I have had my eye on trying teas from this company for a while.
I am a fanatic when it comes to dessert teas and The NecessiTeas have tons of options on that front so I am all in. CuppaGeek was kind enough to send me Strawberry Shortcake to try and I am so happy that she did since it is amazing!
I knew it would be good as soon as I opened the package. The creamy strawberry smell that came out of the bag was mouthwatering. I loved the nice big pieces of strawberry I could see in the blend. After I brewed it the strawberry smell was much lighter but definitely still there.
First taste oh man, so delicious. It was so creamy and strawberry. It tasted like a latte without milk. Side note-Must turn this into a latte later.
The only thing I wasn’t really getting was the cake part of it. I wanted it to be a little bit more cakey. It was faintly there but it was more strawberry cream than strawberry shortcake to me. But either way it is now on the top of my list of strawberry teas.
I also put some in to cold brew for the afternoon and let me tell you it is just as good iced. I really want this as a staple in my stash in the future and I will definitely be looking to try more of their blends.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: The NecessiTeas
Description
Angel food cake perfectly combines with a light layer of sweet cream and juicy strawberries to create this guilt-free dessert. Enjoy hot or poured over ice.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Bourbon Smoked White from Embrew. . . .
I don’t like anything smoked. I tried lapsang souchong once and I could barely get past the first sip. I felt like I was drinking water that had had campfire logs soaking in it for a week. Not yummy. Despite my fear of anything smokey, I decided to go ahead and brew this one up. I read up on this company and apparently this tea is pre-sweetened. Well I still added a couple drops of agave because I didn’t think it was sweet enough but turns out it really didn’t need it, so keep that in mind if you decide to try this yourself.
The company’s description of this white tea blend is really enticing. According to Embrew, “This African white tea comes from the delicate immature leaves of the plant that produce a mild, but sweet fragrance of baked bread and white peach that infuses quickly. The real hero is the Bourbon Smoked Sugar which infuses a subtle charred oak aroma.” I think that this description was pretty spot on The first thing I noticed was a sweet smell- that’s where the peach and baked bread flavors of the white tea come in. Taking a sip, that remains true. The aftertaste, however, has a definite hint of sweet bourbon with a light smokey aspect towards the end. This really was a myriad of tastes and flavors that are very intriguing. This one got me thinking and sipping and thinking again…trying to figure it out. Sometimes I find that reading a company’s description of their blend helps me to decipher what i’m tasting and in this instance it did help a lot and I think that the blend was true to its name. I actually think that I would go onto their website and order this blend again, which is funny to me because if you told me i’d say that before I tried this I would have called you crazy!
Embrew is a must try company. No matter what you *think* you like, there will always be that one blend that changes your mind!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Embrew
Description
This African white tea comes from the delicate immature leaves of the plant that produce a mild, but sweet fragrance of baked bread and white peach that infuses quickly. The real hero is the Bourbon Smoked Sugar which infuses a subtle charred oak aroma.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
White Champagne Raspberry from Tea and Tins. . .
Alcohol isn’t really in my life. I don’t mind having a drink once in a while, but it mostly upsets my stomach and gives me a headache. Tea is my drink of choice. However, I don’t mind teas that are made after alcoholic beverages….things like hot buttered rum, pina coladas, or in this case, champagne!
Upon opening my little sample bag, the first thing that came to mind was raspberry tootsie pops. It actually smells JUST LIKE a tootsie pop. Its making my mouth water! Once steeped I gave it a sip and think it needed a little sweetening, so I added just a pinch of agave. It tastes like a tootsie pop. Honestly, I just cant get past that reference! I’m tasting hard candy here. However I will say, that after swallowing I do get a hint of tingly champagne. But all in all, this is totally a raspberry tootsie pop through and through. Sweet and tangy with a hint of cocoa from the tootsie roll sitting in its center, but not too much that you’ve reached the chewiness just yet. I cant really speak of whether you will get a full on champagne experience when you drink this being as all I can taste and visualize in a tootsie pop, but I will say that your taste buds will tingle with bubbly happiness because this is tangy and tasty and leaves you wanting more!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Tea and Tins
Description
White tea, safflowers with champagne flavor and red raspberry flavor.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Pear Green White from Mahamosa. . . . .
I was interested in the name of the blend since it implied a white and green tea base. The label of the packaging indicated that it contained “China Sencha, Lung Ching, green Yunnan and Pai Mu Tan” – quite a few teas! Looking at the blend, there was also a nice sprinkle of rosebuds and mango cubes. The dry blend had a nice pear aroma that became grassier after steeping.
The liquor was smooth and pale yellow with very mild astringency. The green and white tea blend base came through and had a very clean taste. There was a slight sweetness at the tail end of the sip, which may have come from the mango cubes or pineapple flakes.
This would be a nice tea if you want to unwind and relax with a book or movie!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green/White
Where to Buy: Mahamosa
Description
This noble blend of different green and white teas captivates the senses with the typical, attractive Pai Mu Tan and a Yunnan which is dominated by light, fluffy tips. Yellow rosebuds, pineapple flakes and mango cubes enhance the delicate yet significant freshness of this aromatic variety. The tea leaves dominate the overall taste with their typically delicate, slightly bitter notes. A touch of juicy pear and creamy sweet exotic flavors envelop the characteristic flavor of green tea. Ingredients: China Sencha, Lung Ching, green Yunnan and Pai Mu Tan (89% total tea), flavoring, mango cubes (mango,sugar), pineapple flakes, rosebuds.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
White Peony – Bai Mu Dan from Teasenz
I usually stick to the “accepted parameters” for white tea – 180 degrees Fahrenheit for three minutes, but Teasenz says to be brave and go with 195 degrees on this one. So I did! And on top of that, I was busy and couldn’t get the leaves out of the pot right away when the timer went off so it went a few seconds longer. And you know what? There was not even a hint of bitterness to the tea.
As is the case with white peony tea, we have a light/medium yellow tea when it is steeped and a light fragrance. The initial impression of the aroma is hay, while the main perception of the tea is creamy, to the point that two people said “creamy” at the same time when asked to describe the tea after sipping. And this tea is all about the aftertaste, which really lingers on and on. I would call this a cleansing tea, and the aftertaste reminds me of the pea pods of sugar snap peas that I used to grow years ago, and we would harvest them in spring and steam them lightly with a little butter. The ghost of that flavor lives in this tea.
It is a good tea for re-steeping. I am only on the second steep but it has lots of flavor and color left and will no doubt keep going. And the aftertaste is still going strong as I write this, too!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Teasenz
Description
An authentic white tea from Fujian consisting of a mix of green coloured leaves and white silver needle buds, resembling a White Peony. Exceptionally smooth and sweet flavour. Full of flavour: It’s unbelievable how many steeps you get from the same leaves.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
