Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Description:
A soft, delicate version of traditional Indian chai, Winter White Chai features our fine Shou Mei white tea amongst the backdrop of customary chai spices, with one surprising addition: coconut. Delicious served in the traditional chai manner with milk and sugar or untouched for a more simplistic and delicate cup.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s NEW Selection Club subscription program here.
Taster’s Review:
I love the aroma of the dry leaf of this Winter White Chai from Simple Loose Leaf. It smells so delightfully spicy with notes of cinnamon, clove and pepper with a high note of coconut. My mouth began to water when I smelled it.
The brewed tea doesn’t have an overpoweringly spicy fragrance, instead, it smells warm and mildly spiced, like spice cake baking in the oven. And that’s the first thing I thought of when I took my first sip: spice cake! The spices come together in a very pleasing way in this chai – they’re warm and comforting.
Of the spices represented in this blend, the cinnamon and cloves are the most prominent. I taste a light kick of pepper from the ginger and the pink peppercorns, and there is a very gentle cardamom flavor to this too. I think that these spices were very thoughtfully blended: it’s a well-balanced masala chai blend that pairs well with the light Shou Mei base.
And I do taste the Shou Mei. When it comes to white teas, I think that Shou Mei is the least delicate tasting, and I think that it was the right choice for this particular blend because it needed something that could be tasted beneath the spices and other components of this blend. It has a subtle earthy tone, but the biggest contribution that I’m getting from the tea base is a refreshingly crisp note that enlivens the palate.
The coconut and vanilla notes work in unison to offer a soft, creamy note. I don’t taste a really obvious “coconut” flavor, but I taste more coconut in the aftertaste than in the actual sip. I find my thoughts debating among themselves as I’m trying to decide if I’d want more distinct coconut flavor to this tea. On the one hand, I do like the creaminess from the coconut and vanilla; it sort of gives a “latte-ish” taste to the cup without adding milk or cream to the tea (milk in white tea? No, that just seems wrong!) and I think that a stronger coconut presence might shift the focus off the lovely spices of this blend. I really like the blend as it is … then again, I really like coconut and there’s that part of me thinking “more coconut might be nice.”
The lemongrass adds a very light citrus-y note to the cup. It isn’t a strong presence, but it brings a little brightness to the overall flavor.
I really liked this Chai. It’s light and crisp, but still pleasantly spiced.
Makaibari Bai Mu Dan White Tea from Tea People
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Tea People
Tea Description:
Makaibari tea estate is situated in a town called Kurseong in the district of Darjeeling. Kurseong means the land of the ‘white orchid’ in the local language. From the land of the white orchid is produced the exquisite ‘White Magnolia’. This tea is made from the delicate unopened leaves of the plant and undergoes the least processing among all the teas. This is the reason why the infused leaves seem to come alive again yielding the palest liquor yearning to be sipped. When it touches your lips, your palate comes alive with a light chestnut flavour. The sweet aftertaste lingers on forever.
Makaibari tea estate located in the foothills of the Himalayas is an organically certified tea estate where the tea is grown at an altitude of around 4500ft.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Bai Mu Dan tea is one of those teas that when I drink it … I think to myself: it’s been a long time since I’ve had a Bai Mu Dan. It may not actually have been that long, but, it’s one of those teas that I miss when a day or two has passed and I haven’t had it.
I love the sweet, delicate quality of a good Bai Mu Dan. And what makes this Makaibari Bai Mu Dan White Tea from Tea People different is that it is grown in the Darjeeling district, so I think that technically makes it a “Darjeeling” white tea, even though the leaves resemble a very high quality Bai Mu Dan. These aren’t those crumbly, brown leaves that some companies pass off as a Bai Mu Dan. These leaves are a gorgeous pale green, and if you look closely, you can see the soft, fuzzy down on these leaves. The leaves are large and beautiful.
My first sip of this tea evoked thoughts of the taste of a dewdrop, like what I might taste if I were to drink the dew off a fresh, new spring leaf. After that initial sip, I started to notice other flavors developing.
As the above description suggests, there is a light nutty flavor to this white tea, reminiscent of that creamy taste of a freshly roasted chestnut. There are slight notes of earth to this as well as a hay-like note and a background of delicious melon.
The overall taste is light and refreshing. It is sweet and relaxing to sip. A really beautiful white tea! If I were asked to list my all time favorite Bai Mu Dan teas, this one would land at the top of the list. It’s one I’d recommend to all the white tea fans out there.
Cantaloupe Watermelon Flavored White Tea from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Cantaloupe is one of my all-time favorite fruits and so is watermelon, so when I had the chance, I just couldn’t resist creating this blend of premium white teas, dried cantaloupe, and organic cantaloupe and watermelon flavors. This is a serious glass of refreshment as an iced tea and I’m sure it’s awesome as a hot tea too. I’m already getting a little anxious for spring. I’ve got this week’s tea and next week’s tea already blended up, and they are both on the fruity end of the spectrum. But that’s all I can tell you for now.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
Mmm! This Cantaloupe Watermelon Flavored White Tea from 52Teas is YUMMY! It tastes like summer in tea form!
The overall flavor is sweet and fruity. I love that the watermelon and cantaloupe come through loud and clear. There’s no mistaking these two flavors – this definitely taste just as I wanted a tea that promises cantaloupe and watermelon flavors with its name the way this tea does. It tastes like sweet, luscious cantaloupe and juicy, sweet watermelon.
