Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Shang Tea
Tea Description:
Hearty and flavorful, this brew has a complex flavor, crisp finish, and a deep traditional red tea hue. This tea is harvested from a white tea plant, which offers a smooth finish to a fermented tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
OH what a lovely tea this is! So rich and flavorful – robust and truly … amazing!
I was pretty sure I’d enjoy this Bai Lin Kung Fu Red Tea from Shang Tea because I’ve tried several teas from this company in the past and enjoyed every single one of them. I have come to associate the name “Shang Tea” with teas of extraordinary quality. And this tea is no exception!
The flavor is sweet, reminiscent of sweet-tart plums with smooth, chocolate-y overtones. And then I notice a sweet, honey-esque tone, but not so much a flowery honey … more like a honey that has been cooked down into a caramel. It has a deep, concentrated sweetness. And there are notes of wood in the background, with a hint of smoke. As the tea cools, the smoky tones seem to diminish somewhat as the fruit tones seem to emerge.
A delicious and vigorous tea – one that has enough gusto to get one going in the morning … I find this one also makes a great afternoon tea. This Bai Lin Kung Fu Red Tea from Shang Tea reminds me very much of the dearly “departed” tea – Dawn from the Simple Leaf. Those of you who have been fortunate enough to taste this tea know just how special it was and why I call it a dearly departed tea. For those of you who miss Dawn as much as I do, I recommend trying this one … you might find the loss a bit easier to bear!
White Lemon Tea from Whispering Pines Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White Tea & Rooibos
Where to Buy: Whispering Pines Tea Company
Tea Description:
This buttery smooth light citrus white tea has the perfect blend of organic white tea, organic lemongrass, and a hint of organic red rooibos. Smooth and delicious!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
When I opened this pouch of White Lemon Tea from Whispering Pines Tea Company, I noticed the rooibos, and I worried that I’d be tasting more rooibos than white tea, and I also wondered if the lemongrass would have a difficult time competing with these flavors.
And while the rooibos does overpower the white tea a bit, the rooibos does not completely overwhelm the white tea. The white tea does manage to shine through, although, I find myself wishing that I was tasting less rooibos and more white tea here.
But, on the plus side, I find that the lemongrass comes through very nicely, and provides a very pleasing, smooth, buttery taste that melds quite nicely with the woody/nutty taste of the rooibos as well as the delicate flavor of the white tea.
The lemon taste is a sweeter lemon flavor, as if the usually tart lemon has been sweetened with a touch of honey … but without additives! That I like a lot! I also like that this is an organic blend, and that there are no artificial flavorings to mess with the taste buds. I taste pure rooibos, lemongrass and white tea … and nothing else.
A really nice, relaxing blend.
Red Peach Vineyard from Fusion Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Fusion Teas
Tea Description:
Red vineyard peach: an incomparable delicacy with a unique taste. Together with the strawberry it awakens the desire to visit the slopes of the beautiful vineyard regions where it is grown!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The sample packet that I have for this tea just says “Red Vineyard” not Red Peach Vineyard, but when I compared the ingredient list on my package to the online ingredient list, they are identical so I think I’m pretty safe in assuming that this tea that I’m sipping right now is indeed Red Peach Vineyard.
This is LOVELY!
I know I probably sound a bit like a broken record when I state that I’m not one to imbibe alcohol, but it’s true, and it always seems like a relevant fact when I encounter teas that are wine inspired. I don’t really care much for the taste of alcohol … every once in a while, I take a sip of something, but, I just don’t care for the taste of it. Even alcoholic beverages that supposedly have no taste, like vodka, I can taste something there, and I’m not fond of it. That doesn’t mean that I’m not tempted to try something every once in a while – I mean when I see something like “caramel flavored vodka” or “Almond Roca Wine,” I’m intrigued. But, I think that is more about my sweet tooth than about the actual alcoholic beverage. And I will on a very rare occasion indulge in a mixed cocktail that taste more of sweet fruit than of fermented spirits, but these occasions are indeed rare, and again, the sweeter they are (and the less like alcohol they taste) the better I like them.
But for whatever reason, I usually enjoy wine inspired or wine infused teas. And I don’t know if this tea is actually wine flavored, or if it’s just inspired by the idea of a California Vineyard (Strawberries make me think of California … peaches don’t, however, peaches do grow quite well in California!) Either way, I do taste a sort of wine-y element to this cup. Like a sweet red wine. Slightly grape-y flavor with a hint of fermentation and the slight astringency to this tea play to the wine-like characters of this tea.
