Tea Type:
Black Tea
Where To Buy:
Verdant Tea
Product Description:
A malty, savory black tea with the crisp sweetness of Jin Jun Mei and the buttery thickness of Dian Hong…
This wild-picked budset tea provides a uniquely rich and savory cup. In early steepings, the malty profiles of barley and wheat are in the foreground, with the sweet creaminess of butter. These savory flavors feel somewhat like fresh-baked whole-grain toast with a touch of sweet cream butter melted on top. Yet the aftertaste betrays the fine budset quality of the tea through a smooth sweetness, as though a touch of honey was spread on the buttered toast.
In later steepings, the savory grain flavors are more subdued, replaced by an unexpected crisp flavor, and slight sparkling peppery texture. It may be a bit too metaphorical, but this tea almost tastes sunny in later steepings. There is a bright warmth, coupled with the brilliant red-orange of the tea in the cup that suggests morning sunlight.
Tasters Review:
Sure! I LOVE any and all types of Teas but there is a soft spot in my heart for Black Teas, first and foremost. I start each day with at least one (many times – many more – than just one) type of Black Tea. On top of that – I do LOVE a Good Yunnan Black Tea! So when I saw this one from Verdant – I knew it was going to be something special!
I have to admit – when I tried this at first – I then sampled it each day until it was gone! It didn’t last in my stash for long!
This has a hint of pepper but is a bit smooth and creamy – especially at the end of the sip. The toast-like flavors are great! It’s savory. It has hints of wheat and/or barley, sweet corn, and woodsy notes and I think they are great! The 2nd and 3rd infusions are sweeter.
This makes a great cup…or in my case…CUPS!
Cookies N’ Cream Tea from Still Water Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Still Water Tea
Tea Description:
Scrumptuous flavours of maple, honey, cream and chocolate take your cookie experience to the next level!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is a tea that benefits greatly from waiting a couple of minutes after brewing to allow the tea to cool slightly before you start drinking it. The first couple of sips – while still piping hot – tasted a bit off, almost artificial. But now that the tea has cooled just slightly – it’s still hot, but not fresh from the teapot hot! – it is much tastier.
This is an interesting combination of flavors. It is a very sweet tea, but then again, with a name like Cookies N’ Cream, you know what you’re getting yourself in for, right? You kind of expect it to be sweet. And if the name doesn’t convince you, reading the description: “maple, honey, cream and chocolate …” yeah, that should do it. This is a sweet, decadent dessert tea.
The sip starts out with a hint of chocolate, and the chocolate flavor develops over the course of the sip. The honey notes weave their way in and out of the sip, and the cream is more of an undercurrent of flavor … off in the background, providing a pleasing creamy note all the while. The maple was a little difficult to detect at first, but by mid-cup it is almost as strong as the chocolate flavor.
The black tea is in there too, although it is a mellower flavor. It provides a pleasing backdrop, however, it does seem a little outdone by the strength of the flavors. On the plus side, though, there is only a mild astringency so it doesn’t interfere with the enjoyment of the flavors.
Overall, it’s a very pleasant cup of tea. Makes a nice latte, too!
Honey Nut Biscotti from Kally Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Kally Tea
Tea Description:
Ciao a tutti! Here is a treat that tickles the senses. Taste the authentic Italian baked biscotti, with hand roasted pistachios, and a little honey flakes adding a touch of sweetness, all blended into a mix of rich Indian and Ceylon black teas. Baked goods! Oh Mama Mia! What can be better while sitting in your own café?
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This tea smells so good. It smells like freshly baked cookies!
It has a taste that reminds me of freshly baked cookies as well. Sweet with a delicious nutty flavor, and even a hint of that rich, bread-y taste that makes me think of home made cookies.
The black tea is a flavorful blend of black teas. The description suggests that it is a blend of Ceylon and Indian teas, which leads me to automatically think Assam. And there is a certain malty tone in the background that also suggests that there is Assam in the blend. However, I find that it is a bit lighter than a typical Assam, so if there is Assam in this blend, it hasn’t been added with a heavy hand. I’m kind of torn with that, as I think that some more Assam would enhance the richness of the cup, but, I really like the way it tastes now.
The nutty flavor is well pronounced with the presence of both pistachio and almond, but, I am finding the honey to be a stronger flavor. I can also taste the coconut which gives the cup a sweet, creamy flavor and ties the “baked goods” flavor together quite well.
There is also an intriguing floral tone in the background that I did not expect to find. I like it. And after reading a bit more about this tea, I see that chrysanthemum is one of the in ingredients … which explains that floral note I’m tasting! I like the way the chrysanthemum enhances not only the honey notes, but also adds depth to the nutty tones.
I like that I am not having to search for flavors here, that they present themselves in a very enjoyable way. This represents the first tea from Kally Tea that I’ve tried, and it’s a good one. I look forward to trying more from them.
