Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Learn more about Tea of Life and Amazon Teas here.
Taster’s Review:
When I smelled the silky pouch filled with tea, I could smell the delightful notes of lavender. Lavender is one of my favorite flowers when it comes to tea, so I was very interested in trying this tea.
The brewed liquid has a softer note of lavender than I experienced with the dry leaf, but that was expected (usually, the brewed tea does smell softer than the dry leaf). I can smell more of the white tea notes now that the tea is brewed than I noticed when I smelled the dry leaf. With the dry leaf, I could smell lavender, and not much else.
Hmm … I’m not really loving this. The lavender tastes artificial in this. It doesn’t have that natural, sweet note that I love. Instead, it tastes like someone added a drop or two of lavender perfume to my teacup and I don’t really like that.
The white tea has a delicate, sweet taste to it, and I think I’d be enjoying this a lot more if the lavender wasn’t there. The lavender just ruins it, and that’s something that I don’t often say about a lavender tea. As I mentioned above, lavender is one of my favorite flowers when it comes to tea … so this not tasting the way I would like it to … is very disappointing.
Most of the teas that I’ve tried from Tea of Life I’ve actually quite enjoyed, but this one – unfortunately – gets a sad thumbs down from me.
Rara Willow White Tea from Nepali Tea Traders
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Nepali Tea Traders
Tea Description:
There are special days in the summer when sunshine is at its best and the tea fields of Jasbirey are shining and almost white. This white tea from Sandakphu is carefully hand-picked during this time to ensure that only one leaf and a bud is plucked. This delicious summer flush is highly aromatic, with hints of orange and lemon. Full leaf, loose tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I know I say this a lot when I review a tea, but this tea is: AMAZING! Seriously, this is one of the best white teas I’ve had. It is so sweet, evoking thoughts of the time when I was a kid and I’d go to Disneyland, and I’d go into the candy shop on Main Street and buy a bunch of rock candy on a stick. It has that kind of sweetness, but with a hint of fruit flavor, just like the rock sugar lollipops from the “happiest place on earth.”
But there’s more to this Rara Willow White Tea from Nepali Tea Traders than just a sugary, fruity sweetness. Light notes of vegetation (slightly hay-like), hints of melon, and a dewy note that is very refreshing.
This tastes a lot like a white Darjeeling tea, which tends to be my favorite when it comes to white teas. This is crisp but also juicy, and it seems to sparkle as it washes over the palate.
The sip starts out with a sweet, juicy taste of fruit, and as the sip progresses, I notice the sugary notes. About mid-sip, the hay-like notes peek through -these are very subtle – and the notes of melon become more defined, as do the notes of citrus. The finish offers a very light, dry astringency, as if to gently pat the palate dry to ready it for another sip. If you wait just a moment to enjoy the aftertaste, you’ll notice a more focused citrus note.
A really remarkable white tea. I’d recommend this to any tea drinker, from the novice who is new to white tea, to the experienced drinker. If you’re one who feels white tea is too delicate, this tea might convince you of the lovely flavor that white tea has to offer. If you’re one who likes white tea, you’re going to absolutely adore this one. I love it!
Blackberries & Cream Shou Mei from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
I think this is going to be a popular summer treat for a lot of folks. It’s a beautiful hay-like shou mei with real whole freeze-dried blackberries and organic blackberry and cream flavors.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh YUM! I was excited to try this Blackberries & Cream Shou Mei from 52Teas, mostly because I love blackberries and it’s not the most popular flavor of “berry” teas out there. One would not have a difficult time finding a strawberry or raspberry flavored tea, or even a blueberry tea, but blackberry? Not quite as easy to find. And living here in the Pacific Northwest, blackberries grow EVERYWHERE (even places you don’t want them to grow), and my family and I are quite fond of them.
And this is really yummy! Frank did these flavors justice in this blend. I can taste the sweet-tart berry notes, and the creamy notes are exceptionally good. I love how the creamy flavors of the “cream” and the natural creaminess of the white tea meld together perfectly to create a delectable berry and cream treat!
