Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Tea for All Reasons
Tea Description:
White Champagne Raspberry Rose – An exceptional blend of White Champagne Raspberry Tea with Rose Petals and Pearl Dragees that is striking in flavor though light and delicate; a blend truly fit for a future king and queen.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
This Royal Wedding White Tea Blend from Tea For All Reasons is a really pretty blend. I’m not usually one to really appreciate the whimsy of candy sprinkles in a tea blend, but, I like the pearl dragees in this. There aren’t a LOT of them in this, and maybe that’s why I can appreciate them in this blend. There’s just a couple tossed in this for some added splendor to the dry leaf.
Each flavor presents itself softly to the palate – the white tea is subtle, with it’s light, airy, earthy notes. The rose is also subtle – adding just a hint of it’s distinctive floral quality to the cup. I like the way the rose petals complement the champagne and raspberry flavors.
The raspberry is sweet with just a twinge of tartness to it that tickles the tip of the tongue in the aftertaste. The champagne … is a very delicate taste, tasting ever so softly of grapes. I can almost “taste” the bubbles too.
It’s a really nice blend, and a nice way to commemorate the royal wedding. But since they’ve been married for a while, I guess what I shall raise my cup to is the newest addition to the royal family!
Rose Congou Green Tea from David’s Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: David’s Tea
Tea Description:
Is there anything prettier than a rose-scented tea? This classic blend is just as romantic as a bouquet of flowers – and a whole lot tastier, too. Rose Congou teas are traditionally made with black tea, but we love mixing rose petals and rosehips with the subtle grassiness of Chinese green tea. The result is deliciously floral and delicately fruity, like walking through an English garden after a spring rain. No umbrella required.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve tasted quite a few black Rose Congou teas. And I’ve even tasted a few green teas that have been scented with rose. But I don’t think I’ve ever actually tasted a green tea that calls itself Rose Congou before … until tasting this one from David’s Tea, that is!
Maybe because it is my understanding that “Congou” is actually a grade of Chinese black tea, and I really didn’t know that there was such a thing as a green Congou tea. But that doesn’t mean that there isn’t … it just means that even after studying, learning about, and working with tea for more than ten years, I still have much to learn about the subject.
Anyway … let’s talk more about this tea. This is really quite delightful. The green tea is sweet and smooth and very refreshing to sip. The vegetative tones of this tea are somewhere between “grassy” and vegetable, leaning more toward the grassy than the vegetable. There is a slightly dry astringency to this cup.
The rose is flavorful! Sweet and floral – let me just say this, if you’re not a fan of the flavor of rose … this is NOT the tea for you. I happen to enjoy rose scented teas so this one is right up my alley. But even though it does have a strong rose essence, it isn’t overbearing or perfume-y. There is a careful balance between the lush notes of the green tea and the notes of flower.
This one tastes great hot or iced! And it looks like this is the right time to order this one online – there’s a web special going on right now!
Crimson Rose Grey Black Tea from Tea For All Reasons
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tea For All Reasons
Tea Description:
This exciting, new blend is a unique match up that you won’t find anywhere else! The bold character, taste and fragrance of Hibiscus, as well as Rose Petals, combines to make this a heavenly blend that creates a beautiful crimson brew in the cup. Treat your guests to this sophisticated blend at your next afternoon tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Hibiscus in an Earl Grey? That … just seems wrong to me. I understand putting it in there to encourage a pinker hue in a teacup … but, with the black tea in there, I don’t notice a whole lot of “pinkish” color in my teacup. I do see a slight … pink tone to the color of this Crimson Rose Grey Black Tea from Tea For All Reasons … but, it’s not really enough to justify hibiscus in the blend.
Then again … I don’t really taste much hibiscus here anyway. And that makes me very happy! What I taste is black tea, bergamot and rose, and that’s just exactly what I want to be tasting here. There may be the faintest hibiscus-y note to this … which seems to accentuate the tangy notes of the bergamot and the floral tones of the rose more than actually taste like hibiscus. And as I said, that suits me just fine. I don’t like hibiscus, but I do like Earl Grey (and rose!)
The black tea has a brisk taste to it – it is not an overly aggressive tasting tea base … it has enough flavor to it to taste like tea, but not so much that it interferes with the flavors of bergamot and rose. The bergamot is a softer bergamot here, citrus-y and slightly tart. The rose sweetens the cup a little bit, and adds a hint of floral sharpness.
Overall, this is a very enjoyable cup. It tastes like something that I’d want to serve at a garden party, because it has a very “garden” like flavor to it … it is a very well-composed, refined taste, smooth and nicely round. One guests would really appreciate and enjoy.
