Sometimes when you do tea swaps with other tea lovers, you find yourself surprised by added teas you did not expect nor ask for. And by sometimes, I mean basically every time. Gotta love the generosity of tea friends!
Well, this particular tea is one of those surprises and I was super excited to try it out. If I am being honest, it was the fact that these were black dragon pearls that appealed to me the most. I just love being able to pop a couple of balls of tea into the mug and watch them blossom. It is calming as the tea opens up and releases all its flavor into the brew. I will say though that I probably should have put these in a filter as opposed to directly in the mug because as fun as it was to watch, the pearl completely disintegrated and I had to strain out the leaves before drinking.
As I sip the tea now, the first thing I notice is the taste of the yunnan base. Smooth and malty which transitions nicely into a light note of vanilla. The almond is also present and adds depth to the tea. Unfortunately, I am not sure how much maple is coming through. As a Canadian, maple is a flavor that I get easily excited about but I have noticed it is a flavor that often isn’t done how I would want it to be. This is no exception because I find myself searching for it but to no avail.
This was a little bit of a miss for me given the lack of maple. That is not to say it was bad since I enjoyed the tea and had no trouble finishing the mug of it. However, I was disappointed that this didn’t exactly deliver on what the name promised.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
Rich and malty handrolled tea from Yunnan, China with natural maple, vanilla and almond flavor.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Rose Dragon Ball Black Tea from Teavivre. . . . .
When I lived in Montreal there was a tea from a local tea store, Camellia Sinensis, that I loved. I usually am not one for florals but that blend, Des Roses et Des Bonbons was absolutely amazing. Unfortunately, that tea was discontinued.
This tea is reminiscent of that great rose flavor, even if it does lack the “bonbons” candy element. Nonetheless, it’s sweet and floral making for a delicate treat. The black tea base contributes a silky smoothness with a great deal of malt and a dash of smoke. The base and rose flavor combine quite harmoniously to make a lovely everyday sort of tea where there is enough flavor to keep things interesting but not too much that you will bore of it quickly. With that in mind, it’s probably a good transition tea for those trying to make the jump from flavored to straight teas (or vice versa).
Plus, this is also a fun tea to watch brew. The large pearl comes filled with rose flowers. As the black tea blooms, the roses inside float to the top making for a one beautiful looking brew. Could be the tea to go with when you want to impress a friend or perhaps if you just want something relaxing to watch for a few minutes.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Description
The materials of Rose Dragon Ball Black tea are from Yunnan arbor old tea trees combining with Phnom Penh Rose, expertly rolled into a large pearl-like shape. Phnom Penh Rose is a specialty among the categories of Yunnan’s edible foods. Compared with other roses, the Phnom Penh Rose has a smaller appearance with light taste, but it presents a more delicate sweet taste and fragrance. Because of this reason, it’s capable of covering the strong taste and sometimes even some extent of bitterness from the old tea trees.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Nepal Pearl Oolong Tea from Wha-Cha
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Wha-Cha
Tea Description:
An incredibly rare and unusual oolong with a great taste of apricots and nectarine combined with a brilliant aroma. .
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Alright. . .for anybody that has this tea in your stash and don’t want it. . .let me know! This tea is amazing! Amazing pearls of tea loving goodness! If you can’t tell, I’m quite smitten with this tea.
This gorgeous tea is a lovely pearl of oolong tea that gives you a satisfying sense of what good tea is supposed to be like. Each pearl is gorgeous and I loved watching the tea leaves uncurl in front of my eyes in my tea steeper. I used two balls because I want this tea to last as long as possible. I steeped and prepped this up per the instructions on the package.
Once the tea was all prepped and ready to try out, I took my first sip. A gorgeous sip of smooth, sweet, and slightly astringent delicious notes. This is one of those teas that needs the contrast of the sweet and astringent notes but the notes are incredibly soft and subtle. Almost like that sweet yet spicy or sweet but somehow sour notes in other foods. The two complimented each other so well. Seriously, this tea is gorgeous from the very beginning.
The sweet notes are what made me just sigh with happiness. They resemble those of a stone fruit like an apricot. This is one of those teas that tastes exactly how it is described on a website. (And this is one of those teas you hoard for those days when you need some extra tea loving to get you thru the day. ) Those sweet notes of apricot just elevate the tea to a different level.
At one point, I had a meeting at work and came back expecting a cold bitter brew awaiting me and that wasn’t the case at all. I was greeted with a lovely cold oolong that just kept my afternoon going.
I’m now on infusion four and still the tea is giving. I just love it. From the moment I opened the package and saw the pearls to the moment when I first tried the tea, I was in love with this oolong. One of the best teas I think I’ve tried so far this year. That’s how good it is!
Highly recommend this one!
Yunnan Dragon Pearl from What-cha
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: What-Cha
Tea Description:
A unique black tea rolled into huge marble sized balls. With a sweet aroma and taste, and an incredibly thick texture.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
When I saw this tea was in my last package I squealed. What-Cha teas are all the rage on Steepster. I have been wanting to try their teas for a while because of how people ooohh and awe over them. And now it is my turn.
While I was formatting this review, I was sad to find out this tea is no longer available from What-Cha. It seems I am late to this party. But alas, I was able in the end to try this phenomenal tea.
This tea gave me everything I was looking for in a black tea. Ease of preparation. Versatility. Sweet Flavor. Caramel notes. Touches of honey. Slight roasted tone. Everything.
The first sip you are greeted with a nice malty like hint. Then you get that luscious caramel and honey sweetness finished with a hint of a lovely roasted profile. Each sip I find myself closing my eyes and heaving a sigh afterwards, indulging fully in the flavor. This tea is impressive. Really really impressive. I don’t think I can use enough adjectives to really describe this tea and the marvelous flavors it delivers. It makes me sad that the little pearls I have left, which I think are about 3 at this point, is it for this beauty. I wonder if there is any company that sells a comparable tea?
There will be tears when this tea is gone. Big ol alligator tears and lots and lots of wailing.
Tangerine Jasmine Pearls Green Tea from Liquid Proust Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Liquid Proust Teas
Tea Description:
Ingredients: Jasmine pearls, tangerine (very small amounts), flavoring
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Again, thanks to Andrew at Liquid Proust Teas for the sample.
I’m a big fan of tangerines (currently there are about seven in my fridge), so I’m definitely excited to try this blend especially given how much juicy tangerine I’m smelling just from the dry leaf. I decided to cold brew my sample because for jasmine teas with a green base I prefer drinking them cold over hot.
I definitely think this comes off as a pretty traditional green jasmine pearl tea; a good balance of both floral and vegetal flavours. It’s definitely one of the better green jasmine blends I’ve had as well given how natural and unobtrusive the floral notes are. However the tangerine, which is the twist here, is pretty light handed. The sweet citrusy tangerine note really only pops up at the end of the sip when the jasmine is dying out, leaving for a tasty finish but slight feeling that this tea is uncompleted. I know that Andrew was aiming to be subtle with the tangerine but it is more gentle than I’d anticipated it being.
However, overall I really appreciate the unconventional take on a traditional tea. I also have to point out that as someone who isn’t a fan of green/jasmine pairings I’m obviously not the target audience and I was probably looking for that additional tangerine flavor more than someone who likes green jasmine teas on their own would have.