It is sweet and flavorful, with a berry flavor that doesn’t taste too candy-like to me. Oh sure, I’ve got a sweet tooth and I don’t dislike berry candy, but I like how the blackberry flavoring here tastes more like I just finished eating a ripe and juicy blackberry rather than tasting like I just finished eating a blackberry lollipop. Although … I wouldn’t mind having a blackberry lollipop either. Mmm!
Imagine, if you would, blackberries that have been cooked with just a little bit of sugar to help release their flavors, and then topping a bowl of vanilla ice cream with the cooked blackberries. Now … allow your mind to imagine just a bit further, and imagine that ice cream sundae liquefied and added to a cup of freshly brewed Shou Mei white tea. Yeah … that’s what I’m talking about!
And that’s what this tea delivers. There’s a serious yum factor going on in my teacup right now!
White Tropics Tea Blend from Tea & Bloom
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Tea & Bloom
Tea Description:
Mixture of white tea with pineapple, coconut and rose petal. High in antioxidants.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I try to go into a tea tasting with no real expectations. It’s not always easy. It wasn’t in the case of this White Tropics tea from Tea & Bloom … because with pineapple and coconut flavors, I couldn’t help but think Pina Colada.
And this doesn’t really taste so much like a Pina Colada as it does a tropical tea. But I’m not disappointed by that. The pineapple and the coconut are nicely paired here, and the white tea is not overpowered by the tropical fruits. And I can even taste hints of the rose in there too. And it’s the rose that gives this a flavor that is different than the typical Pina Colada flavored tea. (Well that, and there’s not a rum note to this.)
I like that I can taste the creaminess of the coconut, and it melds beautiful with the sweet notes of the white tea while the pineapple brightens up the cup. It’s flavorful, but in a delicate, “white tea” way.
All that said, this isn’t really all that exceptional in any way. It’s a tasty enough tea, I like the classic combination of pineapple and coconut, and I like how they meld with the white tea and just a hint of rose flavor. But, it’s just … alright. I’d drink it again if it were offered to me, but it’s not something I’d want to purchase and have on hand.
Sweet Orange White Tea from Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Description:
Our delicate Shou Mei white tea is balanced perfectly with a touch of citrus. Dried orange peel results in a sweet and refreshing addition to the citrus flavor dancing amongst the backdrop of the gently floral Shou Mei. Delicious served iced as well as hot, this tea makes an ideal light, summery drink with a twist of citrus.
Learn more about this blend here.
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s Selection Club subscription program here.
Taster’s Review:
I was greeted with a burst of orange when I opened this pouch – the aroma of the dry leaf of this Sweet Orange White Tea from Simple Loose Leaf is STRONG with orange. It smells bright and juicy and … well, orange-y!
The flavor of the orange is not quite as strong as the fragrance suggests. Instead, I find this to be a really pleasing medley of sweet, earthy Shou Mei white tea and the orange notes, and the orange does not overpower the tea. I like that I’m tasting more tea here than I am orange – and when I first experienced the aroma, I had my doubts! I thought this was going to be all about the orange and the white tea was going to be overwhelmed by the powerful, fragrant citrus.
I really like how the Shou Mei and the orange work together. It’s a very harmonious flavor, as if the two were made for one another. It is seamless.
There is a light, airy quality to the white tea. It’s crisp and refreshing, and reminds me of the air when there’s a cool breeze drifting along on a warm summer day.
The orange is sweet, juicy and flavorful, with just a little bit of tangy punch to keep things lively on the palate. That said, it’s a gentle orange flavor so that it doesn’t compete with the delicate notes of the white tea. I like that the flavor of the orange is so subtle, but at the same time, it’s still a flavorful orange note. This is orange done right!
A really enjoyable cuppa that’s tasty served hot, but even better when iced.
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