Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: The Persimmon Tree
Tea Description:
The smooth Mandarin Silk Oolong Tea introduces organic pouchong loose-leaf tea blended with lemon myrtle, marigolds, and natural essence of vanilla. Awakening the senses with hints of cream and a stimulating citrus finish, the Silk Mandarin Tea is a rich and fragrant choice for your tea experience.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is lovely! The vanilla and the pouchong together deliver such a creamy smooth texture and taste … so sweet and indeed silky! It’s such a pleasure to sip.
The pouchong is a base that I don’t encounter very often in tea blends, it seems, and I wish that it was utilized more. It is so wonderfully soft and easy to sip, and it has such a lovely taste that melds well with other flavors. It tastes sweet and slightly vegetative on its own, but with these flavors of vanilla and lemon-y citrus, the palate seems to want to explore some of the pouchong’s fruity and floral tones, allowing for some of the flavors to come forward that I might otherwise overlook.
The citrus tones are subtle, and don’t seem to hit the palate right up front. At first, it’s really all about the vanilla and the tea, but then by about the third or fourth sip, the citrus tones arrive on the palate, just in time to give the palate something new to explore. The citrus notes start off gentle and sweet, and eventually become this very pleasantly tangy taste to offer some contrast to the creamy, sweet vanilla.
What I’m liking best about this tea is that it is a very gentle tea. It doesn’t go overboard with any of the flavors at any time. It has a very easy kind of flavor, something that you could easily curl up with while reading a good book or while relaxing in a bubble bath. It’s one of those teas that can serve as a pleasant, contemplative cup, as well as one to sip when you need something to help you clear your head after a long, stressful day.
I like this tea!
Yunnan White Jasmine from Verdant Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Verdant Tea
Tea Description:
New Spring 2012 Harvest!
This jasmine makes us understand what jasmine is all about. It starts with a silky smooth silver needle white tea from Yunnan with notes of cinnamon sweetness. Jasmine blossoms are scattered around the tea while drying for several nights in a row, and removed in the morning to be replaced by fresh blossoms, scenting the tea in the traditional method. The result is a perfectly integrated flavor, that starts off with the textures of a white tea, and sweetness drawn out and extended by a silky jasmine aroma. Continue steeping this out, and an intriguing apricot jam flavor starts to come out and compliment the subtle spice of the yunnan white. In later steepings there is even the slightest hint of pine needle.
ICED: Perfumed florals are more potent, with an exquisite silky texture and notes of melon and banana fruit salad.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I was so pleased to sample this tea. I was surprised at the first flavor note I tasted being that of nut, rather than jasmine. Interesting because I have not really noticed anyone else picking up on that in other reviews, and it is not listed on the Verdant site as being a flavor note in the tea. Everyone experiences their tea in their own way though. I find the jasmine to be natural and light in the first steeping. A light sweetness and a slight rock mineral quality, but no one note is standing out in the first steep beyond the nutty flavor I am now so focused on. The mouthfeel is creamy, and the cup color is very pale yellow, almost beige, and quite clear. The after flavor is somewhat vegetal but only so slightly, more like a green tea than the after taste of a white, but lovely. Everything about this steep is slight, delicate, gentle. Now I am not saying I detect absolutely no jasmine in the flavor, I do, but even then it is faint and does not make me declare this a strong jasmine tea. I think however that is what is so lovely about this cup, the jasmine is so natural that it does not make you feel assaulted by its note. Toward the end of the cup of this first steep I am beginning to pick up on hints of a baked sugar confection flavor. Quite enjoyable!
In the second steep more of the notes come forward and the color of the brew is slightly darker. There are some lightly cinnamon notes but to me they come over as more like a black pepper which is delightful and awakens the senses. This note is detectable both in the aroma and flavor. Fruity notes are also coming forward which taste like red and blue berries. The sugar notes develop more as the cup cools. Jasmine is still of course a flavor note that is present but unlike many jasmine teas this one does not come over like grandma’s perfume! For those who have experienced a jasmine before and hated it – you must know that not all jasmine teas are created equal. There is a distinct difference between one that is done well and one that is not. This is done to perfection. A natural jasmine will taste, and for that matter smell far different than an artificial one. I leaned this long before my tea journey through natural perfumery and essential oil training. There is nothing quite like true jasmine.
