Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Simpson & Vail
Tea Description:
When you sip this delectable brew the strawberry taste first hits your tastebuds followed by the rich, creamy, chocolate “cake” taste. Some of our staff like this blend with agave or sugar, but I find it’s delicious (and less caloric) as is! The aroma is as enticing as the taste – sweet, baked strawberry cupcakes. Yum! The cup leaves a lingering creamy taste of fresh fruit that makes it hard to resist another and another and another sip!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Mmm… cupcakes. I am very fond of cupcakes. I can’t tell you what it is, exactly, about them that I love so much. I think it’s just because it’s a little cake, all cute and adorable. Just enough for one person. I can eat a cupcake and not feel like I’ve overindulged (just don’t eat more than one!) And with all the cupcake bakeries popping up all over, trying to win our business, they are coming up with so many new and tempting flavors.
And as much as I love the unique flavors that are coming out, I love the classics too. Like strawberry cupcakes. And this tea captures the joy of a strawberry cupcake so deliciously!
But this isn’t just a strawberry cupcake flavored tea. It’s a strawberry chocolate cupcake flavored tea. And… the only thing that can make a strawberry better is … chocolate, of course. With my first few sips, I tasted strawberry. After about four sips, the chocolate flavor starts coming through. And it’s not just a little bit of chocolate, here, this is CHOCOLATE!
The strawberry is a sweet strawberry flavor, with a hint of berry tartness toward the end of the sip. The chocolate has a creamy flavor (frosting?) to it … and there is a bake-y, cake-y kind of flavor to go along with it. It’s kind of hard to tell whether or not it’s a strawberry cake with chocolate frosting, or a chocolate cake with strawberry frosting!
And the black tea is not overlooked here either, nor is it off in the background minding it’s own business. It stands strong, tasting rich and even a little malty which really enhances the overall “cake-y” kind of taste. It has a very bold flavor, and there is a moderate amount of astringency that seems to draw attention to the strawberry.
This is a really tasty tea, and it is rich and satisfying enough to serve as a breakfast tea, too. Imagine: strawberry cupcakes for breakfast! Sounds like my kind of breakfast!
Strawberry Ginger Peppercorn from Utopia Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Utopia Tea
Tea Description:
Our Strawberry Ginger Peppercorn is a warming and fruity organic blend. The freshly hand-milled ginger and peppercorns give this tea the perfect combination of sweet and spicy. White tea contains an abundance of polyphenols, which are plant-derived antioxidants, lowers cholesterol, and protects the body against harmful free radicals. White tea provides the body with potassium, magnesium, calcium, vitamin C and K. Ginger helps the body with digestion, fights fevers, and soothes aches and pains. Try this tea hot or over ice!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This tea delivers exactly what the name of it promises: strawberry, ginger and pepper. But – for those who think it might come off as too hot or spicy, you needn’t worry. While this does have a certain peppery zing to it, it isn’t what I’d categorize as hot or spicy … instead, I’d say it’s got a mellow warmth to it that develops as I sip.
I think that this is due to the fact that the ginger here is not a peppery/spicy kind of ginger, it is more of a sweet, soothing ginger that complements the sweetness of the strawberry, which manages to temper the heat from of the spice. The pepper is a pink peppercorn, which doesn’t deliver that same peppery impact that a black peppercorn would, and I think that works to this blend’s favor as well, because a black pepper might overwhelm the delicate quality of the white tea leaves.
Instead, what you get from this tea is a beautiful medley of contrasting flavors. It is at once sweet and peppery with a hint of tangy tartness that tickles the tongue in the aftertaste. And what I like is that there is a certain balance to it all. The strawberry and ginger seem pretty evenly matched, with a touch of peppery heat … again, not too much, and the sweet white tea with its hints of fresh vegetative notes.
Overall, it’s quite lovely. Serve it hot to enjoy on a chilly evening, or serve it over ice for a refreshingly different yet delicious iced tea.
Strawberry Zabaglione from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
This was a suggestion from one of our customers, and I spent an hour digging through my email folders and searching our facebook page, but I couldn’t find the original suggestion anywhere, so I couldn’t put his or her name on the blend.
