Sweet Peach White Tea Blend from Simple Loose Leaf

by liberteas

Sweet-Peach-White-TeaTea Information:

Leaf Type:  White

Where to Buy:  Simple Loose Leaf

Tea Description:

White tea, with its sweet, soft floral flavors is an ideal choice to blend with delicate fruit notes. Sweet peach flavor brings out the best in white tea and creates a delightful twist on our wonderful Shou Mei. Delicious served iced as well as hot, this tea makes an ideal light, summery drink.

Learn more about this tea here.

Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s Selection Club subscription program here.

Taster’s Review:

When I opened the sampler packet of this Sweet Peach White Tea Blend from Simple Loose Leaf – which was part of this month’s Selection Club box! – I was blown away by the aroma!  Wow!  This tea packs one powerful peach punch.  The fragrance is like I had just cut into a fresh, tree-ripened peach.  Mmm!

After being greeted by such a delicious scent, I could hardly wait to taste the tea.  And the flavor of this tea is outstanding.  It tastes strongly of peach, but, the sweet, juicy peach notes do not overwhelm the delicate Shou Mei white tea.

The peach has an authentic taste.  I’m not tasting an “artificial” peach note or a chemical-y taste that I can sometimes get with a flavored tea.  This tastes like PEACHES.  Drinking this hot, it reminds me of the warm filling of a peach cobbler.  Allow it to cool, and you’re treated to a wonderful iced tea that tastes so good, you can almost feel the juice of the peach running down your arm.

As I mentioned before, the white tea is not overpowered in this cup.  It is a light, sweet taste that offers whispers of earthy notes and hints of hay-like flavors, as well as a sweet, dewy flavor.  The combination of peach and white tea is a real winner here … and this tea from Simple Loose Leaf is a definite WIN!

liberteas

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see. Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog! Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!

This post was posted in White Tea

Hazelberry Pu’er Blend from Simple Loose Leaf

by liberteas

hazelberrypuerTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Pu-erh

Where to Buy:  Simple Loose Leaf

Tea Description:

The earthy smoothness of Pu’er creates a warm foundation for the rich flavor of hazelnut while playful, tangy-sweet strawberries peek through the nutty opulence. A hint of cream adds a soft, dreamy note to the blend.

Pu’er Tea, Strawberries, Cocoa Nibs, Natural Strawberry Flavor, Natural Creme Flavor, Natural Hazelnut Flavor

Learn more about this tea here.

Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s Selection Club subscription program here.

Taster’s Review:

When I opened the pouch of this Hazelberry Pu’er Blend from Simple Loose Leaf, I didn’t smell a strong earthy aroma.  Instead, what I smelled was hazelnuts!  Hints of fruit in the background, along with a slight earthy tone that mingled with the hazelnuts in way that was agreeable to the olfactory senses.  The brewed tea smells strongly of hazelnuts with notes of earth and a berry note.  

This is a really tasty Pu-erh blend!  The hazelnut flavor is well-defined and stands out.  The earthy notes of the Pu-erh meld with the nutty notes to create this really intense nutty flavor that is quite yummy.  It has a deep and mellow flavor, something that you just want to curl up with and enjoy.

The strawberry notes are not as strongly pronounced as the hazelnut, but, they are sweet with a tart note toward the finish.  I don’t know that I’ve ever had a hazelnut and strawberry blend before, but these two flavors work well together.  There is a creamy backdrop to the cup, and this seems to bring out the cacao flavors a little bit (as does the earthy tones of the Pu-erh and the hazelnut).  If I were to change anything at all about this blend, I’d want a little more chocolate.  But when do I ever want less chocolate?  Never.   More chocolate is always better.

This is really good.  I didn’t brew it the way I traditionally brew a Pu-erh (in my gaiwan) but I did take it for a quick rinse before the first steep, and I do recommend doing this to help wash away some of the stronger earthy qualities of the tea.

I got this tea in my April Selection Club box and I am just thrilled with it!  Wonder what it’s like to get a Selection Club sampler box?  Click here to see what teas I received this month!  Awesome, right?  Well, I’ve got even more good news:  Simple Loose Leaf has a special April promotion.  Get your first month of the Selection Club for just one dollar!  Use this code:  1DOLLARMONTH and enjoy up to five samples of different teas next month for just one dollar!  You can also opt to receive a larger quantity of one or two teas rather than the sampler box that I usually choose. Interested?  Check it out here and enjoy some great teas at a really great price next month.

liberteas

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see. Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog! Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!

