Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Butiki Teas
Tea Description:
Creamy Eggnog is part of our holiday series that encompasses a number of holidays from different religions. Many people might not think of eggnog as their number one choice for a Christmas flavor but Eggnog is particularly important in my family’s tradition of celebrating Christmas. Eggnog always marked the beginning of the Christmas season and was the last thing we would drink before we would try to go to sleep Christmas Eve. As a child, getting any sleep Christmas Eve would have been a miracle. There was always so much excitement and anticipation building. Creamy Eggnog pairs our buttery Organic Huangshan Mao Feng with a rich creamy eggnog flavor. The tea and flavor work well with each other and neither overshadows the other. This tea is sweet with a heavy cream and eggy quality. Add a little brown crystal sugar and the tea becomes extremely creamy, rich, and very much like eggnog. Some vanilla notes become pronounced and so do the egg notes. We added safflower for a touch of red for a festive Christmas colored tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
OH goodness … this is so good. So creamy and delicious – you’d swear you’re drinking something incredibly sinful and fattening, but, it’s not.
The dry leaf is a simple yet beautiful looking tea with the curly green tea leaves and just a few red safflower petals to add a pretty holiday look. The aroma has a strong vanilla tone that smells so sweet and creamy. My mouth started watering before I even started the tea to brew.
The brewed liquid smells much more like eggnog. It has a custard-y note to the fragrance, with an almost egg-y kind of scent. And I like that I am tasting what I smell … a very egg-y, custard-y kind of flavor that is distinctly eggnog. The flavor of the Organic Huangshan Mao Feng comes through nicely, and there seems to be a very pleasing balance between tea and eggnog taste.
I’ve tried a couple of different eggnog teas, and I’ve enjoyed most of what I’ve tried, but if I had to choose the best that I’ve tasted thus far, this one would be the absolute best. Butiki Teas never ceases to amaze me with their ability to create amazing flavored teas.
Really, all that’s missing for me with this eggnog tea is a touch of nutmeg, because I always like to grind a little bit of fresh nutmeg to top my eggnog. But, I think that can probably be easily remedied if I were to grind a bit of nutmeg into my teapot before the tea brews. Just a wee little bit, enough to add a little bit of warmth and delicious nutty flavor to the cup.
Yum. Just YUM!
Darjeeling Mim from Pekko Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black (Darjeeling)
Where to Buy: Pekko Teas
Tea Description:
Country of Origin: India
Region: Darjeeling
Shipping Port: Calcutta
Grade: TGFOP1 (Tippy Golden Flavoury Orange Pekoe 1)
Altitude: 6800 feet above sea level
Manufacture Type: Orthodox
Cup Characteristics: Good body with a classic muscatel character. This quality is only available during June when the 2nd flush growing season is at its peak.
Infusion: Bright tending light
Ingredients: Luxury black tea.Mim is in the Darjeeling area of Northern India. From the town center on a clear day the peak of Mount Everest can be seen. The genus of the Darjeeling tea bush is the Chinese Jat, which gives it the distinctive muscatel character. Because the tea is grown at such high altitudes and in relatively cool weather the bushes do not grow quickly, and as such the production is limited. The best time of the year for quality is during ‘second-flush’ (end May – end June). During this time Darjeelings are incomparable to any other tea in the world. The fragrance and taste is a complex bouquet that reaches right out of the cup. Some would describe the taste as nutty; others find it reminds them of black currants, but most often it is described as similar to the taste and fragrance of muscat grapes.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Now I am not as knowledgable on Darjeeling as my SororiTea Sister Anne, so I can’t pretend to know just how good this stacks against others of its caliber, however I am throughly enjoying this tea!
I can taste the muscatel in this tea, the base is great, and the mouthfeel is rich, almost creamy.
Its not AS robust as some black teas but yet it has its own nice level of somewhat roast-y flavor.
As Anne stated in her review, there is a slight bit of astringency not to be confused with bitterness – its like it is meant to be there – almost a little tart, like a fresh grape.
I have enjoyed this tea many times now, but one thing that I find with this particular Darjeeling, that I have not found in others, is a sweetness, not just from the muscatel, but rather a maple syrup flavor that is quite amazing!
It is almost a dreamy sort of tea, one that takes me away from the chaos of the world and eases me into a very relaxed, yet rejuvenated state of mind.
This is truly a stash must have. I find myself reaching for it regularly. Its not just a dependable tea but an impressive tea as well. One to enjoy while reading, with breakfast, enjoying the outdoors, excellent cold brewed, and by all means, serve this to your tea friends, as they are sure to be impressed by its quality. I know that I am impressed by it every time I steep it.
White Christmas from Lupicia
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Lupicia
Tea Description:
Tea flavored with white chocolate and apricot, conjuring up images of baked Christmas sweets.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I received a bagged sample of this with my Lupicia Magazine this month. You get the “magazine” which is more of a leaflet when you place an order of thirty dollars or more with Lupicia. Once you qualify for the magazine you receive it for one year. In each issue is one free bagged tea sample. I have found several new Lupicia tea favorites this way. More information on the magazine and samples here.
