Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope your day is happy and filled with all the things you love most: family, friends and of course TEA! (Actually, I don’t know if you love tea most, but, it’s one of the things I love most in the world, and since you’re sitting here, reading this with me, I have to think that maybe you at least ENJOY tea a little bit!)
Anyway, today’s shiny, bright green envie/box brought me this EXCLUSIVE tea from Della Terra Teas:
Sugar Plum Perfection
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where To Buy: Della Terra Teas
Note: this tea is one of three exclusive teas to this 12 Days of Christmas collection
Tea Description:
Merry Christmas!!! Today is the big day! Now, open up this amazing sugar plum tea and sip away. You’ve earned it!
This black tea will bring more magic to this already magical day with the taste of sweet sugar plums and spice. Enjoy and relax!
A Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!
Taster’s Review:
I was so excited when I opened today’s little package from Della Terra Teas! I love Sugar Plums! Well, actually, I’ve never tried the traditional type of Sugar Plum. But, when I lived in Ridgefield (Washington), the little antique store in town sold some old time candy and during this time of year, they’d sell the Jelly Belly version of the Sugar Plum, and I loved those. Well, to be honest, I love just about anything Jelly Belly … but I digress.
After tasting this, I suspect that this Sugar Plum Perfection is a bit more like the traditional Sugar Plum rather than the Jelly Belly version … but, that’s alright, because I’m enjoying this! It’s a bit more spiced than it is a fruity tasting tea, but I do taste the notes of plum in there too … and I especially smell the plum when I lift my cup up to my lips to take a sip. That smell is quite plum-y (and of course, spice)! YUM!
The black tea is a fairly mellow tea here as it is not particularly prominent in the cup. I mean, it’s obviously there, and I can taste it, but, it’s not a strong, distinct flavor. I find that the tea notes develop on the palate a little as I continue to sip … but the spice and the fruit notes are the strongest flavors of this cup. Normally, this would give me cause to take issue with the tea, but, this tastes so yummy that I find it difficult to complain about anything. I like this a lot.
The spices (the most noteable of which is cinnamon) are pleasant and warming. The plum flavor is sweet, and there is additional sweetness in this from little sparkly sugar crystals that have been added to the blend. I also taste a floral note to this, and I find this to be quite appealing if for no other reason than it adds an interesting dimension to the overall cup.
What a perfect way to end this wonderful countdown to Christmas – the Della Terra Teas way!
Rouge d’Automne from Mariage Freres
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black, Rooibos (Red)
Where to Buy: Mariage Freres
Tea Description:
Autumn, which turns maple leaves fiery red, is a good time to indulge in a delicious treat that erases the bitterness of rainy days. That is why Mariage Frères has employed an almost forbidden fruit – marrons glacés, a famous French indulgence ever since the days of Louis XIV – to create its new “Autumnal Red” tea.
A red rooibos from South Africa, mild in taste with very little tannin, has been combined with the flavour of fine candied chestnuts and Bourbon vanilla, yielding a most striking yet smooth cup, warm and festive, with fruity and slightly spicy harmonies that precede a final note of honey and dried fruit.
PREPARATION ADVICE FOR 1 CUP :
Amount of tea leaves: 2.5g
Best water temperature: 95 °C
Infusion time: 3-5 min
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The aroma of this tea in dry form is delicious! It has a roast-y, nutty, and vanilla scent that made me instantly think of amaretto yet there was this cinnamon essence in there as well. It didn’t take me long to decide to steep this up for a review.
Now most of you know I do not care for red rooibos, however there is little of it in here, and in addition, I feel the rooibos flavor truly does add to this blend.
This tea is quite sweet. Honey like sweetness. I could see how for some it may be a little too sweet.
The lingering after taste of vanilla, honey, and spiced, candied, nuts is quite nice and I notice absolutely no astringency.
There is also a lighter note within this tea which seems to peek out every now and then, although I do not detect it on each sip, and that is of a plum-like flavor. This note reminds me of the poem “Twas The Night Before Christmas” for some reason, the line about sugarplums dancing in people’s heads. Anyway when this note presents, its much brighter, which is a nice change from the heavier sweeter taste I was getting most of the time. The more the tea cooled the more I noticed the fruity lift.
I loved both the depth of this tea, the sweet heavier notes and the light fruity note that came out now and then. It seems to me to be perfect for this time of the year but certainly one I would enjoy year round!
Green Plum & Pear from New Mexico Tea Co.
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: New Mexico Tea Co.
Tea Description:
Pan fired green tea, safflowers, and marigolds with plum and pear flavor
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh yum!
This tastes so good. I’m often afraid when it comes to pear flavored teas that the pear flavoring will be somewhat lacking, but, with this blend, the pear comes through quite nicely. The plum tastes slightly tart, and this tartness is especially noticeable in the aftertaste, and the pear arrives at the start of the sip, and maintains its sweetness throughout.
I like that while there is some tartness to the plum, it isn’t a strong flavor. I am not particularly fond of anything too terribly tart. Here, the tartness is experienced primarilyin the aftertaste with a sort of tarty twinge on the tongue. Not strong, but, somewhat acidic, like the sensation from a bit of the powder from a sour candy on the side of your tongue. Together with the sweetness from the green tea and fruit flavors, it’s an intriguing contrast.
