Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Culinary Teas
Tea Description:
This organic tea comes from Usambara in northern Tanzania. Years ago lions freely roamed this region. The tea is reddish and the cup has a full and malty flavored.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Mmm! It’s been a little while since I last had a pure Tanzania black tea. It’s a tea that’s always welcome in my teacup! I love the rich, malty flavor!
The dry leaf is a very small CTC leaf. What that says to me is that I need to make a couple of adjustments to my brewing routine. First, I have a smaller leaf so there is more surface area exposed. So, I want to cut the brew time a little bit so that I don’t wind up with a bitter tasting cup! With a small cut leaf like this, I usually brew the tea for just 2 – 2 1/2 minutes. Since I brewed this in my Kati tumbler, I went with 2 1/2 minutes. If I were brewing it in my Breville tea maker, I’d go with 2 minutes.
Also with the smaller cut leaf, you have more leaf in a measuring vessel than you would with a full leaf. That is to say that 1 bamboo scoop of this tea would be more tea than 1 bamboo scoop of a whole leaf tea. So, I reduce the amount of tea that I measure into the basket of the tumbler. So instead of a bamboo scoop, I went with 3/4 bamboo scoop of leaf.
And the flavor is exactly what I was looking for this morning! It’s rich, full-flavored and loaded with the gusto I need to get myself going today! It is so malty – it would rival a favorite Assam! And the flavor is less harsh than Assam (Assam can sometimes be bitter!) This has a lovely caramel undertone that melds nicely with the malt. Notes of earth, leather, hints of molasses. As I near mid-cup, I start to pick up on some stone fruit notes. Plum. Caramelized plum!
Delightful! I love that this tea is organic. But even more than that, I love that this is a full-bodied, flavorful cup of tea that has given me the invigorating kick that I needed today!
Maple Marshmallow Flavored Iced Black Tea from Southern Boy Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Zoomdweebies
Tea Description:
Why hasn’t anyone combined these two flavors yet? I don’t know, but I’m not scurred. Here’s our premium organic Indian black teas blended with organic maple and marshmallow flavors.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn about SBT’s subscriptions here.
Taster’s Review:
YUM! This is seriously good.
My mouth watered when I saw the label on the package. I want those cupcakes.
And while this tea doesn’t have “cupcake-y” flavors to it, it definitely has the maple and the marshmallow! These flavors are strong and very well-defined. And even though they are really strong, I still taste plenty of black tea flavor too.
It’s sweet and refreshing. It’s something that tastes so good that you’d swear you’re cheating on your diet when you drink it, but you aren’t! It’s iced tea! It only TASTES indulgent.
This is one of the best flavors I’ve tasted from SBT thus far. This might even be better than my lime favorites (Lime Cola and Lime Jello).
If you’re one who doesn’t like sweet flavors – this tea probably won’t be to your liking. But for the rest of us, seriously, you’ve got to try this. It’s so good.
AND Southern Boy Teas has a new Kickstarter Campaign going. Please take a moment and check out the campaign and if you can, please consider contributing to this small business!
Organic Okayti Silver Needle Second Flush Darjeeling White Tea from Golden Tips
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White (Darjeeling)
Where to Buy: Golden Tips
Tea Description:
Handpicked from the most delicate and tender portions of the tea bush, early morning and just before sunrise, this Okayti White is a class apart. The fluffy silver needles are manufactured to perfection and display an opulence only found in certain select White teas. The nose to the infusion is superb with a delicate character combined with grassy notes which follow sweet hints of honey. The liquor is pale and almost colourless. The flowery character in the flavor is extremely complex and perfectly fruity. With no grassiness at all, the flavor keeps on developing in the mouth once you keep rolling it for a few seconds till it peaks and flushes your mouth with a unique sweetness. If you love white tea, you should not miss this.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh, this is a lovely white Darjeeling! It seems like the Darjeeling region focuses primarily on their black tea production, but I find that the white, green and Oolong offerings that I’ve tried to be just as delightful – if not more so! – as the black teas and so when I do discover a white Darjeeling like this one from Golden Tips, I’m a very happy sipper!
To brew this tea, I used my 2 cup teapot (it’s a little ceramic teapot) and I ‘eyeballed’ a measurement of leaves that is approximately 2 bamboo scoops. (These leaves are very fluffy and difficult to measure with an actual bamboo scoop. So I must imagine that my hand is the bamboo scoop.) Then I poured water heated to 170°F into the teapot, put the lid on the teapot and let the tea steep for 3 1/2 minutes. Then I strained the tea into my brand new mug that my daughter gave me for Christmas.
And ah! This is truly a delight to sip.
The flavor is delicate – it is a white tea! – but not as delicate as you might expect! This has a stronger, more assertive flavor than a Chinese Silver Needle, but it’s certainly not as assertive as another leaf type.
It’s sweet with a very pleasant, thick texture. The description above suggests floral notes, and I am tasting those, but I’m also tasting delicious notes of melon and sweet grape. The sweetness comes not only from these fruit notes but also a honey-esque sweetness. There is an enjoyable balance between the fruity notes, floral tones and honeyed sweetness and I like how these play on the palate.
And this is a white tea! That means multiple infusions!
