Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Bentley’s Finest Tea/Boston Tea Company
Company Description:
Dark, bountiful blackberries tartly sweeten our premium high-grown blend of Chinese and Indian black tea. Brew this fruity tart tea and get a taste of nature’s wild blackberries. Keep your tea fresh for many breaks to brew with this beautiful and reusable black tin; that’s portable too! Drink a cup of royalty with Bentley’s Finest Tea!
Taster’s Review:
This tea makes me think of my little girl (who is not so little anymore – she’s 9!) because while she enjoys most types of fruit, blackberries are her favorite. In the house that we lived in a few years ago, we had a blackberry bush and she would eat them fresh off the vine!
The aroma of this tea is much what I would expect with a blackberry flavored black tea – it smells like blackberries and black tea. No big surprise there. That being said, it is a very pleasing fragrance – sweet, fresh and fruity.
The cup possesses a very nice balance of flavors. The black tea is a medium-bodied tea with a somewhat mellow presence. It is not overly aggressive and yet it is able to hold it’s own and isn’t overpowered by the fruit. There is a light-to-medium astringency. By that I mean that it starts out quite light, to the point of being barely there. But by mid-cup, the astringency becomes a little more prominent and provides a dry finish.
The berry flavor is sweet but not overly so, with a twinge of tartness that arrives upon the palate in the aftertaste. It has a very distinct blackberry taste to it; that is to say that it doesn’t taste like “berry”… it tastes like blackberry. And it tastes good!
There is a wine-like essence to the cup with the berry flavor and the somewhat dry finish. But I think I’d rather sip on this than a glass of wine! Especially during chilly days such as this – I am finding it very comforting. And as delicious as this is hot, it is just as refreshing iced.
Another fine tea from Bentley’s Finest!
Blueberry Kiwi White Tea from Boston Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Boston Tea Co.
Company Description:
Tender as the touch of a loving hand, this delicate Chinese white tea soothes your weary soul with the sweet juiciness of blueberries and kiwi and the gentle scent of meadow-grown malva flower petals. Brew some inner-peace and drink up a good-for-you cup!
Taster’s Review:
The dry leaf smells of fresh fruit – berries and melon! – with a hint of flower and a leafy/herbal-y scent. The brewed liquor presents a slightly different smell – it becomes more of a blending of the fruit, flower and leaf, but, it is still very lovely. Before taking a sip, I first inhale deeply so that I can enjoy the fragrance before I enjoy the taste.
With such a delightfully aromatic tea one might think this would be an abundantly flavored cup – to the point of being overwhelming. But this is not the case with this tea.
This is a light-bodied white tea. The base is crisp with a tender sweetness and a fresh taste. And the flavors of this tea are in harmony with the delicate yet complex flavors of the white tea.
Blueberry is the most prominent fruit essence here, but, I like that I can also taste the kiwi flavor here too. Kiwi has always tasted like a cross between a strawberry and a melon to me, and that is what I taste here, together with a sweet-tart taste of authentic blueberry flavor.
I enjoyed my first cup of this tea as a hot tea, but, I found that it was even tastier when served iced. There is something so incredibly refreshing about this blend – the natural sweetness, the balance of fruit flavors, and the light, clean essence of the white tea – that makes it a perfect candidate for iced tea!
Apricot Green Tea from Boston Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Boston Tea Co.
Company Description:
Apricot? Why not? Our whole leaf premium Chinese green tea is wonderfully enhanced with the delicate fruity essence of dried apricot bits and other natural flavors, leaving a light, refreshing cup of anti-oxidant rich tea. Take a cup with a spoonful of honey for an even sweeter sip!
Taster’s Review:
Yes, I know that summer is almost over… but this tea reminds me so much of summer because it’s apricot – one of my favorite summertime fruits!
The green tea is rich and delicious, and really does dominate the cup (and that’s a good thing!) I can taste notes of butter and vegetable – and imparts a flavor in my mouth that is similar to that of steamed and buttered vegetables. This is but one note in a complex series of flavors but it’s there and I’m really enjoying it!
