Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black & Green Teas
Where to Buy: Amazon Trading
Ingredients:
Green Tea, Black Tea, Spearmint, Pineapple, Mint Flavor, Red Rose Petals, Jasmine Flowers, Chrysanthemum Flowers, Hibiscus, Calendula Flower.
Learn more about Amazon Trading here.
Taster’s Review:
This After 8 Tea Tisane from Eden Grove is one of the more unusual teas I’ve come across in my ongoing tea journey! It has a lot going on … but I’m happy to say that the flavors work together in a pleasing way.
I brewed this at a lower temperature to accommodate for the green tea (180°), and steeped it slightly longer (3 1/2 minutes) to ensure that I could get a lot of flavor from the black tea and the herbals in this blend.
The result is a very unusual yet flavorful blend of flower and mint, with an earthy, sweet background. I taste both the black and green teas here. The black tea is not as full-bodied as I would probably have achieved if I brewed the tea at a higher temperature, although if I had, I don’t know that I would be tasting the sweet, buttery notes of the green tea that I am able to taste now. I think that the delicate notes of the green tea would have been lost if the black tea were a stronger, more developed flavor.
The mint is not overpowering, but it is a dominate flavor profile in this cup. It tastes crisp and cool without tasting like someone added a splash of mouthwash to my cup of tea. I taste light pineapple notes, and I’m happy that the hibiscus here is more of a “tart” flavor rather than a profound note.
That little bit of tart flavor from the hibiscus highlights the pineapple and accents some of the sharper notes of the floral flavors of rose and jasmine. I taste more rose than I do jasmine. The jasmine is a soft, exotic note and is not quite a fully realized jasmine flavor, while the rose is a sweet, slightly sharp, distinct rose taste, albeit delicate.
Overall, I found this blend intriguing. It is quite different from anything that I’ve tasted before, and I like that. I like that this is a little out of the box … but not so “out there” that I found it too bizarre to enjoy.
White Chrysanthemum Tea from Teasenz
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Flower
Where to Buy: Teasenz
Tisane Description:
Soothing, calming and refreshing. You may have sampled chrysanthemum tea in Chinese restaurants. Now, Teasenz brings you the highest grade of chrysanthemum tea available in China. Our white chrysanthemum tea is a truly lovely flower tea that just can’t be resisted.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
The picture above shows you exactly what I saw when I opened the package of this White Chrysanthemum Tea from Teasenz. Lots of big, dry white chrysanthemum blossoms! They’re whole blossoms, not dust or particles, and they range in size from about the size of a dime to the size of a quarter in diameter.
The aroma isn’t as pleasant to my nose as say, a jasmine or a rose tea. Then again, I’d much rather smell a bouquet of fresh roses or jasmine flowers to a bouquet of chrysanthemums. I just happen to prefer the fragrance of roses and/or jasmine blossoms.
But the tea produced from steeping these chrysanthemums is absolutely lovely! It’s a pale yellow-ish color liquid, and the flavor is quite pleasant. It has a sweet taste, almost honey-esque in flavor. It’s quite soothing to sip. The flavor is (obviously!) floral, but it’s kind of an herbaceous flowery taste. If I were to compare it to more “popular’ flower teas, I would say that this tastes more like a chamomile tea than a rose tea.
That said, I’d much prefer to sip a chrysanthemum tea over a chamomile, as I do find the flavor of the chrysanthemum more to my liking. The herbaceous tones remind me vaguely of straw. Like dried straw. And there is a slight earthiness that goes along with the straw-like flavor.
Overall, I found this to be a very refreshing, tasty cup of tea. A really pleasant change of pace!
Pan Asia Green Tea Blend from Harney & Sons
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Harney & Sons
Tea Description:
A delightful blend of Chinese Bancha and big Chrysanthemum flowers that create a light, clean tasting delight.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Did you have a nice Thanksgiving? We haven’t yet celebrated our Thanksgiving because my husband works every Thursday, and it’s next to impossible for him to get the day off, especially if Thursday happens to fall on a holiday. So, we always postpone our Thanksgiving for a day when the whole family can come together, and this year, it happens to be this coming Tuesday.
But as I sit here, contemplating my Thanksgiving feast menu, I am sipping on this Pan Asia Green Tea Blend from Harney & Sons. It’s sweet and light, with a refreshing floral note. The background is slightly grassy. It’s a delightful tea to drink as I’m trying not to get stressed out over holiday plans. It’s keeping my nerves in check!
