Hello dear readers! I have recently come across a quite delightful tea company that was sent to me as a secret Santa gift and I was amazed by the quality and of course with the tea selection. I had a whole lot of tea to chose from in the care package that was sent to me but after some consideration, I picked up Raven’s Blend.
For starters, this tea is very light given its black tea base and I believe that is thanks to the white tea wingman. There is also blue cornflower in this tea which adds a delightfully light floral taste. To those who are familiar with the taste profile of Lady Grey, it is like that but more delicate. I feel like I say this a lot because most teas are relaxing but I find that this one can be paired with just about any relaxing activity. But it also can spark creativity, giving your brain a needed boost. Which makes sense because its namesake is derived from the Ravenclaw house in the Harry Potter series. Which, funny enough is my actually my house.
Now on to the pricing of this beautiful blend. There are a total of four sizes to choose from; 1 oz which is priced at $10, a 2 oz which is priced at $14, 4 oz for $25, and 8 oz for $45. There aren’t any individual samples that you can order outright but I do know for certain that you can email the shop and ask for individual samples at $2 per sample. If you want to be more adventurous there is a mystery sample pack for $13 with four options (high caffeine, no caffeine, moderate caffeine, mixed caffeine) and an educational sampler pack for $35 that comes with steeping notes that has five options to choose from; black teas, green teas, oolong teas, pu-erh teas, and medicinal teas. Lastly, if you are in the Harry Potter fandom, there is a Wizarding Collection that you can purchase for $25 that features .5-.75 ounces for each of the teas from each of the four houses.
For the final thoughts on this tea, I believe it is well worth the money for the taste and the woman behind it is also great from my experience. From what I can tell she is very active with her consumers and is constantly adding new products to her online and physical store. There is also an option to make your own custom tea blend for $35 either by email or at the physical location. Also, as I was writing this review, I made a fresh cup of Raven’s Blend and I will possibly make another one! I fell in love with this tea company and you better be ready to see more reviews of this company in the near future!
See you for the next cuppa, Kara
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Friday Afternoon
Description
In wise old Ravenclaw house, “Wit beyond measure is man’s greatest treasure.” This medium-bodied, floral black tea is designed especially for you bibliophiles. High caffeine levels prepare you for those all-night study sessions and sharpen your focus while you devour the written word. Also fabulous while you read (or reread) your favorite novel, curled up in your favorite armchair or reading nook.
Ingredients: Black tea, white tea, and blue cornflower
All of our teas available online are gluten-free and sourced from organically certified farms. Most are vegan, but some may include honey (indicated in ingredients).
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Jasmine Pearls from My Tea Guy. . . .
Floral teas done just right can really deliver an experience like no other tea can. There is something so romantic, so alluring, so down right comforting about having a floral tea that delivers. And after the last few weeks of constant meetings and trainings, I needed some comforting.
So while I was organizing my stash I saw this delight that had gotten stuck behind a few other blends. Jasmine Pearls are typically a tea that I gobble up eagerly so to say the excitement was real would be an understatement.
Brewed with water prepped right around 175 and steeped for about well, the tea is still steeping because I’m using my Wall mug (from Boreal Wildcraft- do yourself a favor, check out this mug and get one. Game Changer!) Even with the tea constantly steeping, this tea is simply perfection. Soft subtle green tea notes mingle with stronger floral flavors to present this romantic combination that I have fallen in love with yet again.
What I adore most about this tea is that even with using this unique brewing vessel, the tea is not overwhelming or giving me that really overpowered floral note that makes the tea too harsh to enjoy. Each sip is just providing so much enjoyment and allowing me to really dive into the tea while enjoying watching the tea sit at the bottom of the mug. Simple, beautiful, and comforting. All the attributes you want to find in a good cuppa tea.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: My Tea Guy
Description
Jasmine Pearl tea is a fragrant, refreshing tea made by combining jasmine flower blooms with green tea leaves. The flowering jasmine plant originated in Persia and was brought to China around 300 A.D. Tea scented with jasmine became popular during the Song Dynasty between 960 and 1270 A.D.
Our Jasmine Pearls are hand-rolled under the supervision of tea master LIN ZHENG KAN (The fourth generation tea family descendant). The spring picked tea leaves are hand-rolled into pearls and then dried until summer when they are blended with unopened jasmine flowers which bloom overnight, releasing their aroma into the tea. The flowers are then removed and the process is repeated several times.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Jasmine Pearls from Silk Road Teas. . . .
