I don’t know why, but the smell and taste of this blend reminds me of flavored coffee. Maybe that’s because back when I was a coffee drinker I used to drink this blend that was called “maple sleigh” so now I just associate maple with coffee. I’m not sure, either way this blend definitely has a strong maple scent. I steeped this one and it is actually very dark for a green tea, and that is because it is a houjicha blend! I have tried one other maple houjicha blend, and both were delicious but I feel like this one has a much stronger maple flavor. This one also includes almond slices in addition to maple flavor and I really enjoyed that aspect!
This blend is really smooth and creamy maple, kind of like maple walnut. The almonds give a nutty component and the houjicha gives a nutty and toasty component, and of course the maple adds that sweetness. All in all, these components are in perfect harmony with one another. This is another one of those blends that are absolutely perfect for a cold winter day, curled up by the fire eating sugar cookies and listening to Christmas music. Why, oh why, is it spring?! I know that most of the readers here are probably psyched for spring/summer, and I am too, except for the fact that I keep drinking all these fall/winter teas and its making me want the Holiday season instead.
Anyways, I will always highly recommend Tea Source because I have not tried a blend I disliked and I will definitely recommend Toasted Maple Green because it really is delicious!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: TeaSource
Description
Full-bodied (especially for a green tea), very aromatic, very maple-y, naturally toasty, and slightly sweet.
Contains: Japanese hojicha green tea, almond slices, flavor, calendula petals
CONTAINS NUTS.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Chestnut Fans. . .Check This Blend Out! #TeaSource
I really love chestnuts. They are truly my favorite nut. I love roasting them at home or even eating them out of a bag pre-cooked. (yes they sell them that way in health food stores) The best, though, is going into the city and getting them freshly roasted from a cart. That is totally a Christmas-time activity and it makes me want to skip summer and go right to the Holidays. Alas, here we are. Its springtime and i’m about to drink Roasted Chestnut tea from Tea Source.
Lucky for me, this tea is very true to its name. Im actually sitting here breathing it in, drinking it in, and pretending that i’m on a snowy street walking up to the roasted nuts cart about to order and then go sit and listen to Christmas carolers while I eat my chestnuts! I added agave to the cup so there is an underlying sweetness that is definitely reminding me of those sugared roasted nuts. The black tea part of this blend is smooth and calm. It goes really well with the chestnut flavor. But there really is something to this blend that reminds me almost of cookies, or sugared nuts. It is so comforting and so delicious. This would be a great wintertime tea and it went through my head to turn it into a hot latte with maybe a dash of hazelnut creamer. That would be such a treat!
I have really been liking Tea Source, lately. They really have some great blends. Thus far I haven’t run into one that I dislike. Gosh I really wish it was wintertime! I love Christmas. But, hot-tea season is almost over so i’ll be cranking my AC and turning my apartment into my own winter wonderland and drinking my Roasted Chestnut tea!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Tea Source
Description
This is a deep, dark, rich black tea blend with a delicious aroma. It has a roasty nut flavor with a little sweet silkiness. This is a perfect cooler weather black tea blend. Contains: China black tea, roasted mate, Houjicha, flavor, and sliced almonds.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
A Dessert Tea from Tea Source. . .Pistachio Shortbread Style!
Wow. Just wow.
This is another one of the teas I received during my first ever tea-swap. I absolutely love pistachio and I know I have said this in my reviews before. I also really like anything nutty and dessert teas. So, pistachio shortbread was kind of a no brainer choice for me. I can honestly say that this is one of my all-time favorites, hands down, no questions asked. It is definitely my favorite pistachio flavored teas. After my second sip I searched out this company, Tea Source, and tried to see if I could buy more (it is available on their website!!!).
Pistachio Shortbread is a flavored black tea blend. It contains black tea, pistachios, flavor, rose petals, marzipan drops, and almonds. What an amazing list of ingredients, right? Rose petals are often paired with pistachio which I find very interesting, but it is most likely because the floral flavor of the rose really compliments the creamy and nutty flavor of pistachios and even almonds. The addition of marzipan drops is what I think brings this tea to the next level.
The smell of the steeped liquid is definitely marzipan. I can smell the sweet almond and just a slight hint of rose, but mostly just sweet almond and black tea. The first flavor that registered for me was marzipan/sweet almond and the black tea. The almond and marzipan was not overpowering or artificial, though. It was lightly sweet and nutty and reminds me of almond cookies. I can tell that this is where “shortbread” comes in and I do detect a hint of vanilla, which really goes well with sweet almond and rose. The rose follows very quickly. Its not in-your-face with the floral it is just a very small hint. The aftertaste is totally pistachio nut. You can really taste the pistachio upon the finish and it definitely seals the deal for me.