Anyway, when I first got the suggestion, I realized I was going to have to MAKE some Zabaglione to try, because not only had I not tried it before, but I had never HEARD of it before. Well after trying it (for those of you who never have, I would say it is something like a custardy (flavor, not texture) whipped cream with a hint of wine. After trying it, I was not at all sure that we would be able to make a tea that hinted of the complexity of Zabaglione, but after some trial and error, we now have…
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Anyone who knows me knows of my love for Strawberry Zabaglione tea, specifically from 52Teas. The sounds that emanate from me when I sip on this succulent delight would spur interest from curious bystanders if I were in public, or at least would garner me a few odd looks. I just can’t help it. This is my secret comfort tea. I suppose its not such a secret though. Everyone knows I adore this blend. Thank goodness Frank at 52Teas has made it a part of his permanent collection and I can always count on being able to buy more!
I have never had Zabaglione before but trust me, if and when I come across a place that serves it I will order it on the spot! What I can tell you is this tea has such excellent natural ripe juicy strawberry flavor, a silky mouthfeel, flavors of creamy vanilla custard, and a slight hint at a flavor like port wine. The port wine element however is by no means pungent or cloyingly sweet.
Actually this tea allows for you to add whatever you may want because as a straight tea it is very true to its ingredients and does not try to overwhelm you with sweetness yet has just the right touch of sweetness without tasting or seeming artificial whosoever. The ingredients also do not fight with one another for the spotlight! If you like to add sugar to your tea then Strawberry Zabaglione accommodates your desires by absorbing your sweetener and boosting the already existing flavors. If you like to add cream to your teas I have found that I can add milk, soy milk, almond milk, and non-dairy creamer, my favorite being sweet cream creamer, and it adds a sinfully good thickness to the tea that will make you swoon!
With that said, one really need not add anything and this tea is sure to delight!
I also find as this tea cools more and more of the port wine flavor evolves. Still it is not trying to be a port wine, so it is not over done. I love how Frank captures so many amazing flavors in his blends without going over board!
I am so lucky that this tea is in 52Teas permanent collection!
If you love strawberry, you will love this. If you love dessert teas that make you squee with delight, this is your tea. If you love creamy flavored teas, again, try this. If you are a wine lover, especially one who enjoys a heady port, once again, this is the tea for you.
I think that is one of the things I adore so much about this tea is that it strikes so many of my own personal loves. I am sure you will find something in it to love as well.
Organic Berry Bomb from The Rabbit Hole
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: The Rabbit Hole
Tea Description:
Delicious, ripe raspberries explode with blueberries and strawberries to create this beautiful berry brew. Works well hot or iced up with a dash of honey if you like it that way. The perfect afternoon pick me up.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
As summer slowly comes to an end – a bit too slowly for my liking, really, I mean, come on! I’m ready for the cooler weather already! – I find that this tea is ready to remind me of all the delicious flavors that summer offers. Really, is there any food that says summer more than fresh, juicy berries? And this tea embraces three of my favorite berries – strawberry, raspberry and blueberry – In one tasty cup.
The moment I opened the package of this tea, I knew I was in for a berry delicious treat! The berry aroma was so delightful and strong … YUM! The fragrance of the brewed tea is softer than that of the dry leaf, but it still smells incredibly yummy.
This is one of those teas that tastes best if you’ve given it a few moments to cool down to a drinkable temperature … and it gets better the more it cools! When drunk very hot, the flavors are not easily discerned in the sip, but, definitely explode in the aftertaste. Delicious berry flavor … sweet and tart and juicy! But after it’s cooled to a still-hot-but-not-piping-hot temperature, the berry flavor really comes to life.
The berry flavor is quite remarkable – I taste each of the berries, and usually with these berry medley type teas I find that the flavors become sort of jumbled into a super-berry kind of flavor where I taste notes of each but they all sort of meld together into one unified flavor. That doesn’t happen here.
