Wow … day nine. The big day is nearly here. A scary thought if you haven’t finished your holiday shopping (or if you’re like me, you haven’t really begun.) Yikes!
This tea is very relaxing though, helping me to soothe those ’bouts with holiday anxiety.
White Winter
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Della Terra Teas
Tea Description:
You’ll be dancing like the ladies on this 9th day of Christmas after one sip of this amazing white tea!
Filled with coconut, cream and white chocolate, this amazing white tea is pure perfection in a cup. So, don’t mind those flurries outside, you’re inside with this cuppa!
Taster’s Review:
The photo above is for Della Terra Teas’ White Chocolate Coconut Creme tea which looks a lot like and from the description seems to be a lot like this White Winter tea. I did contact Della Terra Teas to find out if the teas were the same, however, they haven’t been able to get back in touch with me. Understandable, since it’s just days before the holiday … everyone’s out there scurrying around, finishing up the last minute details for their celebrations.
So as I’m writing this, I’m not sure if Della Terra Teas played around with the recipe of their White Chocolate Coconut Creme tea to make this White Winter blend a little different, and since I haven’t yet tried the White Chocolate Coconut Creme tea, I can’t tell you from my own experience if they taste the same.
So, instead, I’ll simply focus on the tea that sits before me.
The white tea base is light and crisp but it isn’t so delicate that it becomes indistinguishable in the blend. I can taste the “hay-like” vegetal notes of the white tea. It feels very clean and refreshing on the palate, which is in contrast to the creamy notes that want to coat the palate in decadence. I like the way the two diverse elements play with one another in this teacup.
And there’s a lot of creaminess to this cup: the white chocolate, the cream and the coconut! I can taste each profile in this tea, and it’s really sweet. One of the sweeter teas that I’ve tasted in quite some time. It’s almost on the verge of excessively sweet.
As I am sure some of you are aware, I do have a sweet tooth and an obsession when it comes to chocolate, but, I think that this one might be almost too much. Mind you, I did say “almost,” as I haven’t yet pushed the cup aside, and I’m still enjoying what I’m drinking.
That said, I think that this is a tea that I’d reserve for those occasions when I am wanting a sweet, dessert-y tea. One of those times when my sweet tooth is crying out for attention. Something that will satiate my sweet tooth and my desire for rich chocolate flavor in one cuppa. I’d also recommend not adding any sugar to this cup – trust me when I say it doesn’t need it!
Tasty, but I think I’d like it better if there was a little bit of something to cut through the sweetness here. As it is, it’s almost too cloying.
Note: I did hear back from Della Terra Teas and they said:
the White Winter is similar to the White Chocolate Coconut Creme, HOWEVER, there are more parts vanilla and less white chocolate in the White Winter.
Perhaps the White Chocolate Coconut Cream is not quite as sweet then as this White Winter? Let us hope so!
Cocoa Creme Black Tea from Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Description:
For the first time, the bold, aromatic flavors of coffee are introduced to our smooth South Indian black tea. This marriage is celebrated with spicy cocoa and creamy yogurt chips, surprising our senses and delighting anyone who thought they would never savor the best of both worlds. Incredible hot.
South Indian Flower Orange Pekoe Black Tea, Ground Coffee, Cocoa Powder, Yogurt Chips, Creme Brulee Flavor
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s customized subscription program here.
Taster’s Review:
I think that I should have read the description and the ingredients in this Cocoa Cream Black Tea before I added it to my subscription with Simple Loose Leaf – it has ground coffee in it! Yikes! I don’t drink coffee because it tends to make me upset to my stomach, and I’m hoping that this tea has enough polyphenols in it to buffer the effects of the coffee!
When I opened the pouch, I was blown away at how much it smelled like coffee! Again, I smelled the tea before I read the description, so, I thought it was a little weird to be smelling coffee in a chocolate-y tea. Then I saw the ingredient list on the package and saw “Coffee Grounds” listed. Yep … that’s why I smell coffee! Fortunately, I really like the smell of coffee.
And I can definitely taste the coffee too. The coffee flavor is – disappointingly – stronger than the chocolate notes, and I was hoping that the coffee grounds were added to enhance the chocolate flavors, but it seems to me that it’s obscuring them. I can still taste chocolate; however, the coffee is stronger. I don’t taste a whole lot of “creme” from the yogurt or the creme brulee flavoring although I do taste a hint of sour/tangy from the yogurt. I do taste a slight creaminess, but again, I feel like it’s being overpowered by the coffee.
Even the black tea notes are dominated by the coffee notes. The coffee seems to have vanquished every other flavor in this cup, and while I do taste subtle notes of the other flavors, the coffee permeates every sip strongly. I would like for the coffee to be a more subtle flavor. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.
I was lured in by the name of the tea: Cocoa Creme. I mean, it sounds amazing, doesn’t it? I mean, as a chocoholic, why wouldn’t I want to try a tea called Cocoa Cream? But I think that this tea suffers from a misnomer. It should be called MOCHA Creme.
So far, I have tried three teas from Simple Loose Leaf with this subscription order, and this is the first one that I found disappointing. I’m still not disappointed in the service … but this tea is just simply not up to par with the other two I’ve tasted.
Dreamsicle Puerh from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Puerh
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Created for our recent crowd-funding effort on indiegogo.com, this is a lovely sheng puerh blended with freeze-dried oranges and organic flavors. This is a real treat, but there are only a few available.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
When 52Teas offered a special limited-edition blend as one of the rewards of the re-open Zoomdweebies campaign on indiegogo, I knew I had to buy in and get one of those limited-edition blends! And this Dreamsicle Puerh is the mystery, special limited-edition blend that 52Teas made for that campaign!
