Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Description:
Our delicate Shou Mei White Tea is infused with a playful explosion of blueberries, cornflowers and blueberry flavor. The naturally floral white tea leaves fuse harmoniously with their fruity additions. Enjoy this tea any time you feel like a treat, hot or iced.
Shou Mei White Tea, Blueberries, Cornflowers, Blueberry Flavor
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s Selection Club subscription program here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve tried quite a few blueberry flavored teas during my time as a tea reviewer, and just like any other flavor, some blueberry teas are better than others. This one is definitely one of the better ones that I’ve tried. The blueberry is strong and exceptionally well-defined. Put simply, it tastes like BLUEBERRY!
The dry leaf is deliciously fragrant, smelling of sweet berries. The leaves are dark and brown and they look like most of the Shou Mei teas that I’ve seen. There are flecks of blue among the leaves: cornflowers. I see some blueberries, but there are not a lot of blueberries in this, but that’s OK.
When it comes to flavored teas, its not the fruit additions that make the tea taste like the fruit flavor, it’s the flavoring oil. So it’s important that when selecting the flavoring oil that a very high quality flavoring oil is chosen. A low quality oil can result in a flavor that tastes fake, chemical-y, or have very little taste that resembles the desired flavor.
Fortunately, this Blueberry White Tea from Simple Loose Leaf has been crafted using a high quality oil – as evidenced in the flavor that I’m tasting. I taste blueberry. I don’t taste chemicals. I don’t taste a fake blueberry or even an overly-candied blueberry taste. I taste an authentic, true-to-the-fruit, abundantly fruity blueberry flavor!
The flavor is sweet with that familiar tingly berry tart note toward the finish. Yum! As I said, this is one of the better blueberry flavored teas I’ve come across in some time. I love that the blueberry flavor is unmistakable … I like that I can easily identify that this tastes like blueberry. I like that it’s sweet and juicy and refreshing. It’s very summertime!
Incidentally, this makes a stunning iced tea!
The Shou Mei base needs to be credited for the flavor as much as the blueberry flavoring, because the crisp flavor of the Shou Mei doesn’t attempt to impede the delivery of bright blueberry flavor to the palate. It is content to let the blueberry do its thing, but at the same time, it doesn’t allow itself to be overpowered by the flavoring. There is a good balance here of earthy, sweet notes of Chinese white tea and juicy blueberry flavor.
A VERY good tea. This is the first that I’ve tried from the August Selection Club box, and we’re off to a really great start! I’m looking forward to the next one!
I know I’ve mentioned it before, but I want to let you know that you can save 25% off when you sign up for the Selection Club from Simple Loose Leaf. Just use the coupon code SISTERSELECTION25 for that savings when you subscribe. This discount is applicable only to the monthly Selection Club subscription and not the retail selection of teas.
Vanilla Dulce Black Tea from White Lion
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: White Lion
Tea Description:
Premium black tea paired with a double dose of vanilla to create a creamy, luxurious tea that will win you over even before the first sip. It may be vanilla, but it’s anything but plain.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I absolutely love a cup of vanilla flavored tea, so when I read the description of this Vanilla Dulce Black Tea from White Lion, I knew it was one I wanted to try! A double dose of vanilla? Yes, please!
And this tea delivers exactly what that description promises: a sweet, delicious, creamy vanilla taste! It tastes so smooth and rich and indulgent. And when paired with the robust black tea that is used in this blend, the result is an almost caramel-y undertone with a vanilla high note. Mmm!
The black tea is a bold tasting black tea. The description doesn’t tell me what type of tea is used as the base, but based on the strength of the black tea, I would say that it’s either an Assam or a very high quality Ceylon, because I’m getting lots of malty notes. There is some astringency to the cup as well, it’s slightly dry toward the finish.
It’s a very solid tasting tea, like something I’d want to reach for as that first cup of the day on the days that I want something bracing to get me invigorated but I also want something luxurious and decadent. Like those days when I want dessert for breakfast. This tea would suit that kind of craving perfectly!
I drank this tea hot with no additions and found that it was plenty sweet without adding sugar, so if you are one who typically adds sugar to your tea, you might want to taste this one first to make sure you won’t overwhelm it. If you want to enhance the creamy factor, you can add a splash of milk and go latte – although I found it rather creamy on its own. It tastes as though I’m having a latte without the addition of the dairy, so this tea would be great for those who like a creamy, rich cup of tea but are trying to cut back on their dairy!
A really splendid cup of tea – I’m really happy I had the chance to try it!
