Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tea Licious Teas
Tea Description:
Black tea, huckleberry and blackberry leaves.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I may be wrong here, but I do believe that this is the first Huckleberry flavored tea that I’ve tried. I guess that’s because the humble huckleberry isn’t as popular as its cousin the blueberry … but it sure is tasty!
The black tea is pretty mild here, I suspect it is a Ceylon base. But, that’s OK, because the mellow flavor of the black tea allows for a strong berry flavor to shine through. The huckleberry flavor is a little tart and a little sweet … just slightly sweeter than a blueberry, but with that distinct berry tart note that delicately tickles the tongue in the finish.
Overall, this is a very tasty black tea. It tastes good hot, but I prefer it iced. A pinch of sugar enhances the berry flavors. This is the kind of tea that you’ll want to brew big pitchers of for your next picnic or BBQ with friends and family – everyone will love it.
Ripe Mango Oolong from Lupicia
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Lupicia
Tea Description:
Quality Taiwanese oolong tea scented with lusciously ripe mangos.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I really love mango, but it is a fruit that I seldom enjoy because – to be perfectly honest – I have no idea how to select a good, ripe mango in the produce section. Sounds silly, I’m sure, but it’s true. So, instead, I rely upon others for my mango intake, usually by way of tea. Hey, maybe I’m unable to spot a good piece of fruit, but, I’m pretty handy when it comes to brewing a cup of tea!
And this is an excellent mango flavored tea. The mango flavor is sweet and nectar-like, and the delicious flavor of the Oolong tea is nicely balanced with the strong fruit essence. The Oolong has a mouthfeel that is soft and thick, and the light vegetal tones of the Oolong meld beautifully with the flavor of ripe mango.
This is delicious hot or iced. I have been drinking it iced over the last two days and found it to be so thirst-quenching, and it cooled the mouth nicely after eating spicy Kung Pao Beef, too! When served hot, I find that the mango flavor is stronger than when iced, but both have a lot of fruit flavor.
If you like mango … you really MUST try this Oolong! It’s amazing!
Ti Kuan Yin from Adagio Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Tea Description:
A legendary oolong tea from the Fujian province of China. Ti Kuan Yin is one of China’s most beloved oolongs and is extremely time-consuming to produce (well over a dozen distinct steps in the processing are observed). The cup is warm, soft and soothingly mineral in texture. Notes of toasted walnut and tender collard greens. Intriguing lingering floral aroma, lightly orchid, and gentle astringency. A meditative cup.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I have been drinking tea for a long time, and the one tea type that never ceases to amaze me is Oolong. There are so many different varieties, depending upon where it’s grown and how it’s harvested and how long it’s oxidized. And even when I think I know a certain type of Oolong – like Ti Kuan Yin – I taste a new one and I’m amazed all over again.
This is a truly lovely Ti Kuan Yin. It has a pleasing nutty flavor to it with hints of mild vegetation that weave their way in and out of the sip. A delicious creamy taste that is reminiscent of browned butter. It has a smooth texture that is almost velvet-like, and a light astringency toward the tail of the sip cleanses the palate so that the buttery taste and velvet-y mouthfeel do not overwhelm.
At the start, I did not taste a strong floral quality to this tea, but at the point where I nearly finished my first cup, the floral notes began to come forward. They were still quite delicate at that point, but they offer a lovely contrast to the nutty sweetness, and with the infusions that followed, I found that the orchid notes that Adagio promised emerged.
And like most Oolong teas, this one is indeed good for multiple infusions! I managed four from the same measurement of leaves, however, I probably could have gotten a solid six infusions … unfortunately it was getting quite late in the evening and so it was time to stop.
A must try for those who love a good Oolong!
Capricorn (Zodiac Series) Custom Blend from Adagio Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Tea Description:
Capricorn people like gifts, not gaudy and expensive ones, but practical and useful. Why not buy a delicious blend of Irish Breakfast, coconut and vanilla.
Capricorn people like to take charge and give practical advice. They often hold executive positions in business, or have leadership roles in their communities. They are typically loyal, stable and dignified, and have a natural ability to provide rules and guidelines by which others can achieve and grow.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This custom blend was created by Adagio Teas customer Inguna Trepsa combining Adagio’s Irish Breakfast, Coconut Black, and Vanilla Black teas. I am very grateful to my tea drinking friend that sent me a sampling of it (thank you!) – I am happy to have this opportunity to try it.
The aroma of the brewed tea is very inviting with its notes of coconut and vanilla. Irish Breakfast blends are traditionally very stout, strong black teas with a vigorous flavor to get you going in the morning. This blend maintains that vigor, while incorporating the flavors of coconut and vanilla to give the bold Irish Breakfast an interesting and flavorful twist.
Of the two flavors, I find the coconut to be the most pronounced. I tasted the coconut right away, but it took a few sips before the vanilla tones could be fully tasted. The overall flavor is creamy and sweet with a strong, bracing taste of black tea in the background.
I have found that some of Adagio’s teas are a bit “too much” for me, that is to say, the black tea base that they use can sometimes be too harsh and brassy. However, I am not experiencing those harsh tones that I’ve come to associate with Adagio’s teas. Rather, this is a quite delicious! It does have a fair amount of dry astringency, something that can be curbed a bit with the addition of milk, which also enhances the creaminess of the flavors very nicely.
A very pleasant Adagio custom blend – I’m glad I got to try it!
Mandarin Balsam Oolong Tea from Aftelier Perfumed Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Aftelier Perfumed Teas
Product Description:
The flavor and fragrance is based on the contrast between the syrupy vanilla sweetness of Peru balsam and the floral citrus of yellow mandarin, which marries beautifully with this full-bodied tea. This organic Wuyi oolong tea, with its slender tightly curled leaves, has a deep oxidized, roasted rice aroma and nutty flavor. Producing Wuyi Oolong tea is labor and time consuming: sun wilting, room wilting, shacking, dehydrating, roasting, rolling, cooling. The procedures occur repeatedly over days. Wuyi Oolong is even more aromatic after aging. Provides up to four infusions retaining their fragrance.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I was really impressed with the teas that I’ve tried from Aftelier Perfumed Teas, so when we were approached to try their latest creation, I was very excited.
This tea is really good. The vanilla tones of the balsam provide a really rich, creamy flavor and texture to the cup, and when combined with the deep, toasty flavor of the Wuyi Oolong, it is sublime! It reminds me very much of rice pudding, only in a teacup and without the fat and calories!
The mandarin contributes a sweet and slightly tangy flavor which contrasts well with the creamy vanilla rice notes. The floral tones are only slightly sharp, but it is enough to help cut through some of the sweeter tones to keep the tea from becoming too cloying for the palate.
It is a very elegant and luxurious kind of tea, but even so, I don’t think I’d classify this particular perfumed Oolong as a feminine tea. The more rugged qualities of the Wuyi give the tea balance.
What I like best about the teas that I’ve tried from Aftelier is this: they don’t try to cover up the flavor of the teas that they use. Instead, they embrace the natural qualities of each tea, and find the flavors that will accent and compliment them. I think that this latest creation from Aftelier exemplifies this, with the way that the deliciously creamy tones of the balsam accent the sweet, roasted notes of the Wuyi, and the mandarin coming in to brighten up the cup just so.
This is more than just a cup of tea, it’s a work of art!