Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Georgia Tea Company
Company Description:
A fine white tea flavored with champagne raspberry.
Taster’s Review:
There is no mistaking it – this tea definitely smells like raspberries and champagne.
And it tastes like it too. There is a pleasant sparkly taste that glistens over the palate… no it doesn’t actually have the “bubbly-ness” that champagne has, but I can taste that sort of fermented, sparkly taste in this. It definitely tastes like champagne!
The berry flavor is there too: bright, juicy, ripe raspberries. I can taste them here.
These two flavors really complement each other well; the taste of the champagne seems to bring out some of the sweetness and flavor of the berry, while the berries seem to heighten that sweet, fermented grape taste of the champagne. It is really a delightful marriage of flavors.
And let’s not forget about the white tea, because the flavor of the white tea does not get lost amid these strong flavors – in fact, it seems to enhance some of the more delicate qualities of the champagne and the raspberry flavors… something that I doubt a tea with a stronger presence could do.
I recommend keeping the brewing water temperature low (my water was about 165°F) and steep for a longer period of time (5 minutes or more – with brewing temperatures so low, you needn’t worry too much about bitterness if you steep it for 6 or 7 minutes, but I wouldn’t go further than that), and use a little more leaf than you ordinarily would (I use a tablespoon of white tea leaf rather than a teaspoon). This will – in my opinion – help you extract the most flavor as possible from this tea without worrying about having an overly delicate tasting brew. And… brewing it this way will also ensure that if you choose to ice it, your tea will still be just as flavorful iced as it would be hot.
Snowflake from Georgia Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Georgia Tea Company
Company Description:
An excellent black tea with coconut, almond and vanilla flavoring. A Christmas favorite. Great with sugar and cream!
Taster’s Review:
YUM! This tea is really tasty!
The black tea base is strong yet smooth. There is a hint of bitterness toward the back end of the sip, but it isn’t an off-putting bitter taste. I think that this faint bitter note may just enhance the overall experience with this tea – giving it some interest and cuts through some of the sweeter notes of the tea.
While the coconut and vanilla are the most prominent in the aroma of the liquor, it is the almond that is the first flavor I detect. As the nutty flavor washes over my palate, it melds into a sweeter flavor … coconut! The vanilla hits the palate at the end with its creamy, sweet presence.
Together, these three elements – coconut, almond and vanilla – along with the black tea base creates a delicious, decadent tea that would make a lovely dessert tea (perhaps with a tray of cookies?) but would also be quite good served at breakfast time with a little milk and honey. I drank my cup without milk and just a drizzle of agave nectar and it was rich and scrumptious. I did taste the tea before adding the sweetener, and it does have a nice sweetness without the agave – but I like how the sweetener brought out some of the flavors.
The more I sip this tea, the more I like it. It’s really good!
Golden Monkey Tea from Georgia Tea Company
Leaf Type: Black
Where To Buy: Georgia Tea Company
Company Description:
Black tea from the Fujian province of China. Golden Monkey tea is hand-processed each spring with a careful plucking of only one leaf and one bud. It is among the finest Chinese black teas available today. The name comes from its unique appearance: the leaves resemble monkey claws. If you enjoy full-bodied teas with an abundance of flavor, we urge you to give this tea a try.
Golden Monkey tea hails from the Fujian province of China, one of its most prolific. This region accounts for one-fifth of China’s total tea output. And the high quality of its teas keeps them in high demand. This region’s exports of tea account for a quarter of the country’s total. Fujian teas benefits from an excellent climate, combining mild temperatures, abundant rainfall and mountainous terrain. It has a long history of cultivating tea: over one-thousand years.
Taster Review:
Over the past month I have been fortunate enough to try several teas from Georgia Tea Company and I have to say I have enjoyed my tea tasting experiences immensely. Their customer service is TOP NOTCH and the aroma of their teas are out of this world. Nearly everything I have tried I have been anywhere from pleasantly surprised to completely blown away with the wonderful taste!
Today I would like to tell you about Golden Monkey from Georgia Tea Company. I used to LOVE Adagio’s Fuijan Baroque and Adagio’s Yunnan Jig and I still do…but…Georgia Tea Company’s Golden Monkey seems to be the taste of both crammed into one tea but even BETTER.
Their Golden Monkey has a cakey and chewy goodness to it…malty and bold. The taste lingers long after your sip is complete. I found myself longing for that next sip and after my cup was gone thinking about another.
