Wish Upon A Star Green Tea from Tea Leaf Co.

WISH_UPON_A_STARTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Green

Where to Buy:  Tea Leaf Co. 

Tea Description:

An eye-catching green tea blend with a sweet rose fragrance and light citrus notes.  Sit back, relax, and enjoy this blend while the world’s magical nature reveals itself to you.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

My first couple of sips of this tea – Wish Upon A Star Green Tea from Tea Leaf Co. – were a little less than memorable, to be honest.  I tasted green tea and little else.  I found myself wondering where is the rose and citrus?

Then I sat the cup aside and let it cool a few minutes.  Now as I sip it, I can taste those lovely notes of rose and orange – and they’re really quite lovely indeed!

The orange and rose are still quite delicate, but they’re discernible now and I like the way the flavors are arranged here.  The green tea is the strongest flavor:  it’s fresh and lightly vegetal with a pleasantly creamy texture.  It’s very smooth!  I’m not getting any astringency from this at all.  The vegetal tones are somewhere between sweet grass and mild steamed veggies.

The rose is the next flavor I pick up on – it’s a subtle rose flavor.  Not sharp nor does it lend a strong perfume-y flavor to the cup.  It’s softly sweet and pleasantly floral.  It’s a nice contrast to the hint of juicy flavor that I pick up on from the orange.  Another subtle flavor, the orange adds just a touch of brightness to the cup.  It’s a very uplifting note.

Overall, a very pleasant cup of tea.  I recommend letting it cool slightly so that the flavors have time to develop – about five minutes – just the right amount of time to let the tea come to a drinkable temperature while the flavors come forward.

Product Review: 24 oz. BPA Free Plastic Bottle from Fit Life Tea Company

FitLifeBottleProduct Information:

Where to Buy:  Fit Life Tea Co.

Tea Description:

For the health and safety of you and your loved ones, insist on using containers made only with materials approved by the U.S. FDA as safe for carrying foods and liquids.

Our premium BPA-free drinking bottle has a convenient flip-top handle and a built-in straw. Its slender design makes it easy to always keep plenty of water or Fit Life Tea on hand wherever you are. It measures 9” tall x 2.5“ in diameter, so you can stow it anywhere and hydrate often.

You owe it to your cells to do everything you can to keep unwanted plastic residues from migrating into your fresh food, water and tea. Keep your water and Fit Life Tea tasting pure and delicious with this smart and stylish BPA-free bottle.

Learn more about this product here.

Taster’s Review:

I’m not one to get all excited over a plastic bottle.  I try to avoid all that is plastic when it comes to tea.  My iced tea pitcher is glass and I went through quite a lengthy search to find the one that suited my needs to a T(ea) and when I broke the handle on that pitcher, I went out and got another one just like it.

So a plastic bottle for drinking iced tea?  Not really something I would have been in the market for or bought for myself.  But when Fit Life sent me one of their 24 oz. BPA Free Plastic Bottles, I decided I’d try it.  So, I brewed a couple of Fit Life teas and let them cool completely before pouring them into the bottle and chilling.

And something about that bottle enchanted me.

I don’t know why I love this bottle so much, but it rarely leaves my side now.  This is what I drink my iced tea out of (and not just the teas from Fit Life!) and I also drink my favorite drink – Matcha infused Maple Water – out of this bottle too.  Like I said, my newest favorite cold drink drinking vessel.

I won’t pour hot liquid into this – I still don’t trust the act of ‘heating’ plastic even if it is BPA free.  But I think I can use this for iced tea and water and be OK with that!  In fact, I think I’m very OK with that!  I really love this bottle!

Soul Good Organic Oolong from Tea Leaf Co.

SoulGoodOolongTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Oolong

Where to Buy:  Tea Leaf Co. 

Tea Description:

A perfect cup of all natural apple cider to warm you up this autumn and winter.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

The last couple of weeks have been crazy and the next week is going to be even more so – so it’s nice to have a tea like this Soul Good Organic Oolong from Tea Leaf Co. to help me collect myself and find a sense of calm.  Tea is delightful like that – I love how I can sip it and it helps to de-stress me.

And what a delightful tea this is!

Even though it’s not autumn or winter – I am enjoying this cup of “apple cider” tea.  It’s pleasantly sweet with a nice essence of apple and warm spices.  And even though these flavors are prominent, they don’t overwhelm the sweet Oolong tea which appears to be a Tie Guan Yin based on the little green pellets of tea that I saw when I was measuring out the tea.

And the flavor and texture suggests a Tie Guan Yin tea to me.  It’s sweet and has a soft, slightly creamy mouthfeel.  There’s a light, buttery flavor to the tea that melds quite beautifully with the notes of apple and the spices.

