Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Tea Description:
Tropical the island breeze All of nature wild and free This is where I long to be La Isla Bonita And when the samba played The sun would set so high Ring through my ears and sting my eyes Your Spanish lullaby
A Jennifer Bliss Custom Blend.
Learn more about this custom blend here.
Find more Jennifer Bliss blends here.
Taster’s Review:
Tasty! I must say that when it comes to Adagio Teas, I definitely have better luck with the white teas versus the black teas. This La Isla Bonita Custom Tea Blend (created by very own Jennifer Bliss aka TeaEqualsBliss!) from Adagio Teas – a white tea blend – is very nice, indeed.
The tropical notes are the strongest flavors in this cup. I taste the coconut and pineapple out in front, and then just beneath those tropical fruits, I taste notes of orange and tangerine. The coconut tastes smooth and creamy, the pineapple is sweet with just a hint of tart, and the orange and tangerine add a pop of bright flavor to the cup.
The white tea tastes soft and delicate and slightly earthy. It is the right base for this tea. Everything is “delicate” but together becomes a powerful flavor without becoming overwhelming.
And then there is the spearmint! I like that there isn’t too much spearmint in this blend. There is just the right touch of mint to give it that cool taste of mint without throwing off the sweet tropical and citrus-y notes.
What I’m enjoying most here is how the airy quality of the white tea comes together with the spearmint and together, the two become a very “breezy” sort of sensation, which is in keeping with the “La Isla Bonita” inspiration behind the blend. I love that I can taste the inspiration!
This is tasty served hot, but it really shines when it’s iced. So deliciously fruity with just a touch of mint: refreshing!
1000 Cranes White Tea Blend from Zenjala Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Zenjala Tea Company
Tea Description:
Bai Mu Dan white tea, strawberry pieces, rose petals, and coconut shred – an unusual and satisfying blend.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
When I saw the ingredient list for this 1000 Cranes White Tea blend from Zenjala Tea Company, I was intrigued. It seemed like a really unique blend: strawberries and coconut, rose and Bai Mu Dan tea.
Visually, it’s a really beautiful blend. The white tea leaves are some of the freshest looking Bai Mu Dan leaves I’ve yet to see! They vary in color from light green to pale beige and each leaf is covered in tiny, soft white down. The rose petals are plentiful in the blend, and it makes for a very pretty contrast with the white tea leaves. I also see lots of coconut pieces and bits of dried berry.
The aroma of the dry leaf is very nice – I smell roses and berries and coconut! The brewed liquid has a much softer scent, but I still smell the rose. The pale, golden liquid also has a slight earthy note to it, reminding me of the fragrance I might experience if I were to walk through a garden of roses after a light rainfall.
The flavor is quite pleasant. The rose and berry are the two strongest flavors, and I notice a soft, creamy coconut note coming through about mid-sip. The flavor of the white tea is present throughout the sip as well, offering a slight earthy, hay-like flavor that mingles with the other flavors in an agreeable way.
I like that I taste the white tea and as I continue to sip, the flavors of the white tea emerge more. This tea is not all about the flavoring, and one might think it would be, what with the strong notes of strawberry and rose, but, this tea is not just a celebration of fruit and flower, but also Bai Mu Dan!
So far, I’ve tried a couple of teas from this company, and I’ve been very satisfied with what I’ve tried. I look forward to trying more from them in the future!
White Tea Rose Melange from The London Tea Room
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green & White Teas
Where to Buy: The London Tea Room
Tea Description:
Organic; a blend of dreamy jasmine and wild roses, with green and white Chinese teas, rejuvenating peppermint and calm-as-hell lavender.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This White Tea Rose Melange from the London Tea Room is really quite lovely! I love that I can taste each of the components of this tea. Each is well represented, but, none is too overpowering.
The first flavor I notice is that of the rose. It is sweet and very distinctly rose, but as I said, it doesn’t overwhelm. It’s quite smooth and pleasant, and I love the way it melds with the jasmine and the lavender to create a medley of floral tastes. These three flowers accentuate each other beautifully to create a soft, luxurious flowery note without tasting soapy. It’s just really smooth.
In keeping with the softness of the floral tones, the green and white teas are also on the delicate side, offering lush fresh tones with hints of vegetation and a sort of “airy” quality that evokes thoughts of flowers floating in the breeze.
The one component that worried me when I read the list of ingredients was the peppermint, because peppermint can sometimes throw off the balance of a tea like this, especially when the other components are so delicate in taste. But, whomever blended this seemed to take this into consideration (a skillful blender, indeed!) and added the peppermint with care. There are mere whispers of a minty crispness to the background notes of this tea. Just a hint of something to add some dimension. I love that!