This tea has an okay aroma. I have to note here that I am not too fond on anything apricot flavored. I am not sure why but the flavor and aroma just turns me off. I don’t mind fresh apricots, but as a rule I have only found maybe one or two apricot flavored teas I enjoy. With that said, this tea does have that “off putting” apricot aroma. Yet there is also something else here I find pleasing. The chocolate perhaps as Lupicia does have many well flavored chocolate teas.
Upon the initial sip this tea is quite pleasing. There is a nice robust black tea base which is detectable in flavor even with the apricot and chocolate flavors. The apricot flavor in this tea does not come across as off putting as the aroma for me. That is a plus. I would also note that the white chocolate does taste like white chocolate and not that of milk or dark chocolate which gets points from me as well.
I am noticing as the tea sits a little the apricot aroma I was not enjoying has settled down and blended nicely with the chocolate aroma and that of the tea itself, no longer off putting. That is interesting.
I walked away from my tea for a few moments to let the flavors mingle on my palate and I was surprised to notice how long the flavors lingered. No bad aftertaste was detected – rather a quite pleasing one!
The mouthfeel is somewhat thick, and creamy. Close to a hot chocolate mouthfeel but not quite. I could however see younger people enjoying this tea during the holiday season because of the feel and flavor.
It is definitely a sweeter tea but does not have unnecessary sweetness and is not cloying.
Overall a nice cup. I don’t think that I am in love with this tea, and if I were not a hound for Lupicia’s collectable tins I probably would not rush to grab this one, but it is nice, and I think many of the younger people, and non tea drinkers in my family will enjoy this over the holidays. I can also see this tea being tweaked for other holiday drinks, with or without alcohol. I think this would be a good purchase regardless.
Strawberry Cream from Zen Tea Life
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Zen Tea Life
Tea Description:
Sweet strawberries underscore the subtle symphony of berry creaminess.
Ingredients : Black tea from Ceylon, India and China, strawberry leaves, strawberry pieces, flavour.
Steep : 1 teaspoon, boiling water, Allow to brew 3 min
Make strawberry latte tea : Put half cup of frosted milk into brewed half cup tea water, and add sweetner
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I love a good strawberry tea and this one is on my top 10 all time best strawberry teas!
The base is wonderful and quite detectable even though the cream and strawberry are so strong.
A beautiful dessert tea, tea party tea, or tea to convert your non tea drinking friends with.
This one would be sure to curb your sweet tooth! The sweetening agent used, whatever it may be, does not have an artificial after taste thankfully. The creaminess in the flavor translates into the mouthfeel making it a bit heavier on the sip.
The strawberry flavor is a bit more candy like than natural but only because of its intense sweetness. It does not have an artificial flavor like cheap dime store candy, its just so intense that it is not like that of biting into a fresh strawberry.
In my opinion no added sweetener or creamer is necessary however if you did add either, or both, I imagine you would have one completely sinful drink! I say that in a good way too!
I love it. Its not for every day but its one of those teas I can see myself reaching for when I need something sweet, something dreamy, something very creamy and decedent! Wait, I think I may be reaching for it daily!
Hua Gang Oolong from Tea From Taiwan
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Tea From Taiwan
Tea Description:
This premium-quality oolong tea is grown in the Li Shan mountain range at an altitude of 2400 meters. The climate of these high mountains is ideal for growing fine oolong tea. The cool air and high humidity produce a tea with full, robust flavor and long-lasting aftertaste.
The brewed tea has an exquisite aroma and brews to an appealing amber liquor. The leaves can can be re-brewed many times while maintaining a full flavor.
Tea grown on Mount Li (Li Shan or Pear Mountain) is the most prized oolong tea in Taiwan. It is ideally suited for gong fu style brewing.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The aroma of this tea is so sinful. Sweet, dreamy, creamy, like buttered popcorn. Before even taking a sip, I’m in love.
The after taste is of such a crisp green grassy flavor, like after a light morning rainfall. Not a gloomy rainfall but a summer sun shower. Everything is bright, clear, and clean smelling.
Like a summer shower, spirits are lifted and worries drift away when sipping this lovely tea, and like the summer sun, the color of this tea is golden yellow, beautiful.
There is an element to this tea that reminds me of genmaicha, its that toasted rice taste that resembles popcorn. Its one of my favorite flavors.
I also want to mention the floral aspect of this tea. A Steepter friend of mine mentioned geranium flower and I could not agree more!
There are also spicy and herbaceous notes to this tea as well. Slightly like cinnamon that tingles the palate and leaves it just a tad bit warm. The herbaceous notes come through most in the after taste and linger with the geranium note.
The only thing I am saddened about right now is that my sample is gone. This is truly a tea to be coveted and I would love to see this in my regular stash.
It is truly a complex and complete tea, layered in flavors, each time you peel back one layer another presents, all cumulating into one delicious experience.