The black tea has a very pleasing quality to it. It is a well-rounded tea, it is strong but not what I’d call “bold,” really, and it has a hint of flowery intonation and an undertone of earthiness that also play to the wine-y character of this tea.
But the real stars of this particular show are the flavors of peach and strawberry. I love this combination, and it is one that I think I’d like to see offered more often in tea blends. The sweet, luscious flavor of the peach complements the sweet berry very well, there is just a twinge of tartness to the cup from the berry, but overall, this is a sweet, fruity tea that is really quite enjoyable.
Another great cuppa from Fusion Teas!
Organic Big Red Robe Oolong from Boutique Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Boutique Teas
Tea Description:
Legend says this tea restored the health of a Ming dynasty official, who in gratitude honored the tea bushes by leaving his red cape behind as protection. Produced in the famous Fujian province, Big Red Robe grows on the rocky cliffs in Fujian, China. This rare oolong tea brews a unique woodsy character with fruity muscatel notes that can be steeped multiple times.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Oolong is one of my favorite types of tea (second only to yellow tea), although, as I’m sure most of you are already aware, not all Oolong teas are created equal, so it is perhaps needless to say that I like some Oolong teas better than others.
Big Red Robe Oolong teas are not my favorite, but I’ve grown to appreciate them more than I once did. This Organic Big Red Robe Oolong form Boutique Teas is one of the nicest that I’ve tried … I think that had I tried this Da Hong Pao Oolong the first time I tried one, I probably would have embraced it immediately! This is really good!
There are hints of fruit notes in this tea that are reminiscent of plum and peach and grape which give the cup a pleasing sweetness. I can even taste the faintest hints of muscatel which took me totally by surprise! These fruit notes mingle with a strong woodsy tone that is slightly smoky, but what I like about this particular Big Red Robe Oolong is that the smoky note is on the subtle side, tasting slightly more like charcoal than smoke.
There is a mineral-y like taste that arrives on the palate toward the finish. This is definitely what I’d call a masculine tea, but it has a smoothness to it … like a sophisticated, charming gentleman.
This is the kind of tea that you want to infuse multiple times, and just sit back and relax as you allow the flavors to play upon your palate. I find that the flavor becomes even more enjoyable with the subsequent infusions … my favorite were the fifth and sixth infusions, which I combined into one cup. The flavor was sweeter, and possessed less of the smoky earthiness of the earlier infusions. Those first infusions were good … but the subsequent infusions were great!
Da Hong Pao (Big Red Robe) Wuyi Rock Oolong from Teavivre
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Tea Description:
This wuyi Da Hong Pao Teavivre provides will be a perfect choice for people who want to discover Wuyi Rock Da Hong Pao teas or for oolong lovers that want to find a Da Hong Pao for their daily teas. The tea presents characteristic such as its high and long lasted floral fragrance, smooth, rich, sweet and refreshing aftertaste.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is such a lovely tea to be sipping right now: It is so cold and wet outside, the kind of cold that gets into your bones and hangs in there, and it seems no matter what you do you just can’t get rid of that cold feeling!
Tea to the rescue! This Wuyi Da Hong Pao Oolong to be specific. The flavor is so warm with its toasty character that it seems to get right to that chill and warms me up.
The first couple of sips, I noticed a distinct mineral-y kind of tone, together with the warm, toasty, almost charcoal-y kind of flavor. The mineral note and the charcoal note seem to go together seamlessly. There is an undertone of sweetness that is honey-esque, but it is quite delicate, especially in these first two infusions. There are also intriguing floral tones that almost seem like they don’t belong there, given the sort of rugged, roasty-toasty, mineral-y kind of flavors that met me at the introduction. But these floral notes are so delightful, you want them at the party, even if they don’t seem to fit in quite so well at the beginning.
In subsequent infusions, I found that the mineral/charcoal tones seemed to soften as the floral notes began to emerge, and the honey-esque tone united with the flowery flavors so deliciously. I found that with each new cup of this tea, new flavors were just waiting to be discovered. As the mineral-y notes began to wane, I found that the background notes began to take on a more “woodsy” kind of flavor, deep and oaken, and this note seemed to add to the overall warmth of the cup. I love that this tea stood up for a good eight infusions, making this a lovely cold autumn’s evening tea for me.
But then, Teavivre has never failed to provide me with just what I need when it comes to incredible flavor and quality. They are one of the best, in my opinion!