Steep three evokes somewhat of a savory flavor palate with the citrus and linen notes in the background. There is a light drying sensation now on the tongue with grapefruit and orange notes. I am also detecting an oregano flavor. This is quite pleasing and surprising! I was not expecting the savory notes.
I am going to get many more steeps out of this tea!
All in all – a wonderful experience! I enjoyed this tea while listening to a Reiki CD and it was such a glorious way to welcome a new day!
Lady Londonderry from English Tea Store
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: English Tea Store
Tea Description:
Our Lady Londonderry Tea is a delightful afternoon tea with a malty floral flavor and hints of strawberry and lemon. This tea is made from black tea, dried orange, daisy white, and natural flavors. This tea is delicious hot or iced, and either way, your family and guests will feel like royalty!
Tea has been a British delicacy for hundreds of years. Royalty, lifestyle, and tea have long been connected. Portuguese princess Catherine of Braganza brought the tradition of tea to Britain after she married Prince Charles II. She served it to her aristocratic friends at Court, and soon it became fashionable in London to have afternoon tea. With its light and elegant flavor, Lady Londonderry would have been a hit with ladies and gentlemen!
For the best brew, Lady Londonderry Black Tea should steep in water that has been brought to a rolling boil for 2-5 minutes.
50% or more of this tea comes from estates that are part of the Ethical Tea Partnership. The ETP is an initiative started within the tea industry to monitor and regulate living and working conditions on estates around the world.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This tea has pleased and delighted so many, just even judging on those I shared this tea with in tea swaps, everyone has commented back raving reviews, and good times shared with others and this tea! One lovely lady had a sweet tea party with her daughter and granddaughter, and this is the perfect tea for that! Lady Londonderry steeps to a really intense looking reddish brown cup which you would think by looking at it would really have a strong “in your face” flavor or be really robust but it’s a dainty tea. However it boasts such wonderful flavor offerings that it has also been enjoyed by the men I have shared it with as well! Now, if you are a male reading this and feel its too much of a girly tea for you, just simply order it as a gift for your wife or girlfriend and she will love you for it and you can sneak it from her!
Lady Londonderry is wonderful hot, and excellent iced it has such divine fruity and floral flavors in a rich base that does not get covered by all the added goodness!
While there is no added sweeteners to this tea, it is lightly sweet yet not so sweet that you could not add sweetener of your own, also it takes to milk or cream quite well!
You may not want to add any cream though as in my opinion it already has a sweet creamy flavor and mouthfeel! Add to that the berry notes, along with a light citrus taste, and the best silky malt base flavor that just floats around and dances playfully on your taste buds like butterflies in a garden of flowers.
When I first bought this tea and tried it, I clung to it ravenously! I was sure I would never want to share this tea – letting the cat out of the bag about just how good it is. Yes I wanted to be selfish and savor it all myself, but in time, I realized something this wonderful should not be kept to oneself. It was truly MEANT to be a tea to be shared with others. A tea deserving of everyone experiencing its loveliness. The Lady, as I call this tea, is perfection in a cup. She melds all of her qualities perfectly into this mysterious brew that everyone seems to get a slightly different taste from. Just like women, this tea is complex, but gentle, and LADY-like.
Its interesting that sometimes when reviewing teas, some of the most difficult to review are those that I adore so much. I believe that is because when I really love a tea it is because it is so unexplainable! Some things we just need to try for ourselves.
Lady Londonderry however has been one of my long time favorite teas and has a permanent place in my collection!
I also love the English Tea Store, their pricing is excellent, they have a wide array of tea ware, and treats, and their tea selection is amazing, not to mention the pricing is shockingly affordable! Some have reported that shipping is a little slower than most places but I feel that it is well worth the wait!
