Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green & White
Where to Buy: Amoda Tea
Tea Description:
Don’t fear the strong cherry aroma, it steeps up nicely balanced with subtle
jasmine and rose floral notes. You’ll still taste the earthiness of the white & green teas before the last hit of cherry that lingers.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn how to subscribe to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
The dry leaf of this White Cherry Tea Blend from Aromatica is extremely aromatic. As the description above suggests, it has a very strong cherry fragrance … it almost smells a bit like cough medicine. Personally, I’m not one to be put off by that, because, I kind of like cherry flavored cough medicine. It’s better than unflavored cough medicine, anyway.
But, I don’t want my cherry flavored teas to taste like cough medicine. So, I remained hopeful that the description is right … and that the tea steeps with a balanced flavor. Fingers crossed!
Wow! This tastes very much like cherry! But it doesn’t taste like a medicinal cherry flavor … it tastes like a sweet, ripe Bing Cherry, bursting with flavor! Seriously, with my first sip, it was very much like I had just bitten into a juicy cherry. YUM!
The sips that follow allow the other flavors in the cup to develop on the palate. I notice hints of jasmine in the distance. I taste the lush, “green” taste of the green tea, as well as hints of earthiness and hay from the Pai Mu Tan. The rose starts to come through after my fourth or fifth sip.
This tea definitely tastes more like a green tea than a white tea, but there is a lightness to this too, the white tea has lightened the overall flavor of the cup. The white tea is not a strong flavor, but it certainly does its part to influence the overall flavor of the cup.
The floral tones are subdued but offer a nice contrast to the sweet cherry flavor. The cherry offers a sweet overtone, but there are hints of tartness to the cup as well. The coconut is not a prominent flavor to this cup, but there is a gentle creaminess that I attribute to the coconut. I like this hint of creaminess … it adds just the right touch to the drink.
Overall, this tea blend really IS well balanced. Sweet? Sure. But there is so much more to it than just sweet cherry flavor. It is that complexity that makes this tea well worth trying.
Lemon Souffle from White Lion
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: White Lion Tea
Tea Description:
White tea leaves, tart juicy lemons, vanilla and caramel essence.
Available in loose leaf, and sachets.
Sample size also available.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I have searched high and low for a tea like Lemon Souffle from White Lion. This tea is exceptional. I knew I wanted something creamy, because I am a big fan of lemon desserts, and I knew I wanted something some what sweet for that reason. I also knew I did not want the tea so sweet that it was cloying or unnatural flavored. I wanted to taste the lemon but I didn’t want it to make me pucker. Even though the description does say “tart juicy lemons”, it is not a puckering sour lemon. I wanted to be able to taste the base tea, and therefor I really did not search out white bases too often because I was concerned that the base would get lost among the flavorings. With the exception of a handful of companies, blended teas are not often accompanied by quality base teas, rather the companies defer to the flavoring components to make up for the base. Not in this case! What we have here, is a perfect creamy lemon tea in a flavorful white base.
The vanilla and caramel essence do not take over the cup, but rather play supporting roles, helping the tea taste like a lemon creme brulee or lemon cream tart.
I had ordered only two sampler sized teas from White Lion and the box I received was simply awe inspiring! Now I admit, I am a sucker for a pretty package, but for ordering only a mere two samples, which arrived in such lovely tins, the box that it arrived in was nothing sort of complete elegance! You can see photos of the packaging here. Forgive my iPhone photos please. My photos truly do not do the package justice.
After sampling the Lemon Souffle I knew I had to make a larger order right away because this is THE lemon tea that I have been looking for!
Customer Service from White Lion has been excellent thus far. They were out of the glass jar containers I so desired and offered me an option to wait for more to be in stock or to have my tea shipped in their plastic containers. I opted to wait, as I really do love those corked topped glass jars.
For the record, the other tea that I bought a sample of was also amazing and I ordered a larger jar of that as well.
If you want a tea, in a tasty white base, that reminds you of a gourmet lemon cream dessert, then don’t hesitate to try Lemon Souffle from White Lion. You will feel like royalty when you open your box, and be quite pleased with yourself for placing an order when you sip their teas!
White Christmas Black Tea Blend from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Here’s our premium black teas blended with peppermint, marshmallow root and organic flavors. I know we’ve done a few marshmallow/mint blends this year, but this might just be the crowning jewel. As a few of our 12 Teas of Christmas sampler purchasers have already commented, the black tea lends a faint chocolate note to the mixture of mint and marshmallow.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh yum!
