Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Luhse Tea
Tea Description:
Arrr! You’re a rum drunk pirate. Those that mess with your chocolate booty will walk the plank!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Luhse Tea is a very interesting company that plays around with the idea/theme of a teabag “Prohibition” in order to free you, the consumer, from the restrictions of bagged tea and allow you the freedom of exploring loose tea. Their site is very fun to navigate, and seeing the way they’ve tied this theme into each blend is definitely entertaining and worthy taking the time to check out. This is one company that has definitely figured out their ‘brand’ – and that’s not a bad thing! I’ve been personally wanting to order from this company, to sample teas, for a while now but I actually received this tea in a swap. This tea has journeyed from the United States to the United Kingdom to Canada and finally into my mug!
Steeped up hot and enjoyed during a heavy rainfall, this definitely has a well rounded, smooth flavour and clean mouthfeel. I was nervous the mouthfeel would be rather oily because this blend uses chocolate chips instead of nibs or shells but that wasn’t a problem. Honestly, I feel like I’m getting more flavour from the base tea than anything else though; there’s a nice mild malt note that carries through all of each sip, and some baked bread notes. I’m not complaining, ’cause the base is really nice, but generally with a flavour tea I expect at least some aspect of the added flavour to be the strongest element.
The chocolate flavour is totally present, but while I was expecting something some rich and indulgent, this is pretty gentle. It’s more just a hint of cocoa, with a sort of powdery taste/mouthfeel which I’ve grown to associate with French teas. I also expected the rum to be stronger, and instead it’s very mild and watered down. Combined with the chocolate it’s a little like a very dull/lackluster rumball – the kind my family always makes around Christmas.
Initially I was quite disappointed by the flavour distribution: for a tea that’s describing the drinker as a “rum drunk pirate” I felt more like I was drinking tea with my Grandma around the holidays. However, I took a moment to set aside my disappointment and preconceptions about what the tea ‘should have’ tasted like, and after I did that I was able to appreciate the brew a little more. It’s not bold or vibrant, but the flavours it does offer are smooth and tasty, and it’s a comforting, mellow brew with hints of both chocolate and rum. I can appreciate that.
I’m still excited to explore the company a little more; but I can probably scratch this one off my wishlist. Though I’ll enjoy finishing the rest of what I received in that swap.
Pancake Breakfast Black Tea from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Because the love for this tea is so strong, we stuck closely to the original recipe. One difference is that we’re utilizing different teas in our black tea base. I think you’ll notice the difference and I’m confident you’ll feel this was a change for the better! We’ve made a really yummy thing even better!
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about the Tea of the Week Program from 52Teas here.
Taster’s Review:
Well hello there! It’s been a long time, no see! It has been a hot minute since this Dodo has written anything in the world wide tea web about tea. Just to catch anyone up, I have started a new job, and it is that job that has made this little bird a bit apprehensive about writing any reviews. You see, I now work with the tea company, Tealet. The curtain has fallen, and the inside of the tea world looks quite different than it did on the outside. Taking everything I learn with a grain of salt, I think I can safely begin reviewing teas at perhaps an even more subjective perspective than before. (Cracks neck) Now I am ready to get back to work!
On to the tea! This is the first tea that I cracked out of the re-blend sampler pack I receive as my kickstarter rewards. This was the one I was most excited about. Upon opening the package, I get a strong whiff of the flavors. Maple at the forefront, light and fluffy buttered pancake at the bottom. At first whiff it smelled like the black tea base was cowering in the wake of the flavoring.
Steeping the tea, the black base does get to shine through a bit more. It’s a robust cuppa, very suitable for a breakfast setting. A dash of cream, no sugar, and you get more dessert flavors from the maple and the black tea. The flavoring themselves are quite strong, maybe a little too strong for me. Even so, they pin down hot, fluffy pancakes, buttered and drowned in syrup so well I almost don’t care.
This tea is quite good. I finished my sampler bag in three days! I would highly recommend it to anyone who needs a quirky twist on your plain, old, worn out English Breakfast. Two for you, 52Teas, you go 52Teas!
Rose de Mai Oolong from Dammann Freres
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Dammann Freres (However it’s not currently listed)
Tea Description:
“Rose de Mai” is a subtle blend of the vegetal notes of a spring oolong tea, to those fresh, bright and dazzling of a 1st press rose essential oil extracted from a rose of exception. A well-balanced tea for lovers of resolutely flowery notes.
