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.
Lumberjack Black Tea from Tippy’s Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tippy’s Tea
Tea Description:
An original creation made by Tippy’s, we think you’ll love it. This is the truly manly man’s tea. It is rich and flavourful and wouldn’t be complete without some extra smokiness. Simply must be experienced!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I wasn’t a big fan of Tippy’s Midday Flight (the only other tea from Tippy’s I’ve tried) but I really want to love this company because they’re Canadian (supporting tea companies from my country is awesome; especially with the poor state of our dollar), affordable, and appear to have really great customer service! This particular blend from them has been on my wishlist for a long time now, and thanks to a fellow SororiTea Sister, TheLastDodo, I’m finally getting the chance to try it! I do find it slightly ironic that one of our sisters in America is providing me with a sample from a Canadian company, though.
The dry leaf of this one is very smokey with wood notes too; it almost comes off as “thick” in just the scent alone. I’m incredibly excited to try this one – it’s been a long time coming.
Recently I’ve discovered a love for Lapsang even though it used to be one of my least favourite teas. And this definitely isn’t making me feel crazy for the sudden change in interest! Now that it’s steeped up, I’m picking up the smoke first and foremost as expected, but it’s not too in your face either. The many black teas in this blend (Keemun, Assam, Darjeeling, and the Lapsang) are offering up some very nice, sweeter supporting notes to keep it from feeling monotone and too ashy and intense; and the smoke notes in Keemun which I tend to dislike a lot are totally eclipsed by the smoke notes of the Lapsang.
Breaking down the sweeter notes; I’m getting stonefruit as well as much lighter cocoa notes. There’s also some mild malt notes, likely from the assam, and some wood notes which could be from a few of the different teas blended here. It’s very, very good! And, it’s surprisingly quite smooth as well. I went with a four minute steep Western style, and I don’t pick up on any bitterness or astringency, and it’s not particularly tannic either.
I think this is another “Lapsang” blend that is good for people trying to get into Lapsang for the first time too because it’s not as concentrated as a normal Lapsang is. Really, really happy I’m enjoying this because it just means it’s going to be that much more easy to eventually place an order with Tippy’s!