Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Conundrum Tea
Tea Description:
This double-roasted black tea has almost no astringency or dryness to it but it contains some very complex, full flavors. It tastes of molasses, raisin, and sweet potato with more subtle hints of grape and caramelized sugar. It has an incredibly sweet aftertaste for a black tea. The orange color of the brewed tea reminds us of a fire and the leaves have a strong, sweet fragrance along with a root vegetable smell which is common for the high-altitude teas of Nepal.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve only had a few Conundrum Teas in the past but what I have tried has been amazing! Right from the start I knew this tea was going to be different and a nice change of pace. The dry leaf had such a lovely robust feel to it.
Brewed this up like a black tea -212F prepped water with about a 4 minute steeping time. Never having this tea before, I wanted to error on the side of caution. I didn’t want to oversteep.
Took my first sip and the description of this tea fits this tea perfectly. Sweet with hints of a sweet potato like finish. Almost and I hate to say it, dirt like? But take that as a good thing. This tea is delicious. The sweetness really mixes well with this malty note that is going on. I didn’t so much get the grape flavor but all the rest I did. Such a cool tea. So many different notes and flavors going on. Each sip I take I sit here and try to figure out exactly what I’m picking up.
This is why I started to drink tea. It is just such an adventure. . .especially when you are drinking a delight like this one. So good with so many different attributes. I think I need another cuppa!
Crackling Fire from Beacon Hill Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Beacon Hill Tea Company
Tea Description:
This myriad of autumn flavors simply smolders. Grab a blanket and warm your soul with this spiced blend. Ingredients: honeybush tea, apple pieces, aniseed, lapsang souchong tea, cocoa nibs, rose hips, cinnamon, red peppercorn, orange peels, cloves, natural cinnamon flavor, natural orange flavor, safflower, natural hazelnut flavor.
Learn more about Beacon Hill’s Monthly Subscription Plan here.
Taster’s Review:
I’m running a little behind in my reviews lately, but I’m glad I’m seeing a light at the end of the tunnel in regards to my November teas. Crackling Fire was an offering the Beacon Hill Tea Company’s November box. The tea itself has such a lovely description. I took one whiff of it tho and I knew this tea and I were not going to be the best of friends.
This tea has a rather rich smoky flavor. One that I just couldn’t get behind, but I wanted to give it a try anyway. The rest of the tea sounded amazing. I brewed the tea up per the packaging instructions (212F-5 min) and took a sip.
If you are one of those that love that campfire smokey flavor. . .this tea is for you! The honeybush and apple pieces bring a sweet and tanginess to the tea while the hazelnut and cocoa nibs give this tea real definition. I wanted to like this tea so much but the smoky flavor just kept hitting me wrong. If that smokey flavor was just a bit less, I can see this being an insanely amazing tea. But for me, it just doesn’t work. All of the other flavors are fanastic, tho and for a flavored smokey tea I would have to say this is one of the better ones I’ve had. But-that’s ok that I didn’t like it. This is the first tea from Beacon Hill Company that I haven’t really liked. You can’t like them all and to each his or her own cuppa!
Oriental Beauty from Sanne Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Sanne Tea
Tea Description:
Oriental Beauty is also known as Bai Hao (white tips) Oolong, or Champagne Oolong. The beautiful name, many people believe, is from Queen Victoria. When brewed, the leaves generally spread in water, like a graceful lady dancing with gorgeous finery.
To make Oriental Beauty, farmers have to grow tea trees without pesticides, so Jacobiasca formosana, a type of green leafhopper insect, can feed on the leaves, stems, and buds. This leads to the tea plant’s production of monoterpene diol and hotrienol which gives the tea its unique flavor. Tea leaves bitten by the green leafhopper insect lose their green color and appear bronzed or washed out, eventually becoming atrophic and curly. It is why the high quality Oriental Beauty shows five different colors: white, red, yellow, green and brown.
The tea leaves are only harvested and made in summer, when the green leafhopper insects are most active. What makes Oriental Beauty more precious is that the unique sweetness is produced when the leaves only bitten by Jacobiasca formosana. Tea leaves, infested with other insects, like Ectropis oblique and Toxoptera aurantii, won’t produce honey flavor. This uncontrollable eco system makes Oriental Beauty one of the rarest teas in the world.
The tea comes from Cuku, Pinglin Dist, near Feitsui Reservoir area. All tea leaves have to be handpicked to ensure that each leaf has been bitten by Jacobiasca formosana. Because of the difficulty involved in harvesting this tea, a professional tea picker can only harvest 0.7 to 1kgs each day.
