Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Verdant Tea
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I love Verdant Tea. I don’t know of anybody who doesn’t. Their love, passion, attention to detail, and most importantly, their tea is just simply amazing. Tea that you can steep again and again and enjoy for an afternoon. I have tried several of their teas and have loved the flavors of each one.
And this one is no exception! This Spring Harvest Laoshan White (which I’m not finding on their site) is a gorgeous white tea that has resounding notes of a green tea mingled within each glorious sip. Brewed up like a white tea, I allowed the tea to steep for about 4 minutes. Took my first sip and just took a moment to enjoy.
This tea has a gorgeous vegetal feel with notes of a floral touch here and there. Simple but so wonderful. Each infusion brought me a slightly different profile but for the most part, this tea really has a nice solid vegetal feel sweetened by a glorious floral note.
Another really well done tea from Verdant Tea! If you haven’t tried Verdant Tea, I highly recommend you do! They have a great starter pack for only $5. A great deal!
Casale’s Green from 212 Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 212 Tea
Tea Description:
Named after our friends Chris and Melissa Casale, owners of The Fix Barbershop here in lake Oswego. They were the first local business to serve our tea and instantly fell in love with this blend. Casale’s Green is the perfect blend of Pacific Northwest Peppermint and roasted Japanese Houjicha. The result is a smooth toasty green tea note followed by a clean mint finish.
Mellow with a sweet mint flavor, a pleasant toasty note and hints of chocolate.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Alright, do yourself a favor. . .if you haven’t tried or checked out 212 Tea take a moment and do just that. They are a tea company out of Portland that know how to do tea right. They are passionate and enthusiastic, attributes that you want in a tea company. They even encourage you to send them tea jokes. Now that is seriously my kind of tea company!
This particular tea is something special! I instantly fell in love with the toasted sweetness I was picking up along with traces of mint from the dry leaves. I couldn’t get water into my tea kettle fast enough!
Brewed this delight up with water at about 190 degrees and allowed the tea to steep for about 4 minutes. I didn’t even allow the tea to cool off. I instantly took a sip and was greeted with some tea loving! This tea had lovely notes of a rich buttery base of green tea that had a nice well balanced solid note of a roasted flavor while the mint gave the tea a freshness that made you just devour it as fast as you could. Seriously, I have already inhaled about three cuppas of this delight from one session and am warming water for a fourth. It is that amazing.
The tea is a cooling refreshing one that warms at the same time. One of those teas that help you melt the day away while indulging your taste buds. I will say towards the third infusion I was getting a slight chocolate note but for the most part I didn’t really pick up any chocolate and I am completely fine with that. I’m loving the cuppa that I’m getting out of the tea right now!
Rhubarb Oolong from Stylin’ Tea Blends
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Stylin’ Tea Blends
Tea Description:
Unfortunately no longer available, but if you see this tea, you have to grab it!
Other Oolong offerings from Stylin’ Tea Blends. . . . . . .
Taster’s Review:
I know. A rhubarb tea.. . how odd, right? I thought so too. Probably why it took me so long to give it a go. Let’s start with how this tea looks. This tea had the most gorgeous oolongs intertwined with a few larger rose pieces. A really stunning blend.
The aroma this dry leaf gave off was sweet and slightly floral. I had always thought rhubarb was more of a tart flavor so I was very shocked and pleasantly surprised when my nose encountered this glorious aroma. This tea released an aroma that I want bottled in air fresheners and candles alike.
I brewed this up like I do my oolongs- about 190F or so and about 3 minutes to start. I still had my hesitations. My brain kept saying- This tea has RHUBARB in it!!! And I honestly couldn’t get past it. Finally the tea had cooled slightly so I could take my first sip.
Ever have a tea that made you hear glorious singing and just made you sigh? Well this tea did just that. I can’t honestly say that I’ve ever had rhubarb before but I’m seeking it out! This tea was brilliant, bright, and vibrant. The oolong was a mellower base allowing the flavors to really produce a solid feel. The flavorings were slight, but enough so there was this slightly sweet yet tart flavor with just a kiss of floral love. I can’t describe how amazingly light and refreshing this tea was. This is a tea that will make you dream about the next cuppa you get to have of the blend. It was that good and I still can’t get over how much I adore this oolong blend. I wish it was still available from Stylin’ Tea Blends because I want gobs of this tea. I actually felt like crying after the 6th steeping and I knew it was getting close to the time I would have to head home for the day. I knew I would have to say goodbye to this tea but I am hoping a quick google search will get me more of this gorgeous blend.
