Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Butiki Teas
Tea Description:
Rwanda Rukeri is an Orange Pekoe grade green tea that originates from a cooperative of small farms in Rwanda. This tea is grown at an altitude of 5,900 feet above sea level. The thin forest green leaves unfurl during steeping to produce a vibrant lime-colored liquor. This unique tea has a juicy mouth feel with notes of artichoke and seaweed. Rwanda Rukeri is an assertive tea that produces a pleasant astringency.
Ingredients: Green Tea
Recommended Brew Time: 2 minutes
Recommended Amount: 1 level teaspoon of tea for 8oz of water
Recommended Temperature: 180 F
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I love sweet and salty snacks, Rwanda Rukeri from Butiki Teas satisfies both cravings for me. Even though I have had this sample hanging around for quite some time, and I never should have neglected it, the taste is so fresh that I can only imagine how amazing it was when I first got it!
Rwanda Rukeri is green, vegetal, grassy, and sweet, with lingering notes of freshness that do remind me of seaweed but more so ocean mist. If you have ever visited the coast and appreciate nature the way that I do, there is a smell, a feeling, an aura, and energy about being near the ocean. That is the way this tea makes me feel.
I do pick up the artichoke note which is surprising to me as I have only had artichoke made properly a handful of times. Artichokes intimidate me so beyond some canned artichoke in a salad or dip here or there I have limited experience, as I can’t cook (or is it bake?) artichoke myself.
This tea is better when you go gong fu style because it truly evolves releasing more flavors the more you steep it! Buttery notes come forward in later steepings. I do not recommend this tea if you are wanting to make something fast and run out the door because you will miss out on a really wonderful experience. It also needs to be steeped properly or you could end up with a bitter or overly astringent cup. This is a delicate tea that needs to be treated with respect but it will give you that back and so much more.
Obviously this is not the first tea I reach for in the morning while I still have the duhs but in the afternoon or early evening I love it. Its a tea to relax with, a tea to contemplate, a tea to relish in.
Organic Silver Needle White from Nature’s Tea Leaf
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Nature’s Tea Leaf
Tea Description:
Organic Silver Needle White Tea has exquisitely shaped buds enveloped in white down. This white tea excites with its savory aroma, rich body and a sweet flavor with rounded finish that is soft and airy on the palate. White Teas which include our Organic Silver Needle variety are known to promote weight loss and stimulate the metabolism. This low caffeine antioxidant packed tea is delicious hot or cold and can be enjoyed any time of day.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Soft, Fuzzy, Pillowy, Billowy, White tea is what Organic Silver Needle White from Nature’s Tea Leaf is! Its so pretty to look at. Delicious to smell, even in its dry state. I love touching and examining the silvery white needles. This is very much a tactile tea leaf.
The steeped leaf smells slightly minty, and very sweet. The flavor is also lightly minty, but just delicately so. The sweetness does translate into the taste beautifully, but a a mid-range vegetal note is also present. There is a very brothy mouthfeel to this tea and it almost has a creamy feel in the aftertaste. I could see this tea being a major part of a soup broth if you are into using tea in cooking. This is definitely a greener tasting white than I have had before and has a nice lingering aftertaste that lasts longer than most.
This is right up there with some of my favorite white teas because it offers something different from others I have had before. It is unique and it is Organic which makes it even better in my book!
The sweet notes I have been tasting have had me perplexed for a bit, as they are not honey notes, or even that of cane sugar, nor molasses, its more of a fruity sort of sweet, like raisins perhaps, yet it does not taste fruity. Also there is absolutely no astringency in this cup.
This tea is a little more pricey than others but it is organic, and it is delicious, therefore it is worth it!
Caramel Apple Oolong from 52 Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Here’s a premium oolong tea from the Fujian province in China blended with large pieces of freeze-dried Fuji apples and natural and organic flavors. And no, I didn’t mistype: Fujian Oolong and Fuji apples. Serendipitous. I didn’t even realize I had done that until I typed it.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Caramel Apple Oolong from 52 Teas is one of those teas that I begged and prayed for a re-blend of, and it was indeed re-blended! I love how on 52 Teas website you can sign up to be notified of a re-blend, and it is also 52 Tea’s method to determine which teas are most requested for a re-blend!
