Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Thinking about Thanksgiving this week and cranberry sauce and decided to make this delicious blend of sweet young hyson green tea with dried cranberries, freeze-dried strawberries and organic flavors.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
When 52Teas announced this Cran-Strawberry Young Hyson Green Tea as their tea of the week for the week of November 25th, I was pretty sure I’d enjoy it. I like cranberry, I love strawberry and I enjoy green tea. But I like this a lot more than I expected to! This tea offers a really appealing balance of sweet and tart, along with the smooth, lush flavors of a Young Hyson green tea. It’s really delightful.
I like that the cranberry and strawberry flavors are well-paired here, one doesn’t overpower the other and they aren’t competing with one another. As I said above, it’s a really good balance between sweet and tart. The tart cuts through the sweet enough so that it’s not too sweet, and the tart isn’t making me pucker. Very nice.
The Young Hyson tea tastes vibrant and it has a nice texture to it. When the tea is served hot, it has a soothing, broth-like comfort to it. When it’s iced, it tastes refreshing and smooth.
Really nice.
PRODUCT REVIEW: White Tea Acai Squeeze from Argo Tea
Product Description:
Ready to Drink Tisane from Argo Tea.
Argo Tea’s White Tea Açai Squeeze® is youthful white tea from the Fujian province of China, vitamin-rich açai from Amazon rainforests of Brazil and fresh-squeezed lemonade.
Learn more about this product here.
Taster’s Review:
This White Tea Acai Squeeze from Argo Tea is actually pretty tasty. As some of you might be aware, I’m not always crazy about ready-to-drink teas because they usually taste more like sugar/sweetener than they do tea. But, I can taste tea here.
Yeah, it’s still sweet, but this is actually more tart than it is sweet! The lemonade notes are especially profound in this tea. The white tea adds a crisp, airy sort of background note with a hint of vegetative flavor. The acai berry is also a strong flavor, but it unites with the lemon-y notes quite nicely.
I guess if I were to offer any complaint about this, it would be that I wished there was a little less lemonade and acai berry and a little more tea, but I still found this beverage refreshing and not too sweet and it didn’t leave behind that syrupy feel on my tongue after I finished drinking it – you know, that sort of cloying, sickeningly sweet sensation that seems to coat the palate when one drinks those overly sweetened RTD beverages that they call tea? I didn’t get that with this, and I’m glad. This is not too sweet and I can taste the tea – these get big PLUS points from me when it comes to RTD teas.
Argo is currently promoting their Scratch and Win promotion on Facebook – you can win a free bottle of their tea from their website! Good luck!
Lingonberry Green Ambessa Tea from Harney & Sons
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Harney & Sons
Tea Description:
Years of Japanese and Scandinavian tradition come together in this elegant blend. The fruit-forward notes of tart Nordic lingonberries strike a delicate balance with the refreshing green tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I found to get the level of flavor that I wanted from this Ligonberry Green tea from Harney & Sons’ new Ambessa Tea line, I needed to make a stronger brew. This is where loose leaf shows up the bagged or sacheted tea, because I could have easily added a little extra leaf … but for a sacheted tea like this, it’s either use less water or another tea sachet. I used two tea sachets for my cup.
The first time I brewed this (with just one bag), there was certainly flavor, but it was just a little too delicate for my liking. But now, with two tea bags, the flavor is THERE, and I’m liking it.
The lingonberry is a unique flavor … not one that is often found in tea blends. I think I’ve found lingonberry as an ingredient in one or two other teas … it’s a rare thing, though. Usually, the only other place I can find lingonberry at all is at IKEA.
And I like the flavor that the lingonberry brings to this cup. It is mostly tart, but there’s a little bit of sweetness to it to and it adds a really bright, enjoyable flavor. I’m not one who usually rejoices in tart flavors, but I am really liking the flavor of the lingonberry here.
The green tea offers a sweet taste with a soft texture. It’s a nice contrast to the sharp, tart notes of the lingonberry. It’s really a very pleasant culinary experience … and it’s almost like I can taste the mastery of a chef (in this case, Chef Marcus Samuelsson) behind this cup because it’s no ordinary tea!
I have tried all four of the Ambessa Teas now, and I really enjoyed all four, and overall, I’d say that this tea is a win. It does lose points, however, because I needed two tea bags to satisfy my palate flavor wise. For me to be thoroughly impressed by this Ambessa line, I would like for it to be offered in a loose leaf format.
