Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
This week’s tea of the week tastes like rich pumpkin pie with a crust made entirely of sweet, delicious toffee. I don’t know if anyone could really make a pie like that, but I would love to try one. In the meantime, I’m going to continue enjoying rich sips of this yummy tea. The Dragonwell green tea adds just the right notes of sweet nuttiness to compliment the toffee and contrast with the pumpkin. All in all, this is a really special treat you’ll love serving to your guests, if you’re generous enough to share.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
YUM! A couple of weeks ago, I reviewed 52Teas Ginger Pumpkin Cheesecake Honeybush, and I really enjoyed that. So I was a little surprised when 52Teas announced another pumpkin tea so soon after the honeybush tisane, but, I’m certainly glad that Frank (the chief Zoomdweebie at 52Teas) decided to blend this Pumpkin Toffee Dragonwell Green Tea Blend. It’s so yummy!
With this blend, I can taste more of the pumpkin-y flavors than I remember tasting with the aforementioned honeybush blend. Perhaps it’s because there’s not so much emphasis on the spices in this blend, that it allows more of the squash flavor to come forth. Or perhaps it’s the Dragonwell green tea base that melds in a very beautiful way with the pumpkin notes. Then again, it could be a combination of these two things.
All I know is that with the very first sip of this tea, the pumpkin was a strong flavor. I taste notes of spice as well, a softer cinnamon note and perhaps a hint of ginger too. The spices here are gentle, just enough to accentuate the pumpkin without the tea becoming all about the spice.
And then there is the toffee. Let me say that again, because I didn’t emphasize: And then there is the TOFFEE. I’ve got to tell you, that as soon as I read the name of this blend … my mouth began to water and my taste buds began to dance the happy dance. I love toffee, and the idea of a toffee pumpkin pie makes me want to go out and FIND THAT PIE. I mean, seriously? How much yummier can you get than a toffee pumpkin pie?
And the toffee notes are nicely portrayed in this blend. It offers a sweet, buttery, caramel-y sort of flavor to the pumpkin without overwhelming the other flavors here. This cup offers just the right balance of pumpkin, spice, toffee AND green tea notes to satisfy the green tea lover’s sweet tooth.
I like this served hot, but, it is also quite good as it cools. After I finished my first cup, I went to my teapot which had about a half a cup of tea left in it, so I poured that (because I didn’t want to waste a drop of this yummy stuff!) and it was cold. Maybe not ice cold, but, it certainly was not hot or even warm. And all the flavors were still present and accounted for. So this one can be served hot or iced and still be tasty!
Mrs. Li’s Shi Feng Dragonwell Green Tea from Verdant Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Verdant Tea
Tea Description:
True Shi Feng Dragonwell is one of the most admired teas in the world, officially endorsed by Emperor Qianlong as the archetypal green tea. We sourced this limited batch from an old friend, Mrs. Li, whose family has a plot of land at the heights of Shi Feng (Lion’s Peak). Tea lovers make the long hike up gravel and dirt roads to reach Mrs. Li’s farm and buy a bit of her precious harvest. Because of our unique friendship, we were able to secure a few pounds to share.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
My review of this Mrs. Li’s Shi Feng Dragonwell Green Tea from Verdant Tea is somewhat bittersweet because … this is easily the finest Dragonwell green tea I’ve ever tasted but unfortunately, this tea is not available for purchase at this time. On the Verdant Tea website it reads:
This special edition tea has sold out. We are hoping that Mrs. Li will let us have more of her Dragonwell later this year or in the spring.
Sadness!
But also … JOY! Because I do feel very fortunate that I’ve this opportunity to be tasting this tea now. As I said before, this Dragonwell is the finest that I’ve tried. I love Dragonwell tea, and sure, I’ll still enjoy other Dragonwell teas that are from Mrs. Li’s tea farm. But this one … this tea stands alone in a class by itself.
It has a delicious nutty flavor that is sweet, smooth and offers very little astringency. The tasting notes on the Verdant Tea website suggest a cashew-like flavor for the “nuttiness” that I just mentioned, and I get that. Yeah, that’s quite cashew-like, and I can almost feel that sort of nutty “creaminess” that I experience when I munch on a handful of cashews. Cashews are one of my favorite nuts, and that sweetness that is almost soft and creamy is one of the reasons I find these nuts so enjoyable.
There is a slight grassy tone to the flavor, and I noticed that vegetative tone immediately with my first sip. The vegetal notes fall somewhere between sweet grass and lima bean for me. And as I continue to sip, I notice a mineral-like note toward mid-sip.
What is most remarkable for me with this tea, though, is the creaminess it presents. I usually find Dragonwell teas to be more on the pure, clean tasting side – and this tea does possess that quality as well – but this also has a taste and texture that is creamy and almost vanilla-esque. It is quite dreamy!
I LOVE this Dragonwell. If my cupboard could contain only one Dragonwell tea, this would be the one I’d select. If someone were to ask me for a green tea recommendation to serve to someone with impeccable taste, this would be one of the first teas that would come to mind. This is a tea worth trying – and I do recommend keeping your eye on the Verdant Tea website to see if this tea becomes available again … it’s definitely worth the effort!
Boulder Blues from The Tea Spot
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: The Tea Spot Be sure to check out the savings on this tea! Coupon code below!
