The wonderful people at Umi Tea Sets reached out to us on Instagram and were kind enough to send us a beautiful teapot and a bag of this tea, Litchi Chinesis Black Tea.
I steeped 1 perfect teaspoon of the tea (approximately 1.5 teaspoons) in the teapot, which holds about 7 ounces of water. I steeped the tea for approximately 2 minutes in 200F water.
The teapot, which is currently sold out, is dainty in looks but sturdy in make. It has lovely detailing on it and a unique shape that really adds a touch of beauty and intrigue to each steeping session. On the practical side, I really like the built-in filter on the inside of the spout, the large handle that makes pouring so easy, and the beautiful string used to keep the lid attached to the pot. While I might wish that the filter was a touch finer to filter more leaves, or that the pot itself didn’t get quite so hot when steeping (easy fix…just grab the handle), I really do love this teapot and am glad to have it as part of my collection.
As for the tea, it is so smooth. I was actually shocked when I took my first sip. Litchi teas can often have a touch of bitterness to it or an overwhelming floral note. This is floral and sweet but with a solid smooth black base. It’s the slightest bit malty and overall just a really easy drinking tea that is true to the fruit! My only cause for pause is the price of this tea. While I can tell it is excellent quality and it comes with a gift caddy package, it is almost $30 for 100 grams. If litchi black tea is your thing though, this is a great option!
Thank you Umi Tea Sets for your generosity! I would definitely recommend both the teapot and tea! Make sure to check out the Umi Tea Set website to explore all their other great options!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type:Black Tea
Where to Buy: Umi Tea Sets
Description
Lizhi Black tea is a black tea scented with the juices from litchis, one of Chinas most popular fruits, which give a sharp, almost citric, flavor: It may be enjoyed alone at any time of the day or evening. The Litchi Chinensis Black Tea, is from Guangodong Province in China, also know as Lychee Black Tea. It is treated with the juice from the lichee fruit, which yields a wonderful and sweet fragrance. Lichee black tea can also be enjoyed chilled.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
ROOIBOS DU HAMMAM tea from Palais des Thés. . . .
I impulse-bought this tasting set online and then forgot I’d done so. This sounds normal until you realize I have Amazon Prime, so it arrived in two days. My husband said “you have packages!” and I was like “I can’t remember for the life of me what I’ve done!”
It sounds like the next thing I should say here is “and that’s how I realized I was an alcoholic.”
I’m not. I’m something for which there is no meetings: a tea addict.
And I regret nothing!
This unexpected tea is delicious!
This tea combines “green date, luscious berries and the smooth, mellow flavor of Rooibos.”
I don’t know what green dates taste like, so I can’t speak to that, but this mostly tastes like the best rooibos I’ve ever tasted. No exaggeration. It’s velvety, sweet, and vanilla-ish. The cup I had didn’t have much berry flavor in it, but maybe it’s coming later. Or maybe it never will. Either way, I think I might buy more of this and turn it into a nightly ritual.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Variety Set
Where to Buy: Palais des Thés
Description
FRUITY TEAS is a new tea set with delicate illustrations that features 5 fruit-flavored teas created by Palais des Thés.
This tea set contains 5 tubes (of 12 g / 0.4 OZ) of the following teas:
Blue of London, Yunnan tea with a fresh and delicate bergamot : exceptional!
Russian Blend with 7 citrus fruit, an outstanding blend of black teas, and our cocktail of 7 citrus fruits.
Thé des Alizés, the fresh blend of green tea, flower petals, white peach, kiwi and watermelon.
Théophile, green tea with fruity accents of lychee and mango. Floral note of lotus.
Rooibos du Hammam, the original combination of green date pulp, rich red fruits and Rooibos!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
CervanTea’s Tea Blend – Man of La ManChai – DonQuixoTea from Novel Teas
The tea of many names! CervanTea’s Tea Blend – Man of La ManChai – DonQuixoTea from Novel Teas! Novel Teas says this is their delicious and adventurous brew of organic and traditional chai spices including red cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper, and the root of ginger. It is a full bodied tea experience. I would have to agree. This is a solid chai!
