Frosty Garden from Mellow Monk is a Kumamoto-style guricha with tea leaf stems. Apparently, the curly-shaped guricha leaves are prepared using a steaming process, rather than a pan-fried process, which give this tea its special flavor.
First and foremost, let me say that I like the name of the tea, and it’s helped me be inspired while drinking this brew. This is a well-balanced tea, just the right mix of both vegetal and fruity notes, and both sweet and savory tones. The vegetal notes feel like spring grass that grew up fast and got caught by that last, sudden wet frost. This tea feels green and fresh, like melting frost on new grass, very wet and green.
There are also some brighter notes, which taste more lemony with a hint of savory herbs like sage or parsley. In the aftertaste, there’s a bit of green almost-melon sweetness. The most I drink this tea, the more I experience a buttery mouthfeel with hints of toasted nuts.
Reminding me of the cusp of spring weather where new greens meet the last clutches of cold, Frosty Garden from Mellow Monk is aptly named, and a fresh, fantastic brew.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Mellow Monk
Description:
Frosty Garden™ is a shiraore (also known as karigane), a tasty sencha mixed with some white leaf stems. That, plus a slightly different tea-crafting technique, results in a uniquely “soft” tea—a lightly herbaceous aroma, a gentle, creamy sweetness with nutty overtones, hints of sage, and a savory finish. This tea is always first flush—made from the first harvest of spring leaves.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Always a Classic: Earl Grey from Kent and Sussex
In some ways, it doesn’t get more traditional than Earl Grey tea. Next to English Breakfast black tea, it’s the flavor most people think of when brewing a cup of tea. Earl Grey from Kent and Sussex brews up strong and tart, a full-bodied black tea with a touch of tart bergamot citrus.
Earl Grey is one of those teas that you customize as much or as little as you want, a lot like coffee. Everyone had their preferred blend and balance. You can brew this Earl Grey black without any additives, or brew it with honey and lemon, or add your preferred mix of milk and sugar. Drink it hot, drink it iced, the smooth, crisp taste of Earl Grey works well with them all.
I brewed this tea hot, in my favorite teacup and saucer, and tired the brew black (no additives), and then with a splash of milk. On its own, this tea is a bit too bold for me, with a strong dry, tart mouthfeel that made me pucker. Sometimes I prefer Earl Grey to be tart, especially when the leaves are blended with extra strong bergamot orange flavors, or when you want to top off your cup with a wedge of lemon and sugar. This Earl Grey didn’t have as much citrus in the blend on its own, so I took the cup in a different direction, adding a swirl of milk to help boost the creaminess of the tea.
This is a solid standard to have in your tea cupboard, to brew up in whatever style suits your fancy.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Kent and Sussex
Description:
Delicious Earl Grey! THE GREAT TASTE AWARDS 2007 Award winning Earl Grey. The History of Earl Grey Tea dates back to 1833 the then Earl Grey of Howick Hall the British Prime Minister suspended the price monopoly which the East India Company had until that point enjoyed with its Chinese trading. Originally pure chinese teas were flavoured with fine oils from the Bergamot fruit in an attempt to preserve the tea during the difficult clipper journeys by sea. It was thought that lengthy times at sea could result in tastes of mould and tar. That is how the tea was named and to this day Earl Grey is regarded as one of the very finest flavoured infusions.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Perfectly Pink #LadyMendl blend from #SunshineCottage
Another lovely tea from the crafty world of Etsy, this time it’s Lady Mendl blend from Sunshine Cottage. The Lady Mendl tea blend is based on a cocktail of the same name. The alcoholic beverage was all pink pizzazz, served in a martini with grapefruit juice, cointreau, and gin.
With so much pink citrus in the mix, this tea is surprisingly creamy, with delicious, juicy grapefruit at the forefront, and sweet, candied orange in the undertone. There are even passion fruit pieces in the dry leaf, adding to the popping, tropical flair of these flavors.
The black tea base is nutty and rich, nicely balancing the strong citrus tones. There’s even a hint of black pepper in the smell of the leaf, and it comes through in the brew the longer it is steeped. I find the hint of something savory and spicy to be an appealing counterpoint to the luscious fruit.
This would be a great blend for fans of earl grey who want to get outside their usual bergamot flavor but still want a citrus-inspired drink, fit for a lady. Look no further than Lady Mendl from Sunshine Cottage and start brewing up something perfectly pink.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Sunshine Cottage (Etsy Shop)
Description:
This blend is based on my mother’s favorite cocktail – the Lady Mendl. A delightful blend of orange and grapefruit, this black tea is perfect for an afternoon tea while listening to the legendary Cole Porter – who sang the praises of Lady Mendl in ‘Anything Goes’.
Just as an aside, Lady Mendl (or Elsie DeWolfe) was a fascinating woman and well worth reading about – perhaps while sipping a cuppa of this blend. I enjoy mine with milk (it smooths out the citrus) and a dash of maple syrup (another of my mother’s favorites).
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Get a Boost with Green Tea +C Citrus Ginger
Green Tea + C Citrus Ginger from Sencha Naturals is an effervescent drink mix made with green tea, ginger, and orange flavoring. Like other immune-system-boosting fizzy drinks, this powder bubbles and hisses when mixed with water, like seltzer tablets. The powder and the drink smell super spicy with ginger and tangerine citrus. Drinking this beverage, there is a tart bite of citric acid, like the sourness in chewable vitamin C tablets. The ginger heat comes through in the aftertaste, bringing a warm and buzzy mouthfeel.
As a green tea, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this product. The green tea base is lost among the orange tartness and slight chalky consistency of the powder. However, I would recommend trying this out an alternative to fizzy, immune-boosting drinks. Green Tea +C is unique in that it is the first effervescent drink mix I’ve used that includes green tea in the ingredients.
At the end of a weekend, when I’m tired and facing another week, I sometimes feel like I need a boost, both mental and physical. That’s the time of day that I’d reach for something like Green Tea +C. The bubbles and tart orange flavor are energizing and zesty and I like the idea that I’m powering myself up with some Vitamin C, ready to face another Monday.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green tea powder
Where to Buy: Sencha Naturals
Description: We believe that nutrition should come from whole food ingredients, versus synthetic vitamins. Whole leaf green tea, acerola cherry, coconut water, and supporting herbs to help you stay well. Serve hot for a gingery warm and citrus-y bright cup of tea.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Earl Blue from 52Teas
I usually imagine earl grey tea with a little bit of a bite, the kind of proper tea that staunch old ladies sip from fine china teacups in British dramas.
Once my mother sent me to an old-timey etiquette class led by a strict old woman. The tea we drank from teacups had a bite, black and tart, and a squeeze of lemon on top made my mouth pucker.
It was more palatable by the second cup with milk and sugar cubes but I always associate a bit of bite with that first cup of earl grey.
Earl Blue from 52teas would have been a better first cup for my childhood self. The darjeeling base minimizes astringency, making for a smoother, gentler cup of tea. Whole blueberries are sprinkled throughout the loose leaf and add a rich, berry sweetness.
There’s still bright citrus in the palette of flavor, but it’s easy and creamy, making for a drinkable cup even without milk and sugar. Citrus and blueberry are a well-balanced combination, not too sweet or sour, with enough traditional bergamot to earn the title of earl grey.
Earl Blue from 52teas is the perfect blend to drink out of a porcelain teacup when I’m feeling more playful than proper.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Darjeeling
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for the teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!