Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf here.
Tea Description:
Premium white tea from Fujian region of China infused with the taste of ripe pears. Warm and sugary aroma, like a freshly baked pear, with a pear skin crisp finish. Wonderfully smooth and rounded, perfect hot or iced.
Ingredients: White Tea, Apple Pieces, Natural Pear Flavor
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s Co-Op program here.
Taster’s Review:
Recently, Simple Loose Leaf announced some changes to their program. This month’s teas will be the last of the “Selection Club” teas and next month is their flagship month of their new (and improved!) Co-Op program/membership.
How this plan will work (or at least, how I’ve been made to understand that it will work!) is this:
- Every month, you receive a box of samples of the latest teas that have been added to the Simple Loose Leaf store. Each monthly box will contain somewhere between 4 – 6 teas and these will be sample size (1/4 of an ounce. I like that size!)
- If you like what you taste, you can shop with Simple Loose Leaf to receive a full-sized package of the tea at a 50% discount off of Simple Loose Leaf’s regular retail prices. (That is to say that all your purchases outside of the sampler box each month will be sold to members at a 50% discount! I like that!)
- The membership price is $15/month and you can cancel at any time. There’s no contract or requirement outside of the $15/month. No annual fees. (Hey, that’s better than the deal I’ve got going with my cell phone! And I like tea better than I like my cell phone.)
- You can also buy gift memberships. (Nice gift!)
- To join or learn more, click here.
I’m personally really excited at this new plan because I’m a taster. I like the new sampler size of the teas that will be sent each month as part of the subscription.
Oh, don’t get me wrong, I loved their Selection Club, and this month’s Selection Club box was filled with many exciting tea selections. Like this White Pear Tea. It’s awesome!
By the appearance of the dry leaf, I would speculate that the base used for this tea is a Shou Mei base. The leaf looks like other Shou Mei teas that I’ve had and among the tea leaves are chunks of dried apple.
Why dried apple? Well, I don’t know for sure but here’s what I think (and my opinion is based on my experiences that I’ve had as a tea blender): the dried fruit that is added to a tea like this adds relatively little flavor to the brewed tea and basically the purpose of the dried fruit is not to “flavor” the tea but to add some visual appeal to it. And dried apple is much easier to find than dried pear and apple and pear look very much alike. In my experiences with blending teas, dried apple adds very little to the overall flavor of the brewed tea. It might add a delicate sweetness to the cup but not a lot of true apple flavor.
To brew this tea, I grabbed my Kati brewing system and scooped out a heaping bamboo scoop into the basket of the Kati and then I added just a wee bit more tea leaf. Not quite a half a scoop … not even quite a fourth of a scoop. Just a wee bit. Then I heated the water to a low temperature (170°F) and poured the water into the tumbler and let the tea steep for 4 minutes.
The brewed liquid has a really delightful aroma. It smells like warm pear with delicate notes of white tea. It’s a sweet, fruity and really quite delicious fragrance!
The flavor tastes as good as the aroma! The white tea is a delicate flavor: sweet and hay-like. It’s smooth, not bitter and if there’s any astringency to this, I’m having a hard time finding it! Maybe a twinge or two of pucker in my cheeks at the very end of the sip. It’s a very flavorful white tea.
The pear is also quite flavorful and I’m happy to say that it has an authentic pear-like flavor. It reminds me of the flavor of a baked or poached pear (not the spice part but the sweet, soft part of the fruit).
Having tried quite a few pear teas in the past and occasionally being disappointed by the pear flavoring, I am happy to say that this has a really amazing pear flavor. If you’re looking for a really good pear tea – this is it!
Shou Mei White Tea from Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf here.
Tea Description:
White tea, considered by many tea experts to be the finest tea on earth, comes primarily from the Fujian Province in China. It is very lightly processed with sunlight and low temperatures. A standard grade Chinese Tea, Shou Mei White with its downy silver tipped leaves has a sweet, floral aroma and a mild, smooth, lightly sweet, pale yellow liquor.
Ingredients: Shou Mei White Tea
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s Selection Club subscription program here.
Receive 25% savings on the Selection Club from Simple Loose Leaf. Just type in SISTERSELECTION25 in the coupon field and save 25%! This discount is applicable only to the monthly Selection Club subscription and not the retail selection of teas.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve been drinking quite a few flavored Shou Mei white teas lately, but it’s been a little while since I’ve had a pure Shou Mei. So I was happy to be able to reacquaint myself with an unadulterated Shou Mei!
I’m very pleased with the quality of these leaves. The leaves are soft and are covered in fluffy fuzz, and the leaves vary in color from pale green, silver, and light brown. This is not the “typical” Shou Mei that sometimes looks and feels like dried, brown leaves. This appears to be a higher quality tea leaf to me.
And the difference is not only evident in the appearance of the leaves but the flavor of the tea. I steeped these leaves at 170°F for 3 minutes. The liquid is a pale amber color and has a delicate, hay-like aroma.
