Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White (Blooming Tea)
Where to Buy: Alice’s Fine Teas
Tea Description:
Sweeping jasmine arch over a bright lily. This tea is mellow, even buttery, with a hint of sweetness from the jasmine. Absolutely delightful! Ingredients: Lily (said to enhance energy and to have a cooling effect), Jasmine (sweet fragrance, said to moisten the skin, ease anxiety and anti-inflammatory) and Silver Needle Tea
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
What a beautiful display! The pale green leaves of the tea open up to reveal a red-orange flower and an arch of white blossoms. Really pretty. This is a tea you’ll want to be sure to steep in a tall glass or teapot so that you can fully experience the bloom as it unfurls.
The color of the tea surprised me, it is a bit darker than other blooming teas that I’ve tried. It is still a light color – I’d say it’s light amber – but darker than the pale yellow liquor that I’ve experienced with other blossoming teas.
The flavor is delightful. It is sweet, smooth and floral, but, not in a soapy kind of way. The flavor of the white tea is prominent. It has a fresh, airy kind of flavor with notes of hay and sweet grass.
There is a creamy element to this tea as well – buttery – and a mouthfeel that complements the creaminess. The floral notes are definitely jasmine, with a lighter lily tone than I recall tasting with the Jasmine Fairy Blossoming Tea (also from Alice’s Fine Teas).
What a delightful tea experience – one that would be fun to share with friends.
Halo Blooming Tea from The Persimmon Tree
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: The Persimmon Tree
Tea Description:
A beautifully hand-crafted blooming white tea that displays a ring of jasmine and amaranth flowers, with blueberry and peach essence.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
There are those who avoid blooming teas because they think they’re gimmick-y and that the tea they produce does not taste up to par. I used to be one of them! But, since that time, I have found quite a few blooming teas that are quite delicious. This blooming tea – Halo from Persimmon Tree Tea – is one of my newest favorites!
This tea is slow to unfurl; it did not completely open after the first infusion of five minutes. I infused the partially open bulb again, and after the second infusion of six minutes, I enjoyed a beautiful display. There was a white floral arch that extended to support a pretty bright pink flower.
In the first infusion, I found the floral tones to be sweet and soft, and they meld quite nicely with blueberry and peach flavors. The flavor of the white tea lends a delicate creamy note to the cup. With the second infusion, the floral notes were a bit stronger, but it was still a very delicious cup.
This is a really lovely blooming tea. I think it would be a perfect tea to serve at a tea party, it would surely make a great conversation starter!
Apples and Snowflakes from Kärma Blends
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Kärma Blends
Tea Description:
Add romance to your day with our Apples and Snowflakes. Inspired by the season of fall, just the aroma of this tea is enough to put you in another world. Flakes of white mint candy add a sweet touch. We promise you will replace your apple cider with this one!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Wow! This tea is WONDERFUL!
The white tea base has a delicate flavor: soft and sweet. Not quite what I’d call “grassy” but more like a warm hay kind of flavor that complements the flavor of clove very well.
But what really knocks my socks off about this blend is the flavor combination of clove and mint. Mint tends to be a rather selfish herb and often overpowers the other flavors in a blend, but, the clove keeps it in check, creating a contrasts in flavors that is both cool and crisp from the mint and warm and spiced from the clove.
The apple starts out quite subtle, but as I continue to sip, I notice the apple more and more. By the end of the cup the flavors are a little like apple cider with a hint of mint. The overall flavor is something that is very familiar, but, at the same time, unlike anything I’ve ever tasted before. Very warm and cozy and absolutely memorable.
I like this one very much!
White Montage from Téanzo 1856
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Téanzo 1856
Tea Description:
The delicate white tea in White Montage infuses gently with a splendid mélange of fruits and flowers. This gorgeous, highly aromatic white tea makes an impressive gift. Contains nuts.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This has to be one of the busiest teas I’ve tasted in a very long time. But, even though there is a lot going on, it somehow all works out and ends up tasting really great! With so much going on, it is difficult to pick out the different flavors, but, I’ll do my best so that I can describe what I taste for you.
The floral note is the easiest for me to discern. I taste rose. There are some other floral notes in there that are not rose, but, they kind of all assimilate into a flowery-rose taste, where the rose is the main component and the other flowers just seem to highlight the rose.
I also taste the nutty flavor in there … it tastes like almond to me. I think that the almond complements the flavor of the white tea here, which, despite being the base of a very busy tea, can still be tasted amongst the many other flavors. The nutty flavor is not particularly a strong note, instead, it sort of weaves its way in and out of the sip just often enough to remind you that it’s there, but not so often as to be a well-defined flavor.
The fruit notes were a little more difficult for me to discern. It definitely tastes tropical. At first I thought it might be mango, but, now, I am thinking it is probably papaya that I taste. There is also a whisper of apple flavor in the distance. The fruit tastes sweet and I love the way it melds with the floral notes.
I also taste a distinct spice tone, it was really quite soft at the beginning, but now that I am nearly finished with the cup the spice tone is much more apparent, especially toward the finish. This spice note lingers in the aftertaste.
Overall, I found this tea to be extraordinarily enjoyable, despite being so difficult to nail down. It is one of those teas that I suspect will taste different every time you brew it … offering an exciting adventure with every cup!
Jasmine Fairy Blooming Tea from Alice’s Fine Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White (Blooming Tea)
Where to Buy: Alice’s Fine Teas
Tea Description:
Our Jasmine Fairy starts out as a ‘mushroom’ shape ball. White jasmine and beautiful lily hide inside the silver needle tea. Pouring boiled water causes the red lily petals to rise up trying to follow the white jasmine dancing light-footed like a fairy flying in the sky. This fragrant tea tastes smooth and sweet. Ingredients: Jasmine (sweet fragrance, said to moisten the skin, ease anxiety and anti-inflammatory), Lily (said to enhance energy and to have a cooling effect), Silver Needle Tea
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
It’s been a while since I’ve had a blooming tea, so I decided that now was the time. I have really enjoyed the blooming teas that Alice’s Fine Teas offers, so I was pretty confident I’d enjoy this one too.
After steeping for six minutes in 175°F water, the bloom was open, but, I fear that my glass cup was not quite tall enough to see the full effect of the white floral extension (as shown in the photo above). To the right, you’ll see what the bloom appeared like with a slightly shorter glass. Still beautiful, even though the extension was not fully visible.
But even more important (at least to me) is the flavor of the tea, and I am not at all disappointed with the flavor of this blooming tea. It is light, sweet, and even a little creamy! The floral notes are present but in keeping with the overall lightness of the tea, and they do not overwhelm the flavor of the silver needle tea.
The floral is not entirely jasmine here, as I can taste the lily flavor too. I like that even though it is a combination of flowery flavors, it doesn’t taste like perfume or soap. It tastes more like … spring. Like the freshness of spring: crisp air, full of life as the flowers begin to bloom after winter’s frosty chill.
A very fun and delicious tea!