Not being a huge fan of strongly floral teas, finding the right floral tisane can be tricky. I have issues with lavender so when ever I see a floral tea without lavender especially a tisane, I get quite excited.
Enlightening Lotus is by far one of the most stunning flowering teas I’ve brewed up. Basically this tea is one gorgeous flower. When put in just the right tea pot, you have one stunning presentation. Simply gorgeous. My husband even commented by how lovely the presentation of this tea was. Pops of brilliant yellow filled my tea pot. How can you not smile when you see that?
But this tea’s presentation doesn’t match the flavor. I will try my best to explain this tea because it is so incredibly unique and unusual. Each sip delivers a wonderfully musk and earthy tone from the start to finish. Gone is that sweet typical floral that you normally pick up when you drink a floral tisane. Robust yet gentle woodsy flavors swirl around with a very subtle hint of sweetness at the end of each sip.
This tisane is remarkable and a unique drinking experience. I love how this tea pops with bright and vibrant colors but the flavor has more of a dark flavor. A tisane after my own heart!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Tisane
Where to Buy: Flower Pot Tea Company
Description
A symbol of purity and enlightenment, lotus flowers floating serenely in still waters, soaking in the sun. Our Enlightening Lotus Tisane blossoms with a unique, golden honey aroma that evolves with a subtle herbaceous finish. Grown only in a single plantation adjoining a Buddhist temple, these golden flowers…
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Emily Dickinson’s Jasmine Tea Blend – Simpson and Vail. . . .
Now I have to start this off by saying that I am a sucker for author inspired tea blends. So it goes without saying that you are sure to find me reviewing more in the near future. Which shouldn’t be surprising since what is better than a cup of tea and a good book?
Now I think that this tea was simply delightful. It is not too strong and not too subtle, it has a perfect balance in my opinion. As a matter of fact when I was drinking this tea it was like it started to clear my head. Now I don’t mean completely like a lavender tea would do, but to the point where I could think about things. Now since I go to college I began to think about things I could do for my final that is coming up but not only that I can imagine this tea being a perfect companion when I am writing for a more creative venture.
I was also surprised that this tea had little to no dry notes in it whatsoever. And in my experience with jasmine, there would always be slight, somewhat powerful dryness to it. But I believe that this a soft and balanced tea because of the ingredients. The jasmine tea is a beautiful binder for the rose petals, jasmine blossoms, marigold petals and blue cornflower petals. It goes without saying if you have read any of my previous reviews, that I have always loved the pairing of jasmine and rose. In my book, jasmine and rose will always be the power couple.
Now when I was in the process of brewing my cup I had a look at the tea leaves and apart from the enjoyment of finding little jasmine blossoms I was happy to see plenty of blue cornflower petals. Now, for those who don’t know, my favorite tea of all time is Lady Grey and that contains, you guessed it, blue cornflower. And I believe that the blue cornflower is a perfect addition to this tea for it adds a nice subtle, sugary sweetness to the blend.
On top of the delightfully delicate tasting tea the price is not at all bad either. It is $9.75 for a 4 oz tin but if you don’t want the tin you can save about $3 and pay $6.90 for a bag of the same size. Along with a great price this tea also has deep connection with the talented poet we know as Emily Dickinson. As the description reads on the bottom of this review, this tea was based off of Ms. Dickenson’s garden, which was a place that she got most of her inspiration from for her poetry.
All in all, I believe that this a beautiful tribute to Emily Dickinson and I will be purchasing this for my ever growing collection of teas in the future. (My collection is very expansive. If you don’t believe me, head over to my Instagram and I usually post updates on how big it has gotten.)
See you for the next cuppa!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: Simpson and Vail
Description:
Emily Dickinson was born on December 10th, 1830 and lived in a home that was central to Amherst political society thanks to her father and brothers. Growing up around powerful men prepared Dickinson for a life of the same, but society dictated that, as a woman, she was relegated to seemingly less meaningful ventures. Her anger at this slight comes across in her poetry and letters where she explored complex ideas of meaning and self while examining the smallest details of the world around her. She withdrew herself from society and lived in relative solitude until her death. Only a few of her poems were made public during her lifetime, but four years after her demise, a collection of poems was published and met with popular and critical acclaim. Her poems reveal a complicated mind that examined itself with as much attention to detail as it examined the world. Dickinson’s defiance of categorization and simplification make her a popular poet to study even today.
In the years she spent away from society, Emily Dickinson cultivated an extensive garden. In it, she grew jasmine flowers, cornflowers, roses, and many other flowers, plants and herbs. These flowers appear repeatedly in her poetry so our blend had to be floral. We created a delightful combination of jasmine tea and rose petals that brews to a light ecru cup with long green leaves and rose petal accents. This delicate tea hits you with a strong jasmine taste that’s sweetened and mellowed with the subtle flavors of the rose petals.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Snow Crysanthemum from Teasenz
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Teasenz
Tea Description:
A ‘heavenly’ rare flower tea that is grown only in the Kunlun mountains, where slow flower growth results in a delicious flower taste with notes of caramel and dark red tea liquor. Snow Chrysanthemum flower tea contains high amounts of amino acids and proteins, which are beneficial to your health by lowering blood sugar, reducing high cholesterol, and preventing heart diseases. A Teasenz favorite.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This tea is a perfect example of why I love being a SororiTea Sister! All the fun and unique teas you get to experience that you might now have tried on your own. I love my floral and flowering teas so this one I thought would be right up my alley.
When I first looked in the pouch, I was very surprised with what I found. Being relatively new to Snow Chrysanthemum teas, I didn’t expect such a unique looking flower. I was thinking more like a fluffy Chrysanthemum like I’ve had in the past and this was more of a berry flower bud. I gladly poured a few heaping scoops into my tea pot and allowed this tea to brew to its gorgeous purplish amber brew for me to try.
