Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: iHeartTeas
Tea Description:
A light and fruity handcrafted green tea blend with pieces of sweet raspberries and delicate bits of apricot. Wonderful both hot and cold.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Recently, iHeartTeas rescued from retirement one of my favorite Chai blends from 52Teas – Gingerbread Chai! – and as this is a blend that I’ve missed since finishing off the last a few months ago, I decided to order some. With my order, Rachel (proprietor of iHearTeas) sent along some of her tea creations for me to try. And, I’ll never say no to the opportunity to try a new tea.
Well, allow me to retract that and rephrase it – I will seldom say no to the opportunity to try a new tea, as there are some teas that I really have no interest in trying. For example, I won’t be trying this tea, at least, not willingly, any time soon. But this review isn’t about that tea… it’s about Raspberry & Apricot Green Tea Delight from iHeartTeas!
The dry leaf looks and smells very appealing. Tiny bits of raspberry and apricot, as well as rose petals and marigolds tossed with green spears of tea leaves, offering a deliciously sweet, fruity aroma. Once brewed, the pale green colored infusion has a much softer fragrance, more vegetal, although I can still smell hints of the fruit in the background.
The flavor took a little while to develop for me. The first few sips, I tasted the slightly grassy tones of the green tea and little else. I then allowed it to cool slightly, and I’m not sure if it was the lower temperature or the fact that the flavors just needed a few sips to come to life, but now I REALLY taste the raspberry. It is sweet and just a little tart – tasting very much like a fresh, ripe berry. The apricot comes through nicely too, although I find the apricot to be much more distinguished in the aftertaste. The rose comes through too, but only very subtly, offering a delicate floral note to contrast with the fruit flavors.
Overall, a very tasty cup of tea. One that is delicious hot, but even better when it is allowed to cool – which means it would make a fabulous glass of iced tea!
Champagne Mojito Green Tea from 52Teas available from iHeartTeas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: iHeartTeas
Product Description:
Fresh cut spearmint in a blend with sweet Chinese Sencha green tea infused with the essence of key lime and champagne.
Taster’s Review:
Recently, 52Teas announced their “Rescued from Retirement” program which enables other companies to bring back some of their blends. I was thrilled with the prospect of being able to try some of 52Teas blends that were released before I “discovered” the company. This Champagne Mojito is the perfect example. Released the week of April 5, 2009 – about seven months before my first order with 52Teas – this was a tea I probably would not have been able to try if it were not for the Rescued from Retirement program.
And I’m really glad I got to try it, because it is yummy. The green tea base is a Chinese Sencha that is sweet and a little creamy/buttery. It has a fresh taste but not very vegetative, and in the case with this particular tea, I think that is a good thing. I think that a more vegetative tasting green tea would interfere with the delicate taste of the champagne.
These ingredients compliment each other very well. I find that the crisp, clean taste of the spearmint brings out some of the sweeter notes of the lime, complimenting the sweet, delicate features of the champagne. The lime is zesty with just enough tart flavor to cut through some of the mintier tones of the spearmint. It doesn’t taste too minty, it doesn’t taste too tart, and it doesn’t taste too sweet. It is a very pleasing harmony of flavors. This is delicious served hot, but, it is even better when iced. It is incredibly refreshing and thirst-quenching.
Many thanks to Rachel from iHeartTeas for bringing this one out of retirement. This tea appears to be sold out at her Tea Trade store, but, she has many other excellent teas from 52Teas available.