This is a truly delightful tea!
Persistence of Memory Green Tea Blend from Hari Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Hari Tea
Tisane Description:
Sometimes it feels like the drawer is open and the file is right there, but the printing is in some other language. It is the persistence of memory that we count on.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Yeah, I held off trying this one for a little while. I’m not a big fan of ginkgo, and since it’s one of the main ingredients in this Persistence of Memory Green Tea Blend from Hari Tea, I was hesitant to try it. But, this is alright! I like it.
Perhaps it’s the other ingredients in this tea – lemon grass, pepper and basil – together with the Sencha green tea that elevates this tea for me. I taste subtle notes of pepper and hints of citrus. I also taste the rose. The herbs together with the floral tones really turn this tea into something tasty.
The aroma of the dry leaf is herbaceous and sweet with floral tones. The brewed tea doesn’t have a strong aroma … it smells like Sencha green tea … but it’s a soft scent. There are whispers of herbal tones along with the green tea fragrance.
An enjoyable and soothing drink. A really good way to add ginkgo to your diet if you’re like me and don’t find it to be particularly enjoyable … this is a good way to get your ginkgo and enjoy it too!
Gnarly Masala Chai from Steep This!
Chai Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Steep This!
Chai Description:
A shockingly addictive blend of Rose Petals, Jasmine Flowers, Cinnamon and Lavender among others. This gnarly blend of all things romantic is a treat after dinner and can be enjoyed iced for an extra special party drink.
Learn more about this chai here.
Taster’s Review:
I learned about this company – Steep This! – on Steepster. I’m always interested to try offerings from new companies (as well as to support these new companies!) so, I placed a small order to try ’em out.
And while perusing through the tea selections at Steep This!, I was very intrigued by this Gnarly Masala Chai. It’s a chai with most of the usual suspects present: cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and black pepper (but no ginger!), and then they added a sprinkling of lavender, rose and jasmine just to make things interesting … and it also made the blend really visually appealing.
It’s also quite an appealing blend to the nose. The fragrance of the dry leaf is spicy and floral, with a little more spice than flower. I like how these two profiles complement each other. The floral notes soften the spices just enough so that my olfactory nerves aren’t heavily assaulted with strong spice, and the spices counter the flower so that I’m not smelling an overly perfume-y aroma.
This is tasty! It’s a little spicier than I expected it to be. I guess I was expecting the floral notes to soften the spices a little bit, but I’m getting some fiery black pepper notes! The cinnamon is also warm! The cloves and cardamom sort of fill out the spice flavor. This blend doesn’t NEED the ginger, it’s getting plenty of pep from the black pepper!
I don’t taste a whole lot from the rose, jasmine or lavender unless I sip with a slurp. When the tea is aerated as it hits the palate, those floral notes come out, and they are flavors that develop as I continue to sip as well.
The sip starts out with a peppery note, and then quickly moves in to the other spices. The spices really round out the flavor for the palate. Then, right at mid-sip, the floral notes come into focus. I don’t really taste a specific flower … it’s more like a medley of the rose, jasmine and lavender. Sweet, exotic and soft. Just after mid-sip, the notes of the tea start to come forward – a rich, earthy flavor.
The aftertaste is a peppery taste with notes of flower. It’s a very interesting and delightfully different taste that I really enjoy.
I didn’t prepare this as a latte, mostly because I figured this chai had enough going on with the spices and the flowers … I didn’t want to add something that could possibly overwhelm the delicate floral notes because it was the flowers in this blend that enticed me to purchase this sample! I wanted to experience them in their splendor and not risk overpowering them with a splash of milk. But this tea is DELICIOUS served straight up. I really like the uniqueness of this chai.
This is the first tea that I’ve tried from this new company, and I’m enjoying it. I was VERY impressed with how quickly my order arrived, especially since this is a Canadian company and I’m here in the US. I guess my only complaint … and it’s not really a “complaint” but more of a comment … is that I just didn’t feel all that special as a customer. I placed a very small “samples” order, so I didn’t really expect a free sample with my order, but, something would have been appreciated.
I understand if some companies don’t include a free sample, because that’s product and especially with a new company, it can be expensive to include free samples with every order. However, a little acknowledgement would have been nice. A quick, hand-written “thank you” on the invoice would have been very appreciated and made me feel a little more appreciated as a customer. These little things – free samples, special attention to packaging, a piece of individually wrapped candy, or even just a hand-written note – make the customer feel like they are appreciated and it’s these little touches that send me back to try a company again and again. When I feel special as a customer, I will return to that vendor who made me feel that way.