Tea Type:
White Tea
Where To Buy:
Simpson & Vail
Product Description:
Located 6000 feet above sea level, in the misty hills of Pashupatinagar, Ilam, is this family owned Organic (EU) and ISO certified garden. The teas grown here are some of the most interesting and spectacular teas that will tempt your taste buds into new levels of enjoyment. This garden is the first one in Nepal to use the technology, machinery and expertise available from Japan. The Aarubotay tea bushes are a combination of Japanese, Chinese and clonal varieties that produce the best of Nepalese teas. Try some today and, from the first smell of the dry leaf to the taste of the brewed tea, you will be convinced that this family has achieved success!
These large, long, organic, white tipped leaves have been specially handled to produce a tea that has three times more antioxidants as compared to other teas. They brew into long, olive-green leaves with a delicate light yellow cup and a slightly earthy aroma. We find that this delicious white tea has delightful peach undertones and more body than other white teas that we’ve tasted.
Brew: 2- 4 minutes @ 158-167ºF. Multiple infusions are possible.
Tasters Review:
This is WONDERFUL. This is a really spectacular white tea – a White Tea from Nepal, even!
It’s slightly misty, a bit mossy, earthy, yet sweet and mouth watering! A neat combo of natural flavors!
I agree with the product description saying that this white has more body than most white teas. It’s quite hearty. This is fairly brothy – like soup. I really REALLY like this!
As I continue to sip – I can pick up some rice-Y notes, too, it too, and some floral notes. This is darling! I highly recommend this one!
Cinnamon Chocolate Brownie from Simpson and Vail
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Simpson and Vail
Tea Description:
Do you love chocolate but hate the calories? This tea may be the answer! Made from all organic and natural ingredients, this black tea blend tastes decadent with no residual weight effects. The aroma of this tea reminds me of my grandma’s kitchen when all of us kids were able to coax her into baking us brownies … delicious….
Ingredients: Organic China black tea, organic cocoa nibs, organic cinnamon pieces and natural flavoring.
Brew tea at 212º – steep for 3 minutes.
Certified Kosher
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I received this in a tea trade and was eager to try it because I had yet to try a tea from Simpson and Vail. So far I have been quite pleased with all three of the Simpson and Vail teas I received in this trade!
Having never tried Simpson and Vail before I took a look around their site and was impressed that this is a family run business, the prices are quite fair, and they have an amazing selection of teas, coffee, food, and tea ware. They also have recipes, and all of their information regarding health, shipping, policies, etc are easy to find. I truly enjoy a well laid out website that offers easy to find information, and is user friendly.
Needless to say I will be revisiting the Simpson and Vail site again to place an order of my own!
The base used in this tea is quite bold, which I like. Especially for a morning wake up tea. Sure this is a dessert tea but no one can tell me I can’t have my dessert tea for breakfast.
The cinnamon is a nice touch, but only a touch, and unlike many teas with cinnamon in them, the cinnamon in this tea does not take over. The chocolate is not over the top either but tastes like a darker chocolate to me. Now I am picky when it comes to chocolate flavoring in tea. Usually, in my opinion, the chocolate flavor used in tea often comes over as really cheap tasting. Like the easter chocolate eggs you could find at a local dollar store. Not good. This however, is a nice chocolate flavor and that is because they used real cocoa nibs, organic cocoa nibs at that! A true chocolate taste.
Now I may not be as in love with this tea as my sisters are, but it is a good hearty blend with well balanced flavors that taste the way the name eludes that it will. However it is not quite as “dessert-y” as one may hope for when reaching for a dessert-y tea. On the other hand it is a wonderfully flavored tea for breakfast when one does not want their standard black.
I do notice as the tea cools more of the flavor develops so don’t be in too big of a rush enjoying this tea … give it a chance to show you all it has to offer.
I look forward to trying more from Simpson and Vail.
Toasted Nut Cafe Black Tea from Simpson & Vail
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Simpson & Vail
Tea Description:
For some people, desserts can only be served with coffee. For others, desserts and tea are perfectly complementary. With our Toasted Nut Café you don’t have to be one or the other! This blend combines black tea, almonds, coffee beans and flavors to produce a hearty cup that has a toasty coffee flavor. The black tea flavor comes through with the coffee and toasted nut flavors as an aftertaste. A perfect beverage to accompany a wide range of sweets: truffles, tortes, pies, cakes and more. Or enjoy as is or with a little sweetener and a dollop of cream.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I was a little nervous as well as excited to try this new tea. As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve had quite a tumultuous history with the coffee bean. There was a time when I really enjoyed coffee and drank it every morning, but, by about eleven in the morning I would start to feel sick to my stomach. It didn’t take too long for me to realize that it was my morning coffee habit that was causing the nausea, so, it was at that point that I switched to drinking tea. I don’t regret that switch, of course, because I have fallen deeper in love with tea than I ever felt for coffee.
But that being said, there are still times when I miss coffee. Specifically, I miss that bold, rich fragrance of coffee, and I do also miss the robust flavor – but not so much as I miss the aroma. Tea aroma is – of course – amazing, however, there is something that is very eye-opening about the smell of coffee. I miss that sometimes. But I certainly didn’t miss it this morning when I deeply inhaled the bouquet of this tea! It smells rich and delicious with notes of coffee and almond. The faintest smell of black tea is there too, but the coffee notes do overwhelm it just a bit.