So this tea has an excellent oolong base, and the perfect flavors to make you feel like your sipping on sweet succulent caramel apple juices! The caramel flavor is well balanced so that you also get a wonderful fresh fujian apple taste as well, and I do know my apples, I love Fuji apples, and this tea tastes exactly like them! The apple tastes so fresh I swear I can taste the skin!
Some sips provide a slight bit more caramel flavor and some a slight bit more apple flavor but overall most sips are well balanced. I find I enjoy that sip now and then with one flavor more than the other because I do love both apple and caramel so now and again I get a boost of one flavor or another to give me my fix.
Oh and let’s not forget the oolong, its a nice quality oolong that does provide a very good base for this flavor combination, as Frank says, serendipitous, but it works perfectly!
I will savor each sip of this tea, then put in my bid for a re-blend and once again, cross my fingers. A stash must have!
Lotus from The Persimmon Tree
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: The Persimmon Tree
Tea Description:
A unique combination of hand-harvested fresh lotus blossoms blended with green loose leaf tea in an ancient scenting method comprises our Lotus tea. Prepared in small batches by Vietnamese traditional artisans, the unique essence of these spring-harvested flowers is released and absorbed directly into the tea. The Lotus tea brews a pleasant, slightly sharp flavor similar to star anise, with a subtle vanilla finish; be sure to steep multiple times to fully appreciate the flavor of these sweet, aromatic lotus blossoms infused in our Lotus Flower tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
My first experience with Lotus from The Persimmon Tree was almost a year ago from a sample The Persimmon Tree sent me. I am so glad that they did because this is not a tea I would have selected for myself. The main reason is because I detest anise. Actually had I remembered that Anise was in this tea I may not have even tried the sample, but one day I grabbed the first thing from my sample drawer and steeped this up, without reading the description. I am glad that I did! It was a happy mistake. The anise in this tea comes over more as a black pepper taste on my palate, but it is like a flowery black pepper! Then at the end of the sip this lovely creamy vanilla note comes creeping over, leaving behind a lovely floral after taste. As I sat there enjoying the floral note, the pepper creeps back in! This tea makes you do a double, no, triple, then a quadruple take!
The green base is perfectly lovely. The leaf in dry form looks a lot like an oolong, but in the flavor you get that fresh green taste. Yet there is a slight mineral note like a Wuyi oolong.
This tea is spectacular, completely different from any tea I have experience before including other lotus teas. I have noticed the reviews on Steepster.com and it appears that this is a love it or hate it tea. I really suggest getting at least a sample size to try for yourself. I know how much I despise anise, yet this tea is so yummy. Every time I get ready to prepare it I brace myself to dislike it, just because I know how much I dislike anise, yet every time I sip it I sit back and smile thinking how good it is.
Get a sample for yourself when you make your next order with The Persimmon Tree! Samples only cost 1.25 each even on their most expensive and rare teas such as Jasmine Ancient Beauty which you can find here.
Also you can check out their blog here, which is updated regularly with some really valuable tea information and amazing photos!
Peach Oolong from Della Terra Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong, Green
Where to Buy: Della Terra Teas
Tea Description:
Our Peach Oolong combines amazing oolong with a little green tea and peach flavor and peach rose hips. A delicious, light flavor. Flavored Oolong lovers, you will adore this tea!
Ingredients: Oolong tea, green tea, peach flavor and peach rose hips
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Peach Oolong from Della Terra Teas is a must try if you love peach flavored teas or oolong tea!
I was also surprised by the green tea in this blend and even though there is a strong juicy ripe peach flavor, along with an outstanding oolong flavor, the green tea still manages to shine through!
I love peach flavored teas, and as readers of this blog know, I adore oolong. This Peach Oolong from Della Terra really hits the spot for me! I was lucky that they included a sample in my last order. I will be making an order of this tea as soon as the sample is gone!
Della Terra not only has some of the yummiest tea blends around, but they are amazing in their customer service and always have really great sales! If you do not follow them on Facebook I really suggest that you do. They have regular drawings for free teas, as well as the amazing sales I already mentioned. They are always updated on their Facebook page. You can find them on Facebook here.
If you are not sure what you want to order check out their Try Me Packs.
I have many favorites from Della Terra Teas and have reviewed several here on the blog. I am really glad I got to try this one though. The peachy flavor is fresh and juicy, the oolong flavor offers a good support to all the peachiness, and the green tea has a really yummy butteriness that makes the blend taste a little like a buttery peach cobbler.
This tea verges between a replacement for fruit juice in the morning and a dessert tea after dinner.