Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
I think this is going to be a popular summer treat for a lot of folks. It’s a beautiful hay-like shou mei with real whole freeze-dried blackberries and organic blackberry and cream flavors.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh YUM! I was excited to try this Blackberries & Cream Shou Mei from 52Teas, mostly because I love blackberries and it’s not the most popular flavor of “berry” teas out there. One would not have a difficult time finding a strawberry or raspberry flavored tea, or even a blueberry tea, but blackberry? Not quite as easy to find. And living here in the Pacific Northwest, blackberries grow EVERYWHERE (even places you don’t want them to grow), and my family and I are quite fond of them.
And this is really yummy! Frank did these flavors justice in this blend. I can taste the sweet-tart berry notes, and the creamy notes are exceptionally good. I love how the creamy flavors of the “cream” and the natural creaminess of the white tea meld together perfectly to create a delectable berry and cream treat!
It is sweet and flavorful, with a berry flavor that doesn’t taste too candy-like to me. Oh sure, I’ve got a sweet tooth and I don’t dislike berry candy, but I like how the blackberry flavoring here tastes more like I just finished eating a ripe and juicy blackberry rather than tasting like I just finished eating a blackberry lollipop. Although … I wouldn’t mind having a blackberry lollipop either. Mmm!
Imagine, if you would, blackberries that have been cooked with just a little bit of sugar to help release their flavors, and then topping a bowl of vanilla ice cream with the cooked blackberries. Now … allow your mind to imagine just a bit further, and imagine that ice cream sundae liquefied and added to a cup of freshly brewed Shou Mei white tea. Yeah … that’s what I’m talking about!
And that’s what this tea delivers. There’s a serious yum factor going on in my teacup right now!
Sweet Orange White Tea from Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Description:
Our delicate Shou Mei white tea is balanced perfectly with a touch of citrus. Dried orange peel results in a sweet and refreshing addition to the citrus flavor dancing amongst the backdrop of the gently floral Shou Mei. Delicious served iced as well as hot, this tea makes an ideal light, summery drink with a twist of citrus.
Learn more about this blend here.
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s Selection Club subscription program here.
Taster’s Review:
I was greeted with a burst of orange when I opened this pouch – the aroma of the dry leaf of this Sweet Orange White Tea from Simple Loose Leaf is STRONG with orange. It smells bright and juicy and … well, orange-y!
The flavor of the orange is not quite as strong as the fragrance suggests. Instead, I find this to be a really pleasing medley of sweet, earthy Shou Mei white tea and the orange notes, and the orange does not overpower the tea. I like that I’m tasting more tea here than I am orange – and when I first experienced the aroma, I had my doubts! I thought this was going to be all about the orange and the white tea was going to be overwhelmed by the powerful, fragrant citrus.
I really like how the Shou Mei and the orange work together. It’s a very harmonious flavor, as if the two were made for one another. It is seamless.
There is a light, airy quality to the white tea. It’s crisp and refreshing, and reminds me of the air when there’s a cool breeze drifting along on a warm summer day.
The orange is sweet, juicy and flavorful, with just a little bit of tangy punch to keep things lively on the palate. That said, it’s a gentle orange flavor so that it doesn’t compete with the delicate notes of the white tea. I like that the flavor of the orange is so subtle, but at the same time, it’s still a flavorful orange note. This is orange done right!
A really enjoyable cuppa that’s tasty served hot, but even better when iced.
Now through June 20th, get a FREE teapot! I know I’ve mentioned this before, but it’s such a good deal and there’s still a little bit of time to get in on this great offer from Simple Loose Leaf. Don’t miss out!
Grapefruit Brown Sugar Shou Mei Blend from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
My wife and I just celebrated our ninth wedding anniversary. I’m a little surprised she has put up with me for that long. Anyway, she specifically requested this blend and I think it was a great suggestion. It’s something I doubt I would eat, but I don’t really care for grapefruit,however as a flavored tea, this is awesome. It’s tart and sweet and light and refreshing. Very yummy.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
I was really excited to try this Grapefruit Brown Sugar Shou Mei Blend from 52Teas because I love grapefruit teas, and I’m always looking for a really good one. I’ve found a couple of grapefruit teas that I really love, but, I’m always willing to try another to make sure I’m not missing out on one that’s better!
Since this is a white tea (a Shou Mei base) I used a lower temperature to steep it. I generally go with 165°F when I steep a white tea, but with Shou Mei, I feel comfortable going as high as 175°F. I’ve heard/read several different arguments of whether a higher temperature is better for a white tea, but, for me, I find that when I keep it low and steep it for 4 minutes, this provides a flavor that I enjoy. Everyone’s palate is different, though, so I always recommend playing around with it a little, and finding the setting that works best for you. My steeping parameters for this particular pot of tea were 175°F at 4 minutes. And I have a really lovely cup of tea in front of me.
