Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green (Matcha)
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
Vibrant palates who want an instant lift and a sharp boost of citrus fruitiness would not be disappointed with Grapefruit Matcha. This fine adult drink is a perfect combination of the tangy citrus taste of the fleshy grapefruit combined with exotic Matcha to dull its sharp edges. Grapefruit Matcha is the perfect treat for many adults who want to feel alive and aware of their surroundings through their taste buds.
Learn more about this flavored matcha here.
Taster’s Review:
Do you occasionally suffer from bored taste buds? The tongue just sort of feels like it’s a weighed down, lifeless muscle? What you need is some of this Grapefruit Flavored Matcha Green Tea from Red Leaf Tea! This is about as perfect as it gets when it comes to flavored Matcha.
Why? Because the sharp tartness and bitter tones of the grapefruit provide such a delightful contrast to the sweet Matcha. In one sip, I taste the sweet, grassy tones of the Matcha and the smooth buttery taste and texture of the powdered green tea, and the bright tangy qualities of the grapefruit. It really gives the taste buds a jump start! Even the sleepiest, laziest, most bored palate on earth will wake with an invigorated jolt at first sip!
For this particular Matcha order, I used my “regular” specifications: the classic grade of green Matcha and the distinctive level of flavoring. And it’s perfect for me! The grapefruit is VERY strongly flavored in here – there’s no mistaking it. And even though I’m often mentioning that I’m not fond of tart flavors … grapefruit is my exception to that. There is just something about grapefruit that … tastes amazing with tea. Especially green tea!
This is one of my favorite flavored Matcha teas that I’ve tried thus far from Red Leaf Tea. The Matcha is naturally invigorating – Matcha is not something you want to prepare if you’re planning on taking a nap or going to bed any time soon, let me put it that way! And the bright citrus tones of this flavored Matcha is very enlivening! It feels like a party on my palate when I take a sip! My taste buds rejoice in the flavor!
I prepared this flavored matcha traditionally, by measuring a few scoops out into my sifter and sifting the matcha into my chawan. Even though Red Leaf Tea does pre-sift their Matcha for the customer’s convenience, I’ve made it a habit to always sift my Matcha and it’s not a habit I want to break! Then I adding hot water and whisked with my chasen until the Matcha was completely incorporated in the hot water and there was a foamy froth on top.
I don’t know how I’d like this as a latte, because milk with grapefruit sounds … kind of weird to me. However, I do think that the next time I make some of this Grapefruit Matcha, I’m going to add a pinch of salt to the chawan before I whisk it. I like to add a pinch of salt to a fresh, halved grapefruit before I eat it because I like the way the salt counters the bitterness of the fruit. I would be interested to see how the salt tastes in this.
I prefer this hot. I had to step away from my Matcha for a little while this afternoon, and when I came back, the tea was cold. It was still tasty cold … but I preferred it hot. I think that this would make an excellent tea choice for breakfast. Oh sure, it’s not the typical “breakfast” tea … but I know it’s got what it takes to get me going … and it’s oh-so-yummy!
Tangy Grapefruit White Tea Blend from The Jasmine Pearl Tea Merchants
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where To Buy: The Jasmine Pearl Tea Merchants
Tea Description:
Tangy Grapefruit White is a blend of organic Chinese Baimudan white tea, grapefruit essential oils, organic calendula petals for color, organic lemongrass, and organic lemon myrtle, brewing a true-to-life grapefruit burst.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
When I go into my local grocery store – Chuck’s Produce – I’m always happy to see teas from local purveyors on their shelves … like this Tangy Grapefruit White Tea Blend from The Jasmine Pearl Tea Merchants. Of course, it makes sense to have a locally based grocery store like Chuck’s Produce to carry some of the locally crafted products like this tea, but it still makes me happy to see this store supporting local businesses.
And of course, I found the flavor intriguing, as I’m always happy to try a new grapefruit flavored tea. And while I can’t say that this is my favorite grapefruit tea that I’ve tried, it’s a really tasty grapefruit offering. I think that it might be the lemon myrtle and the lemon grass that’s throwing this off just a little bit, because I’m tasting a distinct lemon note along with the grapefruit and even a hint of lime.
Not that that’s bad, of course … lemon and lime go quite nicely with the grapefruit and add an interesting dimension of flavor. And the grapefruit notes are not lost in the presence of the other citrus tones. This is a very flavorful, tangy citrus-flavored tea. But it’s not as much grapefruit as I was expecting.
But, let’s focus on what this tea is. There is a nice Bai Mu Dan base that is sweet and offers hints of an earthy flavor. I like that contrasting note with the bright citrus tones. There is a very nice grapefruit-y flavor here that is sweet and tart. There is just a hint of that grapefruit bitterness to it too. This tastes like grapefruit and I notice that flavor before the palate picks up on the lemon and lime notes.
And I like their contributions here too. This is a very “sunny” tasting tea, and it’s quite a nice tea to be sipping on a rather dreary looking autumn day. And I don’t mean dreary looking in a bad way … this is my favorite kind of day and I like it when it’s cold and dreary! All the sunshine I need is coming from my teacup right now!
A very enjoyable tea blend. I like this hot but it’s really nice iced too!
All Citrus Flavored Black Tea from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Of course, a big icy tumbler of this Tea of the Week is enough to take the edge off a lot of stress, at least it is for me. This week’s blend has our premium black teas with lemon and orange peels, lemon balm, lemon verbena, lemon myrtle, freeze-dried orange, freeze-dried pineapple, lemongrass and all organic flavors including: lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit and pineapple.