This tea has natural ripe fruit and honey flavors with a smooth texture and multiplayer floral finish. When brewed, the tea liquor has a clean and bright golden color. The full-bodied, mellow, and aromatic flavors will bring you ultimate luxury experience
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is a tea I’ve heard stories about and I couldn’t wait to try it. I’ve heard rave reviews from Sanne Tea and when I was able to take the opportunity to try out their teas, I jumped on it!
After being sick for almost the last month, my taste buds are slowly coming back to me. Being a tea blogger and not having your taste buds in check isn’t a fun experience. But slowly but surely, I started feeling better to the point where I was ready to try this tea out and find out what the excitement is about.
The description paints a gorgeous pictures of what the tea is supposed to taste like an I have to say. . . it is dead on!
This tea does have this amazing honey like flavor that I am just devouring and loving. Full-bodied, smooth, and just plain delicious, this tea delivers on everything the description states. First you get this lush honey sweet flavor, then a note or two of a ripe fruit (I swear I was picking up fresh strawberries!), followed by a unique floral finish. Gorgeous from the start. You really can’t go wrong with this tea. I can’t wait to try the rest of their offerings and steep up more of this beauty!
Milky Oolong from ChaTale- A Kickstarter going on now!
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: ChaTale
Tea Description:
This debonair drop has all the smooth buttery goodness of an oolong base with a slick creamy aftertaste.
Support Cha Tea’s Kickstarter campaign here.
Taster’s Review:
I have to start off this review with a comment about the logo and packaging for these teas. They are fantastic! The logo is clean and they use colors that draw you in and are so very attractive. It is the first thing I noticed about their teas.
ChaTale currently has an active kickstarter campaign running thru December 13. They originate out of the UK and seem to know what they are doing when it comes to tea. ChaTale will be offering a monthly tea subscription box hoping to steer consumers away from the tea bag and more into loose leaf tea. That alone makes me happy!
I couldn’t wait to dive into the box and see what fun teas await me. The first one that caught my eye was the Milk Oolong. I mean the description alone makes you drool!
Brewed this up like I do my oolongs with water at about 195 deg or so for around 4 minutes. The whole time the tea was steeping, gorgeous vanilla notes were wafting thru the air. The fragrance almost reminds me of homemade sugar cookies. . . . and who doesn’t love that smell?
Took my first sip and I am greeted with this amazingly smooth creamy flavor with just a hint of sweetness. This tea is charming and cozy giving you that feeling that you just want to snuggle up with a good movie or a good book. So very good and addicting! I’m loving the smooth flavor that delivers from beginning to end of each sip. You couldn’t ask for a better oolong on a cold rainy day like it is here today. Rich, creamy, and smooth with a sweetness that really just reminds you of home baked cookies. Yum! Delicious!
I think I need to go back this one on Kickstarter!
Acai Berry White Tea from Octavia Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Octavia Tea
Tea Description:
The sweet, fruity essence of Brazilian superfruit, açai berry, blends perfectly with blueberries, currants, hibiscus and antioxidant-rich white tea. Harvested only a few days each year, white tea contains a rare amino acid believed to naturally lift mood and ease stress.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I love joining swap boxes because you never know what you will end up when the traveling box hits your doorstep. I recently had a very large box arrive with amazing teas for me to try and check out. This sample was the first one I grabbed and had to try out right away. I’ve heard good things about Octavia Teas but never had the chance to check them out.
White teas and I have been really good friends as of late. There is just something soul soothing about the sweet floral notes they can produce. With the wedding plans and the big day only a couple weeks away, I needed a bit of a cozy soothing tea. So I turned to this beauty.
Acai Berry White is described as being a sweet and fruity tea. That is exactly how it smells. Brewed this up as a white tea with my Breville One Touch and sat down to enjoy.
First sip in and I am greeted with this simple yet lovely berry floral taste that made me happy. This white tea really hit the spot and made me want to snuggle into a blanket and find a fun book to read. What a lovely tea!
The berry notes are very prominent with a backboard of floral hitting you as well, but a softer more gentler feel. This tea would be fantastic for a tea party with all of the fun flavors. Seriously lovely. But do be warned, I did allow this tea to steep to long and before I knew it the tea reminded me of a tutti frutti gum or a kids’ toothpaste. This one isn’t as forgiving when it comes to oversteeping. Just pay attention to it and you’ll have some delicious tea on your hands!