Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Tea Description:
Hugely popular in China, Silver Jasmine Green tea is produced by adding jasmine flower petals to the tea buds during processing, so infusing this premium green tea with a subtle fragrance and taste of jasmine. After drying the flower petals are removed, leaving the tea with its unique taste and fragrance. TeaVivre’s Silver Jasmine is made from premium Fuding Da Bai and Da Hao tea trees grown in Mt Taimu, Fujian.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
If you’ve been reading my reviews for very long, you’re probably well aware that I am quite fond of jasmine tea. It is one of my top three “tea flavors” (the other two are bergamot and chocolate … yeah, I know that chocolate isn’t really a traditional tea flavor, but, what can I say? I’m a chocoholic!) And this is a very fine jasmine tea.
I’ve enjoyed this twice now and have found it to be a remarkable representation of jasmine tea … or shall I say, what jasmine tea should be. It doesn’t taste perfume-y or artificial. The flavors are very well balanced. The jasmine is sweet, delicately floral and not sharp or off-putting at all. The green tea tastes fresh and offers hints of a nutty undertone.
The second time I tried the tea, I added a bit more leaf, because the brewing parameters on the website suggests 1 – 2 teaspoons of tea for 8 ounces of water. The result is – obviously! – a stronger brew, but, the flavors remain remarkably balanced. All of the flavors I mentioned above from the first cup are present in this second cup, they’re just intensified from the addition of tea leaf. It did not cause the tea to become bitter or off-putting, and I found that I enjoyed both servings of the tea. For a relaxing cup later in the evening, I’d recommend just 1 teaspoon per cup, and for a more invigorating cup earlier in the day, use up to 2 teaspoons per cup.
A very nice jasmine, no matter how you choose to serve it.
White Peony (Bai MuDan) from Teavivre
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Product Description:
A great White Peony (Bai MuDan) Tea
- Organically grown at Mt. Taimu in Fujian province
- Tea buds covered in white hairs, with one or two new leaves
- Pale orange-yellow color when brewed
- A delicate, slightly flowery, sweet, lingering taste
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I think this very well may be the highest quality Bai Mu Dan tea that I’ve ever experienced. The dry leaves vary in color from light green to silvery white. Most Bai Mu Dan teas that I’ve seen are more of a very light tan to off-white color. These leaves are covered with fluffy, fuzzy hairs, and possess a strong grassy scent. They brew to a beautiful, very pale yellow color that is more pale than it is yellow.
And it tastes so good. So delicate and sweet. There are notes of a grassy/vegetative taste, but it is much softer than the aroma of the dry leaf might suggest. There is a very pleasant creamy note to this tea, it’s very soft and luxurious … like wrapping ones self in a soft, fluffy robe.
There are hints of flower in the distance, and a delicious honey-esque sweetness to this cup. The sweetness lingers well into the aftertaste. There is no bitterness to this tea, and very little astringency. The cup is quite smooth from start to finish.
If you’re new to white tea, and what to experience one of the very best available, this tea should be on your MUST TRY list.
Organic Tie Guan Yin (Iron Goddess) with Honey from Teavivre
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Product Description:
Premium quality organic Ti KuanYin tea (Ti KuanYin) flavoured with organic honey
- Grown and produced near Zhangzhou in Fujian province
- Hand made into small, rolled up, jade colored leaves, then soaked in organic honey
- Pale yellow-green colored tea when brewed
- Delightfully sweet honey flavoured and aroma
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The photo above doesn’t really show this, but, the dry leaf is quite unusual – unlike any other Oolong I’ve ever encountered (or any other type of tea, for that matter!) The tea is tightly vacuum-packed in beautiful purple foil pouches, and when I opened the package, there was another small liner protecting the tea … it almost looked like rice paper, but it is plastic. After peeling away the plastic, I realized why it was there, because this tea is STICKY! As in honey sticky! The tightly wound pellets of Ti Guan Yin tea have been soaked in honey, and then processed in these packages to maintain their freshness.
After opening the package, I pondered for a moment about how I should brew the tea … in my Breville? Or in my gaiwan? Usually, when I steep Oolong, I steep it in my gaiwan, but, with flavored Oolongs, I make an exception. But… ultimately, I decided to steep this in my gaiwan, because I figured with all this honey, it would be easier to clean out of my gaiwan than it would my Breville.
I did not rinse (or awaken) the leaves, because I didn’t want to lose any of that honey flavor. The combination of the first two infusions are sweet and very honey-esque. But, I am glad that the honey flavor does not mask the flavor of the Iron Goddess – which is slightly vegetative tasting, with a lovely floral note that seems to have been intensified by the honey soak. This is incredibly smooth and is very easily consumed … not to mention quickly consumed!
The combination of the third and fourth infusion are not as sweet as the first cup, but still quite delicious. There is a bit of astringency to this cup that I didn’t notice with the first, and I am noticing some of the sharper notes from the floral tones that were possibly hiding behind the sweet honey flavor in the first cup. Still very delicious – this cup tastes more like what I would expect from Iron Goddess, and less like honey. But while the honey is lighter, it does linger in the aftertaste – very nice!
My final cup of this tea (the combination of the fifth and sixth infusions) were very much like what I’d expect from a Tie Guan Yin – very flavorful, yes, but, not so much of a honey flavor is present. The floral tones are not quite as sharp but are still quite strong and very lovely – reminding me a bit of orchid and lily. There is a very slight grassy tone.