My first thought when I smelled it was YUM! Then, thoughts of dismay came to me … what if this makes me sick just like coffee did. I know I’ve had this thought before with other coffee flavored teas, and I think that this will always be a worry whenever I encounter a coffee flavored tea. I guess, when a person goes through that … that always stays with them, right?
Anyway… after brewing, I took a tentative sip, but, was very pleased by the flavor. Yes, it tastes of coffee! Rich, bold coffee notes are the strongest that I taste, followed by a hint of toasted almond that sort of weaves its way through the sip, but is most noticeable toward the finish and in the aftertaste. The tea flavor is there too, and it adds a nice complexity to the cup. I find that this coffee-ish tea is much more flavorful than I remember my morning cup of coffee ever being – even when I’d splurge and indulge in a mocha! The tea really seems to bring out more of the complex notes with hints of dark cocoa, and a smooth earthiness.
Overall, the cup is rich, smooth, and delicious. There are hints of a savory bitterness from the coffee, a sweet undertone from the tea as well as the almond flavors, and a very roasty, toasty sort of feel that is invigorating. It’s really very good.
The word is still out on whether or not this will leave me feeling sick in an hour or two… but, after that time has lapsed I’ll come back and edit this post to add the update!
UPDATE: Well, it’s about four hours after finishing a cup of this tea, and I’ve experienced no nausea. Yay! A great alternative to those who need to steer away from coffee, but still want to experience that flavor every once in a while. This tea gets two enthusiastic thumbs up!
Kenya Oolong from Simpson & Vail
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Simpson & Vail
Product Description:
Kenya, a country in East Africa, is known worldwide for its wildlife reserves, its lofty mountain peaks, and the high quality offerings from the country’s tea gardens and coffee plantations. For the past 10 years or so, Kenya tea producers have been focusing on more orthodox production methods to create high quality large leaf style teas. This tea is a relative newcomer to the Oolong tea market. It is grown in the Central Province District of Kirinyaga, where the rich earth and moderate climatic conditions help the plants to thrive.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is a delightful Oolong. With the first sip, I noticed a fantastic apricot-peach flavor to it, reminding me a bit of a nice Formosa Oolong, but it is a bit more brisk. It is as if my treasured Formosa Oolong (Formosa Oolong was my very first Oolong, so it will always have a very special place in my heart) had a love child with a high grown Ceylon … and then moved to Kenya!
It has a pleasant sweetness, but, I find that with the astringency at the tail, the sweetness never gets to the point where it’s too much. It lasts as long as the sip lasts, and then the astringency cleanses the palate and readies it for the next sip. This tea is also earthy, and I pick up on the earthy tones especially at the start of the sip, and then the earthiness subsides into the sweet fruit notes, with a hint of flower (orchid, perhaps?) in the distance. As I continue to sip, I notice a citrus-y background begin to develop, by the end of my first cup (which is the combination of the first two infusions), the citrus-y note is well-pronounced.
This tea provided me six very wonderful infusions, and the flavors changed and shifted focus with each cup. This is a wonderfully contemplative cup, one that I could spend hours over, just examining the layers of flavor. It has such a complex character, very similar to other teas, but, different enough not to be cast into their shadows.
Cheers!
Chocolate Caramel From Simpson & Vail
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Simpson & Vail
Product Description:
Two of my favorite tastes – chocolate and creamy caramel – meet in this delicious black tea blend. Let the sweet chocolate aroma awaken your senses while the rich, smooth chocolate taste, and buttery aftertaste, thrill your tastebuds.
Ingredients: black teas, cacao nibs, flavoring, and safflower petals.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I have been looking forward to trying this tea. I mean, chocolate and caramel? YUM!
The dry leaf smells really delicious with its strong chocolate-y aroma. It has a very dark chocolate kind of fragrance along with a distinct caramel-y scent. I can even smell hints of browned butter in there! The brewed tea smells quite a bit softer, with much of the chocolate-y overtones having mellowed, but it is still a worthwhile experience to deeply inhale the aroma of this tea before taking a sip.
My first couple of sips, I found myself wishing there was more of a chocolate-y flavor. I didn’t really taste a whole lot of either chocolate or caramel, and I found this to be a bit disappointing. But, I didn’t give up on it, because there was certainly some promise in this cup. I could taste hints of chocolate and caramel in the distance.
After those first couple of sips, I noticed the flavor developing. Now that I am nearly finished with my first cup, the chocolate is much stronger than it was at the start. It tastes rich and very much the way the scent of the dry leaf intimated. It is a dark chocolate taste, with a pleasing bittersweet flavor. The caramel is there too, with a smooth, creamy flavor that is sweet and delicious. The finish is almost buttery, and the aftertaste is sweet and chocolate-y.
The black tea is there too. It is especially noticeable in those aforementioned first sips, when I had trouble tasting the chocolate and caramel. I still tasted a rich, rewarding flavor of black tea. Strong and brisk without being too stout, there is no bitterness to the tea, and just a wee bit of astringency.
This is definitely a tea that you have to be a little patient with, but, that patience is rewarded with the irresistible combination of chocolate and caramel. Sure, I am a chocoholic and that part of me would like there to be more chocolate here, but, as it is, I am finding this to be very satisfying.
Another awesome tea from Simpson and Vail!