I was just thinking that I’d love to experience another Chef Marcus Samuelsson tea creation now … but what flavor should he attempt next? He’s done Earl Grey, he’s done Chocolate … I guess … I’d love to try a Chai from Chef Samuelsson!
Organic Matcha Chai Green Tea from Aftelier Perfumed Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green (Matcha)
Where to Buy: Aftelier Perfumed Teas
Product Description:
Our Organic Matcha Chai Tea is grown under diffused sunlight in Nishio, Japan, where the leaves are then ground into a fine vibrant emerald-green powder. I create our exceptionally delicious green Chai tea by flavoring the naturally creamy and sweet ceremonial-grade organic matcha with Aftelier Chef’s Essences: vanilla absolute from Madagascar, organic cinnamon from Vietnam, organic pimento berry from Jamaica, and organic cardamom from India.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I was very excited to try this new Organic Matcha Chai Green Tea from Aftelier Perfumed Teas, because I have really enjoyed the perfumed teas that I’ve tried from Aftelier Perfumed Teas in the past and this was a Matcha Chai! YUM!
One thing that stands out to me about this tea is the ingredient list. This is not your “usual” run of the mill chai spices. There are a couple of “usual suspects” here, like the cinnamon and cardamom, and vanilla is another flavoring that is often used in chai blends these days. But pimento berry (aka allspice)? And no ginger or clove?
Not to say that these changes are bad … they’re just different and it’s my job to spot things like that and point them out.
Another thing that is definitely different with this Matcha Chai from some other Matcha Chai blends that I’ve tasted in the past is that this is a VERY high grade of Matcha. This is apparent in the color of the powder, the bright, vivid jade hue of the liquid, and all that frothy foam on the top of my freshly prepared bowl of Matcha!
It’s also apparent in the flavor. I can taste the quality of the Matcha – it is sweet and slightly vegetative, with a delicious buttery tone. It’s so creamy and smooth.
The spices are on the milder side of “chai” – that is to say that this is not a spicy chai … it is warm with cinnamon, cardamom and allspice, but it isn’t peppery or spicy-hot. It’s a very “autumnal” sort of taste … like spiced cider or something (but without the apples). The vanilla adds a luscious creaminess which enhances the natural creamy quality of the Matcha.
The Matcha isn’t grainy on the palate … it’s very smooth and silky. And even though the product description of this tea states that its
It is normal for a bit of the powder to remain in the bottom of your cup…
the Matcha stays incorporated in the water. There was no sediment when I reached the bottom of the bowl. Of course, if I had let it sit for a while, there may have been a different result. But as it is, it was so delicious that I finished the bowl before I could finish typing the review.
This is REALLY good. If you’re a fan of Matcha … this is one to add to your shopping list. Oh … and it’s a lot of fun receiving a package of tea from Aftelier too! Their packaging makes me feel special. It’s like receiving a beautifully wrapped gift rather than getting an order in the mail. Gorgeous packaging for a superb product … this company really delivers!
Acai Green Tea from Revolution Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Revolution Tea
Tea Description:
Sencha, the finest Japanese green tea, is blended with the rich, zingy taste of berries for a light, refreshing brew. The flavor of raspberries, black currants and acai, a Brazilian berry bursting with antioxidants, provide a memorable medley.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I received a sachet of this Acai Green Tea from Revolution Tea in my Love with Food Box in March! I always get excited when I receive a tea in one of my foodie tasting boxes … even if it is a sachet! And I’ve had pretty good luck with Revolution Tea’s sachets. One drawback though, it’s Acai Berry flavored … and I’ve not always had the best luck with Acai Berry.
It’s not terrible … but, I can’t say that this is my favorite tea that I’ve tried from Revolution Tea either. (I think my favorite would be the Tangerine White tea that I tasted when I went to PF Chang’s … at least, it was the most memorable tea I’ve tried from them!)
The overall flavor is delicate and sweet. There is a hint of bitterness from either the berry or the Sencha … but, it isn’t a distracting, off-putting bitterness, it actually contrasts in a very favorable way with the sweeter notes of the tea. And then there is the tart notes from the Acai Berry … and I’m glad to say that the tartness isn’t overpowering. It keeps in balance with the overall tone of the cup with its subtle approach.
It’s a gentle cup of tea – not quite as strongly flavored as I had anticipated, but, I like that. I like that I taste the sweet, grassy tones of the Japanese Sencha here, with hints of buttery notes in the background. The Acai Berry offers a compelling deviance to the brothy tea notes.
This one is nice as it cools too … I think I actually like it better cool than hot – making it a nice choice for iced tea.