Organic Tie Guan Yin (Iron Goddess) with Honey from Teavivre
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Product Description:
Premium quality organic Ti KuanYin tea (Ti KuanYin) flavoured with organic honey
- Grown and produced near Zhangzhou in Fujian province
- Hand made into small, rolled up, jade colored leaves, then soaked in organic honey
- Pale yellow-green colored tea when brewed
- Delightfully sweet honey flavoured and aroma
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The photo above doesn’t really show this, but, the dry leaf is quite unusual – unlike any other Oolong I’ve ever encountered (or any other type of tea, for that matter!) The tea is tightly vacuum-packed in beautiful purple foil pouches, and when I opened the package, there was another small liner protecting the tea … it almost looked like rice paper, but it is plastic. After peeling away the plastic, I realized why it was there, because this tea is STICKY! As in honey sticky! The tightly wound pellets of Ti Guan Yin tea have been soaked in honey, and then processed in these packages to maintain their freshness.
After opening the package, I pondered for a moment about how I should brew the tea … in my Breville? Or in my gaiwan? Usually, when I steep Oolong, I steep it in my gaiwan, but, with flavored Oolongs, I make an exception. But… ultimately, I decided to steep this in my gaiwan, because I figured with all this honey, it would be easier to clean out of my gaiwan than it would my Breville.
I did not rinse (or awaken) the leaves, because I didn’t want to lose any of that honey flavor. The combination of the first two infusions are sweet and very honey-esque. But, I am glad that the honey flavor does not mask the flavor of the Iron Goddess – which is slightly vegetative tasting, with a lovely floral note that seems to have been intensified by the honey soak. This is incredibly smooth and is very easily consumed … not to mention quickly consumed!
The combination of the third and fourth infusion are not as sweet as the first cup, but still quite delicious. There is a bit of astringency to this cup that I didn’t notice with the first, and I am noticing some of the sharper notes from the floral tones that were possibly hiding behind the sweet honey flavor in the first cup. Still very delicious – this cup tastes more like what I would expect from Iron Goddess, and less like honey. But while the honey is lighter, it does linger in the aftertaste – very nice!
My final cup of this tea (the combination of the fifth and sixth infusions) were very much like what I’d expect from a Tie Guan Yin – very flavorful, yes, but, not so much of a honey flavor is present. The floral tones are not quite as sharp but are still quite strong and very lovely – reminding me a bit of orchid and lily. There is a very slight grassy tone.
While I enjoyed my three cups of this tea hot, I find myself wondering how this tea might taste iced; combining all six infusions into one pitcher and then chilling it. I suspect that the strong honey tones of the first two infusions would be softened by the other infusions, giving it just a soft, honey-esque sweetness with a beautiful background of traditional Tie Guan Yin flavors. I may have to try that very soon!
Overall, I found this to be a very tasty and satisfying Oolong – from that very first infusion, until the last.
Autumn from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Product Description:
I may have mentioned last week that spring often puts me in mind of fall, which is really my favorite-est season of all. There is something magical about the leaves turning to gold and rust and carpeting the lawn, the smell of woodsmoke as people get their fireplaces going again and the autumn harvest the last of the fresh honey for the year. I tried to come up with a blend that screamed “Autumn” this week, and I think, well, I’ll let you tell me if I’ve succeeded or not.
I started with a nice caffeine-free rooibos base for that tinge of woodiness it has which I associate with leaves crackling underfeet and old trees battening down the hatches for the approaching winter. I added some fresh, organic cinnamon chips, and bits of organic vanilla beans, because what is fall without a little spice? Then I finished everything off with natural honey, vanilla and cinnamon flavors, in that order. The result is autumn in a cup, as I see it. I look forward to hearing what you think.
Taster’s Review:
I am so happy Autumn is here! Autumn is not only Frank’s “favorite-est” season of the year, it is mine too. That being said, I wasn’t as enthusiastic about trying his tea-ribute to the season. Rooibos? Not my favorite.
But I’d like to clarify that I was not enthusiastic to try this tea, but now that I have tried it, I am really liking it! I guess the old saying is true: don’t judge a book by it’s cover … err… don’t judge a tea before tasting it.
This is really quite tasty. The woody-nutty flavor of the rooibos melds with the flavors of cinnamon, vanilla and honey perfectly. The sip starts out with a zesty kick of cinnamon, with the vanilla arriving just after the cinnamon to smooth things out. The woody undertones of the rooibos are there throughout the sip, but they do not overwhelm the flavors. At the finish, the honey-esque tones emerge, and impart a sweet aftertaste that is lightly sprinkled with cinnamon.
Yes, I do think that Frank has successfully captured the essence of autumn with this blend. And as an artist, I can appreciate the many flavors of autumn as they come to life in my teacup; I liken it to watching the colors of autumn come to life as the season progresses. It is truly beautiful!