Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Amoda Tea
TeaDescription:
The subtlety of the added flavours is what we love about this tea! The white peony is the star with its delicate hay, fruit and floral aromas. You have the leaf’s natural round mouthfeel coupled with the coconut flakes that makes for a creamy cup of tea. Hints of the dried mango and tart hibiscus = a seriously delicious tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about subscribing to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
I was very happy when I received this month’s Tea Tasting Box from Amoda Tea and discovered that Indie Tea was the featured tea purveyor for July. Indie Tea is one of my favorite tea purveyors because I love their fun, fresh and funky attitude toward tea! Their packaging is fun and their blends are deliciously different – with cool names to match their unique flavors.
One of the teas that was included in this month’s box – Lover’s Lane – is one that I’ve previously tried and reviewed. So, I won’t be writing another review for that tea, but, I am certainly happy to be tasting it again! In the meantime, I am going to tell you a little bit about this blend that I’m sipping right now – The Road to Hana White Tea Blend from Indie Tea.
And it is YUM! It’s got a great tropical flavor to it with the coconut and the mango notes, as well as the hibiscus. (Which is also quite tropical!) The hibiscus, gratefully, is not overdone here. It didn’t even really color the brewed tea very much … there was a slight pinkish hue but really, this looked more like a white tea than a hibiscus-y tea.
And it TASTES more like a white tea than a hibiscus-y tea too. And I’m very happy about that.
The white tea has a soft, delicate flavor (no surprise there, right?) and lends an earthy, sweet base for the additional sweetness of the fruity mango and creamy coconut notes. The hibiscus adds just a hint of tartness and it’s just enough of a contrasting note to offset the sweeter tropical fruits. Indie Tea has managed to achieve a nice balance of tart and sweet that leans more toward the sweet than the tart.
This has a nice mango flavor. The coconut is more “creamy” than coconut-y tasting … and I like the creaminess as it complements the white tea nicely. The result is a sweet and creamy cup of tropical lusciousness that has just a subtle tart note. Tasty!
A really nice choice by Amoda Tea. I like this one, and I’m glad I got to try it.
Vanilla Mint Chai from Rishi Tea
Chai Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh
Where to Buy: Rishi Tea
Tea Description:
Creamy, rich textured and inviting, this pu-erh based chai is unlike any other. Its delicate balance of silky and luscious vanilla bean, bright and soothing peppermint and sweet cinnamon transform this chai into something magical.
Learn more about this chai here.
Taster’s Review:
Wow! I really like this, although I don’t know that I’d agree with calling it a “chai.” Yeah, yeah, I know that chai means tea and so therefore all tea is technically chai … but I’ve come to recognize the word “chai” as meaning a masala (or combination) of spices. And since this Vanilla Mint Chai from Rishi Tea only has cinnamon, licorice root and vanilla that truly qualify as “spices” (I’d categorize peppermint as an herb, wouldn’t you?), I don’t think that’s enough “spices” to call this a chai.
Regardless, it is tasty!
The Pu-erh base offers an earthy background, although with the strong peppermint notes and the creamy tone of vanilla, the earthy notes do not overwhelm. It truly is a “background” note in this blend. And since I tend to shy away from the overly earthy teas, the fact that the earthiness here is subtle is quite alright with me.
The combination of peppermint and vanilla offer a taste that’s quite like the creamy center of a peppermint patty candy bar. YUM! The licorice root is subtle but adds a nice snappy contrast to the peppermint, and the cinnamon gives a hint of spice to the overall cup. All these notes are subtle compared to the vanilla and mint … these two dynamic flavors are the stars of the show here.
Even so, the mint isn’t TOO minty, it doesn’t taste toothpaste-y, it just has a crisp, cool taste that contrasts with the silky, creamy notes of the vanilla. The flavors of the spices and herb soften the earthy tones of the Pu-erh … providing a very smooth, satisfying cup for even those of us who tend to suffer from Pu-erh anxiety. In fact, there isn’t one flavor here that really overpowers the others … this is really a nicely balanced cup and a very interesting combination of flavors!
Lost Malawi Black Tea from Rare Tea Co.
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Rare Tea Co.
Tea Description:
Rich, black tea from a Fairtrade garden in the mountains of Malawi. To compare this to an ordinary tea would be like comparing a line-drawing with a sculpture. This is like drinking normal tea but in 3-D.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!
Since it’s Father’s Day here in the states, I thought I’d start the day with a review of one of the more masculine teas I’ve tasted in quite a while. This Lost Malawi Black Tea from Rare Tea Co. is so rich and malty and DELICIOUS! I’m not at all surprised though, because the teas that I’ve tried from this company have always impressed me. They’re one of those companies that never seem to fail to excite me with their stellar teas!
This tea would make an excellent choice for that vital first cup of the day, because it has some real GUSTO to it. It’s one of those teas that really motivate you to get going, it’s like supercharging your engines!
The flavor is so solid. Even though it is a very hefty, bold cup of tea – it is remarkably well-rounded. It is a little malty and these malty tones bring out the undertones of sweetness that taste faintly of honey caramel. There is no bitterness and not a lot of astringency to speak of either. It’s just … real rugged and very masculine. It has some earthy notes to it, evoking thoughts of leather. It has that really good bake-y, cake-y sort of taste to it, like freshly baked french bread that’s still warm … the kind that’s baked on stone so that the crust is crisp and crackling and chewy! YUM!