Learn more about this tea on Steepster.
Taster’s Review:
Since I haven’t done one in a while, I decided that I’d do a blind tasting with this blend! Obviously it’s got rose in it, but I wanted to see what I noticed by drinking my cold brew prior to do any reading on it. I actually had some interesting results this time around:
My immediate observation was that this was a highly floral from the rose but also from the natural floral notes of the greener oolong base; specifically I thought I picked up notes of both orchid and sweet jasmine. There were a few sips where the intensity of all the floral elements felt a little overwhelming and I definitely think those wary of floral teas in general will find this too much, but overall I think they were all pretty well balanced/in check.
The big surprised was that throughout the entire cold brew I kept tasting the same juicy fruit note that I thought tasted pretty obviously of lychee. I was quite surprised when I finally did look up the tea ingredients only to see that there’s no added lychee flavouring. For me, that flavour was unmistakably present. I suppose, since lychee is quite a floral fruit, all of the other floral components of this tea could have contributed to the flavour, though.
Regardless, I thought this was a really pleasant cold brew; quite refreshing and thankfully with flavours other than a flat, monotone rose note. I’d definitely revisit this one, perhaps trying it hot instead of cold brewed.
Tangerine Jasmine Pearls Green Tea from Liquid Proust Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Liquid Proust Teas
Tea Description:
Ingredients: Jasmine pearls, tangerine (very small amounts), flavoring
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Again, thanks to Andrew at Liquid Proust Teas for the sample.
I’m a big fan of tangerines (currently there are about seven in my fridge), so I’m definitely excited to try this blend especially given how much juicy tangerine I’m smelling just from the dry leaf. I decided to cold brew my sample because for jasmine teas with a green base I prefer drinking them cold over hot.
I definitely think this comes off as a pretty traditional green jasmine pearl tea; a good balance of both floral and vegetal flavours. It’s definitely one of the better green jasmine blends I’ve had as well given how natural and unobtrusive the floral notes are. However the tangerine, which is the twist here, is pretty light handed. The sweet citrusy tangerine note really only pops up at the end of the sip when the jasmine is dying out, leaving for a tasty finish but slight feeling that this tea is uncompleted. I know that Andrew was aiming to be subtle with the tangerine but it is more gentle than I’d anticipated it being.
However, overall I really appreciate the unconventional take on a traditional tea. I also have to point out that as someone who isn’t a fan of green/jasmine pairings I’m obviously not the target audience and I was probably looking for that additional tangerine flavor more than someone who likes green jasmine teas on their own would have.
Electric Lemonade Yerba Mate from DAVIDsTEA
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Yerba Mate
Where to Buy: DAVIDsTEA
Tea Description:
Looking for an iced tea with a little extra zip? Plug in to this super-charged citrus supernova and prepare for a major buzz. With the bold, tangy flavours of lemon, currants and berries, it’s tart, fruity and anything but shy. And with an added boost from a big hit of yerba mate, it’s guaranteed to leave you feeling energized, uplifted and ready for anything. Looks like your childhood lemonade stand just got a grown-up twist. (MK Kosher).
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is DAVIDsTEA’s ‘Tea of The Month’ so the last time I was in store picking up some samples I decided this would pick this one up too. Lemon and Yerba Mate is not an uncommon pairing, but the additional strawberry and raspberry used in this blend are a bit interesting and more unique. And I can’t lie; the interesting name sold me too. Seriously tea companies take note; an interesting name draws me in almost as much (sometimes more) as interesting ingredients.
Because of the “Lemonade” in the name I figured this was obviously intended to be consumed cold so I drank it iced without any additives. When I took my first few sips I was definitely anticipating some tartness, but this was actually quite sweet and smooth. More than anything else I really tasted the strawberry with the raspberry, lemon, and some apple notes as background support. The earthy green mate was relatively masked, but peaked out in the end of the sip and aftertaste as the berry flavour faded out and just the lemon and yerba remained.
This is really refreshing overall, and a perfect tea for summer! It definitely gives off a “Pink Lemonade”/Berry Lemonade vibe which I believe is what DT was going for, so I’m pretty impressed. Worth a try if you like the ingredients; and if Yerba isn’t your think I wouldn’t worry too much – it’s well covered.