Doke Silver Needle from Lochan Tea Limited
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Lochan Tea Limited
Tea Description:
This second flush Doke Silver Needle White Tea shows how this family run garden is constantly innovating (Chinese Silver Needles are only harvested once per year). Like most Second Flush pickings, these leaves are loose and slightly darker yet here this simply concentrates the delicious white tea flavors – a truly extraordinary Silver Needle tea. Only the freshest tender young buds, covered in a delicate soft white down, are selected and brew to produce a clean and smooth liquor that’s simply bursting with fresh white tea flavor. Large, downy needles produce a sweet and creamy, full-bodied golden liquor with notes of peach blossom and dried apricot. This is a unique selection from a little-known origin.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
It’s been a while since I’ve had a silver needle tea, and this one is unique because it’s not a Chinese Silver Needle, this one is from India. I find that Doke Silver Needle teas tend to have a stronger flavor than the very delicate flavor of a Chinese Silver Needle. I appreciate both for their unique qualities, but since I’m reviewing the Doke at the moment, I think I’ll just say that I really like the well defined flavor of this Silver Needle tea!
It has a very sweet, refreshing taste. It’s very soothing to sip. I taste notes of dew and melon and a peach-like flavor … but sweeter. I had trouble putting my finger on exactly how to describe that flavor until I read the above description and saw “dried apricot” and then I realized … yeah, that’s it! It has the almost-sugary sweetness of dried fruit, and it does indeed have a dried apricot-like flavor.
The texture is soft. The taste is very smooth from start to finish. No bitterness and very little astringency (as in I am having a hard time discerning any astringency here at all.) I keep going back to the word “sweet” but that is the word that keeps coming to mind with every sip. It’s deliciously sweet. My mouth waters from the sweetness.
It’s a very lovely cup of tea. I like that this isn’t exceptionally delicate in flavor, the flavors here stand out. It’s a very flavorful cuppa!
Rose Mojito White Tea Blend from The Persimmon Tree
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where To Buy: The Persimmon Tree
Tea Description:
Featuring a beautiful blend of organic flower-scented white loose-leaf teas, wild roses, organic peppermint and seasonally selected botanicals; our Rose Mojito is refreshing and fragrant. This soothing infusion is a wonderful way to relax unwind after a long day.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
This tea is so smooth, refreshing and tasty, that I nearly finished my first pot of it before I remembered that I need to write a review about it! So, I re-steeped the leaves and I’m thrilled to say that the second infusion is even BETTER than the first!
Everything about this beautiful blend is balanced. From the flavor of the sweet silver needle tea, to the soft notes of rose and the surprisingly subtle notes of peppermint. Everything is gentle and delicate. I like that I taste each of these notes, but, there isn’t a competition going on in my teacup. It all has the soft offerings of a white tea blend and the peppermint and rose stay in check.
It’s a crisp and refreshing tea. It is a cooling beverage, even when served hot. I feel invigorated as I sip it without feeling overstimulated. This would make a welcome tea on a warm summer evening (and right now, we’re getting a lot of those!) because it has a calming influence and yet it has a soft way about it that seems to replenish the body as I sip.
A really delicious cup of tea that smells as amazing as it tastes – and it tastes pretty darned amazing!
Plum Blossom White Tea from Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White & Green Teas
Where to Buy: Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Description:
A unique blend of Chinese white and green teas scented with Jasmine and lightly flavored with plum create a delicately fruity and floral delight. Great for anyone who loves jasmine green tea but is ready to step outside of the box, this tea is delicious either hot or over ice.
Shou Mei White Tea, Jasmine Special Grade Green Tea, Safflowers, Sunflowers, Plum flavor, Jasmine Flowers
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s Selection Club subscription program here.
Taster’s Review:
The aroma wafting out of my teacup right now is quite lovely. I smell the jasmine and the plum and these are two scents that I don’t think I’ve ever imagined together before today, but, they smell rather beautiful together! It smells fresh and flowery, with mouth-watering fruit notes dancing in the background.
And it tastes – wow! Just as I would not have imagined the two scents together, these are two flavors I wouldn’t have imagined together either. But it works!
The first note I taste is that of the Shou Mei. It’s light and airy, with a subtle earthiness and a hint of hay-like flavor. The green tea notes seem to marry seamlessly with the white tea notes, becoming more of a unified flavor than two individual flavors. Like green tea, only lighter and crisper … or perhaps, like white tea only with more of a grassy intonation.
Then I can taste the notes of jasmine. Delicate and floral. The floral notes are sharpened slightly with the presence of the sunflower petals. The soft jasmine flavor stays with me throughout the sip and lingers into the aftertaste.
Just before mid-sip, I start to pick up on the plum note. It starts out subtle and as I continue to drink the tea – about four or five sips into the cup – I notice the plum notes starting to become more defined. Sweet with just a hint of tartness. I am really enjoying the contrast between the sharpness of the sunflower and the sweeter elements of this cup, like the plum and the sweet notes of green and white tea.
I’ve tasted so many wonderful teas since I’ve joined Simple Loose Leaf’s Selection Club subscription service! This one may just be my newest favorite (although I don’t think it will “replace” any others that have been favorites … this is just a new one to add to my list of favorites!) It’s such a lovely tea. It’s nice served hot, and I like it iced too.
Now, I know I’ve told you about the savings that Simple Loose Leaf offers our readers, but I’ll tell you again: use this code: SISTERSELECTION25 and you’ll save 25% off when you sign up for the Selection Club.
This discount is not applicable on the retail selection of teas, and is only good for the selection club subscription.