White teas have not always been my favorite kind of tea, but they have grown on me with every new flavor I try. Since I already like chai teas, I was predisposed to enjoy White Cap Chai from Beach House teas.
This is a wonderful take on the lighter side of chai. The white tea is earthy and smooth, and gently floral. It makes for a vegetal chai without being grassy like green tea. I was thrilled to find a new low caffeine option for chai that isn’t based in rooibos teas.
I adore the mix of spices in this tea, especially the addition of fennel. Fennel occupies that space between sweet spice and savory herb, and brings a new layer to the expected spices like cinnamon or ginger. Added peppercorns also play into the more savory earthiness of the flavors.
Despite some big chai spice players like cloves, anise, and cardamom, the spices themselves are gentle enough to still allow you to taste the white tea and more understated peony flavors. This kind of balance with a spicy tea really shows that the blenders at Beach House Teas know their stuff.
I will have to stock up on White Cap Chai to help balance out all the other black tea or rooibos chais I’ve got in my cupboard. White Cap Chai is versatile and unexpected, perfect for the changing of seasons or for my ever-changing palette for tea.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Beach House Tea Co.
Description:
White Cap Chai is a lighter version of the traditional chai making it delicate and unique. This beautiful chai is made with 100% organic white peony tea leaves and organic spices. It’s a modern twist on a sweet and spicy classic. The chai gives you a smooth, mellow taste with subtle layers of flavor.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
White Peony from Swallowtail Tea. . . .
Whenever a tea company offers a sample pack, it’s a great chance to try out teas that you aren’t sure you’ll like. Recently I tried a sample pack of several different teas from Swallowtail Tea company and White Peony tea was a lovely new find.
I’m not always in the mood for white teas. They have a unique smooth, earthiness that is different than pu erh, black, or green teas. In the right blend, this is a winning flavor, in the wrong blend it ends up tasting strange. White Peony from Swallowtail tea was absolutely a winning white tea.
This tea is lightly flavored, mainly allowing the white tea itself to fill out the flavor profile. The tea brews up deep and golden with the buttery and earthy tones I expect from white tea. The floral peony is gentle but present, not at all like perfume, but instead much more natural like crushed dried flowers, or getting a whiff of blooming flowers from a garden as you walk past.
White Peony is a great spring and summertime tea. It is refreshing without being too vegetal or too sweet, and bright and floral without giving you hayfever. A perfect balance of butter and blossoms, suitable for a hot or iced mug on a sunny day.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Swallowtail Tea
Description:
This least processed of all our teas has a shimmering golden liquor with a delicate floral fragrance.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Hot Cross Bun from Bluebird Tea Co. . . .
I was too chicken to order a full supply of this springtime blend, but I did get a free sample so I got to get a taste risk-free. Hot Cross Bun is one of the Easter flavors released by Bluebird Tea Company. This is a black tea and rooibos tea blend, though rooibos makes up the majority, so you won’t be overloaded with caffeine.
The scent of this blend was vibrant and noticeable right out of the bag. Some of the black tea was clearly a smoky lapsang souchong, but the smoked flavor was closely followed by a powerful, sweet vanilla scent. Quite the flavor duo.
Brewed, this tea continued to open up and show off its delicious ingredients. The smokiness cooled off, and became more like the suggestion of a fire in the fireplace. The creamy vanilla was heightened to the decadence of buttercream icing. Both flavors were nicely balanced by sweet and tart orange zest to bring it all together.
This is a great tea for those days that you want a sweet dessert blend, but don’t want to feel too much like a pastry chef. The whiff of rugged lapsang souchong brings a unique boldness to this brew and makes you appreciate favorite flavors like cream and citrus in a new light. Don’t be a chicken like me and the next time you can-order a full bag of this springtime tea before it’s gone!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black and Rooibos
Where to Buy: Bluebird Tea Co.
Description:
This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Glenburn Estate Darjeeling, First Flush 2017 from Yatra Tea. . . . .
Darjeeling teas fall somewhere on the spectrum of black teas, green teas, and oolong teas, depending on their level of oxidation. This 2017 First Flush darjeeling is a high quality blend from Glenburn Estate and from the Yatra Tea Company.
The dry leaves are a very dark green, and tightly curled. I used the recommended brewing of 185 F water with a steep time of 3 minutes. Brewed, the tea was fragrant, green and fruity, and very much in the oolong-family of of scents.
The taste was driven by a muscatel stone-fruit flavors, a green and pleasantly tart, almost fermented, frutiness. This tea was bright and sunny, with notes of apricot and white grape, coupled with a lush green undertone. The mouthfeel was very smooth in texture, though I don’t taste as much buttery flavors as I might expect. The more I sipped, the more gentle lemon and citrus notes became apparent.
This is definitely a fruit-forward tea, perfect for springtime brewing. Even if flowers aren’t quite blooming in your garden, watch these tea leaves bloom in your mug and enjoy the sweet fragrance and experience.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Darjeeling
Where to Buy: Yatra Tea
Description:
High in the Himalayas, overlooking the intimidating Kanchenjunga mountain range, lie the rolling tea fields of the heavenly Glenburn Estate. Founded in 1859 by a Scottish tea company, Glenburn is one of the oldest Darjeeling estates and many of the laborious routines appear to be unchanged till date on this 750 hectare estate.
In addition to traditional Darjeeling black teas, Glenburn produces a superior green tea at specific times of the year. Yatra Tea Company proudly presents an April 2017 offering harvested exclusively for us.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Easter Egg Nests from Bluebird Tea Co.
I had to try Easter Egg Nests blend from Bluebird Tea Company as soon as I heard about it: marshmallows, puffed rice, cacao shells? It’s the dessert tea of my dreams! This blend is based on an Easter dessert of rice krispie treats with chocolate, shaped like bird’s nests with a few mini chocolate eggs or marshmallow peeps for good measure.
Springtime and puffed rice or marshmallow teas are all the rage. There are lots of sweet and festive peeps-inspired teas available this time of year. This blend from Bluebird Tea Co. is a slight rarity, in that it is a puffed rice tea with a half black tea half green tea base instead of the full green tea base more traditionally found in genmai cha.
This tea tastes like equal parts marshmallowy rice krispie treat and sweet and creamy milk chocolate. The natural nuttiness of the cacao shells is a perfect match for the toasty puffed rice, and I’m glad for the bolder black tea to provide a solid base for all these delightful dessert flavors. I love this tea just as it is, without sugar or milk; it has a tasty balance of starchy rice with smooth vanilla that isn’t overwhelmingly sweet, like salted caramels.
However, I’ve seen some amazing pictures of this tea as a latte, complete with whipped cream and Easter candy and that might just have to be my next dessert concoction! Happy Spring!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black tea and Green tea
Where to Buy: Bluebird Tea Co.
Description:
The best Easter treats to make as kids: crispy, gooey, chocolatey, goodness! Whether you decorate with chocolate eggs or fluffy chicks we’re all fond of a home-made Easter Egg Crispy Nest (or two!). That’s why our limited edition Easter tea blend is packed with crispy toasted rice, chocolate pieces and (vegan) marshmallows!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!