Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Design A Tea
About Design A Tea:
Design a Tea brings choice to the marketplace. The simple concept of offering choices is the number one difference between Design a Tea and other artisan tea blending companies. Who doesn’t like choices in life? The feeling of creating and personalizing a product you order. We want consumers that deal with us to know they are dealing with a caring company. Caring, in that we hand package each order, and we pride ourselves on customer service. It doesn’t stop there.
Design a Tea even cares about the environmental issues around us. We use recycled paper products, labels, even environmentally friendly inks. We make every attempt to purchase from Tea Wholesalers that support Ethical Tea Partnerships (ETP) with the growers. We try and purchase organically grown teas when possible. All our flavorings are 100% from natural, organic and gluten free!!
Taster’s Review:
I’ve tried several of Design A Tea’s signature blends, but, I had not, until now, designed a tea for myself. And since they make it so easy to do so (it costs just $1.00 for shipping to create 2 of your own samples!) I decided to finally go for it.
This is the first of the two teas I created for myself – a green tea flavored with apple and hazelnut flavors. My “Pacific Northwest” blend. And it’s really yummy!
The apple flavor is reminiscent of a green apple, it’s a little tart and has a juicy, sweet apple-y flavor. The hazelnut is a bit more subtle, although I suspect I should have allowed the flavoring to settle onto the leaves a little longer than I did – I was just so excited to try it out! With my next sample, I think I’ll wait at least a couple of weeks before I try it, so that the flavors have a chance to absorb.
But as it is, the tea is quite delicious. The green tea tastes light, and there isn’t a strong grassy taste. Instead, it just tastes fresh and it marries quite nicely with the green apple flavor.
If you’ve not yet tried designing your own tea with Design A Tea … well, all I have to say to that is: What are you waiting for? It’s affordable and fun … and who knows, you might just discover a phenomenal new flavor combination!
Hazelnut Black Tea from Simpson & Vail
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Simpson & Vail
Product Description:
This black tea blend has a strong aroma and a nutty flavor. Reminiscent of the winter holidays when the tastes of warming hazelnuts pervade the senses. Can be enjoyed as is, but is also delightful with a little added cream.
Taster’s Review:
The aroma of this tea is unbelievably delicious. From the moment I opened the pouch, I could smell the delightfully warm, sweet nutty fragrance of hazelnuts. Now that the tea is brewed and sitting in front of me, I am finding it difficult to not want to just hold my head inches above the rim of the cup, taking in the radiating warmth of the cup while at the same time enjoying the yummy scent. It’s one of those kinds of teas that you just want to grab a blanket and a good book, and just curl up and get cozy with tea in hand.
The flavor (as well as the incredible scent) is very reminiscent of the holiday season for me, which is why I chose to schedule my review of this tea just a couple of weeks before Christmas. The delicious, nutty fragrance and flavor reminds me of Christmas at my Gramma’s house, which was always warm with inviting aromas and flavors. Gramma made the most incredible cookies and other yummy foods this time of year, and hazelnuts (she called them filberts) were one of her favorite nuts (along with pecans) to include in her baking.
The black tea base here is fairly mellow and seems to help inspire (along with the flavor of the hazelnuts) that cozy sort of feeling that I described earlier. It isn’t one of those “get up and go” kind of black teas … and therefore isn’t a tea I’d recommend for breakfast unless you’re enjoying a leisurely breakfast in bed and do not need that gusto that black tea can often deliver. This isn’t one of those teas … instead, this is a “slow down and enjoy life” kind of tea. Take time to smell the roses … or… tea.
The hazelnut flavor is in keeping with this mild attitude of the tea. It doesn’t overwhelm, instead, it delivers a gentle, delicious nutty flavor that tastes of sweet roasted nuts fresh from the oven. YUM!
This tea would make a delightful gift for the tea lover on your shopping list! And, while you’re gift shopping, check out Simpson & Vail’s fantastic array of tea gift packages. You’re sure to find something that will please even the most difficult tea enthusiast on your gift-giving list!