I like that this tastes amazing served straight up, but, it also takes the addition of milk and honey well if you want to have a sweet and creamy cuppa at breakfast time. A deliciously rich, flavorful cup of tea, and it’s a perfect tea to serve to your dad or the hubby on his special day!
Rooibos Chocolate Tisane from Forsman Tea Company
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Amoda Tea
Tisane Description:
So smooth, full-bodied and creamy on the tongue. Nothing’s vying for attention here. You reach for this tea when chocolate’s on the mind. Red rooibos, with it’s honeyed, caramel & woodsy notes is a natural mate for the deep notes of chocolate.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Learn how to subscribe to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
This Rooibos Chocolate Tisane from Forsman Tea Company is the third and final tea from my May Tea Tasting Box from Amoda Tea. (Although I will be reviewing the caramels that we received in that box soon!) I have to say that I’m thrilled with the fact that Amoda Tea seems to have listened to me when I requested fewer tisanes and more tea in their boxes. I am not completely opposed to tasting tisanes … but when two or all three teas in the box are tisanes, I feel a little let down.
Fortunately, for the month of May, we got two amazing teas and just one tisane … and hey, the tisane is a CHOCOLATE tisane … and then we got caramels too! Woo hoo! I have no complaints about the May box! (And now am eagerly anticipating what might be in June’s box!)
And this is one very good chocolate rooibos tisane! The chocolate is a rich, flavorful, STRONGLY flavored chocolate! That’s what this chocoholic likes!
The rooibos are distinguishable in the cup, but, the naturally sweet, nutty flavor of the rooibos melds quite nicely with the chocolate-y tones. I even taste a hint of caramel as the description mentions … which is something I rarely ever take note of when I drink rooibos blends. The caramel-y note is certainly welcome here though!
This is one of the better chocolate rooibos blends I’ve come across … if you’re a chocolate lover like I am, you should try it!
Bravo, Amoda Tea! May has been my favorite month from you thus far!
Organic Ancient Green Tuo Cha Pu-Erh Tea from Arbor Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh
Where to Buy: Arbor Teas
Tea Description:
This compressed Green Pu-erh is made with top-quality sun-dried buds from the antique tea trees of the Jing Mai Mangjing region of China’s southwest Yunnan province. Many of these tea trees range from 800 to 1200-years-old with the eldest exceeding 1300-years-old! The flavor of this organic Chinese tea is mildly sweet with a character of gentle white and green teas. This Pu-erh is created using the traditional sheng processing techinque and aged for eight years. The infusion of this exquisite organic tea is light brown with a rose hue, yielding the flavor and aroma of malted grains and sweet apples. The faintest hint of earthiness that is characteristic of organic pu-erh tea can also be detected. Each tuo cha is individually wrapped and perfect for a medium sized teapot or can be broken apart to accommodate a single serving.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Wow! This Organic Ancient Green Tuo Cha Pu-Erh Tea from Arbor Teas is one of the nicest and most unusual Tuo Cha Pu-Erh Teas I’ve yet to taste.
The dry appearance of the Tuo Cha is the first thing that took me by surprise … it doesn’t look like the typical Tuo Cha … the leaves are green and yellow-ish (like straw!) and it looks a bit more to me like hay that has been compressed into bails than it does a Pu-erh Tuo Cha. The aroma is quite different too, normally, I experience a strong earthy note from Pu-erh, but the aroma here is rather mild.
The flavor of the first infusion is just as mild as the fragrance. And I’m liking this mellow attitude that I’m getting from this tea. It is light and sweet, reminding me more of a gentle green tea or perhaps a delicate white tea than a Pu-erh. It doesn’t taste earthy, brine-y or fish-y or any other flavors that are often associated with Pu-erh. It is vaguely reminiscent of the flavor I’d get if I were to sip the simmering water from a pot of farro rather than what I would normally taste from a Pu-erh, and I’ve got to tell you … I like that a whole lot!
The second infusion offers a slightly deeper flavor. The flavor is a little more earthy … but again, it’s not the same kind of “earth” note I’d get from a typical Pu-erh. This is more like the earthiness I’d taste from a Shou Mei white. Sweet, almost hay-like. Notes of flower to this cup as well. There is a slight dryness to this infusion that I didn’t experience with the first infusion. Where I liked the mild, mellow flavor of the first cup, I’m liking the sweet, white tea-like flavor of this second cup … I like that this tea has different things to show me as I take this tea journey.
The third infusion is my favorite so far! The flavor is sweet and has a distinct fruit-like taste to it. The above description suggests notes of apple, and I’d agree with that … there are hints of the sweet apple-y notes as well as whisper of tartness. Nice contrast. The earthiness is no longer present, this is much more like a hay-ish taste, with notes of the aforementioned farro and the fruit tones. A crisp, light sweetness to this cup. Very nice!
And this tea is still going strong! I like that this tea offers me a taste of the lighter side of Pu-erh … it is smooth and sweet, but it is much crisper and more delicate than the typical Pu-erh tea. If you are a fan of Pu-erh and are looking for something a little different, you should give this one a try. On the other hand, if you typically find Pu-erh to be a little too earthy or brine-y for your liking … this one will change your mind about Pu-erh!
A really delightful Pu-erh!