Tea Type: Black Tea
Where To Buy: Harney & Sons
Product Description:
Mike visited this secret spot on his last trip to China. It was difficult to get in and no, he did not get to see the smoking process. This organic tea is much more subtle and elegant than other Lapsangs.
Tasters Review:
I recently received this from a TEA Friend of mine and enjoyed it VERY MUCH! Wuyi Shan Lapsang Tea from Harney & Sons DOES smell interesting yet good! It’s a smoky-chewy-honey like smell.
And oddly…it tastes much like it smells! Maybe not as smoky which is fine with me! There IS a bit of smoke there but there is so much else going on with this tea that the SMOKE isn’t isn’t the flavor that pushes to front of the over all taste!
It’s CHEWY and yummy….it seems I really REALLY like chewy teas! There is a honey-like taste to it and it has a sweeter finish.
I noticed as the tea had time to sit at room temperature – maybe 2 to 3 minutes – the honey tones seems to pop out more.
This is fairly complex and interesting and I like it very much!
Tie Guan Ying (Iron Buddha) from Canton Tea Company
Leaf Type: Oolong Tea
Where To Buy: Canton Tea Co
Product Description:
This classic Tie Guan Yin produces a delicious, light-coloured, medium-bodied liquor. The first infusion combines toasty, floral notes with a touch of honey and becomes more fruity with successive infusions.
The dark, lightly oxidised green leaves are rolled into small tight fists. The liquor is amber-green with a smooth, heavy texture on the tongue. The flowery and fruity profile of this tea has a touch of honey and at first releases the pleasant orchid notes – after a couple of brews it yields the soft fruitier notes and has a sweet long lasting after taste.
Tasters Review:
There are few teas that have made me say “WOW” and at the same time have FUN with my cup. This is one of those teas. The reason this tea was fun for me was because the tastes seem to change – almost like a twist here and a twirl there – maybe a tea roller-coaster of sorts…with a surprise at each turn and a rush of excitement when you realize you are having more fun that you should!
At first it has a Buttery Vegetable type smell and the taste is buttery THEN fruity and almost nutty. It has a sweet and buttery aftertaste and is VERY smooth.
As it cools a little I can taste the ever so slight bit of natural-salt-likeness…it seems to fit in quite nicely!
This tea is fun because it makes you think – there is so much more than the eye can see BUT more importantly…it’s darn-tasty!
Noël en Provence from Dammann Frères
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy:
Company Description:
A blend of non smoked teas from China and Ceylon with fig, strawberry and honey, cornflower and sunflower petals, lavender granulates.
Taster’s Review:
This tea smells amazing. It possesses a very fruity bouquet: I can smell both the strawberry and the fig, with the strawberry fragrance being the most prominent. The aroma also captures the essence of the lavender in this blend, creating a lovely melange of fruit and flower that is simply a delight to experience.
And that’s just the dry leaf! The aroma of the brewed tea is even more enchanting than the dry leaf. Some of the notes of the black tea emerge as the tea brews, giving off a warm, biscuit-y scent, and when introduced with the fragrances of fruit and flower, it becomes truly irresistible!
But as I’ve said before, it’s the flavor that really matters most, and this tea delivers on flavor too. The flavor of the lavender is very pleasantly pronounced. It is very floral in taste, but somehow, the lavender in this tea tastes quite unlike any other lavender tea (or even just lavender), that I’ve encountered from here in the United States. The lavender from France is magnificent!
A pleasant sweetness washes over the palate with this tea also courtesy of the honey. The honey is not super strong, and therefore is not overly sweet, but, it is just enough to help bring out the sweetness of the fruit and flower of this blend. In contrast, there is a slight sharpness to the tea which I accredit to the sunflower petals. It makes for a unique experience for the palate.
The strawberry is also well-defined in this blend. And I don’t know if I’ve ever tasted strawberry and lavender together in a tea before… but, here, in this cup… it’s divine! The fig is also there, it is somewhat softer than the other flavors, but definitely adds its own flair to the cup. The black tea base is a very enjoyable, non-aggressive black tea, with a slight “baked bread” kind of quality to it that compliments the other flavors in this tea so well. Delicious!
This is a tea that would be quite delicious served iced, but, I think I prefer it hot. Because of the honey present in the blend, no sweetener is necessary with this tea – it has quite a lovely sweetness on its own. However, I did try it with just a sprinkling (about 1/4 of a teaspoon) of raw sugar, and found that this encouraged some of the softer flavors to reveal themselves – especially that of the fig.
A very bright, flavorful tea that would be enjoyable any time of day – another winner from Dammann Frères!