While I enjoyed my three cups of this tea hot, I find myself wondering how this tea might taste iced; combining all six infusions into one pitcher and then chilling it. I suspect that the strong honey tones of the first two infusions would be softened by the other infusions, giving it just a soft, honey-esque sweetness with a beautiful background of traditional Tie Guan Yin flavors. I may have to try that very soon!
Overall, I found this to be a very tasty and satisfying Oolong – from that very first infusion, until the last.
Blueberry Fruit Tea from Teavivre
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Fruit/Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Product Description:
Ingredients: Roselle, Black Currant, Blueberries, Grapes
TeaVivre’s Fruit Tea’s make great, low calorie, caffeine-free, refreshing drinks for anytime of the day. Made only from carefully matched flower petals, dried fruit and berries, they all have high levels of vitamins and minerals and – most importantly – taste and smell great! They are all fantastic to drink either hot or iced. All our fruit teas are made without any added sugar, and so naturally have a very slight sour taste. If you’d like a slightly sweeter drink, simply add a small amount of sugar or, better yet, a small amount of honey.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
I’m usually a little hesitant to try a “fruit tea” because I worry about too much hibiscus. But… a quick glance at the ingredients … no hibiscus? Cool! But wait! What’s that … roselle? After a quick check on Wikipedia, I’ve learned that roselle is a species of hibiscus.
This worried me a bit, because… well, as I’ve mentioned more than once, I don’t really care for hibiscus.
But… this is really quite good. In fact, I really wasn’t prepared to like this quite as much as I do. The roselle has some similarities to the hibiscus I’m more accustomed to: most specifically, I taste a distinct hibiscus-y flavor and it’s trademark tartness. But what I’m not getting from the roselle is that syrup-y thickness that I would normally experience with hibiscus. This tastes and feels lighter and cleaner. It doesn’t feel sticky and thick. Nice!
In fact, this tisane is remarkably light for a fruit tea. It is really quite refreshing.
The blueberry tastes sweet and there is some tartness to it that is accented by the tart from the roselle. I also taste the black currant, and it gives the overall cup a fruit wine-like taste (in fact, I’m thinking that this might be nice brewed with some mulling spices for a mulled wine – but without the wine! – drink. Yum!)
This is one of the better fruit teas that I’ve tasted in a very long time. Oh, sure, I’ve enjoyed many of the other fruit teas that I have had. But this one stands out among the others. This … is what other fruit teas should aspire to be!
Premium Keemun Hao Ya Black Tea from Teavivre
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Product Description:
Absolutely exceptional, premium Keemun Hao Ya black tea
- Handmade Gongfu process tea from Qimen county, Anhui province
- Dark black, glossy thin buds topped with golden tips
- Makes a bold copper coloured tea
- A bold but smooth, fruity taste with a lingering, mellow aftertaste
- Moderate caffeine (less than 20% of a cup of coffee)
- 1-2 teaspoons for 8oz of water. Brew at 194 ºF (90 ºC) for 2 to 3 minutes
Rated as the best of Chinese black teas, Keemun is an absolute delight to drink. TeaVivre’s Premium Keemun represents the highest quality of this tea generally available to the public, and has a taste, aroma and appearance that completely justifies its reputation as one of the best black teas in the world. Handmade in Keemun’s birthplace of Qimen, this tea is simply stunning.
Taster’s Review:
I strongly agree with the above description of this tea. It truly is a stunning tea. From the moment I opened the pouch, I could smell the smoky tones of this tea, but I liked that it wasn’t an overwhelming smoky note.
And while I’m touching on the subject of the packaging (or rather, the opening of the packaging), I’d like to take a moment to discuss this packaging and just how impressed I am with it. The outer pouch is one of those resealable, “stand-up” Mylar-type packages that is completely opaque which protects the tea properly by not allowing any light to reach the tea leaves. It is air-tight and will keep air and moisture out and away from the tea. Inside the Mylar pouch is another pouch (not resealable, this is just a thin, foil-like pouch).
While this type of packaging may not be considered the most environmentally sound packaging available, as someone who has been involved with tea for many years, I can say that this is one of the most respectful packaging that I’ve encountered. Respectful to the tea, that is. And that really MEANS something to me. I have encountered some tea companies who are all about the money and while, yes, a profit IS important to any tea company, the product should be at least just as important. Teavivre has proven to me that they care and respect the teas they represent … and this is evident, not just by their packaging, but also by the exquisite tea itself.
The smokiness is stronger in the scent than in the flavor, although the smoky tones are certainly present in the flavor. Beneath that smoky top-layer, I can taste many wonderful layers, creating an intense complexity that surprised me. Sure, other Keemun teas that I’ve tried have been complex, but, this one is unique in just how exceptionally bold it is, while still maintaining the complexity I’d expect from a top quality Keemun.
That is to say that this tea is a hearty one, making it a perfect choice to enjoy with breakfast. It has a wonderful, smoky kind of caramel-y sweetness that is delightful, and beneath that sweetness I can taste a fruity tone that is reminiscent of a sweet, dry wine. But this tea has far less astringency than a typical dry wine … or even a typical black tea, for that matter. Instead, it is incredibly smooth despite its somewhat rustic smokiness. There is a certain sophistication to this cup, making me think more of a brandy than a wine (although, I’m not all that comfortable making that comparison, as I’m far less familiar – not at all familiar! – with alcoholic beverages).
This is absolutely one of the best Keemun teas I’ve yet to try.