I have tried the other marshmallow root teas that 52Teas has crafted in the past, and I’ve enjoyed them all, but, this White Christmas Black Tea Blend might just be my favorite thus far. (I don’t know though, the Sun and Cloud Mist Tea is really amazing too!)
First, I really like that the black tea is not overpowered by the other flavors. I taste the black tea right up front, and while I do enjoyed my flavored teas, I do appreciate it when the tea is not overwhelmed by the flavors. Here, the black tea is robust, rich, and delicious, with a moderate amount of astringency. And as it has been mentioned on Steepster, there is the faintest note of cocoa to this that is quite delightful – and I can’t help but wonder how AMAZING this tea might have been with chocolate flavors too. That’s not to say it’s not already delicious – it is! – but, I’m a chocoholic and chocolate always makes things taste better!
The peppermint is crisp and refreshing. My mouth feels clean in the aftertaste, I can feel the cool mint tingle over my tongue. Very invigorating! I like how the marshmallow softens the mint somewhat though … this doesn’t taste TOO minty. The marshmallow gives the cup a soft, sweet taste that I really like.
What a great tea! I really like this one a whole lot. Well done, 52Teas!
Eggnog from Trail Lodge Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White and Green
Where to Buy: Trail Lodge Tea
Tea Description:
This is our own holiday creation; green and white tea combined with the flavors of eggnog. The combination of China Green and white tea brews up to a light and sweet liquid that combines perfectly with the flavor of eggnog. Real pieces of vanilla beans and nutmeg turns it into a truly guilt free decadent treat. Be sure to get some for gifts and to sip while you decorate the tree and listen to holiday music. Ingredients: Fair Trade Certified TM Organic China Green Tea, Fair Trade CertifiedTM Organic Pai Mu Tan, and Organic Vanilla, Organic Nutmeg, and Organic Natural Flavoring
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Eggnog from Trail Lodge Tea has a distinct aroma of spices and custard when steeped. From the visual aspect, white tea, is my favorite tea. The dry leaf is beautiful, downy, and whole.
The cup steeps to a golden yellow and is clear.
Trail Lodge Teas are organic and Fair Trade Certified which is always a plus in my book!
The flavor is quite creamy, but the spiced notes do not come out in the taste as much as in the aroma. There is a nutmeg spice in the flavor, its not strong, but there is enough. In the aroma I get more of the clove spice as well.
There is a lacking in the sweetness for me personally, yet I did not try it with any added sugar, so I can’t say if that would have helped or not.
I keep looking for the white or green tea base flavor to jump out at me because it is not as if the spice or other flavorings are overdone, and I do get a touch of vanilla in the flavor, yet I keep straining to find the base tea. I get a tad more of the green base than the white, but I think I would enjoy the tea more if the base were a bit more outstanding.
Overall this is a good eggnog blend and it does indeed taste like eggnog. Its creamy, and it has the right flavors with the spice and vanilla bean. I don’t know if this is one I would personally go right out and order, yet I would suggest if you enjoy this flavor profile to try some. I know Trail Lodge Teas has several other teas in their arsenal that I adore, so now and then I would probably add this to my cart before checking out.
Silver Needle White Tea (Bai Hao Yinzhen) from Enjoying Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Enjoying Tea
Tea Description:
This white tea with a white downy appearance comes from the province of Zhejiang. The Silver Needle, highest quality white tea, is picked during the spring before the buds open to preserve its tenderness. Exquisite and delicate, Silver Needle has a fresh, sweet fragrance and produces a pale yellow brew. Brewing with a Yixing teapot can best show the aroma of Silver Needle. This tea has high concentrations of polyphenols (antioxidants that help fight against cancer-causing radicals and heart disease)
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is a LOVELY Silver Needle White Tea – also known as Bai Hao Yinzhen – from Enjoying Tea. It is so deliciously sweet and beautifully delicate.
The aroma is sweet and reminiscent of hay. I’ve compared the fragrance of other Silver Needle teas that I’ve tried to the scent of the air that would surround a field of hay after a cutting, and that is true of this Bai Hao Yinzhen as well. It smells fresh.
The flavor is also fresh tasting. Sweet, mellow vegetative tones. It is certainly delicate, and I have heard that some people tend to avoid white teas because of their delicate quality. I would say don’t let this detract you! It took me a while to allow my palate to adapt to the lighter characteristics of a white tea … but once my palate became accustomed to the softer flavor, it was so rewarding! I love white tea!
This Silver Needle from Enjoying Tea is an absolute delight!