Mango Ice Cream Black Tea from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Black Tea, Freeze-Dried Mango Bits, Vanilla Bean and Natural Flavors
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about 52Teas’ tea of the week subscription here.
Taster’s Review:
I love 52Teas. The idea behind having a tea company create a new blend each week is just brilliant. I love the variety that you are able to purchase and the creativity that this sort of company can provide. With teas like Toffee Bar Chai or Carrot Cake Honeybush. . .I mean you really can’t go wrong.
I can’t remember if I picked this tea up from one of the Kickstarter Campaigns or if I bought this one outright from the site. It doesn’t look like this particlar one is offered anymore. That is the only downside to a company like 52Teas. Since they are being mad tea scientists, blending all these crazy and fabulous blends, the inventory is smaller and constantly revolving. So if you are looking at a tea and it looks amazing, you better get it quick because quantities are extremely limited.
Mango Ice Cream Black Tea is a black tea blend with bits of mango that you can actually see. The dry leaf smells delicious and I couldn’t wait to check out the blend. Brewed up with water prepped at boiling and allowed to steep for about 4 minutes, this tea looked and smelled so warming and inviting even tho it is supposed to be ice cream based. I couldn’t wait to check it out!
Unfortunately, this tea just isn’t for me. First sip in and all I was really getting was the black tea base and hints of a sweetness from the vanilla. Even tho I could visibly see the mango pieces, I didn’t get any of that fruity tropical like flavor in the brew. I did get more of an astringent tone to the tea so maybe I overleafed my serving.
I did brew this tea up again and only allowed this tea to steep for about 3 minutes and I did notice that those flavors I was looking for come thru a bit more but not enough for me to think mango ice cream. Regardless, the tea was still drinkable and I didn’t feel the need to dump it, I just didn’t get the flavor I was looking or hoping for. I only had a 1/2 oz of the tea so I won’t be able to try these, but I would love to try this as a cold brew. I bet that is the way to pull out those tropical creamy flavors.
Even tho this tea might not have been my cuppa tea, I still highly recommend 52Teas and encourage checking out their teas if you haven’t yet. You won’t regret it!
Milk Oolong from Mandala Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Mandala Tea
Tea Description:
We are so excited about this tea and judging by the repeat buys, our customers are too! It possesses a creamy aroma with hints of coconut, hard toffee candy along with the classic floral undertone present in so many high-end Taiwanese oolongs. The producers aromatize high quality leaves from plants that grow in altitudes between 1,600 and 3,200 feet above sea level.
The Fall 2014 crop delivers the dessert-like notes in early infusions and a beautiful, balanced cup. In later steepings aromas of lilac and gardenia begin to move more forward. Production is an artform and those who create it are quite guarded about proprietary steps in processing. Through many tastings, our appreciation for their craft only increases. No “off” aromas and not a trace of artificial or chemical flavor. It is a wonderfully complex tea, sure to please most any tea drinker. And if they weren’t a tea drinker to begin with, they will be after trying this!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Never having Mandala Tea before, I was quite excited when I saw a package of Milk Oolong appear in a goodie box I recently received. Mandala Tea has always been a company I’ve wanted to try but when you have a tea stash that is over 800 teas, its hard to justify one more order.
I open the package and take a deep breath and inhale the amazing aromas coming from this dry leaf tea. Sweet and very dessert like, exactly what the description of the tea indicates. I prepped my water and sat and watched the tea leaves uncurl and dance around in my tea pot.
I pour myself a rather large mug of this gorgeous pale yellow brew and proceed to take my first sip. The first notes that hit you are a rich buttery one. It seriously envelops your entire mouth. All the while notes of an almost vegetal feel and coconut flavor swirl around, making a really nice creamy touch. I can pick up an additional sweetness but I’m not sure if its more sugary or toffee-like the description depicts. There are other flavors that peek out here and there but I can’t really define them. Such a wonderful tea. Complex yet simple all in the same if that makes sense.
All I know is this is one great tea that is perfect for any time of the day! Sweet, rich, buttery, with a slight vegetal touch. . .really good. I plan on spending the rest of the day with this tea and I can’t wait to see what the second infusion brings.
For my first experience with Mandala Tea. I think I have a winner on my hands!