This post was posted in Pu-erh

Cranberry Breeze Herbal Tisane from Simple Loose Leaf

by liberteas

Cranberry-Breeze-HerbalTisane Information:

Leaf Type:  Fruit/Herbal Tisane

Where to Buy:  Simple Loose Leaf

Tea Description:

This perfectly balanced blend of subtly sweet cherry and rose hips with tart cranberry and hibiscus make this herbal tea refreshingly delicious and reminiscent of a fun fruit punch drink. Perfect for children and others watching sugar and caffeine; Cranberry Breeze is wonderful hot or iced and is the perfect alternative to sweet caffeinated drinks.

Learn more about this tea here.

Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s Selection Club subscription program here.

Taster’s Review:

This Cranberry Breeze Herbal Tisane is not one I would have selected for myself.  I am sipping on it only because it was one of the five teas in this month’s Simple Loose Leaf Selection Club and I opted for the five samplers instead of choosing an ounce or two of two of the teas.  But you know what?  I’m glad that I received this because I am enjoying it.

Yeah, normally, I’m not a big fan of hibiscus, and this is hibiscus-y!  Really hibiscus-y.  When I drink a hibiscus-based tisane, I want it to either be light on the hibiscus, or have ingredients that work well with the hibiscus.  Well, this tisane isn’t light on the hibiscus, but the cranberry and hibiscus work very well together.

Yes, it’s tart.  There are times when I’d even go so far as to say it’s sour!  But, cranberries are like that, and as I said, the hibiscus and cranberry work really well together in this tisane.

I taste notes of sour cherry too, and the cherry and cranberry together give this a very juicy, fruity, party punch flavor only healthier, because even though I am not a fan of hibiscus, it is does bring a lot of health benefits to this party in a teacup.

I like this better iced than hot because the fruity punch flavor just tastes better iced.  Not my favorite tisane, but it is something that I’d drink now and then when I want something a little bit different to give my taste buds a jump start.  Try brewing up a pitcher of this, chilling it, and then serving it to the kids the next time they want something to drink – it’s a great naturally caffeine free alternative to those sugary sodas!

Oh, and don’t forget about Simple Loose Leaf’s special April promotion!  You can get your first month of the Selection Club for just one dollar!  Yes, you read that correctly!  Use this code:  1DOLLARMONTH and enjoy up to five different teas next month for just one dollar!  Wow!  That’s amazing!  Be sure to check it out and tell ’em that I sent you!

liberteas

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see. Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog! Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!

This post was posted in Fruit/Herbal Tisane

Organic Gunpowder Green Tea from Simple Loose Leaf

by liberteas

Organic-Gunpowder-GreenTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Green

Where to Buy:  Simple Loose Leaf

Tea Description:

Named for its shape, Gunpowder is one of the most popular teas throughout Asia. Our harvesters use a special rolling technique to craft these shiny, compact nuggets of tea out of the freshest, sweetest leaves. The result is immaculately clean, translucent liquor with a smooth, round taste followed by the subtle aftertaste of fresh green leaves.

Organic Chinese Gunpowder Green Tea

Learn more about this tea here.

Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s NEW Selection Club subscription program here.

Taster’s Review:

HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY!

And since it is St. Patrick’s Day, what better tea to celebrate with than a green tea?  Specifically, this Organic Gunpowder Green Tea from Simple Loose Leaf!

And this is a really good quality Gunpowder Green!  I love that it’s an organic tea.  The more I’m trying organic teas, the more I’m starting to notice a slight difference in flavor in the organic teas versus the conventionally grown teas.  Maybe it’s all in my head, but … I think I do notice a slight difference.

For the record, I did at one time do a side by side comparison of an organically grown rooibos versus a conventionally grown rooibos, and the organic rooibos did taste better.  Now, that’s not saying that it is true of camellia sinensis leaves.  I just noticed a difference in the taste of the rooibos.

Anyway, let’s get back to this Gunpowder Green.  It has a pleasant, smooth texture to it.  I want to call it “brothy” because it reminds me a bit of the mouthfeel I’d experience if I were sipping a vegetable broth.  Sort of thick and silky.  But I’d much rather be sipping on this over a vegetable broth!

It does have a vegetative tone to it, though.  It tastes of lima beans, only sweeter!  There is a light buttery note to this as well as a toasted nut flavor.  It has a nice complexity and a well-rounded flavor.  Unlike some Gunpowder teas, I don’t taste the slight “smokiness” that I sometimes taste.  This tastes cleaner … fresher!

One of the better Gunpowder Green teas I’ve tasted!

liberteas

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see. Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog! Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!

This post was posted in Green Tea