Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Fruit/Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: M&K’s Tea Company on Etsy
Tea Description:
Sweet orange peel roasted in honey, real grade-A Madagascar vanilla beans, actual peaches! California Sweet Peach is our signature herbal infusion. We are proud to roast our own orange peel in local honey and use peaches straight from California! Our natural peach flavor is supplied by Silver Cloud Estates and is a blend of different natural extracts and oils, enabling us to boost the taste of peaches. This blend is part of the Original 20 M&K’s Blends. Note: California Sweet Peach contains no tea, as it is an herbal infusion. We chose to include the term “herbal tea” in the title due to its categorical popularity.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This California Sweet Peach Herbal Tea from M&K’s Tea Company is an interesting tisane. As I sit here, sipping it, I’m trying to determine whether or not I like it. I can’t say that immediately upon taking my first few sips that I was blown away by it. At the same time, I can’t say that immediately upon taking my first few sips that I wasn’t intrigued. I felt the need to keep on sipping. It’s interesting enough to keep me sipping but there’s something about it that hasn’t yet ‘won me over’ – at least not yet.
I like that the hibiscus is not a strong presence in this cup. Normally, when I am about to taste a tea or tisane with hibiscus, my thought is “why?” Why hibiscus? But, after drinking about half a cup now, I can see why the hibiscus is in this blend. It adds a little bit of body to the cup (but I wouldn’t recommend steeping it longer than 6 minutes or so to avoid having a thick or syrupy body) and the little bit of tartness that it brings to the cup adds balance to the warm notes of the licorice and the sweetness of the peach, honey and vanilla notes.
The star of this cup is – obviously – the peach. I like the flavor of the peach here and I think that’s what’s keeping my interest. The peach is a genuine peach-y note. It doesn’t taste chemical or artificial. It tastes true to the fruit. I also like the orange in this. The orange adds a touch of bright flavor to the sweet peach notes.
Now that I’ve finished the cup I can say that I enjoyed this. It had a strong peach flavor but there was enough other stuff going on in this that it didn’t end up being all about the peach. I liked the different flavors going on. And even though this does have hibiscus in it – like so many other fruit/herbal tisanes to – this is not your ordinary tisane.
Just as an aside: it’s something when I finish the tea before I finish the review. Take that for what it’s worth, but it doesn’t happen often. I must have enjoyed what I was drinking!
Yeah. I’d drink this again. I enjoyed it. This one has earned my approval. Even if it does have hibiscus in it!
Spanish Sunset White Tea Blend from Lemon Lily
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Lemon Lily
Tea Description:
While the first tea was floral and earthy, this little blend goes full throttle on the floral. A blend of leaves from raspberries and strawberries with dusting of rose and rosehip, this tea is a natural relaxant. While some may say these herbals all hold some amazing capabilities in the world of natural healing, lowering blood pressure or relieving bloating and cramps, we like it because it’s full of flavour without tasting like a bar of soap. You can actually taste all the subtle notes of each leaf and flower as the sip develops on your taste buds.
Learn more about the eighth edition of Postal Teas shipment here.
Learn more about subscribing to Postal Teas here.
Taster’s Review:
The three teas that were showcased in the eighth edition from Postal Teas all had several things in common. The first and most obvious is that they were all three from Lemon Lily. The second (and also pretty obvious) is that they were all white tea blends. The third is that they are all blends that focus on floral flavors.
They were all unique too: the Maple Leaf is indulgent and maple-y and Beauty & The Beet has a pleasant earthy tone with the beetroot powder and this blend delights with it’s soft hints of berry. But all three have strong floral overtures.
I like that while they are very flowery, they don’t taste soapy. I don’t feel like I’m drinking Aunt Matilda’s perfume. The flavor of the white tea is delicate but discernible and keeps this cuppa tasting like TEA.
This particular blend focuses more on the rose notes than do the previous two blends from this edition. But I like that the sharper floral notes are softened with mellow fruit flavors from the strawberry and raspberry leaves. These components add a soft, sweet fruit note without overwhelming the beautiful floral notes.
And the softness accentuates the lovely floral notes of rose perfectly. I like that all the flavors seem to unify in a very seamless way, but each note is discernible. I experience the nuances of each component in the blend. A sweet, earthy, hay-like note from the white tea. Mild fruit notes from the strawberry and raspberry leaves. And of course, the beautifully sweet, soothing flavor of rose.