While this tea was brewing, I was getting a very strong tangy berry aroma. I was hoping that the aroma would translate into a very tangy flavor. And it did! This tea created such a lovely tangy herbal like tea that soothed this tired soul after a really long day at the office. I just loved it.
There wasn’t a floral taste that I could really pick up but there was a familiar tangy herbal flavor that almost had a sour like resemblance. I brewed up another infusion and I was greeted with the same flavor profile. I can see how this would be a favorite amongst Teasenz customers. This tea is gorgeous hot. But I knew and had a feeling this would make an incredibly iced tea.
So I grabbed a few ice cubes from our break room and threw them in my cup and poured the tea in. Wow! This tea was just as good iced as it was hot. I’m getting the same flavor profile but just in a different temperature. Regardless of how you brew this tea, I think it is a winner!
Amba Tea Flower Tea by Single Origin Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black, Ceylon
Where to Buy: Single Origin Teas
Tea Description:
Amba Tea Flower Tea comes from one of two artisanal tea producers in Sri Lanka. Along with representing the Uva climate in this diverse country, Beverly the tea manager, has added camellia blossoms; giving a honey like sweetness to the wintergreen and maraschino cherry black tea that the Uva region is famous for. This innovative blend is one of the first of its kind. (We drink a lot of tea…and had never even thought of this!). The Amba tea estate has high altitude and harsh drought conditions that create a unique and unrivaled quality in their tea. These stressful growing conditions are then complimented with a fine level of plucking: one leaf and one bud. Hand rolled, fermented and dried, this tea receives a level of care that is close to devotion.
Amba is prized because of the unique, menthol almost eucalyptus aroma from the leaves. Add a maraschino cherry sweetness with the classic citrus undertones of Sri lanka and you experience a very complex cup of tea! Not your standard flavored tea, this tea has been carefully blended to ensure the taste is not over-powered but yet distinct. Beverly carefully blends and tastes each hand-rolled batch guaranteeing a high level of quality.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I have been craving spring, and while the weather has teased the East Coast with a few warm days and some sunshine the temperature here has still been relatively cool. This is keeping me in long sleeves and (mostly) away from my garden, but it’s not keeping springtime out of my tea cup. I find myself reaching for fresh, fruity teas, and the Amba Flower Tea from Single Origin Teas has been a recent delight.
This tea made me stop, sip, and just enjoy all of the flavors it has to offer. There is a fruity – almost candy like – cherry note as well as a bright, clean eucalyptus flavor. It might seem like these two flavors shouldn’t work together, but trust me, they do. The eucalyptus note is light enough that it doesn’t overpower the tea. Instead, it heightens the tea’s fruity cherry note and natural sweetness, and it leaves a clean feeling on the tongue. There is also an orange note that is most apparent at the end of the sip and as the tea cools. I find the citrus note both surprising and pleasant, and I think it brings a fullness and bit of sparkle to the cup. I thoroughly enjoy the mix of flavors and am so impressed by this truly lovely Ceylon.
I prepared this tea using one teaspoon of tea per eight ounces of water, 200°F water, and steeped the leaves for three minutes and thirty seconds. This is a tea that can be steeped multiple times. I did not add sugar or cream to my cup. I found the natural sweetness of the tea to be enough for me. I do think this tea can handle some sugar, but cream might mute the flavors.
Amba Flower Tea is unique enough to make life long tea drinkers do a double take at their tea cups, but it is also something I can see first time tea drinkers enjoying. It was certainly what I needed to remind me that a cup of tea can be just the thing to brighten my day while I wait for the warmer days of spring to finally arrive.
Tibet Dream from In Nature Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type:
Where to Buy: In Nature Teas
Tea Description:
A new blend of red and flower teas, Tibet Dream has evoked the imagination of many as its red deep colors remind the Chinese of the deep red robes of the Tibet Monks. This blend is an exceptional combination of a red/black tea with a floral after-taste. Sweet in the palate and mild, this is a must-drink blend to the ones that can appreciate the qualities of superb tea, from the region of Fujian.
Tibet Dream is a great relaxing drink that is said to refresh your mind and body.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Ha! What a delight to the eyes! When I opened this sample (generous sample) from my SororiTea Sister Jennifer I was so surprised I giggled. I showed my daughter the “tea” and said “look at this”! My daughter said that it looked like flowers. I had to look again as I was sure I was looking at some kind of confetti streamer like stuff I would put in a gift to give to someone. Then I saw the flower buds. What a truly interesting tea! I have taken a photo with my iPhone for you to see the beauty of this tea:
Dry leaf aroma is very floral, somewhat earthy, almost musty but not in a way that turns me off, and slightly sweet.
Tibet Dream is a sweet tea in my opinion with a very creamy mouthfeel. There is an astringency to it that verges on medicinal but in the way I would expect an herbal tea to taste.
In the after taste I pick up an almost menthol like cooling sensation on my tongue.
I do detect a delicate black tea undertone which is nice.
There is a savory element to the flavor of Tibet Dream as well.
One could not say this tea lacks depth or interest layers of notes within it!
I do also taste a light fruity note such as tart cherries. Perhaps this is what Jennifer was picking up as a slightly tart hibiscus note.
What a truly unusual and delightful tea! I can’t say that this is a tea I would have selected for myself however after having it I can say it is one that could easily grow on me. I could see myself craving this flavor now and then and if the effects are as the site describes I know I surely need that kind of relaxation with mind boost often!
See Jennifer’s (TeaEqualsBliss) review here.
