Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Le Palais de Thés
Tea Description:
A delicious Oolong tea scented with flowers and exotic fruits. Low in caffeine.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Thé Des Songes from Le Palais de Thés is a very fruity Oolong tea! I taste notes of flower, certainly, but, I’m tasting more fruit than flower … and I’m tasting more fruit than I am Oolong tea.
That last part is just a wee bit disappointing, because when I opened the little tin tube of this tea and saw that this is a dark Oolong, I was looking forward to more complexity from the Oolong than what I’m getting because the fruit flavors tend to mask the Oolong just a wee bit.
I am still getting Oolong flavor, I guess I was just hoping for a little more tea flavor and a little less fruity flavor. I think most of what I’m getting from the Oolong here is the texture … that smooth … almost buttery mouthfeel from the Oolong and I do like how it melds with the sweetness of the fruit notes and the hints of flower.
I think that some of my disappointment stems from the fact that the fruit notes are so jumbled together that it’s difficult to discern just what fruit flavors I’m tasting. I taste notes of lush stone fruit … like peach and possibly nectarine. Every once in a while, I also taste a tropical note that is somewhere between papaya and mango. And it would seem that every once in a while I recognize a brightness that tastes distinctly citrus-y to me.
The floral notes are softer than the fruit … but I am appreciating those because they offer an interesting contrast to the sweetness of the fruit.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not hating this cup of tea. It’s actually quite flavorful and very tasty. The fruit is sweet and a little bit tart, and the flowery notes come in like a whispering wisp of flavor across the palate. The Oolong has a beautifully soft texture and offers a pleasing backdrop of flavor … I just find myself wishing there was more Oolong flavor and a bit less of the fruit flavor. All in all not a bad cup of tea … it just could be better!
So Long, and Thanks for All the Licorice Black Chai Blend from Butiki Teas
Chai Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Butiki Teas
Chai Description:
One of our customers, Sasha, challenged us to create a unique licorice masala chai custom blend. We ended up loving her blend so much, that we decided to offer it on our website. The name of this tea is a reference to one of the owner’s favorite authors, Douglas Adams. This soothing tea features licorice; however, the spice notes are also present and linger long after the sip and meld with the licorice notes. With each sip, the licorice and spice notes seem to become stronger yet they are not overly aggressive. While this tea is fantastic plain, this blend shines with a little rice milk and sugar. For a short interview with the brains behind this tea, click HERE.
Learn more about this chai here.
Taster’s Review:
I love licorice, so when I heard about this licorice-y masala chai, I got very excited. And this tea – So Long, And Thanks For All The Licorice Black Chai Blend from Butiki Teas – is worth all the hype, because it’s AHH-mazing!
First of all, I absolutely love the name because I love Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Then, I open up the pouch and I see big, whole pieces of star anise (one of my favorite tea spices!) and I can smell all the amazing spices and most of all I can smell the licorice! This is very licorice-y! This tea takes licorice to a whole other level. If you aren’t a fan of black licorice, this tea is not for you. But, if you love licorice, you’re probably going to love this chai like I do.
The base is Butiki Teas’ Organic Guranse, and it provides a nice, earthy richness to the cup. And while the licorice is very strong in this tea, I like that I do taste the other spices in the chai. I taste the cinnamon, a hint of clove and cardamom, and a slight nutty tone from the nutmeg. It’s truly a wonderful and unique chai – unlike anything I’ve ever tasted before … but am really glad to be tasting it now, because I LOVE licorice!
This is easily one of the best (if not the best) licorice-y teas that I’ve ever tried. In fact, I can’t think of one at the moment that even compares. This is truly a treat for this licorice lover.
Thé Des Concubines from Le Palais de Thés
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black & Green Teas
Where to Buy: Le Palais de Thés
Tea Description:
Recreate the unique, welcoming atmosphere of a Chinese tea house. This rare tea is a refined, delicate blend of green and black teas from China with rich, fruity notes of cherry, mango and vanilla. Contains rose petals and fruit pieces.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
Really tasty! I like that the cherry flavor in this tea – Thé Des Concubines from Le Palais de Thés – does not come off tasting like cough syrup, and that the mango and cherry are nicely balanced.