And while I wasn’t as excited about the prospect of a limited-edition pu-erh tea as I would have been about perhaps another type of tea, I really am enjoying this a lot more than I expected to like it. I guess it’s just another case of me pre-judging a pu-erh before I’ve tasted it. I do that a lot, as you probably are aware from my previous pu-erh reviews.
But the first thing that convinced me that this was different was when I opened the pouch and smelled the strong very dreamsicle-ish aroma. I didn’t smell an overwhelming earth scent. I didn’t smell fish or brine or dirt. I smelled orange and vanilla and a slight vegetative scent in the background. The brewed tea has a very slight earthy tone to it, but it isn’t off-putting nor does it overpower the delightful notes of orange and vanilla.
I brewed this the same way I’d brew any pu-erh … in my gaiwan! After a quick fifteen second rinse, I brewed the tea for 45 seconds for the first infusion, and the flavor here is pleasant and light. The “dreamsicle” flavor is prominent with lots of sweet orange and creamy vanilla tones. The sheng puerh adds a hint of vegetative taste to the cup and it’s vaguely reminiscent of a white tea. I notice notes of hay and a slight earthiness, but it’s not anything that overpowers the cup. There’s actually a really enjoyable balance between tea and flavoring here.
With the second infusion, I’m noticing that the orange notes have muted somewhat. The vanilla notes are more prominent than the orange now, as are the notes of the puerh. There is more of an earthy note, but not so much a “dirt” or “brine” kind of taste that is often associated with a puerh … this is the good stuff! There is no bitterness to the cup, but I am noticing a slightly dry finish that I didn’t notice with the first cup. With the subsequent infusions I found that the dreamsicle flavors continued to subside, allowing the complexity of the mellow sheng tea to emerge more fully.
At first, I admit that I was just a little disappointed by this development, because the orange and vanilla flavors are really delightful, however, I’m thinking about this in a different way now. I got to experience those delicious creamy citrus notes in the first infusion, and as I progressed through the infusions, the dreamsicle notes waned but I got to then experience a really lovely sheng puerh! I get the best of both: a flavored tea and a delightful puerh!
Creme Caramel Black Tea Blend from Upton Tea Imports
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Upton Tea Imports
Tea Description:
Black tea from Sri Lanka with a mild, creamy caramel aroma. Pieces of caramel are added to complement this flavorful blend. Enjoyable on cold days, and throughout the seasons. Back in stock!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Yum! This delicious Creme Caramel Black Tea Blend from Upton Tea Imports almost reminds me of the caramel blend that I used to sell back when I was blending teas. Although, I have to say it: I think mine was just a little better. I think it was that my blend was a balance of both Ceylon and Assam teas, and the malty tones of the Assam really accentuated the caramel flavors marvelously.
But, I’m not here to reminisce about my blending days! I’m here to talk about this tea!
And this tea is yummy! It is sweet and caramel-y, just as a caramel tea should be. The black tea base is smooth and mild, but with a richness to it that provides an ample backdrop for the delectable flavor of luscious caramel. It is a delightful treat for someone with a sweet tooth (like me!), this tea would certainly satisfy that sweet craving without fat and calories.
I liked this served straight, but I do think that a small amount of sugar will amplify the caramel tones just a bit. (I used about a 1/4 teaspoon for my tea mug and it enhanced the flavor without making it too sweet.) It would also be really delicious as a latte!
The above description states that this one is “back in stock” but I did want to alert my readers to the fact that supplies appear to be quite limited on this one, so if you want it … better hurry and grab it while you can! This one seems to be a really popular one – and with good reason. It’s delicious!
Smooth Orange White Tea from Steep This!
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Steep This!
Tea Description:
We love orange and our line-up seemed amiss without an orange offering of some kind. So we got straight to work on duplicating everyone’s favorite orange/ice-cream treat on a stick (the name is trademarked so bare with the generic description, people) and boy did we nail it. Seriously, you could sell this stuff from an ice cream truck. Same great taste, less running, begging for change and crying. Try it, it’s smooth!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh, this is really good. I almost didn’t order this Smooth Orange White Tea when I placed my order with Steep This! because I thought … oh, wow an orange flavored tea … how boring. But, I’m glad that I ignored my inner voice this time and went ahead and added this tea to my cart. This is really tasty!
The earthy, crisp flavor of the white tea is a really delightful base for the bright, juicy flavor of orange. And the vanilla offers just the right amount of creaminess to the cup, accentuating the natural creamy notes of the white tea, to create a flavor that is very creamsicle-ish. Yes, this tastes like someone melted a creamsicle and poured it into my cup of tea, mixing it with a sweet and refreshing white tea.
The result is a flavor that is a little bit tea and a little bit sweet treat and a whole lot of yummy. It tastes great hot or cold … but I prefer it hot. I find that the orange and vanilla flavors are more distinguished when the tea is hot. As it cools, it becomes more “melded” … with less distinctness in the individual notes.
This tea is good for several infusions too! I found that the second infusion was even tastier than the first, and the third was a little softer tasting, but still very flavorful … and I expect I could have gotten even more infusions out of the leaves!
So far, I’ve tasted two teas from this new company … and I’ve liked both of them … I might just have to call upon them again soon to try more!