Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Puerh, Black
Where to Buy: sTEAp Shoppe
Tea Description:
Cinnamon Swirl Bread Puerh & Black Teas touches your tongue with a rich depth of flavor and the bright embrace of cinnamon. Aromatic cinnamon, combined with rich bread like puerh and the sweet honey notes of gold bud black tea. This combination of tea and spice creates the perfect cup to wake up with or as a dessert. Full bodied with a smooth buttery goodness embraced by bright ribbons of cinnamon.
Pu-erh tea is a post-fermented tea, specifically Dark tea, produced in Yunnan province, China. The difference between this and all other teas is that, Pu erh tea undergoes the standard process of rolling and drying, after which it will then undergo a microbial fermentation. This style of processing tea is unique to China. A process created by the Chinese and produced in Yunnan, a leader in quality Chinese teas.
Taster’s Review:Learn more about this tea here.
Janet does it again with her Cinnamon Swirl Bread from sTEAp Shoppe. Her blend of 2008 Loose Puerh and Yunnan Gold Needle Black tea, with just the right mix of cinnamon, cocoa nibs, vanilla bean, and maple crystals make this tea taste like you just toasted up some sweet cinnamon bread!
I love her use of organic ingredients and that the tea is not overly sweet, nor overly spicy. This blend is balanced perfectly.
The aroma that fills your home when you steep it is nothing short of delicious.
Earthy puerh gives a flavor and mouthfeel of whole grain bread, while the Yunnan Gold Needle provides provides a smoothness to support the zippy cinnamon. The vanilla plays a supporting role that compliments the maple crystals, leaving a lightly sweet taste on the tongue.
The resulting effect is a delicious lingering flavor on the palate of sweet spicy cinnamon, and a toasty flavor.
Janet really does a great job with her blended teas. She takes great time and care in making sure she has them perfected before putting them up for sale. Her selection has grown slowly but steadily over time and I can say that this blend is masterful. I am not generally a big fan of cinnamon teas, or spicy teas, with the exception of an occasional chai latte, but this Cinnamon Swirl Bread tea is a stash staple.
Golden Fleece from Verdant Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Verdant Tea
Tea Description:
“This wild-picked Golden Fleece is an exquisite lesson in texture, and one of the truest flavor embodiments of Yunnan itself. . . .This is the finest, most nuanced and intriguing Dian Hong we have ever encountered. Wang Yanxin, our sourcing agent who has devoted her life to Yunnan, has been searching for a Dian Hong like this for years. Every time she sends us pu’er, she includes 30-40 Dian Hong teas, and Jin Jun Mei teas. This time, she only sent us one, and wrote on the bag “this is the one. Best Dian Hong. Taste slowly.” She was so very right.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I have had Golden Fleece from Verdant Tea since it was released on Verdant Tea website. I actually ordered it twice because the first order was gone in a flash. I had thought I would save the second bag I bought and hoard it, but the fact is tea is best when fresh, and I would not want to deprive myself of enjoying this tea while still fresh, let alone deprive the tea of giving off the best cup possible. So I have opened my second bag and I am enjoying it daily until it is gone. When it is gone I will most likely purchase another bag if it is still available on the Verdant web site. As of right now it is still available so if you are tempted by this tea – get some while you still can!
This is everything that could be desired in a black tea, especially in a morning cup. It is toasty, creamy, and the aroma is one that will wet your appetite for breakfast or sustain you and give you all the flavors that a calorie ridden decedent breakfast would. Everything you will find in the aroma, you will also find in the flavor. There is a malty, maple flavor, along with a fresh hay laying in the morning sunrise dew flavor, a spun sugar flavor, a subtle vanilla flavor, and a cocoa flavor. That is just on the top levels of this tea!
Once you relish in those beautiful top note flavors you will find yourself emerged into a world of sweet spices, such as cinnamon, clove, and even a taste of paprika.
The mouthfeel is like that of silk or satin, creamy and luxurious. It offers a very full mouthfeel indeed!
This tea can be steeped many times offering new layers and flavors in each cup which is always quite enjoyable and my preferred method of brewing (gong fu style). However, if you want your first cup to be richer, fuller, creamier, or just don’t feel like fussing with a gong fu sitting, by all means enjoy it western brewed as you can’t go wrong with this tea. You will still get two to three steeps out of it western style. Its just such a fine tea however you may find yourself feeling that gong fu brewing is a must. I prefer drinking this tea on weekends when I can take a bit more time in the mornings and go at a slower pace, enjoying up to eight or more steeps.
There are other wonderful flavor notes to find in this tea – some of the base notes I find are mushroom, oak moss, rock mineral, and wood. There is a dry finish to this tea which is due to the base notes.
According to Verdant’s Website: “ Instead, this is a subtle experience that will appeal to lovers of fine oolong and pu’er.”
I could not agree more! I myself am a lover of oolong and pu’er so they are absolutely correct as I fully appreciate this fine black tea.
I always say that good tea, which is defined by each of us alone, should evoke a thought, a feeling, or a memory, and for me this tea evokes the thoughts and feelings of friends, family, good times, warmth, and love. This is why I have chosen this tea for my Christmas Time Tea and why my review of it is posted today, Christmas Day. I will be enjoying this tea all day today as I spend cherished moments, and make forever memories, with my family and friends.
Merry Christmas to all.