The overall flavor is sweet. The cherry has notes of tartness that offer contrast, but, mostly, what I taste is the sweet notes of the cherry, the mango, and the creamy tones of the vanilla. This would make a nice dessert type tea.
Because it is a blend of black and green teas, I opted for a lower brew temperature (185°F) and steeped it for 2 1/2 minutes. The result is a cuppa that has notes of both black and green teas – earthy, vegetative, and smooth – but it is a mild tasting background. It is nicely round, and finishes slightly dry and sweet.
I enjoyed this tea – and it tastes great hot or iced. I found that I preferred it iced, the sweet, fruity notes really came forward with the chilled drink.
Organic Tea Flowers from The Tao of Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Tea Flowers
Where to Buy: The Tao of Tea
Tea Description:
The tea plant (Camellia sinensis) flowers once a year in Fall. This is the time just before the plant produces seeds and goes into winter hibernation.
Yunnan Tea Flowers
These 100% organic tea flowers are from the southern Yunnan province of China and harvested from old growth tea trees indigenous to the area. The native peoples of this region are among the few tea-growing cultures with a history of tea flower harvesting.Jing Mai Tea Forest
Jing Mai Mountain is home to one of the largest Old Growth Tea Forests in southern Yunnan. The area has been called a Tea Forest Museum with trees ranging from 800 to 1200 years old.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Even though I’m categorizing these Organic Tea Flowers from The Tao of Tea as a “fruit/herbal tisane” … it’s actually a product from the Camellia Sinensis plant. And while I do not consider myself to be a caffeine expert when it comes to tea (or any food product, for that matter), I think that because it does come from the tea plant, the flower does have some caffeine in it … probably not very much, but some.
But, I’m not finding it to be very stimulating, which is good because I’m drinking it rather late at night. It’s actually quite soothing. I love the pollen-y taste of this, it is sweet, almost honey-esque with nectar-like tones. It has a smooth taste and feel to it. It has some earthy tones, and some delightful floral notes. It’s light and easy to drink.
I like that it has a natural sweetness to it, making it an enjoyable, sweet relaxing beverage to drink later in the day when I want something that tastes a little bit sweet but I don’t want something that will make me feel guilty later. With this, I can have something sweet without that guilt … and without too much caffeine to keep me awake all night!
At the time of this writing, I see that Tao of Tea is currently out of stock of this product … I hope they get it back in soon … because the flowers age well (like a pu-erh) it is something I’d like to keep on hand and I won’t have to worry about it becoming stale.
Thé Vert á la Vanille from Le Palais des Thés
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: Le Palais des Thés
Tea Description:
A wonderful combination of green tea and vanilla. Enlivened by small vanilla pods, this delicately flavored Sencha is beautifully mild and smooth.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Mmmmm! I know I’ve said it before, but I’m going to say it again, I love vanilla flavored teas. There is something so luxuriously smooth and wonderful about vanilla teas … the soft, creamy taste of vanilla melds so beautifully with the leaves of camellia sinensis! And this Thé Vert á la Vanille from Le Palais des Thés does indeed taste creamy, smooth and luxurious!
The overall presentation of the cup is mellow. The soft, lush taste of the green tea – vegetative and fresh tasting – unified with the sweet, creamy taste of vanilla. It is delicate and delicious, with a buttery undertone and sweet high notes.
The green tea notes have almost a “lima bean” kind of flavor to them, and there is a hint of buttery taste in the layers of flavor, and a wisp of flower in there too. The vanilla brings it all together – and while it seems like it shouldn’t work (I mean, lima beans and vanilla? Really?) somehow, it does. It works out wonderfully!
A really nice cuppa. I think this makes a great afternoon tea … a beautiful way to spend a leisurely afternoon … not rushed, not hurried … the kind of day when you have time to just sit back and enjoy a delicious cup of tea!