Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Coffee Leaf Tea
Where to Buy: Wize Monkey
Tea Description:
Juicy mangoes all up in your boca.
Stay tuned for the official release of our mango flavour.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
You might remember back in November when I reviewed the Armando’s Original Blend Coffee Leaf Tea from Wize Monkey. I enjoyed that ‘tea’ – it was different from anything else that I had tried but similar in taste to Guayusa.
Well, the guys at Wize Monkey sent me some more samples to try, and this is the first one I’m trying: Mango Party Coffee Leaf Tea. The website says that this flavor is “coming soon” and I’m not sure exactly what that means, but if the idea of mango flavored coffee leaf tea intrigues you, keep your eye on the website for when it becomes available.
This is a bagged ‘tea’ but I appreciated that the bag is an unbleached bag and there’s plenty of room for leaf expansion. I put a bag in my teacup and added 8 ounces of water heated to 195°F. Then I let it steep for 4 minutes.
Wow! Mango!
The mango flavor is very prominent and I really like the way it marries with the flavor of the coffee leaf. It has a deliciously juicy, fruity flavor and the coffee leaf has a buttery flavor that I didn’t really pick up on when I tried the original coffee leaf tea in November. I think that the mango brings out the very best in the coffee leaf!
The overall flavor is smooth, buttery and MANGO! Really nice! This is something I’d be happy to drink again and again! Two thumbs up!
Brown Sugar Organic Oolong Tea from Tea Leaf Co.
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Tea Leaf Co.
Tea Description:
A wonderfully bold and smooth organic tea blend of dark oolong and maple, a perfect pairing. While the oolong is bold, full-bodied, and lightly smoked, the maple is light, aromatic, and sweet. The combination of the two flavors results in a well-balanced, featured favorite maple tea blend.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Mmm! This Brown Sugar Organic Oolong Tea from Tea Leaf Co. is the first from this new-to-me tea company that I’ve tried, and it’s a good one!
The maple flavor is strong but I like that it’s not overpowering the Oolong tea. Tea Leaf Co. has managed to strike a really delightful balance between the sweetness and rich flavor of the maple and the Oolong tea with its fruit notes and hints of smoke.
The base tea possesses notes of stone fruit (peach) and I taste wisps of smoke. I like this delicate smoky note and how it plays to the notes of the sweet maple. Nutty flavors develop as I continue to sip and I like how these interact with the maple notes as well. This is a full-flavored Oolong, it’s rugged and has notes of wood and earth. It’s a strong flavor that doesn’t wimp out behind the sweetness of the maple. The contrasts in flavor from the woodsy, earthy, nutty and smoky flavors help keep the maple in check and keep it from becoming too cloying a drink.
The maple notes are sweet and pleasant. They don’t taste chemical or artificial. It tastes like someone drizzled a drop or two of real maple syrup in my teacup! Quite delectable!
A real treat – this “Brown Sugar.”
Green Dragon from Canton Tea Co.
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Canton Tea Co.
Tea Description:
Blended for us by Rare Tea Hunter, Phil Mumby, this is a base of China Green Sencha given a full makeover with the citrus kick of lemon zest, lemongrass, lemon oil – and ginger. The combination of the fresh, green grass sencha notes, the lemony flavour and the warming ginger is completed by the subtlest hint of liquorice root to give a lingering sweetness.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Yum! When Canton Tea Co.asked me to try their new Green Dragon – I was excited! I’ve been really impressed with the quality of teas that I’ve tried from Canton and I love the combination of lemon and ginger – so I was sure that I’d enjoy this new blend of theirs.
And I do! The lemony notes are tart with just enough sweetness to them to keep me from puckering when I take a sip. The warmth from the ginger is mild. And the licorice root is barely noticeable – even those who don’t typically like licorice root would probably enjoy this because the licorice root doesn’t really stand out as an obvious flavor. It’s more like a hint of sweetness toward the tail.
The Chinese Sencha is a sweet, fresh taste with a hint of grassy flavor. It has a pleasant creaminess to it, light and buttery. I like the way this buttery quality melds with the lemon-y notes, creating an almost lemon custard type of experience with each sip. It’s very smooth.
As I continue to sip, the warmth from the ginger builds slightly in the back of the throat. It never gets really warm though. It’s a very mild, gentle peppery note that offers contrast to the creaminess of the tea and the tangy lemon notes.
A really lovely tea – it’s a delightful summertime tea that tastes great as a hot tea or a refreshing iced tea!
Kris Grey Black Tea from Ette Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Ette Tea
Tea Description:
Shaded as the quintessential earl grey, Kris Grey (Blend no. 050) is a western classic brew fortified with south east asian ingredients.
Kris Grey is a blend of black tea, javanese vanilla beans, blue corn flower, bluepea flower, bergamot oil & edible silver dust.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
My second blend from Ette Tea!
So, I’m not the biggest Earl Grey fan; not that I dislike it, but I just don’t crave it often either. Under normal circumstances I probably wouldn’t have gone for this one – but who can resist sample sizes and the idea of sparkly silver tea? And really, the dry leaf is stunning! It’s covered in this really fine, gorgeous silver dust. So pretty!
Steeped up I’m not going to lie; I’m a little disappointed. The tea is still gorgeous and sparkly, but it’s not as dramatic as I’d have thought given the amount of noticeable glimmer in the dry leaf. Maybe about the same amount of sparkle as DT’s Gitter & Gold blend that people like to ooh and aah over.
The taste is solid though; it’s a good EG with a medium level of citrusy bergamot and silky smooth black base. I feel like a little bit more of vanilla would have really sent this one sky rocketing though. As it stands I can hardly taste the vanilla at all, but as is it’s just fine too. People who really love EG should definitely take a closer look at this because while it isn’t mind blowing, it’s got a really taditional taste with that fun sparkly element that makes it different from the average EG you can get at any store.
So for me, it’s a step down from Pandan Chiffon (which set the bar very high) but still not a flop! Definitely excited to try my next tea from this company!
Sassyfras Strawberry from Piper & Leaf
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Piper & Leaf
Tea Description:
A Delicious Burst of Strawberries, Sencha Green Tea, Sassafras Roots, Red Beets, and a Subtle Herbal Blend.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Another sample from Piper & Leaf. Another tea I shared with my dad over the Mother’s Day festivities. Another tea I so wanted to fall in love with, but alas. . not so much.
I brewed this one up per the instructions on the sample.
This tea smells delicious. As with the other Piper & Leaf samples I have had, the teas smell fresh. Crisp. Beautiful to look at and brews up smelling amazing. But first sip was met with a twinge of disappointment.
The tea had a strong strawberry flavor but had this weird taste that I couldn’t wrap my head around. It was like the two flavors were competing against each other instead of mingling together. My dad said the same thing. He said it wasn’t something he would need to have again but that it was a unique tasting tea. I’m not sure if the unique odd flavor I was picking up was the sassafras root or the red beets.
I would love to hear somebody else’s thoughts on this tea. I can’t say that I’ve had sassafras a whole lot or even beets for that matter. I’m wondering if it was just user error or if it was just the uniqueness of the different ingredients. I am hoping to place another order with Piper & Leaf to try the rest of their offerings and I will more than likely give this one another shot. It just sounds so very interesting! I feel like I need to give this one another shot.
