Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Enjoying Tea
Company Description:
Lapsang souchong is a special Chinese black tea. This tea produces a reddish hue liquor with a smooth crisp taste and a smoky aroma of pine wood fire. The lapsang souchong is considered to be heavy and overpowering by many.
The method of production for this tea is the following: The leaves are first withered over fires of pine wood. After pan-frying and rolling, they are presses into wooden barrels and covered with cloth to ferment until they give off a pleasant fragrance. The leaves are fired again and rolled into taut strips. Then they are placed in bamboo baskets and hung on wooden racks over smoking pine fires to dry and absorb the smoke flavor.
Taster’s Review:
I feel that I need to preface this review with this: I am not a fan of Lapsang Souchong teas. I am one of the “many” as depicted in the above review that find Lapsang Souchong tea to be “heavy and overpowering.” The pine smoke aroma and taste is a bit overwhelming for my personal taste. And because my first experience with a Lapsang Souchong was not a positive one, and since that time, I’ve steered myself clear of Lapsang Souchong teas.
That being said, I have learned since that first experience that not all teas are the same – including Lapsang Souchong teas! – and it’s not fair for me to now judge all Lapsang Souchong teas based on one bad experience years ago… I mean, who knows? Perhaps my tastes have changed. Perhaps that one Lapsang Souchong was not a good representation of all Lapsang Souchong teas. I need to not allow myself to become confined based upon my opinions. I need to experience things to make sure I truly dislike them… only then can I be sure.
So, summoning up all the courage I can muster, I brew myself a cup of this Lapsang Souchong from Enjoying Tea. I awaken the tea leaves first, giving them a quick “rinse” (or pre-infusion) with boiling water for about 10 seconds before I steep the tea.
The flavor and aroma is quite smoky (no surprise there, this IS a Lapsang Souchong tea). But I do think that the pre-rinse did help, because it’s not as smoky as I seem to remember Lapsang Souchong being. I can smell the pine scent, it reminds me of the scent of the smoke when one burns pine needles. It isn’t my favorite scent, but it isn’t unpleasant, either.
This is a very complex tea. I can taste the smoky essence and the presence of the pine. But beneath those rather heavy layers there is a nice (yes, I said NICE) and delicious (yes, delicious) caramel-y sweetness that complements the smoky and pine flavors well, and while it is still not my favorite tea, I can see what others love in this tea. It is not as terrible as I once made it out to be.
So, I guess what I’m trying to say is, don’t let your opinions you’ve formed years ago shape who you are now. Be willing to try something new and out of your comfort zone, and you might find something rewarding when you do. Trying this tea was way out of my own comfort zone but I am really very glad that I tried it because I got to taste that delicious caramel flavor to this tea and I now understand this tea just a little better.
Strawberry Black Tea from Enjoying Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Enjoying Tea
Company Description:
This tea is made from top grade orange pekoe Ceylon with natural strawberry flavoring. The Ceylon tea is grown at the altitude of 7000 feet above sea level from the Sri Lanka region. When brewed this tea produces a bright coppery color liquid with fresh strawberry flavor and with touches of mild astringency. A fantastic fruit tea.
Taster’s Review:
Yum! Is there any fruit that screams out “summer” like a strawberry? Sweet and juicy, vibrant red flesh – even those little seeds that get caught in between the teeth. OK… maybe that part isn’t so great, but, I’m willing to trade the small inconvenience of getting tiny seeds caught in between my teeth for the deliciously sweet flavor of a fresh strawberry, anytime!
But with this tea, I don’t have to! I get that sweet, delicious flavor of a strawberry AND no tiny seeds!
The flavor of this tea is true to the fruit – juicy sweetness with just a hint of berry tart that dances on the tip of my tongue in the finish. It is incredibly yummy!
Ceylon tea is a good choice as a base for this tea. The Ceylon used here is mild with a light astringency. It produces a lovely coppery cup that is full-flavored with a pleasant medium body, while being mellow enough to not interfere with the amazing fruit flavor.
This tea is delicious served hot and extraordinarily refreshing served chilled. As I mentioned in a previous review, my favorite way to serve this iced is blended with a 50-50 ratio of Strawberry Black Tea and English Breakfast Black Tea (also from Enjoying Tea). This gives it more of a tea flavor with a hint of strawberry flavor. It is guaranteed to revitalize even the most heat weary soul!
