Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Kally Tea
Tea Description:
We’ve taken our high quality Bai Mu Dan white tea and blended it with cinnamon, orange and spice. We’ve come up with a flavor that will surprise you as well as invigorate your senses. Kally Tea is proud to present you with this highly gratifying taste sensation.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is delightful!
I’ve had a good number of cinnamon orange spice type teas, but, most of them are a black tea based blend, not white tea. So I was very intrigued by this Tangerine Spice, which appears to have the same idea of those other cinnamon orange spice teas, but, using a white tea base rather than a black tea.
I don’t know if Kally Tea actually used tangerine flavoring rather than orange – the name of the tea suggests one thing while the description suggests another. Then again, there are those who consider these two fruits to be so similar that they lump them together. Personally, I prefer the tangerine over the orange, because it’s sweeter and is a bit more delicate and less tart than the typical orange.
The white tea is a lovely base to use for these flavors, and I’m glad to say that the spices have been toned down appropriately to be in step with the lighter, softer flavor of the Bai Mu Dan. The white tea gives an almost creamy taste to the cup, which melds really nicely with the flavor of the citrus. The citrus is not sharp or too tart here, it has a sweet, juicy flavor, and a slight tangy note that lingers into the aftertaste.
The combination of flavors in this blend really works beautifully. It has a delicate quality to it, as one would expect given that it’s a white tea blend, but, its all balanced out really nicely to provide a very pleasing and refreshing flavor. It reminds me very much of the earliest days of autumn (which … interestingly enough, is right now!) just as the leaves begin to change color and the air begins to take on a cooler, crisper tone, this gently spiced, citrus tea offers just the right flavor … and it’s delicious hot or iced!
Wild Watermelon from Kally Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Kally Tea
Tea Description:
You’ll love this combination of sweet watermelon, paired with smoky gunpowder green tea, with the addition of tangy lime, and natural flavors. The result is a sophisticated and refreshing cup that will surprise and delight your senses. We have found that this tea is truly enhanced with the addition of a sweetener of your choice. Try it without first if you desire, but do not deprive yourself of the experience with the addition of a sweetener.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
At first glance, this tea might cause some confusion even to the most experienced tea drinker. With so many chunks of fruit and herbs, this looks more like a fruit or herbal tisane than a tea. But, look closely, and you’ll see the gunpowder green tea.
So, I steeped this as I would most green teas – a low temperature for a time somewhere between 1 1/2 minutes and 2 1/2 minutes. I opted to lower the temperature to just 170°F so that I could tack an extra 30 seconds brew time and brewed it for 2 1/2 minutes. My hope was that I would be able to extract as much fruit flavor as I can in such a short amount of time, while still managing to keep the green tea from becoming bitter.
Success! This is very flavorful. The liquor is a pretty pale pink hue from the hibiscus, but fortunately, the hibiscus didn’t affect the texture by turning it syrupy nor did it make this cup too tart. There is some tartness to this – make no mistake – but the sour notes I taste are from the lime and pomegranate, not the hibiscus. I can barely taste the hibiscus here, and I’m certainly not complaining!
I can taste the green tea too. It offers a slightly smoky note in the distance, and I find that this smoky tone is especially noticeable in the aftertaste. Quite nice. The green tea does get a little overwhelmed by everything else that’s going on in this blend, but, it’s not completely masked by the other flavors.
And I love that I can taste the watermelon here … it is sweet, and juicy – just like the delicious fruit in the very center of the melon. I love how the tart lime brings out the sweet notes of the watermelon to offer a really delicious cuppa. This is good hot, but even better iced with a little bit of sugar, which helps to bring out the flavors even more.
These leaves can be resteeped a second time. I found that the flavor mellows a little bit with the second infusion, but they weren’t really less flavorful, the cup just tasted different than the first time. This time, I taste more of the gunpowder tea, but, not so much of a smoky note from it. Instead, I taste more of a light, fresh vegetative taste.
The watermelon is a lighter flavor this time around, tasting a bit more like the fruit that is closer to the rind rather than in the center of the melon. The lime is milder this time, and I really am enjoying how the flavors come together in this second infusion – I think I prefer it to the first!
Very nicely done.
Plum Spice from Kally Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Kally Tea
Tea Description:
Nilgiri region black tea, blended with cinnamon chips, to give it a nice spicy bite. But we didn’t stop there, give it a plum flavor to add a depth of fruitiness as well as safflowers to balance it all into a comforting aroma and there you have Kally Tea’s presentation of “Plum Spice”.
Ingredients: Black Tea, Cinnamon Chips, Safflowers, Cinnamon and Plum Flavors.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Mmm! This tea reminds me of the holidays!