The flavor is sweet, fresh and light. It has a crispness to it, evoking thoughts of a cool spring morning. It makes me think of the dewdrops on fresh new leaves in spring. There is also a distinct “hay-like” flavor, like the air after a cutting of hay. I spent my adolescent years in an area that grew a lot of hay and alfalfa and you could always tell when the local farms cut their hay as the hay cut imparted a distinct essence to the air that was not only experienced by the nose but also the taste buds. That’s what I’m tasting (and smelling!) with this tea now.
It’s quite a pleasant cup of Shou Mei! And this tea offers multiple infusions. I’m currently on my third infusion, and the flavor just will not quit! (A good thing, because I’m really enjoying it and I’m not ready to stop drinking it!) A great choice for this month’s box from Simple Loose Leaf!
Four Seasons Oolong Tea from Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf here.
Tea Description:
Four Seasons of Spring is named because it produces four flushes (or harvests) each year that have a flavor and quality of that of a spring flush. This varietal was cultivated in Taiwan from a strain of TieGuanYin (Iron Goddess of Mercy), in the 1980s. This delightful oolong varietal has been cultivated for its sweet, floral flavors and expertly processed by hand. It is light yet buttery with lingering flowery finish of morning gardenias and warm milk.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s Selection Club subscription program here.
Receive 25% savings on the Selection Club from Simple Loose Leaf. Just type in SISTERSELECTION25 in the coupon field and save 25%! This discount is applicable only to the monthly Selection Club subscription and not the retail selection of teas.
Taster’s Review:
This Four Seasons Oolong from Simple Loose Leaf is absolutely delightful!
The appearance of the dry leaf is quite what you’d expect from a Four Seasons Oolong – beautiful, forest-y green leaves that have been rolled into small pellets. The aroma is a strong, flowery essence.
To brew this tea, I grabbed my gaiwan and I measured out 1 bamboo scoop of tea into the bowl of the vessel. Then I heated freshly filtered water to 180°F and poured water into the vessel and let the tea “rinse” for 15 seconds. Then I strained of the liquid and discarded it. I poured more hot water into the gaiwan and allowed this first infusion to steep for 45 seconds. For each subsequent infusion, I added another 15 seconds onto the steep time. I combined two infusions into one cup, so my first cup was composed of infusions 1 and 2, while my second cup was composed of infusions 3 and 4 … and so on.
Yeah, yeah, those of you who are familiar with my posts are probably also very familiar with how I steep my Oolong teas. To those of you who are, I apologize for sounding somewhat redundant! The brewing steps above are written for those who might not be as familiar with my brewing style.
Anyway … I find that the fragrance of the brewed tea is still very floral but the scent is somewhat subdued compared to that of the dry tea leaves. This aroma translates to the flavor, because I’m tasting flower! The description above suggests gardenias and yeah, that’s what I’m tasting. I’m also getting a sweet, creamy flavor and texture. The texture is soft and smooth and creamy! Quite lovely!
I love the way the floral notes mingle with the creamy notes, because I find that these somewhat vanilla-like tones soften the sharp notes of the flower. I like that the creaminess here is not a heavy taste. It doesn’t seem to coat my taste buds the way some creamy Oolong teas can. Oh sure, I do love those sumptuous, creamy Oolongs but it’s nice to have a lighter approach now and then!
The first cup was finished before I knew it (hey, it’s good stuff!), and I found that my second cup was even nicer than the first. The floral notes are stronger but the creaminess is still there to soften the sharp notes. It is smooth and luxurious to sip from start to finish. And I found myself picking up on some hints of apple and melon around mid-sip. This cup seemed fresher and more round, with better developed flavors.
My third cup surprised me! I didn’t expect it to be creamy. By third cup with many Oolong teas, the creamy notes have waned, but I’m still getting a fairly strong cream flavor. Oh, sure, it has softened somewhat, it isn’t quite as strong as the first two cups, but I’m still getting a pleasing note of vanilla-esque cream. The floral notes are still there, and in the distance, I started to pick up the faintest hint of vegetation. The aforementioned fruit notes were beginning to emerge a little more, but these were still somewhat distant as well.
Overall, one of the nicest Four Seasons Oolong teas that I’ve tried. Another big win from this month’s box from Simple Loose Leaf! Have you subscribed yet?
Original Herbal Chai Rooibos Blend from Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf here.
Tea Description:
Chai is a type of tea typically served in India with milk and sugar. Our Herbal Chai is comprised of rooibos herbal tea along with a combination of ginger root, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and black peppercorn. This herbal version offers a remarkable authentic chai flavor while remaining naturally caffeine-free.
Ingredients: South African Rooibos, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Ginger Root, Cloves, Black Peppercorn
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s Selection Club subscription program here.
Receive 25% savings on the Selection Club from Simple Loose Leaf. Just type in SISTERSELECTION25 in the coupon field and save 25%! This discount is applicable only to the monthly Selection Club subscription and not the retail selection of teas.
Taster’s Review:
This Herbal Chai from Simple Loose Leaf’s Selection Club Sampler Box is a very finely ground rooibos! The rooibos leaves are chopped finer than I’ve typically seen in most rooibos blends. It’s almost like a fine, “instant” powder … almost, but not quite. This still needs to be steeped.