The ginger is really nice – it’s warm and peppery without being too spicy.  Generally when I think “apple cider,” I think of cinnamon flavor but I like that ginger is the star of this show – I’m really enjoying how nicely the apple and ginger taste together.

And the apple is wonderful here – it’s a strong flavor.  My own experience with tea blending has taught me that apple can be a difficult flavor to nail but Tea Leaf Co. has nailed it here!  It’s sweet and apple-y and authentic!  This tastes very true-to-the-fruit!

A really lovely tea – and while it does have a very autumnal flavor to it, this is something I can see myself enjoying year round!

North Winds from Whispering Pines Tea Co.

NorthWindsTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Whispering Pines Tea Co.

Tea Description:

My house black tea for good reason — North Winds is the essence of northern Michigan. A blend of a malty and chocolaty black tea from Fujian and a rustic high mountain dian hong with subtle fruity notes, this tea brings me home every time. Sweet fruity notes of apricot and white grape bring you to Traverse City while heavy dark chocolate notes allow you to have that Mackinaw Island fudge desert without having to take the ferry. Notes of toasted rye with cherry preserves show up mid-sip with a beautiful malt and wildflower honey finish. Light hints of sweet potato and clean white pepper mingle through the malt. These velvety smooth, decadent notes combine into a medium-bodied tea with a bold and rustic feel that makes for a perfect breakfast tea — but you’ll want to drink this all day long!

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

This is Whispering Pines’ house black tea, and it’s become one of my house teas as well. It sits in a little tin at the front of my tea cupboard, and I drink it several times a week. When I feel like I’m beginning to run low I place an order for a couple more ounces because I never want to run out of this one. Given that I love trying new teas there aren’t too many teas that I say that about! It’s a delicious blend of Yunnan Dian Hong and Fujian Black Tea that makes me happy each time I drink it.

When I first sip this tea I get a nice mix of dark chocolate and malt. The chocolate note is deep but has a sweetness that makes me think chocolate rather than cocoa. There is also a sweet, fruity, cherry note that is eye rollingly good combined with the chocolate and malt notes. The mix of flavors reminds me of the braided cherry chocolate tarts I sometimes buy at Redding Terminal in Philadelphia.  Both the tea and the tarts are sweet but not overly so. There is an underlying earthy flavor to North Winds which I appreciate since it grounds some of the brighter flavors and makes this a tea that’s good both in the morning and the afternoon. I’ve paired this tea with eggs and biscuits for breakfast. I’ve also served it with sour cream chocolate chip cake at a tea party, and my guest really enjoyed it. Overall it’s a nice, versatile, and down right tasty blend.

Whispering Pines recommends Gongfu Style brewing for this tea. I have always brewed this Western Style using 1/2 a tablespoon of leaves in 8 ounces of 205°F water, steeping the leaves for  3 minutes.  I am curious to try the Gongfu Style brewing to see if it’s possible for me to enjoy this tea more than I already do. If you use different brewing styles with this tea leave me a comment below and let me know your thoughts!

North Winds is a winner for me and one that I’ll happily repurchase again. I’d recommend this tea to black tea lovers and anyone who enjoys or is curious about Chinese black teas.

Green Dragon from Canton Tea Co.

green_dragonTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Green

Where to Buy:  Canton Tea Co.

Tea Description:

Blended for us by Rare Tea Hunter, Phil Mumby, this is a base of China Green Sencha given a full makeover with the citrus kick of lemon zest, lemongrass, lemon oil – and ginger. The combination of the fresh, green grass sencha notes, the lemony flavour and the warming ginger is completed by the subtlest hint of liquorice root to give a lingering sweetness.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

Yum!  When Canton Tea Co.asked me to try their new Green Dragon – I was excited!  I’ve been really impressed with the quality of teas that I’ve tried from Canton and I love the combination of lemon and ginger – so I was sure that I’d enjoy this new blend of theirs.

And I do!  The lemony notes are tart with just enough sweetness to them to keep me from puckering when I take a sip.  The warmth from the ginger is mild.  And the licorice root is barely noticeable – even those who don’t typically like licorice root would probably enjoy this because the licorice root doesn’t really stand out as an obvious flavor.  It’s more like a hint of sweetness toward the tail.

The Chinese Sencha is a sweet, fresh taste with a hint of grassy flavor.  It has a pleasant creaminess to it, light and buttery.  I like the way this buttery quality melds with the lemon-y notes, creating an almost lemon custard type of experience with each sip.  It’s very smooth.

As I continue to sip, the warmth from the ginger builds slightly in the back of the throat.  It never gets really warm though.  It’s a very mild, gentle peppery note that offers contrast to the creaminess of the tea and the tangy lemon notes.

A really lovely tea – it’s a delightful summertime tea that tastes great as a hot tea or a refreshing iced tea!