It smells amazing. The cinnamon is very strong in the aroma, it smells warm and cozy! The plum comes through – although a bit more gently than the cinnamon notes – providing a sweet yet spicy, fruity fragrance that is absolutely enchanting.
The flavor is a bit surprising. After smelling all the cinnamon and fruit notes, I wasn’t expecting the first flavor to hit my palate to be that of Nilgiri tea! That’s not a bad thing though – not at all. After all, I’m drinking TEA … not fruit punch. I’m happy to be tasting the tea, and I’m thrilled that Kally Tea focused on the tea in this blend, and less on the flavors.
I mean, sure, the flavors are important, because if I wasn’t wanting to taste plum and spice, I wouldn’t have selected the flavor, right? I would have just purchased pure Nilgiri tea. And the flavors are there! The point I was just trying to make is that the tea is the main focus in this blend, and that is just how it should be!
After the rich, bold flavor of Nilgiri touches the palate (malty, slightly earthy), I notice the sweet, caramel-y undertones of the Nilgiri, and the delicious spicy-sweet cinnamon. The cinnamon is a spicy/sweet type of cinnamon, but it isn’t an overpowering flavor, so it doesn’t overwhelm the palate with spice. It is warm, comforting and delicious.
The plum comes through as a sweet-tart kind of plum taste. The plum notes hit the palate at about mid-sip, weaving their way in and out until the aftertaste, where the plum notes are strongest. I taste PLUM now. YUM!
This blend is nicely balanced with its sweetness and spice, and well-rounded flavor of the Nilgiri. Very enjoyable. I find it’s better to allow this one to cool slightly, as the flavors begin to pop about three or four minutes after I poured the cup. This one is also quite delicious iced!
Fruity Cherry Banana Tea from Kally Tea
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Fruit/Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Kally Tea
Tisane Description:
Herb and fruit tea in some circles is considered a new type of tea. We formulated this blend to accommodate tastes of people who wanted to experience a refreshing healthy new style drink without caffeine. What we got was a terrific ‘tea’ that is unbelievably delicious and enjoyed Hot or Cold! This tea has a very exotic flavor profile. The delicious blend of cherries and bananas combined with the natural flavors and tartness of the other dried fruits create a summertime cooler or a wintertime summer reminder.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
Knowing this was a fruit tisane with hibiscus, I steeped it for just five minutes. And even after five minutes, the liquor looked very hibiscus-y. Very deep, ruby red. I was worried.
And yes, I taste the hibiscus too, but, it works in this blend. In fact, I think that the hibiscus is good in this cup. Yep, I said it. This tisane would not be the same without the hibiscus. The hibiscus gives the cup a pleasant body and keeps the liquid from tasting and feeling too thin. And the tartness of the hibiscus gives a nice contrast to the sweetness of the cherry, banana and other fruits in this tisane.
And thankfully, the hibiscus is not overdone. It is there, but it doesn’t overpower the flavor of the fruit. I taste the sweet banana and cherry flavors, as well as the orange, apple and strawberry. It’s a bit like a sweet-tart ambrosia without the whipped cream and mini-marshmallows.
I really enjoyed this tisane. It tasted great served hot, and I think it would be even better iced. For a real treat, try freezing it for a tasty ice pop!
Ceylon Lovers Leap OP from Kally Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Kally Tea
Tea Description:
Sri Lanka, Nuwara Eliya region, February – March, 6000 to 8500 feet above sea level, cool nights, dry weather, sunny days, all combine to force the tea bush to expend its energies into the new growth giving the tea its best flavor. Lover’s Leap is named such as a traditional story that on this estate the tea is grown near a cliff that is said lovers threw themselves off the edge when they were not allowed to marry one another. We are confident that after enjoying the pleasures of this tea, such a drastic step would never enter your mind, quite the contrary… “Let’s brew another!”
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I really like this Ceylon. It is rich and smooth and delicious.
It even has some malty tones to it. In fact, had I not brewed this myself and just been served it without being told what it was, I might have guessed it was an Assam. It has that rich, full-bodied taste I expect from an Assam, but without some of the harsher notes that I often experience with an Assam. It’s kind of like the best of both worlds in one teacup!
This would make a fantastic breakfast tea as it takes the additions of milk and honey (or other sweetener of your choice) well. It’s also quite delicious on its own – with no additions! It’s remarkably smooth. The aftertaste offers hints of fruit and a lovely sweetness.
Most Ceylon teas make a wonderful iced tea too, and this one is no exception! Try it with thin slices of lemon or lime (or both!)