Maple Syrup Matcha from Red Leaf Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green (Matcha)
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
The widely popular maple syrup can be likened to the combined tastes of both honey and caramel. Adding the toning touch of oriental Matcha makes this sweet delight more balanced and delectable. Maple Syrup Matcha can be used in many settings both for normal days and special occasions. On an ordinary day, Maple Syrup Matcha makes the perfect mood enhancer especially on many languid days that can be very dreary. On special occasions, the sweet scent and taste of Maple Syrup Matcha is enough to draw large crowds of enthusiastic followers.
Learn more about this Matcha here.
Taster’s Review:
There are few flavors that SCREAM autumn louder to me than Maple. The warm yet sweet flavor of Maple, the leaves from the Maple trees … just everything about maple is just so autumnal.
Maple is one of my very favorite sweet flavors! I didn’t always love maple, or so I thought, when I thought Maple = Pancake Syrup. I didn’t know there was such a thing as REAL maple syrup … and so my only real experience with maple was the flavoring in the pancake syrup that they sell in the grocery store.
After I had my first real experience with REAL maple, I was in love! Sweet without tasting like processed white sugar, maple has an earthy taste to it that really appeals to me. And this Maple Syrup Matcha is a delightful representation of the Maple flavor that I love!
It is sweet and maple-y without tasting too sugary. The flavor of the Matcha – sweet, slightly earthy and vegetative, with hints of chocolate in the background – seems a perfect pairing with the rich, sweet flavor of maple! They just work together so well! The flavor is sweet, slightly vegetative, earthy and very comforting – something that makes you feel all warm and cozy just by sipping it.
For this particular batch of Matcha, I went with the classic grade of Matcha and the Robust flavoring. Usually, I go with the Distinctive level of flavoring, but since my experience with maple flavoring in tea has been sometimes disappointing when it comes to a lack of maple flavor, I went with Robust because I really wanted to taste the Maple. And I TASTE it. I think I would have been safe with the distinctive level here, but, I am loving how strong the maple flavor is with the robust, so I think I’ll stick with it for future orders.
The first time I tried this flavored Matcha, there was a slight artificial-ness to the taste, slightly chemical. It wasn’t a strong flavor and it did not intrude upon my enjoyment of the Matcha, but at the same time, I wasn’t pleased it was there. However, today, as I sip it, I don’t notice the chemical flavor nearly so much! I don’t know why that is! All I do know is that I love it more now than when I first tried it! YUM!
Autumn Leaves from Della Terra Teas
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos & Honeybush
Where to Buy: Della Terra Teas
Tea Description:
It’s that time of year again! Even if it’s not, and you want it to be, just have a cup of this perfectly aromatic rooibos! It has the flavor and aroma of maple and the roasted goodness of honeybush paired with rooibos and green rooibos. It creates the perfect blend of all the flavors to give you all the best of Autumn in your cup!
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
Warning: This tisane is for true maple lovers ONLY!
If you swipe the lip of the bottle clean with your finger after you’ve poured maple syrup over the pancakes, and then licked your finger, or if you’re tempted to lick your plate clean after you’ve finished the pancakes… read on. This tisane is something you MUST try!
I love maple. I am sure I’ve proclaimed that on this blog before. I’m sure I’ll probably say so again. It’s one of my favorite sweet flavors, probably #3 after chocolate and caramel.
And this tisane from Della Terra Teas is about the closest thing to real maple syrup that any tea or tisane will ever get. It tastes as though I filled the cup up half of the way full with maple syrup, and then stirred in some brewed rooibos to thin it out a bit.
I don’t even taste the rooibos much here… I do taste a slight nuttiness to the cup, but it melds together with the maple notes so well that it’s not really distinguishable as rooibos to me. It just tastes like hints of toasty, nutty flavor that add to the warm taste that I get from this maple-y delicious tisane.
I love that the base used here is not just oxidized rooibos, but also green rooibos and honeybush which gives the overall cup a more pleasing dimension. I taste notes that are not definitively maple notes in this, but it’s difficult to describe the overall taste, because really, what I taste more than anything is MAPLE! It is warm, luscious and very sweet. Just like real maple syrup.
So, if you do not like sweet drinks … don’t try this. If you do not like maple … don’t try this. But if you have a sweet tooth and you love MAPLE like I do, you MUST try this.
And don’t forget about our Della Terra Teas’ 12 Day of Christmas Tea Sampler Giveaway that is going on right now! Enter for your chance to win!
State of Maine from Jacqueline’s Tea Room
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Jacqueline’s Tea Room
Tea Description:
Blueberries and maple with a hint of smoke
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I purchased this tea originally via a sampler offered on iHeartTeas, although, it appears that this sampler is no longer available. However, it does look like Jacqueline’s Tea Room is now selling their teas online!
This is really a very tasty tea. The black tea base is a rich, hearty base … the kind of tea with which you want to start your day. Slightly smoky and full-flavored, the tea has a mild astringency and after steeping for 2 1/2 minutes, I detect no bitterness.
I like the way the maple flavor and the smoke taste together. It is a very rustic kind of taste, evoking thoughts of a pancake breakfast in a log cabin in the woods. The blueberries add just a touch of brightness to the cup, sweet and a little bit tart – it’s that subtle contrast that adds a lot of dimension to the tea.
I enjoyed this tea served straight – with no additions. It was very flavorful and rewarding. However, I think that this tea could also handle a little bit of milk and sugar if you want a creamy latte.
A deliciously cozy tea!