Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Butiki Teas
Tea Description:
Pistachio Ice Cream has an Organic Mao Jian base with generous amounts of roasted pistachios and a dash of lotus stamens. The sweet roasted pistachio flavor is immediately noticed followed by prominent notes of heavy cream. Light notes of vanilla can also be distinguished. Add some sugar to turn this smooth full-bodied tea into a dessert treat that resembles pistachio ice cream.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Today is my grampa’s birthday – I miss him so much. And this is an excellent tea to enjoy on the anniversary of his birth, because he loved ice cream. I think he would have really gotten a kick out of this tea, even though he wasn’t much of a tea drinker.
How often do you come across a tea that has you smacking your lips together to keep the taste moving around on your palate … long after the sip is gone? Well, that’s what I’m doing with this tea. This tastes like someone dropped a scoop of pistachio ice cream into my cup of Mao Jian green tea and let it melt. And I’m loving every sip of this!
I’m happy with how every flavor is represented: I can taste the green tea with its fresh vegetal notes and I even taste a hint of the lotus, I taste the toasted nutty taste of the pistachio, and the cream with its sweet, creamy, vanilla character. It is sweet, creamy and absolutely delectable!
I’m drinking this hot, because, quite frankly, I’m not patient enough to allow it to cool. But, I suspect that it is amazing served chilled too. It has a natural sweetness to it, so you needn’t add any sugar or other sweetener. It’s stunning as is!
I am so very impressed with just how good this tea is. It is a flavored tea – and yes, the flavors are strong, but I love that the flavors have not overpowered the green tea. I taste the green tea – and that’s what I think I like best about this. I’m drinking tea … but I’m also enjoying pistachio ice cream – and without all the fat and calories of pistachio ice cream!
Lotus Ancien from The Tao of Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: The Tao of Tea
Tea Description:
A delicate green tea with a clear, crisp flavor is paired with the heady, aromatic fragrance of Lotus, reminiscent of anise and vanilla.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I am truly amazed at how delicious this tea is.
I have been a fan of scented teas for quite some time, especially jasmine scented teas. In fact, jasmine has been my favorite for many years now, but I think that lotus has a good chance of dethroning my beloved jasmine after tasting this tea.
When I first saw the leaves, I thought they might be an Oolong, or even a black tea (they are darker in color than the photo above suggests, they are a deep chocolate-brown color), so I was glad that I checked on it before I brewed it, because if I had brewed it by what I saw, I think the water would have been too hot and I might have ruined this fantastic tea.
I steeped it at a low temperature (175°F) for 2 minutes, and the result was a pale golden colored brew – it is much paler than I expected with such dark leaves. The aroma is intensely floral – it’s very pleasing to the nose!
The flavor is superb. The green tea is a very delicate flavor, sweet with hints of vegetation. The lotus provides a delightful vanilla-y tone, just as the description above suggests, as well as hints of anise. It isn’t a snappy licorice flavor, but more of a gentle, sweet anise, softened by the creamy overtones.
This is one of those teas that goes beyond “pleasant” or “enjoyable” – this is a memorable tea, one that will make ordinary moments extraordinary and special moments even better.
I love this tea.