Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: M&K’s Tea Company on Etsy
Tea Description:
M&K’s own unique blend! We take Chinese green teas, blend them with three citrus fruits, licorice root roasted in honey, and actual raspberries! Not too fruity, not too simple, it’s a perfect blend of green tea and fruit. We use local honey from California beekeepers and local California orange peel.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
After having tried quite a few different teas from M&K’s Tea Company, I must admit that this one isn’t my favorite. And I thought it would be one I like quite a bit because the name offers quite a bit of promise! Citrus, Honey and Raspberry flavors in a Green Tea? Yes, please!
But the execution is a little off for me and I can’t really pinpoint it yet, so maybe in the process of writing this review, I can figure it out.
To brew this tea, I measured 1 bamboo scoop of the loose leaf tea into the basket of my Kati Tumbler. Then I added 12 ounces of 175°F water and let the tea steep for 2 minutes.
The green tea base is pleasant: it’s a combination of two Chinese green teas: gunpowder and Huangshan Maofeng. Together they give the tea an enjoyable texture – soft and creamy – and a smooth, lightly buttery taste with hints of smoke and vegetation.
The citrus note is subtle to this and most discernible when the tea is slurped (this helps aerate the liquid on the palate and it “enlivens” the flavors for your palate). I taste tart and tangy notes of citrus with a light sweetness of the honey. I also get a hint of bitter from the citrus peel.
Then I pick up on the sweet notes of licorice. Because the licorice root has been roasted in honey, the flavor of the licorice has been softened – I’m not getting that sharpness that I often get from licorice root. I think that this works for this particular blend because if the licorice root hadn’t been softened somewhat, it might have taken over the blend and we’d have Licorice Citrus Raspberry Green Tea instead of Honey Citrus Raspberry Green Tea.
Instead the licorice just adds a hint of almost candy-like sweetness to the cup that I actually enjoy. It might be my favorite thing about this particular blend
The raspberry is also quite subtle and I think that is what I’m thinking is off. I feel like I’m tasting more hibiscus and raspberry leaf to accentuate the raspberry than I’m actually tasting raspberry and that’s unfortunate.
So, there you have it, I’ve pinpointed my issue with this tea: I’d like the flavors of citrus and raspberry to be a little more prominent in the blend. I do like that the green tea is a dominant flavor here and I like the little contrast that the licorice root adds, but I think that because this tea is called Honey Citrus Raspberry Green Tea that I’m wanting a little more focus on the citrus and berry notes.
It’s not a bad tea but it’s not as great as I thought it would be. I’ve enjoyed many of M&K’s blends though, so I won’t hold this against them, because while it’s not my favorite tea that I’ve had from them, it’s tasty. It’s good, just not as great as some of the other M&K’s experiences that I’ve had.
Lime Gelatin Salad Iced Green Tea from Southern Boy Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Zoomdweebies
Tea Description:
Grandma’s Jello!
Okay, but seriously, This is a tea that combines all of the goodness of lime gelatin, pineapple and marshmallow without forcing you to stare down the quivering mass that looks like something from outer space. When these flavors combine with our sweet, buttery Chinese sencha fannings, well, trust me, this is a tea that will blow you away.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Mmm! Lime Jello was one of my all time favorite teas from 52Teas, and I loved Southern Boy Teas’ black tea version of the Lime Jello too. So, I felt very confident that I’d love this Lime Gelatin Salad Iced Green Tea from Southern Boy Teas too.
And it is YUMMY! I have to admit that it isn’t quite as tasty as I remember the original Lime Jello tasting. It’s still really good though. Very refreshing. The flavors are delightful with bright notes of lime that’s sweet with just enough tart to keep it from tasting too sweet.
I also taste a little bit of marshmallow in there. The pineapple is a little more difficult to pick out. It doesn’t just jump right out and say “hello, I’m pineapple.” But you taste something a little different, something that’s fruity but not quite lime and after a while, my taste buds start to recognize it as pineapple.
This is a really enjoyable iced tea. I like that it’s sweet without adding anything to it – you don’t need to add sugar or other sweetener to this tea. It’s really enjoyable as it is.
And what I really LOVE about the green teas (and white teas) from SBT is that you can resteep the bag with no loss in flavor. Actually, I find that the second pitcher is even tastier than the first!
Please take a moment to check out Southern Boy Teas’ Indiegogo Campaign – they’re looking to take their teas to new heights and could really use your support!
Key Lime Flavored Black Tea from Culinary Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Culinary Teas
Tea Description:
What do you think of when you taste a Key Lime? Waves breaking along the coastline of southern Florida? Lazy summer days? Bright sunshine? The limes grown in the Florida Keys are one of the world’s best loved, and sweetest citrus fruits. When used as a garnish the juice of the Key Lime will brighten any dish or dessert. It goes without saying that this is a truly great dessert tea. Brew a pot, sit back and think sunshine. Or, brew a pitcher for iced tea and be in the sunshine!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is a really delightful tea to be drinking on a day like this. The weather is cold and drizzly outside but inside, I’m sitting here, curled up with a hot cup of this Key Lime Tea from Culinary Teas and it’s like a taste of summertime in my teacup. The flavor of the lime is bright and refreshing.