What’s that? pineapple isn’t a citrus fruit? Humbug. Call it an exercise of my tea blending poetic license. Pineapple counts as citrus fruit for this blend, and it adds just the right touch of sweetness to the other citrus flavors.
Learn more about this blend here.
Learn more about Zoomdweebie’s fundraising campaign to reopen the Tea Bar here.
Taster’s Review:
I don’t usually get all excited over a citrus flavored black tea, perhaps because it seems all too common and ordinary. I mean, who hasn’t had lemon in their tea, right? It’s the classic garnish for a cup of plain black tea or a glass of iced tea: a wedge or a thin slice of lemon. So when 52Teas posted that this All Citrus Flavored Black Tea was the tea of the week for July 8, I wasn’t all that excited.
But this is no ordinary citrus tea! This tastes like a medley of citrus fruit in my teacup, and they are so “unified” that it becomes difficult to pick out one citrus fruit from another. It is fruity, sweet, tangy and bright tasting … very vibrant! I seem to find myself tasting more orange in one sip than other fruits, and then in the next sip, I notice the grapefruit. With the next sip, I notice notes of lemon and lime. The pineapple adds a really pleasant sweetness all its own.
The black tea doesn’t just sit back and let all this citrus do the work, either. It is a pleasantly smooth, deliciously robust flavor that is delightfully complemented with the citrus tones. This tea is a perfect choice if you’re making a big pitcher of iced tea – everyone will love it! It also tastes great served hot. Juicy and absolutely refreshing!
Another example of how 52Teas can take something that would otherwise seem ordinary and make it quite extraordinary!
And please, don’t forget to contribute to Frank’s (aka the chief Zoomdweebie at 52Teas) campaign to re-open his tea bar (also called Zoomdweebies) in Wichita, Kansas. Learn all about it here.
Eight Treasures Yabao Tea from Verdant Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh & Green Tea
Where to Buy: Verdant Tea
Tea Description:
Yabao is an incredibly intriguing tea, evoking marshmallow sweetness, spice, and even cooling cedar notes. By combining it with a light sun dried green jasmine from Yunnan, and whole vanilla bean, this brew steeps up perfectly smooth, thick and velvety. The floral elements of the vanilla and honeysuckle are extended to the aftertaste with marigold and rose petals, and the spice of the yabao is sharpened with goji berry. This well-integrated take on the traditional “Eight Treasures” is sweet but nuanced, and great hot or iced.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
This Eight Treasures Yabao Tea from Verdant Tea is absolutely delightful! Then again, I was expecting nothing less from a company like Verdant Tea. I can’t recall ever being disappointed by a tea from them!
This blend takes the natural creamy sweetness of a Yabao tea and combines it with vanilla bean to enhance the rich, creamy notes and the decadent sweetness. These two components together would be enough to send this tea drinker into a blissful tea experience, but, this is EIGHT Treasures … so Verdant Tea didn’t stop there.
The jasmine green tea adds a little bit of a vegetative taste and a distinct jasmine note. The floral tones are further accentuated with the addition of marigold and rose. I don’t notice the marigold a lot, but, the rose has a distinguished flavor. The tasting note from Verdant Tea suggests an “orchid” note and I am getting that here, although I find that I taste more jasmine and rose than orchid.
I taste the goji berry and the berry adds a tart, tingly sensation toward the finish that offers a nice contrast to the smooth, creaminess of the vanilla and marshmallow notes of the Yabao, and the sweet flowery tones. My first few sips I noticed a slight “resinous” taste … and as I continued to sip, and after reading the tasting notes from Verdant that suggest a Cedar note, I realize that this is the resinous note I was noticing at the start. Slightly woody, slightly earthy … with an invigorating crisp, cool sensation.
The most surprising thing about this tea is just how good it is iced! I was astonished by it’s iced flavor. It is sweet and fruity and very refreshing! The next time you place your order with Verdant … add this tea to your shopping cart – you won’t be disappointed!
Southern Boy Teas Pink Lemonade Flavored Black Iced Tea from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Southern Boy Teas
Tea Description:
Created for National Iced Tea Day 2013! Our take on Pink lemonade incorporates the organic flavors of lemon, red grapefruit, a touch of raspberry and a smidgen of cotton candy for sweetness. blended with our premium organic black tea, this is pure refreshment.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
When I got this Pink Lemonade Flavored Black Iced Tea of the Southern Boys Teas collection from 52Teas, I thought it was an herbal tisane. That is … until I opened the pouch and smelled the tea and I realized that there was black tea in it. What I expected when I first ordered the tea was a “pinked” version of the Lemon-Aid tisane from 52Teas. But that isn’t what this is at all.
However, this is really very good! It is a very refreshing iced tea. The black tea base is brisk and is pleasantly flavored … it melds nicely with the notes of lemon and raspberry. The grapefruit comes through as I reach the mid-way point through my glass … that’s when I really notice it. It is nicely sweet – and yes, I do taste hints of the cotton candy too. It’s an interesting combination of flavors that come together in a really delicious way. It is sweet, a little bit tart, and very tasty!
The first time I tried this … I cold-brewed it. And of the many iced tea flavors that 52Teas sells under the Southern Boy Teas brand, this is the one tea that I don’t recommend cold brewing. The flavors just don’t come across as well or as deliciously when it’s been cold brewed – it kind of tastes “muddied” … not like mud, of course, but, the flavors aren’t crisp. The flavors are there, but, they aren’t as easily discerned as they are when the tea is hot brewed.
But … when hot brewed, this tea tastes really, really good. In fact, it may just displace the Lime Cola as my favorite iced tea flavor this year. This tea gets two enthusiastic thumbs up from me (although it does lose a couple of points because I like cold-brewing!)