Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: ArtfulTea or ArtfulTea on Etsy
Tea Description:
A festive blend of almond and orange with a strong pine-like flavor. Chinese sencha and Japanese bancha combine beautifully with refreshing orange and nutty almonds for a lift in any season!
Ingredients: green tea, orange slices, almonds, pink peppercorns, safflower and natural flavors.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Yeah, I know that it’s the middle of summer right now and we shouldn’t be thinking about winter right now, but, when I read the description of this tea, I just couldn’t resist ordering it as part of my ArtfulTea Sampler. The idea of almond and orange in a green tea was definitely enough to spark my interest, but then when I read “pine” in the description, I was sold! I needed to try it!
And this is totally yum! I’m so glad I decided to give this one a try.
The green tea base is a combination of Japanese Bancha and Chinese Sencha, and these two teas impart a sweet, slightly grassy, slightly buttery taste to the cup. The mouthfeel is thick and soft, evoking thoughts of a rich broth, but it tastes more sweet than a savory broth would. There is no bitterness to the cup and very little astringency. The astringency is something that I pick up on when I focus on the sip. Just after the sip is finished, I start to notice a slight dryness. It’s very slight – so slight that those who are sensitive to astringency would most likely not even notice it unless they’re actually trying to find it.
The buttery notes of the tea seem to marry well with the almond notes. I suspect that the green tea has some nutty tones to it that accentuate the almond flavors, elevating them into a strong focal point of the sip.
The orange is a little less dominate than the almond. The orange is nice though, because it brightens the cup, adding just the right zesty flavor where it’s needed.
And I do taste a subtle pine note to this too. I’m not sure where it comes from, unless it’s part of the “natural flavors.” It’s not an overwhelming note, but it is there. I like it, it adds a certain crispness to the cup, like the sensation of the cool, invigorating air in winter just after the snow has fallen.
If I had to describe this in a couple of words, I would say that this tastes like a winter dessert. Like an almond cake or pastry with a drizzle of orange icing, eaten on a winter evening just after the holiday tree (a fresh, real tree!) has been decorated. It’s quite nice!
Winter White Chai from Simple Loose Leaf
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.
Eight Treasures Valentine Blend from Verdant Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Yabao & Green Tea & Tulsi
Where to Buy: Verdant Tea
Tea Description:
Unique and unexpected. This version of their amazing Eight Treasures Winter blend has been altered to emphasize the surprising similarity with a Valentine’s tradition – candy hearts. If you break the flavours down, this blend is complex – sweet and almost candy-like,with lively citrus, warming vanilla and natural wood and pine.
Learn more about this blend here.
Learn more about subscribing to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
I know I probably say this every month, but I’m always so excited when my Amoda Tea box arrives! I was especially excited for this month’s tea box because I had read on Steepster that this would be a “special” blend box, similar to what we received in December. This month, Amoda Tea teamed up with another one of my favorite tea vendors: Verdant Tea!
And this special Eight Treasures Valentine Blend from Verdant Tea is the first tea that I’m tasting from this month’s Amoda Tea Box. Having previously tried their Eight Treasures Yabao Blend, I felt pretty confident that I’d enjoy this Eight Treasures too.
The ingredients of this blend are similar to the previously tasted and reviewed Eight Treasures, with a few notable differences: this blend has juniper, tulsi and burdock, while the previously reviewed tea has goji berry, marigold and honeysuckle. The result is a drink that tastes slightly warmer … spicier. The previous tea had a more floral and fruity taste – I’d liken it to a “springtime” sort of flavor, while this tea that sits before me has more of a warm “wintertime” kind of flavor to it.
I taste notes of marshmallow from the yabao and these mingle nicely with the vanilla notes. The above description suggests a “valentine hearts candy” sort of taste, and I get that. It does have a sweet taste that is vaguely reminiscent of those little hearts that say “Be Mine” or “Kiss Me” on them.
I also taste the woodsy notes that the description suggests and these notes give it a very winter-y kind of taste: imagine a cozy fire crackling in the fireplace and sipping on tea with your valentine! This tea inspires thoughts like those.
I found that my second infusion was even more delicious than my first – the sweet notes seemed more intense and those “candy heart” notes were better defined in the second cup.
This is a really delightful blend from Verdant, and this box from Amoda Tea makes me a happy subscriber once again.
Winter Fire Guayusa Blend from Butiki Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Guayusa
Where to Buy: Butiki Teas
Tea Description:
Spice things up with our Winter Fire guayusa. We started out with a generous amount of cinnamon then ground up some whole chilies and added a touch of cayenne to our guayusa base. The result is a cinnamon flavor that packs some heat with a smooth molasses undertone. This guayusa works well without sugar; however, add a little sugar for a flavor that resembles red hot candy.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Wow! This Winter Fire Guayusa Blend from Butiki Teas has got some SERIOUS kick to it! I doubt anyone could accuse this tisane of wimping out – it brings the heat, and then turns it up … way up! If this winter weather has left you feeling cold, just brew yourself a cup of this tisane and it will warm you right up!
But, as the description suggests, there is a smooth molasses undertone to it too. Once your palate gets past that striking heat, there are some really delightful flavors to explore.
The fiery heat from the cayenne, chilies and cinnamon sort of mask the coffee-ish flavors of the guayusa at first, but as I continue to sip on this, I start to notice those coffee notes. There is a sweet, molasses-like flavor to the cup as well.
The prominent flavors are – quite obviously – the spices of this tisane. It’s a little jarring at first, just how spicy this is, but, once your mouth begins to get used to the heat, you’ll find you’re able to explore the other notes and you’ll find that there’s more to this than just the spice.
Those who can’t handle spicy-hot … this is not a tisane for you. This is for those who like it hot!
On The Tenth Day of Christmas, Della Terra Teas Sent Me This Tea …
Two days to go. Time to go shopping! Ha!
Winter Nog
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Della Terra Teas
Tisane Description:
Why were the Lords a leaping on the tenth day of Christmas? Well, obviously they all had a cup of Winter Nog!
Enjoy your festive day with a cup of this amazing egg nog rooibos. With all the spices you love about a perfect cup of Nog! Dont get too excited but … only 2 days ’til Christmas!
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
Well, I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed to find this in my bag marked Day 10 from Della Terra Teas. As I mentioned previously when I contacted Della Terra Teas before I ordered this box, I was told that there would be one repeat (which was the Eight Candles tea) but we also had this tisane last year on the eleventh day. I don’t think I would have been quite as disappointed if it had been a different tea, but, since rooibos blends aren’t my favorite to begin with, I feel just a little let down that this is a duplicate tea.
Not that this is a bad tisane, I liked it alright last year, and I’m sipping on it now and I’m enjoying it alright now. But, I think that I would have been more delighted to try a tea that I haven’t yet tried from Della Terra Teas.
But this is still a tasty tisane. I think I might be tasting a tad more cinnamon this time around than last year … and I’m definitely tasting rum again this year. Perhaps it wasn’t my imagination back then! It is creamy with an egg-y, vanilla-y, custard-y kind of taste as it’s prominent flavor, and just underneath that, I taste the cinnamon and spices, and then notes of rum.
A tasty treat for winter.