Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pouchong & Green Tea
Where to Buy: David’s Tea
Tea Description:
Discover the power of vanilla and oolong, with a little hint of orange. It’s temptingly rich. We’ve used Pouchong tea leaves, the least oxidized of oolongs, which gives it a lighter, fresher taste. Delicious and totally addictive on its own, we also love blending this with fruit flavoured teas for a touch of creamy sweetness.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I love vanilla flavored tea. I usually get all hyped up over a chocolate tea or a caramel tea, but when it comes right down to it, I find myself just as enamored by a vanilla tea as I am one of my “favorite” flavors. That creamy, smooth, sweet taste of vanilla just works so well with the warmth and soothing quality of the tea … it becomes such a comforting drink.
And I’m absolutely LOVING this Vanilla Oolong tea from David’s Tea. Usually, I find myself preferring a black tea base for the sweet, creamy, exotic flavor of Vanilla, but, the blend of Pouchong and green tea leaves just WORKS so well here.
The Pouchong offers a lightly sweet, creamy base that melds beautifully with the creamy tones of the vanilla. To be honest, I’m not tasting a whole lot of flavor contribution from the “green tea leaves” here, but the ingredient list says they’re there, and I can’t say that this blend would taste the same without the green tea. I do taste a slight vegetative note to this cup, but that could be from the Pouchong too.
The vanilla is the star of this show. It is creamy, sweet and just DECADENT. Accenting the vanilla notes are hints of citrus from lemon myrtle and orange flavoring. These notes are subtle and do not interfere with the other flavors, but they definitely brighten the overall cup and keep the flavors interesting and inviting … and keep them from becoming cloying or overly sweet.
This tea could easily be a substitute for a dessert … I think I’d just as soon have this as a bowl of vanilla ice cream! It is really just a heavenly vanilla treat – this tea. If you’re a fan of vanilla – you’ve got to try this!
White Ambrosia from White Lion Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: White Lion Tea
Tea Description:
Rare white tea leaves are laced with sweet toasted coconut and juicy pineapple. It’s like having a vacation in a cup!
Canister $42.95 7 Ounce
Glass Jar $15.95 1.5 Ounce
Sample Tin $4.75 0.5 Ounce
Also available in Sachets
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
White Ambrosia from White Lion Tea is a smooth blend with a full and creamy mouthfeel.
You can taste the toasting of the coconut, which sets it apart from many of the other coconut tea blends out there. The pineapple is lighter and a nice afterthought that is not too powerful but present in the sip. It gives the tea a fruity punch toward the end of the sip.
A great iced tea but I actually prefer this one hot which surprises me!
White Lion Tea is served in spas and I can absolutely see why! Every blend I have sampled from White Lion Tea has been excellent! They are all in their own way either relaxing, or rejuvenating, and I can see how you could easily find one of their blends to fit your mood and needs perfectly!
Every time I order from White Lion I get a couple of sample sized tins, which are really cute. Each time I wish I had ordered a glass (full size) instead. I have never had a tea from White Lion Tea that I did not like! There are some companies that do a few teas really really well, and the others are more or less fillers in their inventory, either so so or really not worth ordering. With White Lion Tea you can be assured that all of their teas that they sell are top quality!
This is one of those teas I ordered as a sample only. And as per usual, I want to order more!
I love the glass jars! Even though you want to keep them out of direct sunlight to preserve the flavor of the teas, they are so kitchy, so cute, and they look amazing displayed!
Organic Putharjhora Green Leaf from Supple Skin Boutique
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Supple Skin Boutique
Tea Description:
The liquor has a typical lively India green tea taste. Front of the pallete flavor. The word means ‘stone streams’. Putharjhora is in the plains beneath the hills of Darjeeling, India. The Putharjhora gardens are famously home to the wild elephants.
Learn more about this green tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve had this two times now, the first time I brewed it, I brewed it at 175°F and for just 1 minute 30 seconds. That’s my usual “go-to” brew parameters for green teas, so I went with that. But, really, the flavor was very lacking. I was worried I had a bad batch or something. But, I didn’t give up on it, and today, I changed the parameters a bit: 160°F and a steep time of 3 minutes 30 seconds. This has made all the difference in the world!
The flavor is not just there now, but, it’s REALLY there. The difference between the two cups is like night and day! Apples and oranges! All those other cliched comparisons.
This has a very soothing quality to it. It is a very green tasting tea – that is to say, it has a grassy tone to it, but not a bitter grass taste. More like a savory grass taste, with a lovely sweet undertone. There is hints of raw spice – gentle, not spicy. Like green peppercorns or something. I also taste a slight woodsy taste to this, and a floral note. The fruity tones start off really soft – almost indistinct! But as I continue to sip, I notice the fruit flavors developing.
There is a nice astringency to this toward the finish, leaving the palate feeling clean. The aftertaste is slightly vegetative and sweet. This one is great iced too! As the tea cools, the flavors become really smooth and unified – slightly buttery taste and texture, smooth vegetative taste that is less grassy now. Overall, a very refreshing cuppa.
I guess it just goes to show you, if you are disappointed by that first cup of a new-to-you tea, don’t give up on it. Try it again, try adjusting the parameters somewhat and you may end up with a very satisfying cup of tea!
1999 Vietnamese Cooked Loose Puerh from Canton Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh
Where to Buy: Canton Tea Co.
Product Description:
An excellent loose cooked puerh made by a small artisan producer on China’s Yunnan/Vietnam border. The large twisted leaves are bright golden brown and release a clean, satisfying liquor with a good balance of wood and fruit notes.
Taster’s Review:
This is an incredibly smooth Puerh!
There is a strong earthy undertone to this tea, but it doesn’t smell as strong as it tastes, which is the opposite from my past Puerh tasting experiences. Usually, the smell is much more earthy than the taste.
As I continue to taste, a very pleasant sweetness presents itself. It is caramel-like in flavor, and is harmonious with the earthy flavor. I also taste oak and apple. This puerh has a lot of complexity, and isn’t as heavy in taste as I thought it would be, although the liquor is quite thick to the palate and reminds me a bit of the mouthfeel I’d experience with a green Oolong. There are even buttery notes to this – browned butter – although it lacks the vegetative taste of a green Oolong.
This is a really enjoyable Puerh. I do think my palate has finally developed a taste for this stuff! Puerh is still not something I’d imagine myself wanting to sip on a daily basis, but I do quite enjoy it on occasion.
Cheers!