I steeped this tea in my Kati Tumbler, using 2 bamboo scoops of leaf (again, this is a highly flowery loose leaf blend and I find that a little more leaf is appropriate when steeping it). I heated 12 ounces of water to 165°F and steeped the tea for 3 1/2 minutes. And again, I am in agreement with Postal Teas: you really should allow this tea 10 minutes to cool after steeping. The flavors really pop after the 10 minutes.
The eighth edition from Postal Teas was a big WIN in my opinion. Thank you, Postal Teas for putting together this remarkable box of tea joy!
Golden Garden Estate Ceylon OP Black Tea from Capital Tea Limited
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Capital Tea Limited
Tea Description:
Deeply aromatic long black wiry leaves from Sri Lanka’s Ruhuna District. These leaves produce a strong tasting medium to full bodied tea liquor possessing an intense aroma and flavour with notes of malt, chocolate and carob.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Another tea from a new-to-me company. I was introduced to this company by a friend on Steepster. It’s nice to be part of a tea community like Steepster where we can share teas with one another and expand our horizons!
And what a remarkable Ceylon! I generally describe Ceylon teas as “medium-bodied,” and “even-tempered” and usually what I mean by “even tempered” is that it’s a smooth, easy going kind of tea. Nothing all that exceptional. Just kind of “average” really – the kind of tea that is often utilized when creating blends or flavored teas because it has a very even tone to it that isn’t overly aggressive or assertive so the flavors are able to express themselves fully.
But this … there is nothing average about this Ceylon! This is not a “typical” Ceylon in any way, shape or form! In the world of “average” Ceylon teas where the average is “nothing all that exceptional”, this IS the exception!
This tastes more like a Fujian black tea with it’s rich chocolate-y notes and caramel-y undertones. It is more full-bodied than medium-bodied, and it has a nice, round flavor that satisfies all those little taste buds on the palate.
This is pleasantly sweet with its aforementioned caramel-y tones and notes of chocolate (which are actually more like a dark, bittersweet chocolate). It has a rich earthy note with hints of wood. It’s a stronger Ceylon than that typical “medium-bodied” “moderately even-toned” Ceylon. It has a heftier taste and texture.
As the tea cools slightly, I start to pick up on notes of honey, but it’s more of a honeyed caramel than pure honey. Notes of molasses. I like the sweetness of this Ceylon.
And now that the temperature has cooled slightly, I can also pick up on notes of fruit in the background. I taste ripe plum and notes of raisin. Hints of a floral note in the distance that seem to perk up the flavors toward the finish.
Overall, a really nice experience with this first tea that I’ve tried from Capital Tea Limited!
Armando’s Original Blend Coffee Leaf Tea from Wize Monkey
Tea Description:
Leaf Type: Coffee Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
Coffee leaf tea has more antioxidants than green tea and has very little caffeine. It has a smooth flavour without bitterness or dry aftertaste like regular teas.
Learn more about Wize Monkey here.
Support Wize Monkey’s Kickstarter Fundraising Campaign here.
Taster’s Review:
I was both intrigued and nervous about this product. I have mentioned more than once the issues that I’ve experienced with coffee. I used to drink a cup of coffee every morning and by 11 am, I was feeling quite nauseous. So, I worried that since this product comes from the same plant as the beans that caused that late morning yucky sick feeling, I was a little concerned as this tea brewed that what I was steeping was a cup of nausea.
But I decided to be brave and try it. And keep my fingers crossed that I wouldn’t be feeling horrid a few hours later.
The sample that I was sent from Wize Monkey came in a DIY loose leaf teabag so I decided to go ahead and steep it using the teabag. I put the teabag into a teacup and heated freshly filtered water to 195°F which is my “go-to” temperature for “herbal” teas and since this is not technically a tea leaf, I thought, eh … I’ll see what happens at 195°F. I steeped leaves for 4 minutes.
The aroma is … different. I’m trying to come up with a comparable scent so you can get an idea of what I’m smelling. It smells earthy, similar to the earthiness you’d detect if you had brewed a cup of guayusa or yerba mate. It smells kind of grassy. Like a mossy, damp earth with notes of dried hay.
The flavor is a little reminiscent of guayusa, only a little more herbaceous. Guayusa tastes a little more like coffee to me only not as bitter as a cup of joe. This on the other hand does have some a touch of bitterness to it, at least in the earliest sips. I find that as I continue to sip, the bitter tone sort of dissipates, and I find that I enjoy it the more I drink it.