It’s not too over the top but it’s not too weak in the spice department either. It’s JUST RIGHT. The cinnamon, cardamom, pepper, and ginger are all equally wonderful. The black tea base was of medium strength and sang in unison with the spices. CervanTea’s Tea Blend – Man of La ManChai – DonQuixoTea from Novel Teas was pretty impressive and a solid chai to have on hand for when you are craving it or to share with friends.
And speaking of sharing with friends there is a matching tea tin from this company! The perfect partner to CervanTea’s Tea Blend – Man of La ManChai – DonQuixoTea from Novel Teas.
Taste and share the great adventure of Miguel de Cervan Teas. NovelTeas’ spicy black chai is an invigorating ode to western literature’s favorite knight errant, Don QuixoTea™ and this tea was inspired by the first modern novel by Spanish author Miguel Cervantes Don Quixote of La Mancha. Their organically-spiced blend makes for a delectable first addition to anyone’s NovelTeas Library. They encourage book-lovers and tea-lovers alike and take up your arms to a cup of their traditional organic chai spices.
The tea tin itself measures9.4IN X 6.3IN X 2.4IN and makes a great gift for any tea lover or any book lover.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Novel Teas
Description
This is our delicious and adventurous brew of organic and traditional chai spices: red cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper, and the root of ginger. It is a full bodied experience, one ideally served with cream, exceedingly so with sugar.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Product Review: Aspen Tea Infuser Mug from Grosche
Being a tea addict, I love my teaware almost as much as the tea itself. There is something about getting a new mug or a new teapot and adding the piece to your collection. I already have a few Grosche pieces in my collection but I have to say, this is one of my favorites! The Aspen Tea Infuser Mug is the perfect answer to steeping loose leaf tea at work!
Let’s start with the mug itself. The mug is a great weighted glass mug that fits into the curve of your hand perfectly. I have this oddity where a mug has to feel right in my hand. Something just clicks and I know the mug and I are going to be friends. That happened instantly when I held this mug.
Now to the infuser portion of this set and why this is the perfect set up for an office environment. The infuser fits perfectly inside the mug with a little cap that goes on the top of the infuser. When you are steeping your tea, you can remove the cap and use it to place the infuser after you are finished steeping. No mess no fuss! You don’t need a tea ball or need to deal with an infuser stick. In just three pieces that are made remarkably well, you can steep tea to your heart’s content!
I’ve brewed up green tea, oolong tea, herbal tea, black tea, white tea, you name it, I’ve tried so many different varieties. And the process couldn’t be simplier! Scoop a few spoon fulls into your infuser, pour in your water, allow the tea to steep, remove the infuser, and you are set. Doesn’t get easier than that!
Clean up is easy as well. Just scoop the spent leaves out and you are set for your next cuppa! I’m a huge fan of this set up and am pondering picking up a few more for when I’m at my parents’ house or at home.
Overall, a wonderful addition to any tea lover’s collection or the perfect piece for a new tea enthusiast. I highly recommend this piece for anyone’s collection! Plus, whenever a product is purchased from Grosche, Grosche will create 5 days worth of healthy drinking water for someone in need on your behalf. Learn more about this wonderful project-The Safe Water Project here.
A great piece and a amazing cause. Just a few reasons why I love Grosche so much!
Here’s the scoop!
Where to Buy: Grosche
Description:
The Aspen tea infuser mug is the perfect personal tea mug for any loose leaf tea lover. The Aspen includes an infuser and a lid/infuser holder to keep mess to a minimum. The mesh infuser, made from 18-8 stainless steel, won’t allow your tea leaves to escape. This tea strainer cup has a very high quality and fine strainer, that will hold back even smaller leaf teas, and allow the full flavor to infuse into the water. You can even steep a fine Rooibos tea in the Aspen. So skip the messy tea ball, and step up to Aspen.