Zhejiang Silver Needle, (Zhejiang Bai Hao Yinzhen) from EnjoyingTea
Tea Type: White Tea
Where To Buy: EnjoyingTea.com
Product Description:
This white tea with a white downy appearance comes from the province of Zhejiang. The Silver Needle, highest quality white tea, is picked during the spring before the buds open to preserve its tenderness. Exquisite and delicate, Silver Needle has a fresh, sweet fragrance and produces a pale yellow brew. Brewing with a Yixing teapot can best show the aroma of Silver Needle. This tea has high concentrations of polyphenols (antioxidants that help fight against cancer-causing radicals and heart disease)
Tasters Review:
I tried this tea both HOT and ICED. I like them both. Here is why…
Zhejiang Silver Needle, (Zhejiang Bai Hao Yinzhen) from EnjoyingTea is VERY Flavorful for a unflavored white. My palate was telling me it was sweet with hints of pepper on my HOT attempt. When I tried this one COLD there was no pepper-likeness at all. For both HOT and COLD it was very slippery on the tongue. It leaves a Lovely aftertaste. I had no idea I would enjoy this one THIS much! But am so glad that I did.
Chamomile from Enjoying Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Enjoying Tea
Company Description:
Chamomile is one of the oldest herbs still very popular around the world today. It was first used by the ancient Egyptian as medicine. Chamomile is often sipped for relief of ailments ranging from toothache to insomnia. Many people today use this herb as both a remedy to relieve anxiety and as a tisane herbal tea for enjoyment. The chamomile infusion has a floral aroma and fruity apple taste. Since it is caffeine free, it can be enjoy during any time of the day.
Taster’s Review:
OK, I am kind of iffy when it comes to chamomile. I’ve liked many blends that I’ve tried that contain chamomile, but when it comes to chamomile on its own… well, I’m not usually a big fan. Sometimes I do come across a chamomile that is pretty good – and yes, I’m saying that some chamomile is better than others. Some tea companies seem to demolish their chamomile buds, turning the little golden blossoms into dust. The resulting brew from the chamomile “dust” is not very good. As a general rule: the larger the chamomile flower, the better tasting the tisane it brews.
I am usually very hesitant when it comes to trying plain chamomile (to the point of trying to find someone else to give it to!), and I generally cringe when I receive chamomile as a gift or a sample. And when I received this sample from Enjoying Tea – I did cringe. And I did hesitate when it came to trying it.
When I opened the tin, the chamomile blossoms were fairly large and there was very little pollen-y dust. Feeling slightly more confident, I measured out the chamomile and put it into my smart tea maker, and poured in the hot water and allowed it to steep for 6 minutes. The liquor is a lovely golden color – and it possesses a beautiful, inviting fragrance.
And you know what? This isn’t bad – not at all! The flavor is slightly fruity (similar to an apple taste) with very subtle floral notes. It is a very serene flavor – and I do feel calmer and more relaxed as I sit here, sipping it. It’s nice.
As I continue on this journey as a tea drinker (which I hope will be a life-long passion!) I am discovering more and more about myself. I am learning more about the proper way to brew teas, and in brewing teas properly, I am learning that teas that I may have thought at one time I did not like, I actually quite enjoy. This Chamomile is an example. I used to brew all my herbals using boiling water – only within the last two years have I discovered that most herbal teas are better when brewed at a slightly lower temperature (just below boiling). Perhaps it was my brewing method that caused me to dislike chamomile so much.
Because as I sit here, sipping this cup of Chamomile, I am thinking that I’m really enjoying it. It’s actually quite good! These are words I never thought I’d use to describe chamomile! But there it is. I like this Chamomile Tea!
English Breakfast from Enjoying Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Enjoying Tea
Company Description:
This is a classic blend of Sri Lanka Ceylon flowery pekoe (FP) black tea. Although usually served in the morning, it is the perfect refreshing and invigorating tea for any time of the day. When brewed the English Breakfast produces a bright, full bodied, and amber tea. It is especially enticing with milk and sugar.
Taster’s Review:
Ceylon Tea. This is generally the tea that most people think of when they think of tea. For most of us, this is the tea that we grew up with. For some people, Ceylon tea is a simple, straightforward black tea, even verging on the boring side.
But the Ceylon black tea blend in this English Breakfast tea is anything but boring! It has a smooth yet rich taste. It is perhaps not as strong as some breakfast blends I’ve encountered, and yet, I find myself quite enamored with this cuppa.
The fruity notes of this tea are captivating and encourage me to keep sipping. I can also detect a faint floral note in the background which is quite pleasant. There is a very nice complexity to this tea with multiple layers of flavor. This tea is certainly not boring!
I tried my first cup of this tea without any addition – no sugar, no cream. It is very good like that – a bit on the mellow side, but, quite enjoyable. Then I tried it with a little honey. I found the honey highlights the fruit and flower of this tea very nicely. Delightful!
But where this tea really excels is with the addition of milk and honey! Now it becomes a creamy, almost decadent treat that is welcome at my breakfast table any time.
It is also quite good iced! Try mixing this tea with Enjoying Tea’s Strawberry Black Tea (which I’ll be reviewing in a few days time!) and brewing it up for a very refreshing, delicious iced tea that both kids and adults will enjoy.