Citrus Spice White Iced Tea from Nature’s Tea Leaf
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Nature’s Tea Leaf
Tea Description:
Citrus Spice White Iced Tea is an exclusive iced tea blend that combines choice White Peony tea with real pieces of spicy ginger, zesty lemon and fragrant rosemary herbs. Our specially blended iced tea allows the brightness and tanginess of the lemon to soften the distinctive piquant bite of the ginger while allowing the aromatic essence of natural rosemary to shine through. This perfect balance of sweet, spicy, citrus and savory is a taste sensation you will want to experience again and again by the glass or by the pitcher.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I hot-brewed this and allowed the tea to cool to room temperature before chilling it, but I admit to taking a quick sip or two of it while it was still hot to see how I liked it served hot. And while I did enjoy this as a hot tea, I agree with Nature’s Tea Leaf: this tea excels as an Iced Tea!
And yet, this is quite unlike any iced tea I’ve ever tasted … and I mean that in a very good way. That is not meant to slight any tea that I might have tasted in the past, only to say that this is so refreshingly DIFFERENT.
The white tea offers a soft, creamy undertone to the bright, sunny citrus tones and the SAVORY spices. Yes, that’s right, I said savory. This is not a chai … which is immediately what I think when I see “spice tea” … and that is what makes it so different. The ginger tastes zesty and peppery, but it lacks a certain heat that you might ordinarily experience with ginger because it doesn’t have other exotic spices like cinnamon, cloves or cardamom to enhance the spicy-heat of the ginger. Instead, the ginger tastes a bit more mellow – peppery, yes, but without the heat.
The rosemary is what allows these flavors to translate into a more savory kind of taste. The rosemary enhances the citrus-y tones while bringing in a delicate pine-like taste (and aroma!) to the cup. So the tea does indeed have an exotic kind of taste to it, but, not a spicy-hot-chai kind of exotic. Instead, it is more of a balanced taste with its bright citrus notes, sweet white tea, warmly spiced ginger and savory rosemary.
This is not only wonderful because it is so different, but it also gets BONUS POINTS for being incredibly soothing. With winter time right around the corner and with it comes the cold-and-flu season, this is the kind of tea that you want to have on hand when you’re feeling a touch under the weather.
Very refreshing … deliciously different. I like this very much! OH… and it tastes great cold-brewed too!
Citrus Paradisi Earl Grey from Simpson & Vail
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Simpson & Vail
Tea Description:
Citrus Paradisi is a citrus lovers delight. We’ve combined our best selling Earl Grey black tea with natural grapefruit oil to create a taste sensation. The tea brews to a dark amber cup with a hearty, full bodied taste. The aroma and taste of this blend is captivating and refreshing.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I am THRILLED to be able to try this variation on the classic Earl Grey. I’ve made it no secret that I’m a huge Earl Grey fan, and I just love it when a tea company comes up with such an intriguing twist on the traditional Earl Grey.
This blend starts with a black tea based Earl Grey and then adds grapefruit oil to offer an additional layer of flavor to the cup. The result is really quite delightful. I taste the bergamot … but it does not attempt to overpower the grapefruit, which really brightens the cup. It is bright and juicy, and I’m loving it!
There is a compelling balance between the citrus flavors here. The bergamot is there, but, because of the presence of the other citrus notes it doesn’t become overwhelming or aggressive. It tastes tangy and just a wee bit floral without coming off as soapy. The grapefruit gives a touch of acidity to the cup without making it too tart, instead, what it does is just brighten the whole cup – making it tastes more vibrant and lively.
And the black tea does its part in this too, providing a solid layer of black tea flavor in the background: earthy, rich and full-flavored. It is fairly mellow as far as black teas go – however, I think a bolder tea would have been too much. The grapefruit is the real star of this cup, and I like the way the flavors all come together.
This is a deliciously different take on the classic favorite, Earl Grey. I’d recommend it to the Earl Grey fans who might be looking for something just a little bit different, and also to those who don’t normally care for bergamot. The grapefruit alters the flavor of the bergamot just enough so that it doesn’t taste quite like any bergamot I’ve tasted before!
This tea gets two enthusiastic thumbs up from me!