Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Lupicia
Tea Description:
A distinctively fresh and tropical Thai green tea blended with pieces of freeze-dried durian fruit. Tart notes of exotic fruit balance out the rich and powerfully fragrant durian. THE KING OF FRUITS definitely prevails in this one-of-a kind tea experience.
Blended with the high quality green tea served at the Royal House of Thailand
THE KING OF FRUITS has a refreshing taste when served as an iced tea. We recommend the hot brew method to extract the outstanding aroma of the durian fruit. This is where you make a strong tea by steeping the tea leaves in hot water then quickly cooling the tea down by adding ice. The hot brew method is the traditional way of making iced tea and also the quickest.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Green? Hummm I swear it looks like an oolong. Whatever I’ll take it! Have I mentioned how much I LOVE Lupicia tea? Its one of my top favorite tea brands! Brewed it is distinctly green tea in both color and flavor. Lupicia has some uniquely flavored teas and I must say this is the first durian fruit tea I have come across! Where else would a midwesterner from the USA get to try such a delight? This is my first experience with the durian fruit other than seeing the durian used as the challenge ingredient on Iron Chef once I know nothing of it!
The aroma of this tea is just mouthwatering! Its such a strong aroma that there is no way this could be anything but a pungent and flavorful brew! Yet I was surprised to find that the flavor was quite “polite” in the steeped cup! Not to say that it is light, or dull, it is nothing of the sort, it is quite present and oh so tropical flavored – it makes me think of Jimmy Buffet music and floating around in the oceans blue waters on a sail boat! But I digress, this tea is such an accomplishment for Lupicia’s blenders whoever they may be! The after taste is so lingering and I can’t wait to try this one iced! I am in-fact tempted to toss some ice in my cup right now but I will reserve myself to simply savor the cup as is and appreciate it as it deserves to be appreciated. I feel special being allowed to have this tea in my stash and it will surely be a permanent member of my cache!
The only down side is I could not find anywhere on the site to buy this tea with a tin! I love Lupicia’s hockey puck styled tins, especially when they are “collectors tins” but alas I find nothing but the bagged version in this blend. Bummer. I will have to save one of their tins from a blend I do not wish to re-order for this one – IF that ever happens as I have yet to buy a tea from Lupicia that I do not want in my perma stash!
The durian fruit is one that I find difficult to describe to those who have not had it before and I have read that durian is a love it or hate it fruit but I just can’t imagine HOW anyone could not love this! If you like tropical flavors then you should love this. Imagine if you will … a tropical punch or a tea blended to make a tea taste tropical except the durian fruit does not need accompaniment! It tastes like a delightful tropical party all on its own! It is as if someone took papaya, mango, passionfruit, pomegranate, etc and so on and mixed them into one amazing blend except this is just durian! Perhaps this is why they call it the King of Fruits!
Giddapahar White Orchid – 2nd Flush from Darjeeling Tea Lovers
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Darjeeling Tea Lovers
Tea Description:
This tea has been made from PURE AV2 plants at an elevation of 6500 ft. A specialised team of tea pluckers pluck the finest 2 leaf and a bud under the full moon beam. No wonder this tea is distinctive from the others.
It gets its name ‘WHITE ORCHID’ as Giddapahar T. E. Is situated in the town of Kurseong which is also known as ‘The Land of White Orchids’ as this valley produces some high quality WHITE ORCHIDS.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Wow! Just wow! This is a white tea?
When someone says “white tea,” thoughts of a pale, delicately flavored tea come to mind. Even now, even after all the tea that I’ve tried, even after trying some intensely flavored, pure white teas … the majority of the white teas tend to have a very “light” overall characteristic, and therefore evoke the thoughts of a very soft taste.
But this white tea simply shatters those thoughts immediately, with the very first sip. Yes, it does have a delicate quality to it, but, that certainly isn’t the first thing that comes to my attention. I first note a sharp floral note that tells me exactly why this tea is called “White Orchid.” This flowery note is not at all delicate! It is there … and it is quite bold.
It isn’t until the tea cools just slightly that the delicate qualities of this tea come into focus. Beneath the bold flavor of the orchid (which, I guess it could be argued is a rather delicate flower and perhaps the term delicate applies), there is a light, crisp note. Here is where the real “delicate” quality that I mentioned previously comes in. The flavor goes from a very powerful floral note to a much softer set of flavors … and while the presentation is on the delicate side, it is incredibly complex. I taste layers of fruit (white grape, hints of peach, and even a honey-like tone that evokes thoughts of Honeycrisp apples), whispers of an airy quality, and sweet notes of vegetation.
This is one of the most amazing white teas I’ve yet to taste. It is deliciously sweet, floral and possesses such an intriguing complexity. It is refreshingly full-flavored. This is a white tea for those who seek to challenge their previous thoughts about white tea. This is unlike any white tea I’ve tried before, and I love it!
