot Cheesecake!”
But as the tea cools, the flavors become more distinctive. The apricot becomes much more like apricot – sweet and juicy and it tastes remarkably like the apricot filling that my gramma would make when she’d make apricot cobbler. Sweet, even a little extra sweetness from the glazing, but still true to the fruit. Then there are the flavors that are associated with the cheesecake. Creamy, tangy cream cheese. Buttery pastry with a hint of brown sugar. YUM!
And as I’ve mentioned before, the tea is at least just as important – if not more important – as the flavors. After all, I’m drinking tea, not some soda fountain concoction. I want to taste the tea. And I do taste the Shou Mei. It has a sweet, lightly nutty flavor that melds beautifully with the pastry crust notes of the flavoring, making it taste more – I think – like pastry. And the creaminess of the Shou Mei lends itself well, and even enhances, the creamy elements of the cheesecake flavor.
So, while this isn’t my favorite cheesecake blend from Frank, it is certainly delicious. And trust me when I say that it’s worth checking out 52Teas website and subscribing to the newsletter to stay “in the know” for when his famous cheesecake flavored teas are offered … you’ve got to try at least one! But be warned … once you try one, you’re going to want MORE!
Peach & Apricot Green Tea from Empire Tea Services
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Empire Tea Services
Tea Description:
Temple of Heaven Green tea with Peach and Apricot flavors. Delicious.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The aroma of the dry leaf is strong and distinctively peach and apricot. So distinctive that I could smell it the moment I opened the pouch! It smells so mouthwateringly delicious, so true to the fruit essences, so much like summer! YUM!
The flavor is also strong, but I like that there is a pleasing balance between the flavor of the Temple of Heaven green tea and the stone fruit. The green tea tastes fresh and a little creamy. There are toasty nut notes and whispers of smoke in the distance. Vegetative but not overwhelmingly so.
And the fruit notes do not taste chemical or artificial. It tastes as though fresh, tree ripened peaches and apricots had been liquified and mixed in a 1:1 ratio with green tea! So sweet and luscious.
This tea is absolutely lovely. It tastes good hot, but I prefer it iced – it is a delicious representation of two of my favorite summertime fruits. This one is really good … certainly one of the best flavored green teas I’ve tried lately. If you’re a fan of peach or apricot (or both!) … you’ve got to try this!