Overall, the flavor reminds me of springtime, and that’s certainly a welcome memory as it is quite cold outside right now. Brrrrr! I am finding this tea – served warm – to be very soothing and calming and helping me to forget that chill outside, and the stress that I’m feeling on my insides!
Of course, this tea would be splendid served iced too. The texture is soft and the flavor sweet, and the chrysanthemum adds just a hint of sharpness to the buttery smooth notes of the Chinese Bancha.
It’s not too floral and not too grassy. There’s a really enjoyable balance of tastes. A nice, relaxing cuppa.
Acai Tangerine from The Whistling Kettle
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White and Pu-erh
Where to Buy: The Whistling Kettle
Tea Description:
Inspired by Dr. Oz and Canadian natural health guru Bryce Wylde, our pu-erh/white tea blend is designed to shrink fat, burn deposits, and prevent new fat from depositing. Tastes excellent hot or iced. The rich smoothness of pu-erh is contrasted with delicate notes of white tea, and accentuated with acai, tangerine, and chrysanthemum.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
My initial reaction to Acai Tangerine from The Whistling Kettle was me blurting out loud “Fruit Striped Gum!!” I don’t know if Fruit Striped Gum is available to everyone everywhere but its one of my childhood favorites! This tea from The Whistling Kettle is a spot on reminder for me. What fun when tea can bring back a good memory.
This tea has a slightly tangy note, I presume from the acai, along with a light sweetness of tangerine, that is not cloying, but helps cut the twang of the acai. Gentle chrysanthemum adds a delicate but lovely floral aspect without being perfumery.
To me however the predominating flavor with all elements combined come together in a bright and cheerful, yet full mouthfeel cup of fruity goodness! A little tropical, and a little reminiscent of fruity pebbles cereal or fruit loops perhaps.
I can not say that the white tea flavor comes out much and now and then the earthiness of the pu-erh does slip through but for the most part this is a cup of tea for a fruity flavor lover.
It provides a nice experience and I think this would be lovely to have iced in the summer.
Another thing I really like about The Whistling Kettle is how they have “flash sales” and Tea of the Week sales here.
Acai Tangerine from The Whistling Kettle
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White & Pu-erh
Where to Buy: The Whistling Kettle
Tea Description:
Inspired by Dr. Oz and Canadian natural health guru Bryce Wylde, our pu-erh/white tea blend is designed to shrink fat, burn deposits, and prevent new fat from depositing. Tastes excellent hot or iced. The rich smoothness of pu-erh is contrasted with delicate notes of white tea, and accentuated with flavors of acai, tangerine, and chrysanthemum.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
According to the description on The Whistling Kettle’s website, this tea was inspired by Dr. Oz and health guru Bryce Wylde. To tell the truth, I don’t know who Bryce Wylde is, and I don’t really put a lot of stock in what Dr. Oz says. I don’t drink tea because it’s healthy or because it is supposed to enhance weight loss. I drink tea because I like the way it tastes. If it is also good for me, that’s a bonus, but not one I allow to influence me one way or the other.
And this tastes good! I’m not usually a big fan of the tart Acai berry, but, when combined with the sweetness of the tangerine, the tartness mellows somewhat, making this a very enjoyable drink, indeed.
There is so much flavor in this cup. From the deep, mellow, earthy tones of the Pu-erh, to the crisp sweetness of the white tea… combined with the sweet-tart notes of fruit and the hint of floral taste from the chrysanthemum, this cup has a taste that is very palate pleasing. These different flavors all come together in a way that is very well-balanced. Nothing competing with anything else, nothing overpowering the cup. Just smooth, mellow, delicious flavor.
The Pu-erh is what I notice first, but what stands out about this Pu-erh from some others that I’ve tried is that it doesn’t taste overwhelmingly earthy. It does have an earthiness to it, it is somewhat peaty with a woody note. It is very mellow, and the softness of the white tea curbs the flavor so that the earthy tones of the Pu-erh do not come across as too strong. The white tea is not as prominent a flavor, but then again, it shouldn’t be. White tea has a delicate taste. But I can taste it: light, fresh, almost hay-like. The flavor is slight but where the white tea is primarily noticeable is as a softening agent to the Pu-erh.
The tangerine and acai seem pretty evenly matched. In one sip, I seem to notice more tangerine, and in the next, I’ll taste a little more berry. It’s quite lovely the way these two flavors play with one another, very enjoyable, especially for this taster who often finds the tartness of acai to be a bit much. When paired with the sweet taste of tangerine, it becomes much more palatable.
I’ve tried a couple of blends from this company – The Whistling Kettle – and I’ve enjoyed what I’ve tried. And I’m liking this blend a lot! It’s also really good iced!