Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Stone Leaf Teahouse
Tea Description:
Jinggu, Spring 2011
Smooth, velvety, nutty
The most delicate combined with the robust; a skilled harvest of just the tips of the tea plant, exposed to the outside world for one day, then processed as black tea. Features characteristic earthy tones of Dian Hong, yet yields an incredibly soft, sweet cup. Notes of grape, slight pepper, and olive.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Yunnan Golden Strand Spring 2011 from Stone Leaf Teahouse has the sweetest bready flavor. It reminds me of raisin bread, or fig cake. There is even a yeasty quality to the sip that makes it even more like a true gourmet baked good.
While it is sweet, very sweet, there is something interesting about this tea that brings it toward a savory note as well. I do get the olive note that is mentioned in the description, and just a light taste of black pepper, which is very nice, but I also taste bulgar wheat, and milo.
The mouthfeel of this tea is heavy but not thick. It fills the mouth and has a near creamy feel, but with all the sweetness it finds a way not to become syrupy. It has a clear finish.
The leaf itself is beautiful, one of the lightest colored Golden Strand teas I have encountered.
Other notes worthy of mention are caramel, cocoa, fruit, hay, cane sugar, indeed it is a strange brew, but quite delicious.
Stone Leaf Teahouse never fails to provide tea of the highest quality.
Darjeeling Second Flush Rohini Black from sTEAp Shoppe
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Darjeeling. Black
Where to Buy: sTEAp Shoppe
Tea Description:
Rohini Second Flush Black Tea delightfully smooth full bodied mouth feel. Cocoa notes with highlights of almond and spice delivered in a baked bread. Warm and inviting gliding over the palate pleasing your every whim. As with all of the high quality Darjeeling teas this tea remain inviting for several steeps.
Rohini is a well established Tea estate, though the estate did remain closed for a period of 30 years the Saria family revived it in 1994. The garden is divided into four; the lower Jaberhat, mid elevation of Kotidhara and Pailodhora, and Tukuriya which is the highest in elevation. Tukuriya division which is located at an average elevation of 4400 FT and stretches right up to Kurseong town. The teas from Tukuriya are made from tea bushes that have remained there for more than 100 years.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Darjeeling Second Flush Rohini Black from sTEAp Shoppe offers a lighter darjeeling with a deep lurking presence.
Upon first sip you will get a sweet raisin note, a light grape essence, not nearly as muscatel as some Darjeeling, and you may even think that it is a rather light, bright, tea with a clean finish. But wait… sneaking upon your unsuspecting taste buds is a rich, full mouthfeel, almost creamy, velvety, with a nutty, woodsy, backdrop of flavor.
There is a honeyed sweetness to this Darjeeling, and while my palate does not detect cocoa notes as in the description it does offer a wonderful hint at almond, and fig.
The more the tea cools the fuller and more robust it becomes, almost as if it thickens.
I could see this tea being quite excellent iced, but it requires no additives and I feel adding any thing, even sweetener, would ruin this perfect cup.
Janet at sTEAp Shoppe offers up another winner in this Darjeeling Second Flush Rohini Black.
Sacher Blend from Upton Tea Imports
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Upton Tea Imports
Tea Description:
Inspired by the Hotel Sacher in Vienna, this is a traditional blend of Darjeeling with a hint of Ceylon. The blend is then lightly scented with oil of Bergamot and a hint of genuine Bourbon vanilla. The result is a floral Darjeeling surrounded by soft, fruity, citrus notes. A new formula which we find especially pleasing.
Ingredients: black tea, natural & artificial flavor
Origin: USA
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Sacher Blend from Upton Tea Imports, which can also be found on their website by item number TE22S, has a surprisingly mild flavor considering all the flavoring components listed in the description.
The bergamot is extremely light, barely noticeable, but the vanilla is what shines in this cup.
This is a black tea with a very smooth heavy mouthfeel, rich and robust, and I could see where a coffee drinker would very much enjoy this tea.
I tasted absolutely no bitterness nor astringency even after a rather long steep.
This is a remarkably smooth tea.