This blend really was done so well. I cant say enough good things about it! If you like biscottis, pistachio ice cream, shortbread, or marzipan you will definitely be into this blend. And if you are unsure whether you like those things or not, you should still try this blend and I guarantee you will be won over. That’s how good it is!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Tea Source
Description
This black tea blend is smooth, rich, sweet, and silky, with notes of pistachio coming through.
Contains: black tea, pistachios, flavor, rose petals, Marzipan drops, almonds.
CONTAINS NUTS
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Hunan Dark Tea from Tea Source
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Dark Tea
Where to Buy: Tea Source
Tea Description:
This loose Hunan dark tea is very fragrant and steeps up medium-bodied, slightly sweet, and meadowy. Good for multiple infusions. This is a great introduction to Hunan dark teas.
Learn more about this tea here.
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Taster’s Review:
I am not sure exactly what the difference is between “dark” teas and pu-erh teas, but, Tea Source explains it like this:
The category of China dark tea is shrouded in mystery. They are almost never seen in the West. Dark teas from Hunan Province steep up medium-bodied, very smooth, and usually with a natural sweet note as opposed to the dark earthiness of puer. Technically, dark tea is a tea that has gone through a secondary fermentation process. Like puer, dark teas age well and are probiotic.
Since it would seem that it is similar to, but different from pu-erh, I have created a new category under the “parent” category of pu-erh called “Dark Tea,” and this Hunan Dark Tea from Tea Source is the first tea that is being categorized as a Dark Tea here on the SororiTea Sisters Blog.
However, since it is similar to pu-erh, I gave the leaves a quick rinse before I brewed the tea, just as I would a pu-erh.
I will say that this doesn’t taste as earthy as pu-erh, nor does it have that sometimes “fishy” taste that pu-erh can have. This tea is what I’d categorize as a medium-bodied tea and the additional fermentation has given this tea an almost “vinegar” like note. Not so much a sour taste like vinegar, but I can taste a fermented note, tasting perhaps like a grape-y balsamic vinegar that’s been thinned with wine. But that’s just one dimension in this complex tea.
There is also a sweet, creamy sort of taste to this, and that is something I can’t recall tasting in a pu-erh! It’s almost like a vanilla frosting note! Wow! Notes of sweet honey and molasses, but again … lighter than these. Almost like a thinned molasses. Notes of earth, but I like that the earth tones aren’t dominating the cup, instead, I’m experiencing more of the grape-y and sweeter flavors of vanilla cream.
What an enjoyable tea experience! This is remarkably smooth and mild.
My second infusion proved to be sweeter than the first. It was a little less creamy than the first infusion. Not quite as “vanilla frosting” as the first, but I still taste the honey notes and the fruit notes are emerging. I am also noticing a mineral-y sort of taste that imparts a slightly dry note toward the tail. I’m also noticing an ever so slight grassy tone to this cup.
The mineral notes seem to have replaced the “fermented” note that I tasted in the first cup, because I’m not getting that fermented wine/balsamic flavor that I experienced in the first cup, but, as I said, the fruit notes become more focused in this second cup.
It’s hard to say which cup I preferred – the first or the second! Both were delightful. This is a really good tea, I highly recommend it.
Silver Bud Ya Bao White Tea from Tea Source
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Tea Source
Tea Description:
This rare white tea from Yunnan is a winter-pluck tea with huge downy buds and leaves from wild growing tea trees and produces a liquor that is mellow, sweet, slightly fruity (ripe plums?), and lingers with a soft floral finish. Can also be aged, as a puer.
Learn more about this tea here.
To subscribe to Steepster Select, click here.
Taster’s Review:
I was happy to find this Silver Bud Ya Bao White Tea from Tea Source in this month’s Steepster Select box, if for no other reason than I enjoy Ya Bao teas and even though I do enjoy them, they are not often a tea that I put in my “cart” when I’m shopping for tea. It was a nice surprise to find this among this month’s tea selections.
I took this tea for a few steeps, because Ya Bao teas are one of those types of teas that the flavor develops over the course of several steeps – it’s definitely worth the effort to brew this one more than once!
The early infusions were very light in flavor. Very delicate. Sweet with hints of vegetation (on the grassy side) and notes that are reminiscent of honeydew melon. I taste a hint of nutmeg – a warm, gentle spice – with maybe a hint of white pepper. I love the subtle flavors here … although I do find myself wishing that they were a little more pronounced.
That wish was granted with the later infusions. The flavors began to develop with the second infusion, offering notes of peach and sweet, creamy notes. I am tasting less of the aforementioned spice notes now, and the vegetal notes have become more hay-like to me. This cup is sweeter and the flavors are more defined.
With the third infusion, I noticed the flavors beginning to wane and became less distinctive, which tells me that a fourth infusion may be futile. However, the three infusions that I did get from this tea, I really enjoyed them.
A really lovely Ya Bao! Thank you, Steepster, for selecting this tea for this month’s box! If you’re interested in the Steepster Select subscription program, click here to learn more.