It has a definite herb-y sort of flavor that reminds me a bit of bay leaf. There is a light honey note to it too, and I like that this honey note develops as I continue to sip. Again … the more I drink this, the more I like it.
This product as been compared to black tea in flavor, but, I am not getting that. It has a similar texture as a black tea but not so much the flavor. I find that there is a certain invigorating quality to it even though the caffeine content is supposed to be about the same as decaffeinated coffee.
It’s a tasty ‘tea’. Different from anything that I’ve tasted, but it is vaguely reminiscent of guayusa. I enjoyed my sample of this coffee leaf tea and I’d definitely be interested in some blends using coffee leaf. Right off the top of my head, I think that this would taste good with cacao shells (a chocolate-y experience!) or with peppermint. Or perhaps a combination of both. And with the honey-like flavors, I think it would also taste awesome as the base of a masala spice blend – coffee leaf chai!
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Maple Leaf White Tea from Lemon Lily
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Lemon Lily
Tea Description:
Loaded with blossoms, and scented with star anise and maple syrup, this white tea is show-stoppingly beautiful as well as a treat to sip. Again, we can’t stress enough that you need to let these delicate little cuppas need some time to cool. Once you do the grassy white tea blooms into the warm, smooth anise flavour, accented with a touch of maple.
Learn more about this month’s Postal Teas shipment here.
Learn more about subscribing to Postal Teas here.
Taster’s Review:
Yay! My Postal Teas box arrived! It’s a happy day when I open the mailbox to find tea! I just love receiving parcels from Postal Teas and I was very excited that this month the teas featured are from yet another new-to-me company: Lemon Lily. A cute company name that brings a smile to my face because it makes me think of my youngest daughter. Her name is Lilith and we often call her Lili.
So the first tea I decided to try from this month’s box is Maple Leaf. All three of this month’s teas sound delightful, but Maple is what captured my attention immediately. I love maple!
I decided to brew this in my Breville One-Touch. I don’t usually steep white teas in my Breville because the leaves tend to be bulkier and need more room to expand so I usually steep a white tea in a teapot or in a Smart Tea Maker like this to give those leaves the room they need. However, upon examination of this tea, I saw that it was mostly flowers. I thought that the tea would have plenty of room to expand as it needed to in my Breville given the flower to tea leaf ratio of this blend.
As an added bonus, because this tea needs time after steeping to develop its flavor, I was able to set the Breville to steep – 4 bamboo scoops of leaf to 500ml of freshly filtered water (remember, there’s a lot of flowers in this, so I used extra leaf to compensate); 170°F; 3 1/2 minutes – and go take my shower. When I returned, the tea was brewed and it had been sitting for about 13 minutes. That seemed to me to be adequate “development” time.
LOVELY! I had my doubts about this after seeing all the flowers in this. It was hard to find tea leaves among all the flowers. But they’re there – because I can taste the tea.
I can also taste the flowers. This is a beautifully floral tea, but I’m glad to say that it doesn’t taste perfume-y. It has a wonderfully flowery aroma, it’s beautiful to smell as well as sip.
I can taste the notes of anise. I like the way the licorice-y flavor of anise melds with the flowers. They seem to play very nicely together. The anise adds just a hint of spice to the sweetness of the flowers. It’s quite pleasant.
And most importantly, I can taste the maple! OK, OK, I guess you could argue that it’s most important to taste the tea. And yeah, I’m with you on that. But, when I drink a maple tea, I want maple baby! And this blend has got the maple going on.
The sip starts off immediately with notes of flower. I taste the lavender and chrysanthemum. I like that while these floral notes are strong, they aren’t overdone. Even though it looks like they might be overdone when you take a look at the blend – there is a really well-crafted balance between tea, flower and maple notes here.
Maple and lavender are not necessarily two flavors that I ever thought of combining. But they work. Somehow … they work very well together. The maple seems to soften the sharpness of the floral notes just enough so that this doesn’t come off tasting like soap. The anise adds just the right amount of warmth to the cup while adding a touch of sweet licorice that tastes right at home with the sweet maple notes. The flowers add dimension to the sweetness while keeping everything balanced “just so” – to keep this from becoming too cloying or dessert-like.
And then there is the tea. The tea is a softer flavor here, not just because white tea tends to be a delicate tasting tea anyway, but also because there IS a lot going on in this blend. But I can still taste the subtle notes of sweet, hay-like flavor from the white tea.
A very enjoyable blend. Quite a wonderful start to this month’s Postal Teas box!