The aroma is definitely grapefruit-y to me. I allow the tea to cool for about 2 minutes. I am not sure exactly why this is, but, I have found that when I allow a couple of minutes for a tea to “set” – especially a flavored tea like this – the flavors seem to really pop.
This is actually quite tasty. I taste the grapefruit and the brown sugar notes are not quite as distinct, it just tastes sweet. But, I think that these sugar-y sweet notes help to tone down the tartness of the grapefruit. I am still getting some tart notes as well as the bright, citrus-y note of grapefruit.
I like that even though this does have the brown sugar notes in it, it doesn’t taste “candied” or overly sweet. The sweetness just seems to soften the tart notes a little. The aftertaste is very grapefruit-ish, reminiscent of the aftertaste I’d experience if I were eating a half a grapefruit sprinkled with sugar.
The Shou Mei has a sweet, earthy taste and I like the way it melds seamlessly with the grapefruit and brown sugar notes. Everything is very harmonious in this teacup.
The second infusion of these leaves provided more of a straightforward grapefruit note with less brown sugar notes. I could also taste the Shou Mei more this time around. I enjoyed both infusions. This is a tea you should definitely resteep – both infusions taste so good!
A really pleasant grapefruit tea. I don’t know that it’s the next great grapefruit tea in my search for great grapefruit teas, but, it is definitely tasty and one I’m happy to have in my stash. I think I’ll brew some of this for iced tea soon, my daughter will love it!
Sugar Plum Shou Mei White Tea Blend from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
This year’s Christmas week blend is inspired by goodies the vision of which supposedly danced in sleeping children’s heads before they had My Little Ponies to dream about. So here’s my attempt at a sugar plum shou mei complete with some lavender flowers. I sure hope you enjoy it.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
I was thrilled when I saw what tea 52Teas created for the week of this past Christmas: a Sugar Plum Shou Mei White Tea Blend! I love sugar plums! That it to say, I love the Jelly Belly type of sugar plum that’s a jelly sort of candy. I haven’t tried a real sugar plum. I don’t think I’m really entirely sure of what a real sugar plum actually is.
Which I guess opens things up for 52Teas to be very creative with this blend, right?
It took a few sips before I started to really recognize the “plum” notes in this tea. I could taste the white tea in those first few sips: sweet, light hay-ish notes, and a crisp, melon-ish like quality is what I could taste.
After the first few sips, I started to notice some plum-like qualities. Sweet and juicy! Then I noticed hints of lavender starting to emerge. But the aroma of the lavender here is stronger than the lavender’s contribution to the flavor profile of this tea. I can smell the lavender as I sit here, enjoying the scent of the tea wafting out of the cup but the flavor is much softer, like a whisper of lavender, a hint of lavender that caught a ride on the airy notes of the white tea.
This is pretty tasty. It’s not quite as strongly flavored as I anticipated it being based upon my experiences with 52Teas. But it does have the flavors I’d expect from a “sugar plum” flavored tea: I taste the tea, and I taste notes of sweet plum. I don’t know if this tea excites me enough to start filling my head with dancing visions, but it’s a tasty cuppa.
Shou Mei Classic White Tea from Upton Tea Imports
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Upton Tea Imports
Tea Description:
This fine selection from Fujian province boasts a delicate herbaceous aroma, full flavor, and clean finish. The well-balanced cup has a subtle sweetness with delicate walnut flavor nuances.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I don’t drink as many white teas as I do other tea types, and I’m not sure if that’s because I don’t find as many “unique” white teas out there, or if it’s just because I prefer other tea types over white tea. But I do certainly enjoy white teas … especially later in the afternoon and early evening … when I’m starting to wind down. I find the flavor of a white tea to be calming. The gentle, delicate notes relax me.
And this Shou Mei Classic White Tea from Upton Tea Imports produces a perfect calming, relaxing cuppa.
The flavor is soft and sweet, with vegetative notes. I usually call white tea’s vegetative qualities “hay-like” and that description suits this tea well too. There is a warm, nutty quality to this cup, as the above notes from Upton suggest … it is almost like a walnut-type note. I don’t know that what I’m tasting here is walnut … but it is nutty and pleasant.
The finish is subtle and there is very little noticeable astringency to this cup. The aftertaste is a barely-there whisper of sweetness that lingers on the palate.
Overall, a really pleasing Shou Mei.