Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: ArtfulTea orArtfulTea on Etsy
Tea Description:
This lovely, flavored oolong combines the taste of passion fruit with an intensely tropical fragrance that immediately enchants. Aronia berries, mango cubes and rose petals enhance the exotic flavor of this half-fermented tea. Refreshing hot or iced.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I have very much enjoyed the teas that I’ve tried from ArtfulTea this far, and this Petal Passion Oolong Tea Blend is quite lovely.
The dark Oolong tea leaves look a lot like either an Oriental Beauty or a Formosa Oolong. There are chunks of fruit and pretty pink rose petals tossed in with the tea leaves. It’s a visually appealing blend, and it’s beautifully aromatic with notes of tropical fruit.
And the taste is YUM! The Oolong base is smooth. It has an almost buttery texture to it – not so much of a buttery taste as a texture, but some of this texture seems to translate a little bit to the flavor. I don’t taste a heavy “buttery” quality to it. There are some woodsy notes to the cup.
But mostly what I’m tasting is the lovely tropical fruit notes of this tea. Passion Fruit and mango! It’s sweet and there’s almost a nectar-like flavor to this, as if someone had added freshly pureed fruit to my cup of Oolong! I like that these flavors taste authentic, they don’t have the fake or chemical-ish type of flavor that sometimes accompanies flavored teas. This tea just has a very pleasant tropical flavor to go along with the naturally woodsy, smooth flavors of the Oolong tea.
There are some aronia berries in this tea and they do give the cup a slight astringency. Don’t let that frighten you though, I’m finding the astringency to be rather mild, and I’m experiencing more of a tingly berry tartness than I am a pucker-y astringency. I find this to be an enjoyable contrast to the sweetness of the passion fruit and mango flavors.
Another really lovely blend from ArtfulTea, and I feel like I’m trying it right at the right time – we’ve been experiencing some monsoon-ish weather here in the Pacific Northwest lately, and it’s been uncomfortably hot and humid! Ugh! This tea takes me away – at least, mentally – on a tropical vacation. Unfortunately, my vacation only lasts as long as the cup of tea – but fortunately, this is an Oolong and can be resteeped! Revisiting my tropical island is as easy as resteeping my tea leaves!
Forever Young Rose Flower Tea from Teasenz
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Flower
Where to Buy: Teasenz
Tea Description:
A flowery tea that tastes clean and perfumy with a natural rosy aroma: Made from 100 percent genuine organic rosebuds and naturally dried to retain all the health benefits. A delicious and soothing cup to enjoy on a quiet afternoon or after a yoga session.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
It’s been a LONG while since I’ve had a pure rose tea like this one … so long that I can’t even remember when the last time was!
And I love the flavor of steeped rosebuds!
What makes this particular Rose Flower Tea from Teasenz so special is that it’s organic. The rosebuds are whole, gorgeous rosebuds. They aren’t crushed nor are they just petals. These are the whole, young rosebuds, clipped before they’ve had a chance to open up and bloom.
I steeped these beautiful, fragrant rosebuds in 190°F for six minutes. And the result is a golden amber cup of sweet, floral deliciousness that smells as wonderful as it tastes.
The flavor is sweet and floral. It tastes distinctly of rose without tasting like a cup of perfume. It’s light and refreshing and aromatic, and there’s something so soothing and relaxing when I sip it. And I like it hot or chilled – the flavor is superb!
Rose Mojito White Tea Blend from The Persimmon Tree
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where To Buy: The Persimmon Tree
Tea Description:
Featuring a beautiful blend of organic flower-scented white loose-leaf teas, wild roses, organic peppermint and seasonally selected botanicals; our Rose Mojito is refreshing and fragrant. This soothing infusion is a wonderful way to relax unwind after a long day.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
This tea is so smooth, refreshing and tasty, that I nearly finished my first pot of it before I remembered that I need to write a review about it! So, I re-steeped the leaves and I’m thrilled to say that the second infusion is even BETTER than the first!
Everything about this beautiful blend is balanced. From the flavor of the sweet silver needle tea, to the soft notes of rose and the surprisingly subtle notes of peppermint. Everything is gentle and delicate. I like that I taste each of these notes, but, there isn’t a competition going on in my teacup. It all has the soft offerings of a white tea blend and the peppermint and rose stay in check.
It’s a crisp and refreshing tea. It is a cooling beverage, even when served hot. I feel invigorated as I sip it without feeling overstimulated. This would make a welcome tea on a warm summer evening (and right now, we’re getting a lot of those!) because it has a calming influence and yet it has a soft way about it that seems to replenish the body as I sip.
A really delicious cup of tea that smells as amazing as it tastes – and it tastes pretty darned amazing!
Organic Green Tea Pomegranate from Tea of Life
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Tea Description:
Organic green tea, organic pomegranate and organic rose petals with pomegranate flavor.
Learn more about Tea of Life and Amazon Teas here.
Taster’s Review:
I’m actually tasting more rose than pomegranate with this tea. Kind of a surprise, but, it’s not a bad surprise. I find the combination of flavors: the floral notes of the rose, the sweet notes of the green tea and the sweet-tart notes of the pomegranate to be appealing.
The green tea has a nice buttery note to it that lends a creamy note to the cup, and I like the way this marries with the notes of fruit and flower. The rose is a subtle flavor, but as I said before, it’s actually a bit stronger than the pomegranate, especially during the sip. In the aftertaste is where I notice a real punch of pomegranate flavor.
Overall, this is an enjoyable cup of tea. I appreciate that all the ingredients are organic. It’s good as a hot tea (but do allow it a couple of minutes to cool as the flavors seem to benefit from some cool time), and it’s even better as an iced tea. I cold-brewed the pyramid sachets and was pleasantly surprised at how refreshing the tea was.
White Tropics Tea Blend from Tea & Bloom
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Tea & Bloom
Tea Description:
Mixture of white tea with pineapple, coconut and rose petal. High in antioxidants.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I try to go into a tea tasting with no real expectations. It’s not always easy. It wasn’t in the case of this White Tropics tea from Tea & Bloom … because with pineapple and coconut flavors, I couldn’t help but think Pina Colada.
And this doesn’t really taste so much like a Pina Colada as it does a tropical tea. But I’m not disappointed by that. The pineapple and the coconut are nicely paired here, and the white tea is not overpowered by the tropical fruits. And I can even taste hints of the rose in there too. And it’s the rose that gives this a flavor that is different than the typical Pina Colada flavored tea. (Well that, and there’s not a rum note to this.)
I like that I can taste the creaminess of the coconut, and it melds beautiful with the sweet notes of the white tea while the pineapple brightens up the cup. It’s flavorful, but in a delicate, “white tea” way.
All that said, this isn’t really all that exceptional in any way. It’s a tasty enough tea, I like the classic combination of pineapple and coconut, and I like how they meld with the white tea and just a hint of rose flavor. But, it’s just … alright. I’d drink it again if it were offered to me, but it’s not something I’d want to purchase and have on hand.