Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White Tea & Rooibos
Where to Buy: Whispering Pines Tea Company
Tea Description:
This buttery smooth light citrus white tea has the perfect blend of organic white tea, organic lemongrass, and a hint of organic red rooibos. Smooth and delicious!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
When I opened this pouch of White Lemon Tea from Whispering Pines Tea Company, I noticed the rooibos, and I worried that I’d be tasting more rooibos than white tea, and I also wondered if the lemongrass would have a difficult time competing with these flavors.
And while the rooibos does overpower the white tea a bit, the rooibos does not completely overwhelm the white tea. The white tea does manage to shine through, although, I find myself wishing that I was tasting less rooibos and more white tea here.
But, on the plus side, I find that the lemongrass comes through very nicely, and provides a very pleasing, smooth, buttery taste that melds quite nicely with the woody/nutty taste of the rooibos as well as the delicate flavor of the white tea.
The lemon taste is a sweeter lemon flavor, as if the usually tart lemon has been sweetened with a touch of honey … but without additives! That I like a lot! I also like that this is an organic blend, and that there are no artificial flavorings to mess with the taste buds. I taste pure rooibos, lemongrass and white tea … and nothing else.
A really nice, relaxing blend.
Lemon Ginger Cooler from The Whistling Kettle
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh & White Tea
Where to Buy: The Whistling Kettle
Tea Description:
Crisp, refreshing tea that is great hot, and perfect iced! A Dr. Oz inspired pu-erh / white tea recipe. One of the best teas for weight loss.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I have a confession to make. Well, it’s not really a confession, exactly, but more like a re-affirmation of something that you probably already know. Pu-erh scares me (nothing new there, right?) but even when I find a Pu-erh that I enjoy, I seldom drink that Pu-erh more than once. Oh … I reinfuse it, certainly, and I spend a good couple of hours with the Pu-erh, consuming many wonderful infusions from it. But, once those leaves are spent and discarded, I seldom revisit the same Pu-erh. Instead, I usually pass what I have left on to other people, so that they can try it.
Or, at least, that’s what I tell myself. I guess if I were to examine my true feelings more closely, even though I know that I have enjoyed a particular Pu-erh tea, I still find myself apprehensive about it, and it’s not really something that I tend to want to try again … unlike something like say, a yellow tea or an Ali Shan Oolong or even a favorite Earl Grey. These are teas that I can keep on my shelf and enjoy more than once without apprehension. But Pu-erh, even though I may enjoy it immensely, I don’t think I’ve found more than a couple of them that I have taken out more than once and tried again.
Perhaps I’m stubborn (don’t tell my husband I admitted that!) and even though I enjoy it, I don’t want to enjoy it. I don’t know.
Why am I telling you this? Well, because this particular Pu-erh blend … this is my second time I’ve brewed this blend! It’s kind of a first for me! Maybe not an actual “first” … but it’s the first time in a long time that I enjoyed something enough to think “you know what? I want that again … I want some of that now!” That doesn’t usually happen with Pu-erh.
That is to say, I like this quite a bit. It has such a unique balance. With other Pu-erh blends (that is, Pu-erh blended with other teas … like in this case, white tea leaves), I taste primarily the Pu-erh or a weird (but tasty) fusion of Pu-erh/other tea. Here, the sip starts out with a distinct white tea flavor that tastes fresh and airy, with notes of a hay-ish vegetation. Just before mid-sip, the flavor starts to taste more earthy, with a definite Pu-erh taste.
I like what the white tea brings to this cup. Not just the aforementioned fresh, hay-like, airy taste, but also a fantastic lightness. The Pu-erh doesn’t overwhelm the palate with earthiness, the ginger doesn’t overwhelm the palate with it’s peppery notes, and the lemon does not overwhelm the palate with a strong citrus-y flavor. Oh, sure, I taste each of these notes, but, they aren’t inundating.
The lemon is a tad stronger than the ginger … or perhaps I should say that it starts out that way. The ginger flavor builds as I continue to sip, but it never does reach a very spicy level as ginger is sometimes known to do. Instead, it warms the cup, and adds a nice contrast to the bright, sunny flavor of the lemon, which is tart but not overly so.
Wow! Chalk this one up to another WIN from The Whistling Kettle. I’m really enjoying this. It surprises me just how much I like it!
White Tip Oolong Tea from Far Leaves Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Far Leaves Tea
Tea Description:
“champagneEoolong; these silver tipped leaves embody the clarity of green, the compassion of oolong, and the vigor of black teas.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is a really amazing Oolong! It is so different from the other Oolong teas I’ve been drinking lately … different, but yet, similar enough to provide that comfort than only Oolong can offer.
