Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Tea Description:
Tropical the island breeze All of nature wild and free This is where I long to be La Isla Bonita And when the samba played The sun would set so high Ring through my ears and sting my eyes Your Spanish lullaby
A Jennifer Bliss Custom Blend.
Learn more about this custom blend here.
Find more Jennifer Bliss blends here.
Taster’s Review:
Tasty! I must say that when it comes to Adagio Teas, I definitely have better luck with the white teas versus the black teas. This La Isla Bonita Custom Tea Blend (created by very own Jennifer Bliss aka TeaEqualsBliss!) from Adagio Teas – a white tea blend – is very nice, indeed.
The tropical notes are the strongest flavors in this cup. I taste the coconut and pineapple out in front, and then just beneath those tropical fruits, I taste notes of orange and tangerine. The coconut tastes smooth and creamy, the pineapple is sweet with just a hint of tart, and the orange and tangerine add a pop of bright flavor to the cup.
The white tea tastes soft and delicate and slightly earthy. It is the right base for this tea. Everything is “delicate” but together becomes a powerful flavor without becoming overwhelming.
And then there is the spearmint! I like that there isn’t too much spearmint in this blend. There is just the right touch of mint to give it that cool taste of mint without throwing off the sweet tropical and citrus-y notes.
What I’m enjoying most here is how the airy quality of the white tea comes together with the spearmint and together, the two become a very “breezy” sort of sensation, which is in keeping with the “La Isla Bonita” inspiration behind the blend. I love that I can taste the inspiration!
This is tasty served hot, but it really shines when it’s iced. So deliciously fruity with just a touch of mint: refreshing!
Strawberry Mint Julep White Tea from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
This week’s tea is a sweet blend of hay-like shou mei, freeze-dried strawberries and fresh cut peppermint and spearmint along with organic strawberry, mint and bourbon flavors. It reminds me oddly of my grandmother’s house, where she kept a small garden of mint and strawberries on the side of the house.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about Zoomdweebie’s fundraising campaign to reopen the Tea Bar here.
Taster’s Review:
Mmm! This Strawberry Mint Julep White Tea from 52Teas is really tasty! The delicate flavor of the Shou Mei works really well with the sweet-tart taste of the berries and the crisp, refreshing flavor of the mint notes.
The white tea is sweet and has a vegetative hay-like taste to it. There is also a light, crisp taste to the tea that works really nicely with the fresh minty notes of the spearmint and peppermint.
The mint is probably the most pronounced flavor of this cup, but, I like that it’s not dominating to the point of overpowering the other flavors. The strawberry notes come through, as does the subtle tones of the white tea and just a hint of bourbon also reveals itself in each sip.
And while I’m not generally a big fan of alcohol, I do like that this tastes a bit like a cocktail. I actually like that I can taste the booze (without feeling the effects of it!) because the bourbon flavor works well here. Perhaps that’s because it’s not an aggressive taste … it is sort of off in the background, allowing me to enjoy the other flavors while not letting me forget that it’s there.
This is nice served hot (let it cool off for just a couple of minutes after pouring the tea) but as I type this, I’m also in the process of brewing up a half gallon pitcher of it so that I can have this iced tomorrow afternoon. I find that this tea gets better as it cools. I’m liking it better and better with each sip!
I know that I’ve been talking a lot about the 52Teas fundraising effort to reopen the doors of the Zoomdweebies tea bar … but, let me say it again … if you can, please help out this small business! We can always use more places to enjoy tea!
Slumbering Slope Tisane from Bird’s Eye Tea
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Bird’s Eye Tea
Tisane Description:
Ingredients: Chamomile, Skullcap, Catnip, Spearmint, Rose, licorice
This is a simple blend to help calm the body at the end of the day. My sister grew the catnip for this blend. The skullcap and chamomile come from farms in Oregon. I like to use a variety of mild relaxants when I make any evening teas because everyone has a really specific combination of tensions in their body. Some folks hold tension in thoughts, others in their muscles.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Learn more about subscribing to Bird’s Eye Tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I put off trying this Slumbering Slope Tisane from Bird’s Eye Tea for a while … and the reason is chamomile. I don’t dislike chamomile (although at one time I did dislike it) but, it’s also not my favorite herb. And … I usually only prepare a chamomile tisane later in the evening, when I want to start getting ready for rest because chamomile does have that relaxing effect. Actually, it makes me sleepy. But, usually, when I’m getting ready for bed, I’m not really thinking about preparing a tisane … although I think I should get myself into that habit.