The white tea is just the right base for these two flavors too, because these are typically two more delicate tasting fruits and I think a stronger tea flavor would have obscured the nuances of the cantaloupe and watermelon flavors (although I think it would be interesting to try these flavors with a buttery Chinese Sencha too). The white tea has a light, airy kind of taste, and the fruit notes that I often associate with a white tea tend to be melons, so I think that pairing a Shou Mei white tea with watermelon and cantaloupe is ideal.
It tastes great served hot, but it’s even better iced, mostly because these flavors just seem to beg to be served over ice, don’t they? Cantaloupe and Watermelon sound better cold than hot. A thin slice of lemon might be nice to serve with this – just a hint of acid to perk up the sweetness a bit!
As I write this review, I see that there are six pouches of this tea left. This is going to be a tea you WANT to have on hand when summer arrives – it’s so deliciously refreshing and fruity! So, hurry on over to 52Teas and get yourself a pouch!
A really delightful tea.
Champagne & Rose Cream White Tea Blend from Butiki Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Butiki Teas
Tea Description:
Our luxurious Champagne & Rose Cream pairs our Glenburn Silver Needle with sweet champagne, fresh cream, and delicate rose notes. The initial sip delivers a lingering sweetness and tang of champagne. Rose and cream notes remain long after each sip. The malty flavor of the Silver Needle tea adds to the champagne flavor and there is a bubbliness that can be felt on the tongue. With each continuing sip the rose and cream notes become stronger. We recommend drinking this tea at a cooler temperature.
Ingredients: Glenburn Silver Needle, Rosebuds, Amaranth, Organic Natural Flavoring (vegan)
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’m impressed with this Champagne & Rose Cream White Tea Blend from Butiki Teas! That shouldn’t surprise me, of course, because I’m often impressed by this company … that’s why Butiki Teas is one of my favorite tea companies. They know what they’re doing!
I’ve tasted several different champagne flavored teas, but I think that this one just may be the most impressive to date. The champagne notes are so clear and on point. The white tea base is delicate and sweet, and accentuates the champagne very nicely, and I especially appreciate how these two flavors don’t seem to be competing with one another. They meld almost seamlessly, offering a flavor that is both champagne and tea – but in a soft, delicious way that is in keeping with the nature of the white tea. The rose is also subtle here, and the floral notes linger on the palate.
The sip starts off sweet, with notes of champagne and white tea making their presence known immediately. A soft rose note comes through next. Throughout the sip, I notice notes of cream, but it isn’t a heavy cream taste. It’s sort of there, just beneath the rose notes.
I have mentioned on more than one occasion on this blog that I’m not much of a consumer of alcoholic beverages, but one thing that I do remember from the days when I did consume an alcoholic beverage or two is how quickly champagne would go to my head. I’d start feeling “bubbly” very quickly (I guess I’m kind of a lightweight when it comes to booze), and I guess the reason I bring that up is because I’m feeling bubbly (but in a non-intoxicated way!) over this tea too!
A really amazing tea!
Peppermint Bark Black Tea from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
My wife has been hounding me to make a peppermint bark tea. She makes peppermint bark every year at Christmastime and it’s all gone now and we’re back on the diet bandwagon, so I agree, it’s time for a peppermint bark tea. This is a blend of our premium black teas, fresh cut peppermint and organic flavors. I realize that almond bark is not really white chocolate, but I used some organic white chocolate flavoring (along with a bit of marshmallow to sweeten it up) to approximate the flavor, and wow is it delicious! I went easy on the peppermint–there’s nothing worse than a tea that tastes like mouthwash–and I think I struck a pretty awesome balance.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
When I opened the pouch of this Peppermint Bark Black Tea from 52Teas, I was pretty surprised that I didn’t get a huge whiff of peppermint fragrance. I kind of expect that from a tea with mint, because mint tends to be an overpowering scent. But while I could absolutely smell the peppermint, it wasn’t a strong aroma. I mostly smelled black tea. I could also pick up a slight nutty note that reminded me of almonds and a hint of a alcohol-ish note that reminds me of the smell of extract.
The brewed tea smells a little bit minty, a little bit sweet and more than either of these two things, again, I’m smelling tea … and again, I’m surprised that the mint notes are not more prevalent. However, after reading the description, I think that is what Frank (the chief Zoomdweebie at 52Teas) was going for anyway. He didn’t want this to be a sip of mouthwash … and it isn’t (and definitely doesn’t smell like it either!)
The flavor is really nice! I taste mint, but I taste other things too. I taste the tea – It is a smooth, robust tasting black tea base. It’s not the strongest flavor that I taste … instead this cup is a compelling combination of flavors where everything sort of melds together deliciously to offer up a confectionery delight. I don’t know that what I’m tasting is white chocolate peppermint bark in a teacup, but, I like what I’m tasting.
I taste the nutty flavor of almond and I taste the sweet white chocolate. The white chocolate is actually the flavor I taste least, but it is elevated by the addition of marshmallow that adds a sweet, “fluffy” kind of taste that gives the cup the “confectionery” sort of flavor that I mentioned before.
As I said, I don’t know that I’m tasting peppermint bark. But, I like what I’m tasting, and if I were given a piece of candy that tasted like this, I’d be more than happy to devour it! It may not taste like the peppermint bark that I’m used to, but that said … I think I might like this better than the peppermint bark I’m used to! A very tasty cuppa!