Tea Description:
Our best selling green tea! This blend of fine Japanese Sencha and high grade Chinese Dragonwell combine to create a rich yet refreshing base, while wild strawberries and rhubarb flavors add a subtle twist. This tea yields a bright liquor with a luxurious aroma and brisk, vivid flavor. The ideal accompaniment to dark chocolate.
Learn more about this green tea blend here.
Taster’s Review:
This isn’t the first time I’ve tasted and reviewed this tea, I have reviewed it previously, but, this is a tea that is so tasty that I am happy to revisit it. Plus, since receiving a sampling of it along with my Steep & Go, I wanted to mention just how good it is cold-brewed using – you guessed it! – the Steep & Go!
I brewed a cup of it hot, though, just to remind my taste buds of the flavors of this tea. It still has a wonderful, well-rounded taste because of the blend of teas: a Japanese Sencha and a Chinese Dragonwell. The combination of these two delicious teas makes for a lovely base flavor that is sweet, a little creamy and vegetative, but also possessing a lightness that is very refreshing. The strawberry notes are matched well with the rhubarb, offering a sweet yet tantalizingly tart flavor that is very enjoyable.
While I sipped it hot, I had it cold-brewing in my water bottle, and I could hardly wait to see just how great this tea is cold-brewed. I let it brew for about a half an hour (yes, I know that the instructions say it only needs 10 minutes, but, I wanted to see how much flavor would come from a longer infusion), and I am very pleased with the result.
The color of the liquid is lighter than the hot brewed tea, but not by much. Even with the extended brew time, I taste no bitterness. There is virtually no astringency with the cold infusion either. (There was some astringency with the hot brewed cuppa) There is a very nice balance between tart and sweet, with tart just narrowly edging out the sweet. The sweetness of the strawberry acts to buffer the tartness of the rhubarb, but doesn’t mute it – and while I am not normally a big fan of tartness, with this cold-brewed tea, it works. It is light and refreshing and the tartness invigorates the palate!
As much as I enjoy the Boulder Blues tea as a hot tea, I think it’s even more delightful cold-brewed with the Steep & Go!
The Tea Spot is offering 15% off on this tea until September 29th! To take advantage of this offer, use the coupon code boulderbsister in the coupon field at checkout! Your discount will be calculated at final checkout! Tea + Savings … does it get any better than that?
Organic Dragonwell Lung Ching Green Tea from Arbor Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Arbor Teas
Tea Description:
Dragon Well (Lung Ching) is perhaps the most famous green tea from China, named after the Dragon’s Well landmark in the West Lake area of the Zhejiang, where the tea was first made. Dragon Well tea (“Lung Ching” in Chinese) is known for its unique shape and remarkable flavor. During pan firing, the leaves are folded in on themselves, forming the characteristic sword-like shape. The rose-tinted gold infusion of this organic, Fair Trade Certified tea is smooth and light bodied. The well-balanced flavor profile of the liquor suggests freshly cut grass and toasted chestnuts, with a somewhat floral fragrance.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
A delightful Dragonwell tea.
It has such a smooth character to it, smooth from beginning to finish, with very little astringency to speak of. It tastes light and crisp, like the fresh, spring air just after the lawn’s been mowed.
I like that this tea is grassy, but it isn’t a bitter or sharp grassy taste. It has a delicate taste and lighter in body than some Dragonwell teas I’ve tasted. But while it is what I’d call a light-bodied tea, it doesn’t sacrifice flavor. It is a refreshing cup.
As I continue to sip, the toasted chestnut flavor as suggested in the above description begins to emerge. It isn’t a strong flavor, but it seems to come alive just at the right time. Just as the palate seems to get used to the vegetal notes of this tea, and maybe even getting a little bored with it, the sweet, roasted nutty flavor arrives to perk things up.
This is a great tea to enjoy in the afternoon when you want a little pick-me-up, and it makes a really delicious iced tea too (try it iced with thin slices of lemon … YUM!) and, I love drinking Dragonwell tea with dinner, because it has a light, enjoyable taste that compliments whatever I might be eating.
An enjoyable Dragonwell, and I appreciate that it is a fair trade, organic tea. It is my opinion that no tea cupboard is complete without at least one Dragonwell tea because it is so refreshing and versatile. Dragonwell is a MUST HAVE tea cupboard staple!
Dragonwell from The Tao of Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: The Tao of Tea
Tea Description:
Grown near the famed West Lake in Hangzhou, Dragonwell has been honored since the Tang Dynasty. It is said to be at its best when brewed with water from the nearby Tiger Run Spring which is high in natural minerals and sweet in taste. In making the tea, the leaves are hand roasted in small woks. With precise hand movements of the tea maker, the leaves gain a flat, shiny, and jade appearance.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’d like to think of myself as somewhat of an adventurous tea drinker. I am willing to try just about any type of tea (with a few exceptions), and I’ve tried some pretty unusual combinations. That being said, sometimes, I want a tea I can rely on. One that I know will deliver a flavor that I will enjoy, and one that I know what I can expect from it.
Like this Dragonwell from The Tao of Tea. I knew – even before I brewed it for the first time – that I’d be getting a delicious tea. I enjoy Dragonwell tea, and The Tao of Tea has never let me down before. They consistently – reliably! – offer high quality, delicious teas that never disappoint.
And this Dragonwell is quite what I would expect from a Dragonwell tea: sweet, lightly buttery, with a sweet, grassy tone and a hint of nutty flavor in the background.
Another delicious tea from a company that I’ve come to trust to deliver nothing but the best: The Tao of Tea.