The second cup is darker in color. The first cup was quite light, almost colorless! This time there’s more of a light yellow-amber color to the cup. The flavor is stronger too, but I’m finding that balance between the fruit, floral and honey notes to remain. Each of those flavors is stronger with the second infusion but the flavors are still balanced. The texture seems a little thinner than the first cup and the best way I can think of to describe this difference is that the first cup was almost “creamy” in the consistency although it didn’t taste creamy. The texture of this cup isn’t as creamy.
With later infusions, I noticed the flavors change a little. The honey notes softened somewhat and I started to pick up on distant nutty tones. The tea is still sweet, just not as honey-like. I started to pick up on orchid notes. I could taste floral notes throughout, but I couldn’t really distinguish the flower I was tasting and as I continued to steep these leaves I began to taste more defined notes of orchid and maybe even a hint of honeysuckle.
The grape notes started to become more wine-like to me, too. Like a gentle white wine, but not such a dry or astringent finish as I’d experience from a white wine. Quite lovely!
If you’re one who tends to avoid white teas because you find that they taste too delicate for you, try a Darjeeling white tea like this Okayti Silver Needle. I think you’ll find the flavor more pronounced and much more satisfying!
Seven Seas Herbal Tea from Simple Loose Leaf
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos & Herbal
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf here.
Tisane Description:
This healthy and harmonious herbal tea blends peppermint, ginseng, cinnamon, echinacea, sarsaparilla, licorice, and organic South African rooibos. The cooling peppermint and warm cinnamon notes pair perfectly with the sweet, soothing finish provided by the other herbs. This special blend is an ideal and tasty way to stimulate your immune system.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s Co-Op program here.
Taster’s Review:
As I’ve said in the past, I’m not usually a big fan of ginseng, but this blend has enough going on that I barely notice that the ginseng is there! I’m too busy enjoying the contrast between crisp, cool peppermint and zesty cinnamon and snappy licorice to focus on the ginseng. The peppermint, cinnamon and licorice are the three strongest components of this cup.
This is a delightful tisane to sip on this cold winter’s night. The combination of cinnamon and licorice are warming me from the inside out, while the peppermint adds a refreshing element. As I said, I don’t taste much from the ginseng. I also don’t taste a lot from the rooibos or the echinacea.
At first, I had trouble locating the sarsaparilla in this, but if I slurp the sip, I do pick up on a light root beer-ish flavor in the distance, and it’s quite an interesting note to be tasting along with the cinnamon. Peppermint and licorice are both profiles that I’ve occasionally noticed in gourmet root beers, but not cinnamon. The cinnamon and sarsaparilla are quite intriguing and this combination is keeping me sipping.
This is a tisane that was a sample in my last box from Simple Loose Leaf (when they switched from the selection club to the co-op plan), and I held on to it for a while because … well, because it’s a tisane. That’s why. I have admitted before that I’m often skittish when it comes to tisanes and this just goes to show what I mean by that.
But I’m glad I finally decided to try it because I enjoyed this. It’s a wonderful medley of contrasts, and there’s a lot of health benefits in this too!
Sweetfern Tonic Tea from The Algonquin Tea Co.
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal/Functional Tisane
Where to Buy: Algonquin Tea Co.
Tea Description:
Delicious daily tonic formulated to assist every major organ in the cleansing of toxins. Immune boost and detox. Great iced tea. Tastes similar to black tea
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about subscribing to Postal Teas here.
Taster’s Review:
The above description suggests that this tisane tastes similar to black tea. And despite this ‘promise’ – I found myself still hesitant to try it because … well, because it’s a tisane. And I know that I’ve mentioned more than once or twice my apprehension when it comes to tisanes.
But I finally decided that it was time to try it. So, to brew this, I measured out three bamboo scoops of the tisane into the basket of my Breville One-Touch tea maker and added 500ml of water to the kettle. Then I set the temperature for 195°F and the timer for 7 minutes and I let the tea maker do it’s thing!
I let it cool for a few minutes before taking the first sip. And yes, it does taste a bit like black tea. More accurately, it tastes like a ‘thinned’ black tea with herbaceous notes. Like maybe someone took half a cup of black tea and topped it off with an herbal tisane.
It’s actually quite pleasant to sip. And this tea has a few “pros” to it: a) there’s no hibiscus! Yay! b) it has echinacea which is a fairly well-recognized herb that boosts the immunity system. c) it’s pretty tasty.
Unlike many tisanes I’ve had in the past, this tisane is more like a unified flavor of all the components. That is to say – this tastes like one flavor and I’d find it difficult to discern the different flavors/ingredients of the blend. I taste a gently warm flavor to it – like a subtle spice. I notice a slight “root-beer-ish” kind of note that I attribute to the burdock.
But other than the “thinned black tea with herbaceous notes” – that’s really all I can taste. I taste a thinned black tea, herbaceous flavors, warm, subtle spice and a hint of root beer. It’s a tasty tisane.
The brochure from Algonquin that was included in this edition of the Postal Teas box suggests that tea is an effective “cleanser” or detox type of tisane and this is a detox tea that I wouldn’t mind drinking now and again because it does have that black tea + herbal tea taste to it and I’m finding it to be pleasant.
One thing I gotta say about Algonquin, their packaging is beautiful! If I saw these packages in the store, I’d definitely be tempted because the artwork is stunning and as I’ve said before, I’m a sucker for artwork! The packages that we got from Postal Teas are not as lovely as what I see on the Algonquin website, but if it wasn’t for receiving this 9th edition of Postal Teas, I probably wouldn’t have discovered the beautiful artwork!