The black tea base is a Ceylon tea. It’s very much what I’d expect from a good quality Ceylon tea: smooth, mild tasting, even tempered. It isn’t an overly aggressive tasting tea and it isn’t too astringent. It’s pleasant and medium-bodied.
It’s a good base for the tart flavor of lime. I like that the lime is strong here without being overwhelming. And I also appreciate that it’s not abundantly tart. It’s tart enough to tell you that this is a lime flavored tea, but not so tart that I’m puckering as I sip.
Served hot, this tea makes a really nice afternoon tea. But this tea really shines as it cools, I found that the Key Lime notes really popped once it cooled. This would make a stunning iced tea!
Lime Marshmallow White Tea from Butiki Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Butiki Teas
Tea Description:
Our Lime Marshmallow pairs our Organic Bai Mu Dan with gentle lime and creamy marshmallow. The sweet lime flavor is immediately noticeable followed by a marshmallow flavor that lingers. Adding some sugar will create a gooey marshmallow flavor with hints of sweet lime.
Read more about this tea on Steepster.
Taster’s Review:
OK, this was the tea that got me. I wasn’t going to order more teas from Butiki Teas since they did announce that they were going to close. I was sad to hear of their closing, but I figured that I had enough teas that I need to review that I didn’t really need more tea. That is until I saw “Lime Marshmallow.” How do I pass that up?
Answer: I don’t!
And this is delicious. This cup that I’m drinking at the moment is actually the second time that I’ve had the tea. The first cup was a little less flavorful than this one. I steeped that in my Breville One-Touch and I have often stated that white teas shouldn’t be steeped in the tea maker because the leaves just aren’t conducive to the way the tea maker operates. Or something like that.
I’ve found that when I steep white teas in the Breville, not all of the leaves that I’ve put into the basket get submerged into the water. For a white tea, I recommend using a teapot and allowing the leaves to steep loose, or if you’ve just gotta use an infuser basket, try a Kati Tumbler.
This time when I steeped it, I got my ceramic teapot and I measured out 3 bamboo scoops of leaf into the teapot. Then I poured in water heated to 170°F and let the tea steep for 4 minutes. Now we’re talking some tasty tea!
I tasted it first before adding any sweetener. It’s nice with a bright, vibrant lime flavor. But I didn’t get a lot of creamy, marshmallow-y flavor. So I took Butiki’s advice and added a little bit of turbinado sugar to the cup and now I can taste that “gooey” marshmallow flavor. It tastes sweet and fluffy.
The white tea is a good base for these flavors too. It’s light and has a subtle hay-like flavor. It’s delicate enough for the flavors of lime and marshmallow to emerge fully without it becoming a really cloying taste, and I am still tasting tea. The tea doesn’t hide behind the flavoring.
I’m glad that I placed that order!
Tink’s Fairy Dust White Tea Blend from Tealee
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Tealee
Tisane Description:
There’s something magical about this aromatic combination of soothing ingredients. Perfect for the moments you find yourself day dreaming about Neverland.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The dry leaf aroma is absolutely beautiful! I smell strong notes of lavender and I love the way they meld with the lime leaves. Lovely!
To brew this tea, I used my Breville One Touch – yeah, I don’t usually use my Breville to brew white teas, but because the leaf is a little smaller here, I felt comfortable using the Breville this time. I measured 2 heaping bamboo scoops into the basket of the tea maker and poured 500ml of water into the kettle. I set the timer for 3 1/2 minutes and the temperature for 165°F. Then I let the machine do it’s thing.
The brewed tea is almost as beautifully fragrant as the dry leaf. This is a tea that you want to inhale deeply when you lift the cup to your lips – smell it first! – and then take a sip. It will make the experience even more enjoyable!
Nice! I was a little worried when I smelled the strong lavender – I worried that maybe the lavender had been overdone. Too much lavender ends up tasting too perfume-ish or soapy and even though I love lavender, I don’t want to drink something that tastes like I should be bathing in it instead.
Fortunately, the lavender is just right! It is strong enough to offer a powerful aromatic experience but not so powerful that I am not able to enjoy the flavor as much as I enjoy the fragrance. This is really lovely!
The lavender is the strongest flavor of the cup, and it has a sweet flavor that is distinctly lavender. Sweet and floral, but not perfume-ish. When I drink teas with lavender, I feel an almost instant “calming” effect and I don’t know if that’s because my brain knows that it just drank lavender and lavender has that effect on me, but I’m starting to feel that – I feel relaxed and as I continue to sip, I feel myself becoming more and more calm.
The lime leaves taste light and citrus-y, and this citrus note is especially noticed in the aftertaste. I can feel a distinct “lime” note on my tongue – as if I just had tasted a tiny bit of lime. I like the way the lime notes play with the lavender – it’s an unexpected but delightful flavor combination.
The white tea is a delicate flavor. It’s soft and sweet. It’s a nice base for these flavors, because a more aggressive tea would be less “calming” and I like the way the lavender is soothing me.
A really pleasant blend! Tealee has some really enticing tea blends on their website. Lots of teas to explore!