Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Canton Tea Co.
Product Description:
The long silvery tea buds are hand-picked from the white tea varietal used for Silver Needle, but are heated as in a green tea process. They are then carefully stored for several weeks until the Jasmine flowers blossom. The tea buds are very skilfully hand rolled into perfect spheres and layered over several nights with the fresh Jasmine blossoms. Just a few pearls yield a highly fragrant liquor, bright with refreshing jasmine and sweet with the soft creamy undertones of the tea buds.
Read more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Wow! What an exquisite tea!
Jasmine has long been one of my favorite tea flavors, and I am especially fond of jasmine pearls. Up until about a couple of years ago, though, I was of the belief that a pearl is a pearl … and boy was I ever wrong there. Not all pearls are created equal, and this one deserves to be recognized as one of the very best!
The flavor is so soft and creamy. Not a buttery kind of creamy taste (although every once in a while, I could swear I taste a buttery note). Instead it’s a smooth, rich kind of creamy taste. The green tea/white tea tastes so fresh and even though it is a lighter tasting tea, it has a richness to it that ties in to that creaminess I mentioned.
But a jasmine pearl is not a jasmine pearl without the jasmine, right? Here, the jasmine tastes so light and sweet, it does not have a perfume-y taste to it at all, nor does it have that chemical-y kind of taste that sometimes is detected in jasmine teas. This must be the real thing, folks!
This is a phenomenal jasmine pearl, certainly one of the very best I’ve yet to try. I’d recommend it highly to all those jasmine aficionados out there.
Ye Sheng Wild White Tea from Canton Tea Co.
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where To Buy: Canton Tea Company
Product Description:
Other names: Wild White
This is a glorious, limited edition tea with a great story. This tea farm was once owned by the government but had been abandoned for many years and the tea bushes were left to grow wild. Our producer recognised the potential in the farm, the natural tea bushes, the excellent terroir and particularly the yellowy, rocky soil – perfect for giving the tea a delicious mineral note. He bought up the estate and produced this great tea from the first, small harvest of all the tea bushes that had been left untouched, in a natural state for decades.
We are the only people in the UK (and probably anywhere outside China) to have this tea. It is an ideal all-day, summer tea, very soft on the palate with a creamy depth and a satisfying full-bodied, warm fruity note, lifted by the mildest hint of flint (from that excellent ground).
Taster’s Review:
I find myself somewhat surprised when I hear someone say “I don’t like white tea.” It is such a blanketing statement and it almost irks me because I have learned that just because I have tried one white tea, does not mean that I’ve tasted them all. There are many white teas out there, each with their own unique nuances. Just because you may not like one that you’ve tried, doesn’t mean that you’ll dislike all of them.
This is a wonderful white tea that is so very different from others that I’ve tried.
The dry leaf smells a bit like hay, and it keeps that fragrance after its been brewed. The liquor is such an enchanting color. So pale, almost like alabaster!
After seeing such a lightly colored liquor, I figured that the flavor would be equally as light. And, it does start out that way. But by the time I’ve reached the bottom of the cup, the flavor and body have both developed significantly.
The flavor is very pleasantly sweet with a mild undertone of citrus and wood. It feels incredibly soft on the palate, almost creamy, which seems to encourage my taste buds to taste a cream-like flavor as well. These delightful flavors intensify as I continue to sip it, and by the time I reach the end of my cup, I recognize it as a bright, full-bodied, delicious cup of tea.
I highly recommend this one!
Superior Earl Grey Tea from Canton Tea Co.
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black (Darjeeling)
Where to Buy: Canton Tea Co.
Product Description:
A truly superior Earl Grey that takes this traditional favourite to a completely different level. Unusually it is made with a blend of Darjeelings from the world renowned Goomtee and Glenburn Estates and then infused with natural oil of Bergamot (the oil extracted from the rind of the Bergamot orange). A light scattering of orange blossom petals adds to the visual appeal. It has a lively fresh taste, with the soft base flavours of the Darjeelings balancing the bright citrus notes.
This tea needs to be tasted to fully appreciate just how good an Earl Grey can be. Naturally it bears no resemblance to the mass-produced Earl Greys – but being made with such extraordinarily good black teas as a base, it may just be the best Earl Grey you’ve ever tasted.
Taster’s Review:
I do adore Earl Grey tea, as most of you probably know by now. And this is a decent Earl Grey offering, although I don’t know that I would go so far as to say it is the best I’ve ever tasted. It’s certainly pleasant though.
The Darjeeling base offers an interesting set of flavors on its own. The fruity notes of the Darjeeling together with the bright citrus tones of Bergamot create an interesting taste. It is a lighter base than most Earl Grey teas, but it makes for a delightful afternoon tea.
The Bergamot is not quite as strong with this Earl Grey as in others I’ve tasted, but, it works here because it allows for the subtle nuances of the Darjeeling to be appreciated. I am finding the Bergamot to be just a little on the tart side. While it is usually quite tangy, this is veering toward the sour side of things. Not a bad thing – just different.
Overall a nice Earl Grey, and it would make a good choice for those who sometimes find the Bergamot in other Earl Grey teas to be a bit overbearing. You may find this lighter touch to be just right for you. A little sweetening is fine with this Earl Grey, but I wouldn’t recommend milk with this one – it would overwhelm it.
Darjeeling 2nd Flush (Margaret’s Hope Silver Moon) from Canton Tea Co.
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black Darjeeling
Where to buy: Canton Tea Co.
Product Description:
We are delighted to include this as one of our first examples of top grade Indian tea. It is a magnificent high grown Darjeeling from Margaret’s Hope, a tea garden that’s known and loved the world over. The long twisty leaves are a delightful mix of chocolate and copper browns with an abundance of silvery tips. It produces a bright gold liquor with a malty aroma, a well rounded flavour and a sweet, fruity aftertaste. This fresh, brisk tea denotes a well-produced, high grade Darjeeling. We only have a few kilos and then there is no more available – anywhere.
Taster’s Review:
I love Canton Tea Company! Every time I have one of their amazing teas, I become more impressed by them. Quite simply, they carry some of the very best teas available!
This Second Flush Darjeeling is a perfect example of what I mean. Produced in the Margaret’s Hope tea garden, this Darjeeling is so delicious! To say that this Darjeeling is different would be an understatement. First of all, we have the dry leaves which are quite long and elegant in appearance. Most Darjeeling teas tend to be chopped rather small. But not this one.
The brewed liquor possesses a light yet pleasing fragrance. It smells fresh with notes of fruit and distant hints of flower. Quite lovely. But the most remarkable thing about this tea is the flavor. It is one of the very best Darjeeling teas I’ve yet to taste – and I’ve tasted quite a few.
There is a malty overtone to the cup – which is a flavor that I don’t usually get from Darjeeling tea, but I’m tasting it now. It’s a rather remarkable surprise, indeed!
The taste is clean and crisp and there is very little astringency to this particular Darjeeling (another nice surprise, as I usually find Darjeeling tea to have a bit more astringency than this). There is a sweet undertone to this that is honey-like in flavor. Melded with the honey-like tones is a delicious fruit flavor that tastes a bit like grapes.
The second infusion is just as delicious as the first. It doesn’t have the same malty note that I got in the first infusion. Instead, I’m getting a stronger taste from the honey tones as well as a more pronounced fruity flavor – this time I can taste hints of currant and even a little bit of crisp apple!
Overall, the flavor is a complex, vibrant cup that I am really enjoying. I recommend this highly to all Darjeeling enthusiasts… I may have just found the ULTIMATE when it comes to Darjeeling!