Tea Type: White Tea
Where To Buy: Rishi Tea
Product Description:
A blend of white teas combined with succulent plum and wild forest berries. It’s juicy with a deep ruby colored infusion that’s tart, fruity and naturally refreshing.
Tasters Review:
If you have followed this blog for a while now you may have noticed I tend to make special notes about plums from time to time. They aren’t necessarily my favorite fruit but they are on my top fruits list! The reason I mention them here on SororiTEA Sisters is because I sometime find an ingredient that I am on the constant search for that perfect taste or flavor or aroma or feel IN a tea. Plum is one of those flavors! Each time I see a tea with Plum in it – I will most likely try it. With Plum – specifically – I am looking for a plumpiness to it even in my tea! So I am looking for a plump and juicy plum flavored tea. Not one that is artificial tasting or barely there. I guess my plum tastes are quite specific one could say.
I’m not going to tell you that Plum Berry is my favorite Plum tea because it isn’t. BUT…I am going to tell you what I do like about this tea and why it’s different and why I would have another cuppa!
The first thing that came to mind when I smelled this DRY and prior to infusing was KOOL AID! Once infused it does smell more like plum and maybe a hint of raspberry. I prefer the infused aroma better than the dry. It is pretty juicy smelling!
Thumbs up to Rishi for creativity! It’s quite plum and berry like and it’s juicy but you can also taste the white tea a little underneath. It might be a little too flavored for some white tea purists but I think it’s alright! If you are looking for a plum or berry fix and need something a little different – you might want to try this one!
Pearl of Fruits from ESP Emporium
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black & Green
Where to Buy: ESP Emporium
Company Description:
This fruity creation will impress you with its unusual spicy influences. Notes of exotic fruits, berries and creamy soft almond endow this black and green tea blend from China and Ceylon with an exotic, oriental taste experience, and orange peels and various blossoms reflect this in its appearance.
Taster’s Review:
This is one of those teas that I wasn’t too sure about before I tasted it. It is a blend of black and green teas, and because this causes some concern when it comes to brewing the tea, I am always a little skeptical about these blends. Since black tea is best brewed when the water is brought to a gentle boil, and green tea is best brewed when the water is hot but not boiling, it can be a little confusing as to how to best extract the flavor from the tea without ruining it.
In cases like this, I always go with the lower temperature. This results in less flavor from the black tea, but, then again, with the lighter flavored green tea, this is probably a good thing. So, I heated the water to the steaming point, when the tiny bubbles began forming at the base of the kettle but weren’t yet rising to the surface. Then I steeped it for 4 minutes. I felt safe that this would result in a tasty brew.
And I was correct! This is very tasty, indeed. The black tea is indeed lighter than a typical black tea would be when brewed with boiling water, but it works in this cup. The combination of the two teas creates a very well-rounded taste – with a slightly woodsy note and a fresh note of vegetation. I can even taste just a hint of smoke in the background, but it is ever so slight.
This creates a nice backdrop for the flavoring. I taste a “fruit” taste that is somewhat like a tropical melangé. Like the description above suggests, it does have a very exotic taste to it, and I love the whisper of the nutty flavor of almond, and although I don’t get much of the creamy taste that the description implies, I do like how well the nutty tones meld with the other flavors here.
There is also a delicate floral note that hits about mid-sip. It is lightly sweet and gives a really interesting complexity to this refreshing cup of tea. But it is the fruit flavors that are the most prominent here: there is a distinct citrus-y tone to this tea, as well as an equally distinct berry tart taste that lingers in the finish.
Because of the overall lightness of this tea, it has very little to no astringency (I didn’t detect any, and my palate tends to be very sensitive in detecting astringency), and when brewed properly, it is not bitter. Just delicious, fruity flavor! Oh! And this one is even better when chilled! Yum!
Açaí White Tea from Two Leaves and a Bud
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Two Leaves and a Bud
Company Description:
Special harvest long whole-leaf tea leaves and buds create this super light but full tasting white tea. Light enough in the cup to be called “white” with acai flavor to round out a great cuppa’. The rich taste is a distinct combination of berry flavor and subtle chocolate. Try iced with a touch of agave!
Taster’s Review:
I admit it – I’ve never actually tasted an açaí berry. I’ve had quite a few teas that are flavored with açaí berry. Many of those teas have been quite tart to the point of being too sour for my personal taste. As a result, I’ve acquired a bias against açaí berries.
But, after tasting this tea, I’m thinking I may need to rethink my thoughts about the açaí berry! (Yeah… think about that sentence for a moment)
This is a really tasty tea. It has a soft, gentle white tea flavor that is fresh and smooth, and is not obscured by the flavor of the açaí berry. I can taste the chocolate-y notes that the company description suggests, and I can also taste the berry and the berry flavor is sweet. Yes, I said SWEET. Not tart. Not sour. But pleasantly sweet!
This tea is not completely void of tartness (it really wouldn’t be a berry flavored tea without just a little bit of tart flavor, would it?) and there is a tart note that hits the palate in the finish. It sort of tingles! It’s not unlike the way my mouth feels and tastes after eating a fresh berry. Not pucker-y tart – just a tingly tartness that lets me know that I’m drinking a berry flavored tea.
And I like it!
Ice Wine Tea from Three Thousand Leaves/Special Teas Etc
Leaf Type: Black Tea, White Tea
Where To Buy: Three Thousand Leaves/Special Teas Etc
Product Description:
Site Description:
4oz Beguiling sweet pear notes with hints of berry and caramel. To enhance the natural flavors, consumption with sugar is recommended. Makes a great iced tea!Description on Package:
Black Tea, Freeze Dried Grapes, White Tea, Ontario Ice Wine, Natural Flavors
Tasters Notes:
Last Fall My Parents, Husband, and I went to Finger Lakes Wine Region for a long weekend. We did a lot of sampling of several wines. One of the more trendy wines that is becoming more and more popular is ICE WINE. ICE WINE is very VERY sweet. You can read more about actual Ice Wine here. When I started to see Ice Wine Tea I was very excited. I have tried a few.
This smells JUST LIKE ICE WINE prior to infusion…as well as after infusion. The scents become more identifiable after the infusion is complete.
I can taste the ice wine comparison. There is a pear taste as well and a caramel finish on it. It’s VERY sweet just like the ice wine! I am looking forward to trying this iced but I will say it is wonderful hot!