So I steeped it using a T-Sac. I don’t usually reach for a T-Sac when I’m brewing tea, but with a tea/tisane that is as finely ground as this is, I usually choose a T-Sac to steep the tea because I don’t like loose, floating leaves in my brewed tea. I’m not in to floaters.
Additional parameters used to brew this tisane: with freshly filtered water heated to 195°F and 1 tsp. of Herbal Chai in the T-Sac, I steeped the tea for 10 minutes. Because this is a finer chopped chai, you don’t want to use a little extra leaf – as I often do with chai because I want a little stronger flavor with all the spices that are in the blend – but with this blend, the fine chop means that there is a lot of surface area and this is going to get plenty strong with the 1 tsp of leaf to 12 ounces of water ratio.
The aroma of both the dry leaf and the brewed tea is so delightfully spicy. It reminds me of the smell I would experience when I visit the spice shop in Portland. Notes of cinnamon, clove and pepper are prominent. I can also smell the cardamom and ginger.
Mmm! This is a perfect tisane to send out for September. As the air becomes crisp and the weather turns cooler for the coming season (Autumn!) this tea serves me as a reminder of what is to come. As I’ve said many times before, fall is my favorite season of the year. And … yes … the reason is TEA! Tea just tastes better hot. Yeah, there are some teas that taste better iced, but for the most part, I find that teas just taste better when they’re served hot and I find that hot tea tastes best when the weather is chilly.
And my favorite kinds of teas to sip during my favorite season of the year are chai blends like this because the warm spices are just so cozy and comforting! This is a perfect autumnal blend!
The finer chop on this blend makes for a very strong tasting chai, so don’t go overboard when you’re measuring out the leaf! You might want to even use a little less leaf because it does get very strong.
The spices are robust. The clove and ginger and pepper are the strongest flavors that I’m tasting. After these flavors are recognized by my palate, then I begin to pick up on the cinnamon and cardamom. The rooibos doesn’t offer a strong flavor to the cup, it’s more like a slightly sweet, nutty background flavor that is quite complimentary to the earthy notes of the spices.
I’ve got to tell you that when I saw that this is a rooibos chai, my thoughts were “Oh, another rooibos chai.” I wasn’t all that thrilled with the prospect. But this is one of the better tasting rooibos chai tisanes that I’ve tasted in some time. The finer ground on the blend makes for a deliciously pungent, spicy chai and that’s just fine with me!
This tastes great with a dollop of honey or a half a teaspoon of sugar. I find that the sweetener accents the spices in a chai (sugar and spice makes a chai taste real nice). Add a splash of milk or cream for a tasty latte … it’s a wonderful, caffeine-free treat to drink any time of day.
Yin Gou Mei Green Tea from Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Description:
This Chinese tea is often referred to as eyebrow tea due to its eyebrow shaped tea leaves. The leaves are hand picked during early spring to result in a floral and robust flavor without the bitterness often associated with this type of tea. The rich green tea leaves brew to reveal a bright jade liquor with a fresh aroma, balanced earthiness and smooth, subtle finish. Yin Gou Mei Green Tea is best served hot.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s Selection Club subscription program here.
Taster’s Review:
It’s been a while since I’ve had a Yin Gou Mei, so, I was really looking forward to having this tea when I discovered it was part of this month’s Selection Club sampler box from Simple Loose Leaf.
Yin Gou Mei is often called “Chinese Eyebrows” because of the cute “eyebrow” shape of the leaves. But, I don’t like calling it Chinese Eyebrows because that sounds … weird and not in a good way. So forgive me for not calling it by that name and instead going with Yin Gou Mei.
And this is a really LOVELY Yin Gou Mei!
This is sweet and creamy with soft nutty notes, but there is a light crispness to the cup as well. There are delicate floral notes that meld with the soft, creamy sweetness. It makes my palate swoon how these two tastes mingle together. It’s very smooth from start to finish, with no bitter notes and very little noticeable astringency.
What I like about Yin Gou Mei is that it’s a little different from the typical green tea in that it tastes somewhat “earthy” but not really overly vegetal. While there is a slight vegetative note to this, it’s not a heavy, grassy taste, nor does it taste like steamed veggies or any of the other vegetative comparisons that I often make. It’s smooth, floral and lightly earthy/vegetal note that is softened with a pleasant creaminess.
I know I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again in the future, but, I just love getting my monthly Selection Club box from Simple Loose Leaf! It really is a GREAT bargain: I get five different teas each month and there’s enough for several pots of tea from EACH of the five teas in the box. Plus you get a sample from the next month’s box to whet your appetite for the teas to come! And there are a couple of different payment options available to you that have been designed for savings and convenience in mind.
And if you want to save even more, here’s what you do: use this code – SISTERSELECTION25 – and receive a 25% discount when you sign up for the Selection Club! This discount is applicable only to the monthly Selection Club subscription and not the retail selection of teas. It’s an awesome service!