It may lack some of the promise the description eludes to especially if you are expecting much from the Bergamot notes, but if you have a sensitive palate you will taste it.
I think it is rather nice, and I personally love it because I prefer my Earl Grey to be light on the bergamot. I like bergamot but I too often find that bergamot is all I can taste in most Earl Grey. I think this blend is unique for those of us who only want a light EG flavor, and let us remember, this is not being sold as an EG.
I do wish that it did not contain artificial flavors, as I see no need for them. I would think that bourbon vanilla and bergamot should easily be able to obtain without artificial flavoring, I know it can be, so this is my only complaint about this blend.
Outside of that, unless you are expecting an EG flavor from this tea with a splash of vanilla, you should like it, just keep in mind this is far more a bourbon vanilla flavored tea with a splash of bergamot!
The flavors pop more as the tea cools. Would be excellent iced.
Organic Ceylon from Utopia Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black, Ceylon
Where to Buy: Utopia Tea
Tea Description:
Want a delightful afternoon treat? Try our USDA Certified Organic Ceylon! This aromatic tea with honey-chocolate notes has a medium body and a robust character. Black tea contains a large amount of antioxidant compounds called polyphenols that aid in fighting harmful diseases while protecting the body. Black tea is also known to strengthen the immune system, lower cholesterol, and protect teeth and bones. Small amounts of calcium, manganese, and potassium have also been found in black tea. Try this tea hot or over ice!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is a nice basic Ceylon. I love that it’s organic!
It has some honey notes to it and a light cocoa flavor.
There is also little bit of a malty note.
Its nothing that will blow your mind with flavors but it is a rock solid morning or afternoon black tea that I appreciate greatly! It has just enough flavor to make it special, without being overdone.
I can see how this would make a stellar iced tea as well.
Usually in the morning I am reaching for something basic, something black, something with good flavor but not necessarily a flavored tea. I find Organic Ceylon from Utopia tea to be one of those teas I have been reaching for to fit the bill. It has nice characteristics that I look for in a black, is robust enough to start my day, and seems to awaken me nicely. On the other hand I feel it is a fitting afternoon tea as well because it keeps you alert without jitteriness, and also has some soothing flavor notes to curb any hunger pangs to help get you through to the evening. It is a smooth black with no bitterness or astringency.
The honey notes and cocoa notes are really quite perfect and I have not ever felt the need to add anything to this tea.
While I can’t say that it takes me away to some place in my mind or evokes any specific thought or feeling, which I do love in a tea, what this does instead is helps me stay focused on what I need to do in the now. Its straight forward and sometimes that helps a lot – especially for me in the morning.
Jasmine Coconut Green Tea from Whispering Pines Tea Company
Tea Type:
Rooibos/Green Tea Blend
Where To Buy:
Whispering Pines Tea Company
Product Description:
Jasmine Coconut Green Tea combines the warm fragrant smell of jasmine scented green tea and red rooibos with freshly toasted organic coconut flakes for a smooth tropical tea. Deliciously perfect for any time of the day! Best enjoyed hot.
Tasters Review:
Whispering Pines told me the green tea used in this blend is a Light Fujian Pouchong.
The ‘green’ tea leaves look different from leaf to leaf. The coconut shavings are smaller than you might see in a bulk section or in a Bob’s Red Mill’s type bag, for example. I can also see the rooibos. At first glance – it ALMOST looks like there COULD BE both green and regular rooibos in this mix! It’s a bit hard to tell this last assumption about the Rooibos because there is so little of it in there…so…it could just be regular rooibos, I guess.
The green tea is a nice ‘even-steven’ type taste inbetween a slight grassy-green, slight sweet-green, slight vegetal-green. The Jasmine is subtle – thankfully! Just the right amount for my palate. The coconut is pretty amazing. It’s not like a stereotypical-tropical type coconut but a soothing, creamy-type instead. I do like this difference!
With the description and ingredients list I thought I would like this one fine-and-dandy but I actually like it even more than I thought I would! This is incredibly smooth. This is a nice sipping tea OR a nice gulping tea!
Whispering Pines…an Artisan of blended teas! Nice!