Nature’s Bloom Pu’erh Tea Blend from Nature’s Tea Leaf
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh
Where to Buy: Nature’s Tea Leaf
Tea Description:
Nature’s Bloom Pu’erh Tea: is the ultimate blend of our select loose Pu’erh leaves expertly combined with our organic Jasmine, Lavender and Rosebud herbal teas. Our Pu’erh is handpicked, dried, and rolled tightly and neatly into strips. Subsequently, the leaves undergo a microbial fermentation process which makes this a unique, dark tea. Our Jasmine buds are beautiful and tight until infused when they burst into a beautiful flower with a lovely and soft fragrance. Lavender is a flower purple in color with an invigorating fragrance and subtle flavor that will linger on the palate. While the third bloom in this one of a kind blend is our Rosebud. A staple of Chinese medicine, Rosebuds have been found to contain vitamin C which boosts the immune system and promotes healthy skin and bones. The marriage of the bold earthy Pu’erh with this fragrant and soothing herbal trio will thrill the palate with a bouquet of flavor that you will enjoy every day of the week.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Yep, I did it again. I put off trying this Nature’s Bloom Pu’erh Tea Blend from Nature’s Tea Leaf because it’s … well, because it’s Pu-erh. While I have come to the point where I very much enjoy Pu-erh and Pu-erh blends, I still have not been able to get past that point where my initial reaction is hesitation and yes, even a little bit of repulsion when I’m given a new Pu-erh to try.
And … I’ll say it again, I enjoy Pu-erh!
But, I had a couple of really negative experiences with my first pu-erh tastings and the memories of those negative experiences have lingered even though my positive experiences with Pu-erh greatly outnumber the negative ones!
All that said – this flowery Pu-erh blend is absolutely LOVELY! The aroma is very interesting because it is both floral and earthy, giving it an almost “greenhouse” kind of scent. What I mean by that is that this reminds me of the fragrance that I’d experience if I were to go to a nursery and go into their greenhouse. Scents of earth and flowers fill the air! This is also a visually stunning blend with whole rosebuds, jasmine buds, and lavender buds generously added to the dark pu-erh tea leaves.
And I love the flavor. I did a quick rinse of the leaves – just 10 seconds! – and then I brewed the first infusion for 1 minute. The first cup is earthy – but not overwhelmingly so. The notes of rose, jasmine and lavender are in pleasing balance with the earthy tones. The pu-erh is rich and mellow and very smooth, and the floral tones – which can sometimes be sharp – are sweet and those sharp tones have been softened by the pu-erh, creating a flavor that is just pleasantly sweet, floral and very relaxing to sip.
As one who tends to shy away from the sometimes overtly earthy tones of Pu-erh, I appreciate how the floral tones lighten some of those strong earthy notes. At the same time, I like that the floral notes do not overpower the cup. This is a really delightfully balanced tea blend.
Victorian Earl Grey Black Tea Blend from Tiesta Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tiesta Tea
Tea Description:
We’re still trying to figure out how this Earl Grey tastes better than any other Earl Grey we’ve ever had. We’ve combined the classic bergamot taste, with a flowery lavender finish that even a non-tea drinker can enjoy.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
Ah … Earl Grey! There is something about the combination of bergamot and black tea that makes my palate happy. And I like the way this Victorian Earl Grey Black Tea Blend from Tiesta Tea infuses the great classic flavor of Earl Grey with the floral notes of lavender and rose.
The lavender and rose seems to soften the bergamot notes here … either that, or the blenders at Tiesta Tea prefer to flavor with a lighter hand when it comes to oil of bergamot. Either way, I’m finding this to be a softer bergamot flavor … but there is certainly enough of the exotic orange to please this bergamot lover. Tangy and distinct! Very nice.
One thing that the lavender does do is appear at the finish. I love the way it comes through here. It barely insinuates itself throughout the sip, offering mere hints of its presence, and then when the sip is nearly finished, the lavender comes through. It is sweet but not overdone. It doesn’t taste soapy or perfume-y.
The rose is a little less discernible … but it is still definitely there. It’s a very soft rose taste, and it melds beautifully with the other components of this tea. The black tea is also not to be forgotten here, it is a pleasant tasting black tea base – I suspect this is a Ceylon, because it is a moderate, even-tempered kind of tea – not overpowering, but still strong enough to say “hey, I’m here too.”
Overall, this is a well-composed variation of the traditional Earl Grey, and I enjoyed it immensely. It is smooth, sweet, tangy, and floral. A very enjoyable cuppa from Tiesta Tea.