The clearest note that I notice right away is the sweet yet sour note that I taste. It reminds me of a fresh plum that is just a teeny bit under-ripe. It is still sweet and juicy, but, there is just a twinge of tartness to it, that little bit of sourness that speaks of its under-ripened state. The sweetness I taste is not only fruit-like, but there is a certain exotic sweetness as well that is reminiscent of orchid. Sweet and slightly floral, but this is not what I’d consider a “floral” Oolong.
There are some woodsy notes in there as well, and just a hint of earthiness. There is also a delicate tone to this that reminds me a bit of the delicateness of a white tea. Vaguely vegetative is this delicate note, like the air that you might taste a day or two after the hay has been harvested in a hayfield.
Overall, I find this to be such a crisp and refreshing Oolong tea. It doesn’t have a heavy texture to it, it isn’t buttery or creamy … and while I do enjoy those qualities about Oolong, it is nice every now and again to come across an Oolong that challenges what you think you know about the tea. This tea does just that.
On the Ninth Day of Christmas, Della Terra Teas Sent to Me …
That big day is getting closer! Are you ready for it?
For the first time in quite a few years, I can say that I am ready for it. Usually, we are down to the wire and doing our shopping at the last minute. But this year, we managed to get some of the major shopping (ie: shopping for the kids!) done early, which has helped immensely! I don’t feel stressed or rushed like I usually do this time of year! Yay!
What a unique tea Della Terra Teas sent to me on this Ninth Day of Christmas!
Snow Fairy
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White & Green Teas
Where to Buy: Della Terra Teas
Tea Description:
On your eighth day you may not have ladies dancing, but you do have a Snow Fairy prancing around your tastebuds.
This magical tea will brighten your day, any time of day with it’s fruity flavors of pineapple & apple with creamy vanilla and white tea. Oh, you are in for a treat today!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
A quick glance at the ingredients of this tea, and I found myself wondering why Della Terra Teas chose this as a “holiday” tea … I don’t usually think of pineapple as a holiday flavor. But, the flavor of this tea is so nice, that I don’t really care if it’s especially holidays-y!
The base of this tea is a blend of fluffy Bai Mu Dan white tea leaves and Chinese green tea. By brewing this at a low temperature (170°F) for four minutes, I was able to get a nice balance of both the green and the white tea flavors. I like that I can taste both here, a slightly buttery, vegetative taste from the green tea, and a light, sweet taste from the white tea, and they don’t seem to be competing with one another for the spotlight. This two teas are working together very well in this blend.
The pineapple is sweet and soft … curbed slightly by the vanilla and the apple. I am not trying to say that the flavor of the pineapple is obscured, really, it is just not quite as clear a flavor as it might be without the vanilla and the apple. But I like how these two ingredients soften the flavor – it does give it a somewhat “snowy” kind of flavor … like pineapple ice cream. I also do taste a hint of spice here from the pink peppercorns. It isn’t a strong peppery note (pink peppercorns don’t deliver a strong peppery taste), but it is just enough contrast to the cup to keep the flavors from becoming dull.
Overall, the flavor is gentle and creamy … one of those types of teas you’d like to curl up to while reading a good book.
Chocolate Orange White Tea from sTEAp Shoppe
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: sTEAp Shoppe
Tea Description:
Chocolate Orange Loose Leaf White Tea is a Delightfully mild citrus spice with a creamy touch on the tongue. The mild loose leaf white tea is the perfect vessel for this spectacular combination of creamy, tangy with a delicate touch of spice.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I was a little skeptical about this blend, to be honest, because it’s a white tea … and I generally prefer chocolate-y teas to have a black tea base. I was also skeptical because I felt that with the chocolate and orange notes to be strong enough that the white tea would end up being overwhelmed.
Well, the white tea is not overwhelmed. It has a light, fresh taste to it … somewhat vegetative, with a creamy note that is accented by the vanilla. I find that this creaminess highlights the chocolate and adds some much needed emphasis to the orange flavor.
The chocolate comes through nicely, as does the vanilla. I wish the same could be said for the orange. I taste the orange, certainly, but it isn’t as bright or vivid a taste as I think it should be for a tea called Chocolate Orange.
My favorite part of this tea is the touch of cinnamon, which adds a very pleasing, autumnal taste and a sense of warmth to the cup. I like that the cinnamon is a gentle, sweet cinnamon, just enough to spice up the tea without adding an overpowering amount of flavor (something that cinnamon often does in a blend – I’m glad that’s not happening here).
Overall, this is a very enjoyable blend. A little weak on the orange, but, the other flavors are very pleasing – I like that the chocolate comes through, and I love the little touches: a touch of vanilla, a touch of cinnamon. It makes for a very delicious cuppa.