Instead, I taste the strawberry. It is sweet and luscious and reminds me of those days in the summer when I rush home after visiting the produce market and buy a bunch of the berries … I have to grab a few immediately because if I don’t, they’ll be gone (I have a tween-ager daughter who loves the berries more than I do!) And I taste the blueberry, juicy and just a little bit tart. And I taste the raspberry: sweet, intense flavor with a tangy, tarty finish that tickles the tongue.
And even though the berry flavors are absolutely divine, this IS a black tea and this tea won’t let you forget that. It has a pleasant, full flavor that is brisk yet mild enough to let the berry flavors come through. A pleasing, mellow cup that would be very enjoyable as an afternoon cuppa – alone or with friends!
But where this tea really shines is as an iced tea. It is sweet and flavorful enough to serve straight – with no additions at all – but a little bit of sugar goes a long way to perk up the flavors a bit (or perhaps a drizzle of honey as suggested by Rabbit Hole!) And as I sip this, I wonder how wonderful it would taste with a sprig of mint!
A lovely tea that reminds me of the beauty of summer.
Murmur from Handmade Tea, Part 2
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
To Subscribe to Handmade Tea’s Tea of the Month program, click here.
About this Blend:
Murmur starts with a white peony base which features the signature unopened tea bud and two accompanying leaves. This tea has beautiful delicate notes of juicy honeydew drizzled in honey, with accents of darker fruit and chocolate. Next, the strawberries are added to accent the white peony’s fruity notes and add a little tartness to the back of the palate. Lastly the cacao nibs contribute to the rich, classic chocolate taste that pops mid palate.
Read more about Handmade Tea here.
Taster’s Review:
As I mentioned in part 1 of this review, I wanted to approach reviewing this tea by reviewing three separate tastings. The first part of this review featured my first tasting of the actual blend “Murmur” as blended by Handmade tea. This article will feature the last two tastings: the second tasting will be of the White Peony Tea base, while the third will be of a taster’s improved batch of Murmur, with extra strawberries and cacao nibs.
Second Tasting
This is a decent Bai Mu Dan. It’s of good quality, beautifully colored leaves ranging from a pale, silvery green to a light tan. These leaves are broken, but I wouldn’t say that they’re “crushed” – I’ve seen larger, whole leaves with some of the higher quality White Peony teas that I’ve encountered, while I’ve encountered some crushed, tiny leaves. These are somewhere in the middle – appearing more whole than broken, and I was happy to see the tiny, silvery hairs on the leaves, indicating that these leaves have been handled well. White Peony is a delicate tea, and it should be handled as such!
As for the taste, it is good. Delicately flavored – that’s to be expected – with distant notes of vegetation and a soft, velvet-y mouthfeel. Some fruity notes, but interestingly enough, I found that when it’s part of the blend, the melon-esque tones of this tea really seem to emerge. The addition of the dried strawberries and cacao nibs emphasized the subtle melon notes of the tea, allowing this taster to explore some of the nuances that I might have otherwise missed with the pure Bai Mu Dan.
Third Tasting
For this third and final tasting (at least, for reviewing purposes), I decided to add what was left of the freeze-dried strawberries and the cacao nibs to the large tin of blended tea. I say “what was left” because my SororiTea Sister, TeaEqualsBliss, had tried and reviewed this tea before I did, so she also used some of the berries and cacao. The two sampler tins were about half-full when I got them, and I emptied the entire contents of both small sampler tins into the blended tea and gave them a gentle shake to combine.
I have to say, that of the three tastings, this one is my favorite. The chocolate is stronger, and the strawberry flavor also emerges somewhat stronger – although because this is a “blended” tea and not a “flavored” one, neither flavor is particularly strong. If you were to taste a chocolate strawberry flavored tea that was flavored by a reputable company side-by-side with this blended tea, they’d taste very different.
But that’s not to say that this is not good – I really like this, and with a white tea, this blended approach really works well because it keeps the flavors subtle so that the white tea is not overwhelmed. Instead, it seems to be celebrated with the strawberries and cacao bringing out flavors that I didn’t notice when drinking the pure White Peony Tea.
Overall, a very tasty tea that offers a pleasant, contemplative cup when you want one … or just really refreshing taste that calms and soothes you when you just want to relax and contemplate nothing!