And this would be a great tisane with which to get into that kind of habit! This is a tasty tisane. The chamomile is the strongest flavor, followed by the spearmint. I like that the spearmint is there to add a nice minty tone to the taste, but, it isn’t an overpowering taste, as I think a stronger minty flavor would be a bit more invigorating than it should be for a blend like this.
I can taste the rose, and again, I like that this is a soft, sweet rose note. The licorice is faint, but, it adds a hint of sweetness and an interesting contrast without coming off too zesty.
Everything about this blend is calm and soothing. It is a very relaxing blend that is not too medicinal or herbaceous tasting, and not overly sweet. It has a pleasant, easy to drink flavor. I like it.
Ancient Forest Rooibos Blend from Whispering Pines Tea Co.
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Whispering Pines Tea Co.
Tisane Description:
Sweet notes of mint and tart hibiscus with just the perfect elderberry twist flow smooth as water through the rooibos base – It’s like a cup of serenity pulled straight out of the deep northern forests!
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
This Ancient Forest Rooibos Blend from Whispering Pines is really quite nice! I was surprised to find that this has hibiscus in it, because, while I do taste the hibiscus, it isn’t a strong, prominent flavor … and hibiscus is one of those herbs that tends to get strong and prominent in no time at all. And I steeped this tisane for 10 minutes! But … it did not get thick, syrupy or overwhelmingly tart! Hooray for Whispering Pines Tea Company … they know how to blend with hibiscus!
The hibiscus here seems to accentuate the elderberry flavor … and I like that just fine. I’m not a fan of hibiscus (as I’ve said many times before) but, I don’t mind it if it’s done right, and Whispering Pines did hibiscus right with this blend.
The spearmint is done right too – it’s not a powerful minty taste … it is crisp, cool and refreshing … but it doesn’t taste like toothpaste! There is a really enjoyable balance of flavors here. Even the rooibos – which is another herb that I’m not particularly fond of – works well with this blend. The natural nutty tones of the rooibos melds nicely with the berry notes and the minty notes, while the sweetness of the rooibos offsets some of the tartness of the cup.
A really enjoyable blend, this Ancient Forest Rooibos Blend!
Blackmint Oolong Blend from Whispering Pines Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Whispering Pines Tea Company
Tea Description:
A warming blend of o’olong tea, mint and cinnamon! Crisp, smooth, minty perfection at its finest!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Blackmint Oolong Blend from Whispering Pines Tea Company threw me for a loop when I first tried it. I visited the website and looked under black tea blends, and found two with mint … one with an Assam base and one with a Lapsang Souchong Base. To tell the truth … this tea didn’t taste like either!
So I emailed the company for verification, and they got back to me promptly (I love it when a company makes themselves available promptly to their customers like this one does! It makes me feel comfortable doing business with a company when they’re there to answer questions … and they do so right away!) and they told me that Blackmint could be found in their Oolong section!
That surprised me, because while the tea base tasted smooth and had a thick, somewhat creamy mouthfeel the way dark Oolong teas do, it had a certain strong quality to it that I wouldn’t normally associate with an Oolong. This tea has a very pleasing, rich flavor that would satisfy even those who usually prefer black teas over Oolong. The flavor isn’t quite black tea-ish … but, it has a bolder flavor than many Oolong teas that I’ve tried.
And to be paired with the minty duo of spearmint and peppermint, it would need to have a strong character! The minty flavor is powerful, but, not overpowering. I love the way the mint and the Oolong work together – it makes a minty … creamy kind of taste that reminds me a bit of the creamy consistency of a minty milkshake (you know which one I’m talking about right? I passed by some golden arches yesterday and the sign in the window says they’re back for St. Patrick’s Day!)
The cinnamon in this tea … is less noticeable. Perhaps this is because the mint and the Oolong are both so prominent that the cinnamon plays more of a background note, but, I tasted some earthiness from the cinnamon but not so much of that zesty cinnamon edge. However, I can’t say that I missed the cinnamon because I found this tea to be so enjoyable just the way it was.
A really delightful blend … I’m really glad I got the opportunity to try it.