These charming, tightly-wound light-and-dark green balls unfurl dramatically into curls that Shirley Temple would be proud of. Watching them expand is like watching a slow-motion figure skating performance.
The resulting flavor is a delicious, buttery, almost nutty green. Its flavor is subtle. The light touch is not to be confused with weakness, however. It manages to leave a lasting impact that’s the epitome of a warm afternoon in a sunlit window, watching trees wave in the breeze. The perfect pillow upon which to meditate.
Speaking of which, my meditation practice has stalled, and this reminds me: I need to get back to that. It felt really good. I’d like to get back to that state of mind. Until then, there’s this tea.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Silk Road Teas
Description
Jasmine Pearls is a delight to watch unfold as well as to drink. This tea is certainly one of China’s finest quality jasmine offerings. The quality of the Pearl rests with two key attributes: a high-quality, spring pick green that is hand rolled then kept in cool place to await the jasmine harvest. Secondly, the number of scentings the pearls receive is key to the quality of their jasmine taste. The best quality pearls are scented up to 20 times but more typically 7-8 times for today’s “high-grade” pearl. The resulting jasmine flavor should be smooth and naturally sweet building on the sweet notes of the green tea pearl. Lot is 2018 crop and is made to EU Standard. Lot # JP-1.
Why we selected this particular lot. The white downy color that wraps our pearls indicates an early spring green tea harvest. This indicates the pearl is higher grade and the base green tea taste is sweet. Our source for this tea is in Fujian Province where we believe the best jasmines teas are made. The leaves unfurled and showed two leaves and a bud and a rich green color. The scenting of this lot is natural, soft on the tongue and lingering. The jasmine flower petals are minimal, again indicating a higher grade. Once rolled, the pearls wait until the jasmine flowers are harvested later in the summer. For a high-grade pearl such as ours, the flower petals are introduced and then removed after imparting their fragrance.
Tasting notes. The aroma of this tea is exquisite. With water, the pearl releases a sweet and delicate green tea redolent with the fresh scent of jasmine. The taste is very natural, smooth and clean. The jasmine will soothe. It goes very well food as well.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Notes on 2015 Shou Mei / Verdant Tea. . . .
Zero degrees and getting colder. The past few weeks have been full of intense cold and winter storms. Makes this one want a floral tea to remind me spring isn’t too far away. And vacation is even closer. This 2015 shou mei has a silky mouth-feel with no astringency.
After I unwrapped the ball I noticed that the leaves were an array of colors. Usual leaf colors nothing crazy. It reminds me of the bark on a Rainbow Eucalyptus Tree except darker with less pop. The flavor is quite floral with honeysuckle and other unique garden flowers. Scents of rose and gardenia overflow your senses if you smell the wet leaf. Just lovely!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Verdant Teas
Description:
No description as this one is not currently being sold on the site and is no longer available, however, the general description given for most shou is workable.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Jasmine from Arbor Teas. . . .
Arbor Teas is a family business based out of Ann Arbor, Michigan which is surprising to me as I did not take Ann Arbor as a town with a tea scene. Nevertheless, Arbor teas is sourcing some of the world’s finest organic teas for those looking for organic options.
My Sororitea Sisters were kind enough to send me a sample of Arbor Tea’s Jasmine tea. Normally I would not pick a jasmine tea for myself but I am happy to try anything once and this tea is no exception. I was given just enough for a hot cup of tea and an iced cup so I got to brewing per the company’s suggested brewing parameters.
The hot tea tastes like most other jasmine teas I have had, dark and floral with an intense briskness that comes off almost drying. The iced tea is more of the same with that drying floral flavor that tastes as if potpourri is what was steeped and not tea.
Basically this is like all other jasmine teas and by that I mean it is not for me. People who like this flavor can always give this a try but nothing stood out to me as distinct or particularly unique so unless you like this flavor and are placing an Arbor Tea order, it might be better to go with a more easily accessible option.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Arbor Teas
Description
This organic, Fair Trade Certified Jasmine Green Tea offers a wonderful jasmine fragrance backed by a fuller-bodied organic chun mee green tea base. This is acquired by picking the jasmine flower late at night when the blossom is in full bloom. The flowers are layered upon the organic tea leaves to impart their fragrance and create the most exquisite jasmine green tea experience around! By morning, the jasmine fragrance has transferred to the organic Chinese tealeaves and the blossoms are then discarded. This process is carried out on multiple successive evenings to impart the superior flavor and aroma of this specially selected organic green tea.
Ingredients: organic Chinese green tea
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