Vanilla Haze from Tea, Oh!
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tea, Oh!
Product Description:
Get lost in this sweet, nutty hazelnut vanilla tea.
Taster’s Review:
This is nice!
The black tea base is brisk and strong. Its assertive flavor does not get lost amid the flavors of vanilla and hazelnut – this is definitely TEA!
The vanilla flavor is creamy and smooth and helps to curb some of the sharper edges to the black tea. The hazelnut tastes nutty and slightly sweet and is really delicious with the vanilla. There is also a background note that is slightly earthy to this cup.
This is a tea that you want to keep an eye on while brewing as it can become bitter if over steeped. I steeped it for 2 minutes 45 seconds and I can taste hints of bitterness; fortunately it is not off-putting. However, I think that a longer steep time would have resulted in a rather bitter cup.
Vanilla Haze from Tea, Oh! is so lovely and complex! A very contemplative cup – one that you want to brew on one of those “take it easy” kind of afternoons so that you can just sit and enjoy all the pleasures this tea has to offer. Particularly nice with a drizzle of honey and a splash of milk to bring out the creamier aspects of this cup. YUM!
Darjeeling Avongrove from Camellia Sinensis
Tea Type:
White Tea
Where To Buy:
Camellia Sinensis
Product Description:
This white tea is very unusual combination of Darjeeling terroir, pure assamica tea, and the artisanal expertise of Avongrove’s Mr.Subba. Large silken buds give a relatively dark infusion and liquor due to the assamica’s chemistry. Rich and creamy in the cup with a smooth, full attack of cocoa butter and hazelnut notes that linger into a long pleasant aftertaste.
Tasters Review:
I’m just going to say…right off the bat…I LOVE THIS WHITE TEA!
I don’t think you understand…I love it! I mean I REALLY LOVE IT!
Darjeeling Avongrove from Camellia Sinensis has amazing cocoa notes after infusing. It really came alive once I added the pipping hot water! The natural aroma is very powerful and truly crave-worthy!
The taste is delicious! It has cocoa and hazelnut hints but the white tea itself is top quality and smooth, silky, creamy, and a true delight!
This white tea really has me craving more! I just might declare this one of my favorite white teas of all-time!
Let’s just say it had me at HELLO.
Hazelnut Truffle from Tea Forté
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tea Forté
Product Description:
A rich black tea with luscious Belgian chocolate, rosebuds, cacao and roasted coconut flakes. Enriched with notes of toasted Hazelnuts.
Taster’s Review:
I was very excited to try this tea. Chocolate? Hazelnuts? Coconut? and Roses? Sounds heavenly if you ask me!
The aroma of the dry leaf is hazelnut with hints of chocolate and coconut. I couldn’t smell much from the rose in the dry leaf, although I can pick up vague floral notes in the liquor.
The black tea base is pretty mild here. It isn’t very aggressive, but then, I wouldn’t want it to be, because it would spoil the other flavors going on. I like the smooth, even-tone of the black tea as it is here.
The flavor is creamy and rich. I am tasting more hazelnut than anything else, but the chocolate is there too. Speaking as a chocoholic, I think it could use a bit more chocolate (but then, if a little chocolate is good, more chocolate is better, and a lot of chocolate is best. That’s my motto!)
The creamy flavor that I am getting comes primarily from the coconut, I don’t get a whole lot of specific coconut notes, but I do get that creaminess. I do get a little bit of coconut in the finish too.
The rose is not very strong in this, but its there if you focus on the sip. About mid-sip, I get a little bit of flowery sweetness, and in the finish there is a subtle sharpness that is also a distinct rose characteristic. Both of these notes are very subtle, but they’re there.
A very good cup of tea. Perhaps one of the best that I’ve tried from Tea Forté. I think what I’m liking best about it is that it IS a very contemplative cup, one that I am enjoying sipping.