The green tea is a sweet, broth-y kind of green tea that has a creamy, mild vegetable taste to it. Somewhat buttery, smooth and nicely complements the flavors of pear and plum. It is a summery kind of flavor, something that I think would be excellent served iced, but, I am quite enjoying it now, on a chilly autumn afternoon, served hot.
Another enjoyable tea from New Mexico Tea Company!
Organic Shui Xian from Arbor Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Arbor Teas
Tea Description:
Our organic Shui Xian Oolong hails from the Wuyi mountains in China’s Fujian province. This exquisite oolong is produced using the top three to four leaves on the branch. After wilting and bruising the leaves, they are hand-rolled into their final shape. When brewed, these dark green-brown leaves create an amber infusion with an exquisite floral fragrance that complements the tea’s sweetness (in fact, Shui Xian translates directly into “narcissus”). The taste is smooth and lightly sweet, with a subtle dryness reminding of pear skin, followed by a lightly baked aftertaste. As with most oolongs of this type it is moderately oxidized, ranging from 40% to 60%. Like other fine oolong teas, our Shui Xian Oolong may be infused a number of times, with each infusion revealing a new nuance of this tea’s complex flavor.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This tea offers a very fruity flavor and is quite juicy. The roasted woody flavor is one of my favorite notes in oolong but it is so well complimented by the lighter plum flavors. I get far more plum in this cup than peach but regardless I do enjoy the juiciness of this tea. I actually almost choked on my first sip because the juiciness exploded like biting into a ripe plum! I was not expecting this out of such a darkly roasted oolong.
The aroma is lovely with nutty and earth notes working their way up to my senses. There is something in this aroma of must notes and forest floor.
The after taste lends toward the drier notes but it never quite gets so dry that it leaves your throat parched – the juiciness of the tea keeps that from happening.
I love roasty toasty oolong teas especially when they have that backed good flavor in them. The light and subtle sweetness does bring about a bakery essence to the taste.
Of course you have your rock mineral notes in here that are lovely and I do love mineral notes in tea. It comes over as quite refreshing along with the juicy plum flavors and reminds me of sitting along side a fresh running steam watching the water run over the rocks and pebbles within it.
A pleasing tea and from a company that also cares about the environment – can’t get better than that!
Plum Matcha from Red Leaf Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green (Matcha)
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
Well-loved Plum Matcha with its invitingly sweet taste tempered by Matcha’s light velvety touch makes it an exceptional drink that can make the perfect accompaniment for both food and drinks where both young children and adults are present because of its ability to attract many enthusiastic followers. Its tasty play on the palate and full bodied charm enhanced by Matcha’s grassy appeal, make Plum Matcha a treat that can holds its own in an assortment of many different refreshments.
Learn more about this Plum Matcha here.
Taster’s Review:
I know I’ve talked a lot about my beloved gramma. She was the one person in my life while growing up and through my twenties that loved me unconditionally. No matter what I’ve done … or failed to do … my gramma loved me. No matter what. I didn’t get that from my mother, I didn’t get that from my step-mother, or even my father. My gramma was my saving grace, without her, I can’t say that I’d be here today. She is the one person that showed me what it was to love and be loved. I miss her so much.
So, there are times when I taste a tea and I’m reminded of my gramma. These teas are usually fruit flavored … like this Plum Matcha from Red Leaf Tea. That’s because my gramma had a very prolific garden that included just about any fruit tree that you can imagine (even a huge avocado tree!) and berry vines … even grape vines! It was in my gramma’s garden that I learned that tomatoes taste good, so long as they’re home grown and picked off the vine at the right time. It was in my gramma’s garden too that I learned to love plums.
My gramma would make jelly or jam out of most of the fruits that she harvested, because her trees and vines were so prolific that if she didn’t find some way to preserve them they’d have spoiled before they could all have been consumed fresh. One of my favorite jellies from gramma was her plum jelly. It was so sweet and true to the fruit … it really tasted just like a fresh plum, only sweeter.
And that’s just what I experienced when I first opened the pouch of this Plum Matcha. I smelled my gramma’s Plum Jelly! Before I knew it, my mouth was watering, and I couldn’t help but remember all the delicious plum jelly I’d had in the past thanks to gramma’s hard work and amazing fruit-growing abilities!
This Matcha tastes so good! The plum flavor is authentic and sweet, and it accentuates the flavor of the matcha so well. The bitter as well as the sweet of the Matcha comes through. And when I say “bitter” here, I mean the delicious, savory kind of bitter taste that offers balance to the sweet tastes. In this case, bitter is good! In addition to the vegetative notes of the Matcha, I also taste a delicious spiced tone to the Matcha; warm spice that adds to the invigorating qualities of the tea.
The Matcha is creamy and smooth, and it goes down so easily… before you know it, your bowl of Matcha is EMPTY and you’re wanting more! But, I caution you to be careful … one bowl of Matcha is delightfully invigorating, and two bowls of Matcha in one day offers you the energy you need to get things done (like the laundry, UGH!) but, more than that, and you might be bouncing off the walls. It is a very energizing beverage!