The apricot flavor is a bit more delicate in comparison to the green tea flavor. But that’s ok -because, well, this IS a green tea that I’m drinking! The flavor of the apricot seems to intensify as I continue to sip it. It reminds me of the taste that I experience when I bite into a fresh, ripe apricot. Juicy and sweet! Delicious!
I really like how the green tea flavor and the apricot flavor complement each other in this tea. It is delicious and satisfying. YUM!
As the description from Boston Tea Company suggests, it is really delightful with a drizzle of honey – but I think it is really good without the sweetener too – so it’s all about personal choice on that one… I do recommend a little bit of sweetener if you’re going to ice this one because it really livens up the flavors. And this is a tea that you will definitely want to serve iced! It’s perfect!
Vanilla Almond Oolong from Boston Tea Company
Tea Type: Oolong
Where To Buy: Boston Tea Company
Product Description:
Who says Vanilla is so plain? For, if this Tea was made into ice cream, it would be the perfect balance of creamy and crunchy! Sip this sweet blend of Chinese Sechung Oolong Tea flavored with Madagascar Island Vanilla and California Almonds. Nutty and sweet, it’s the perfect afternoon treat!
CONTAINS: 110g (3.8oz) of Finest Grade Oolong Tea
SERVINGS PER CONTAINER: Servings per container approximately 50-60 cups of tea (Note: One serving of Full-Leaf Tea can be brewed multiple times.)
HEALTH: Antioxidants found in tea help to burn body fat! Rich in iron, calcium, & numerous minerals, which contain natural properties that help promote digestive enzymes to break down fat substances in the blood, antioxidants make tea tops toward being healthier!
Boston Tea’s loose leaf tea reflects the passion projected in our company’s motto: ‘Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Tea.’ Our full leaf tea embodies natural beauty, rich aromas and the finest quality that our worldly master tea blenders ardently seek. Found in the lush plantations of Sri Lanka and mountainous regions of India and China, Boston Tea blends its tea to create the heartiest, strongest and most flavorful cup.
Double your tea-drinking pleasure; try any of these flavors hot or iced!
Gluten Free: Yes
Kosher: Star K
Ingredients: Chinese Sechung Oolong Tea, Almonds, Calendula Petals, Natural Vanilla & Almond Flavors.
Tasters Review:
Vanilla Almond Oolong from Boston Tea Company has a very hearty almond taste. It’s on the verge of peanut butter or almond butter. (I have found I really like Almond Butter!) It also has a Lovely Oolong taste…somewhat woodsy…but it’s not the flavor that is in the fore-front. It’s paired with a nice floral-sweet undertone. The creamy vanilla! A delight! This is probably one of the most creamy oolongs I have ever had outside of a milk oolong!
I really REALLY like this tea! It exceeded my expectations!
Tropical Tangerine White Tea from Boston Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Boston Tea Company
Company Description:
Deliciously juicy and sweet, tangerines lend a pleasing citrus twist to our gentle Chinese white tea, which is only harvested in early Spring when the Camellia Sinensis plant produces very small buds. Brew this lovely blend to accompany your breakfast or afternoon treat; it’s a flavor to complement whatever you eat!
Taster’s Review:
Let’s face it; there are a lot of tropical flavored teas out there. Some are good, some not so good. But, even with the really tasty tropical blends, they can get rather boring after you’ve tasted a few. So it’s nice when you find one that has something a little extra to make it get noticed amongst the typhoon of tropical teas out there.
This is one such tea. While it is flavored with some of the ordinary tropical fruits – I can definitely taste pineapple, and maybe orange and even a hint of banana.
But, what makes this tea stand out is the tangerine – which is clearly defined in this tea. Yes, tangerine can be considered a tropical fruit since it is a citrus; however, what I like about this tea is not that it includes tangerine but that the tangerine really pops in this blend. It is sweet and juicy and delicious!
A tea blend is only as good as the tea in it – and this blend has big “white” tea leaves in it that are covered in fuzzy white down. The sweet, fresh flavor of the white tea is prominent in this blend. And while many white teas are very delicate in taste – this tea is not so delicate that it will lose its flavor when iced. In fact – and maybe this is just the warm weather talking here – but, I think this tea is even tastier when served chilled than when it’s served hot, because as it cools the tangerine flavor comes to life even more.
This is delightful!