Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
I blended our premium shou mei white tea with freeze-dried pineapple and organic flavors to create a soothing cuppa yummy. The pineapple is a very strong scent when you smell the dry tea, but tasting it, you definitely get the flavor of soft, vanilla, spongy angel food cake underlying the sweet pineapple. All it’s missing is the ability to chew it, and for me, the flavor is so spot on, it makes me want to start chewing to feel that soft, chewy, spongy cake. I have a feeling this one is going to be very popular.
Learn more about this blend here.
Learn more about 52Teas Kickstarter Initiative for new equipment to enhance his business (specifically, his iced tea business: Southern Boy Teas) here.
Taster’s Review:
There was a time when you would ask me what my favorite kind of cake was, and my answer would be angel food cake. In fact, every year as a youngster, my gramma would make me an angel food cake as my birthday cake. But not just any angel food cake … she made this incredible chocolate frosting … it was so perfectly, deliciously chocolate-y that there were even chunks of milk chocolate bar in the frosting. My mouth is watering right now, thinking about that cake. It was so good.
It’s been a long time since I’ve had that cake … or any angel food cake for that matter. I’m not big on baking. So, when 52Teas announced this Pineapple Angel Food Cake Shou Mei White Tea as their tea of the week for the week of October 7th, I was excited! I could not wait to try it!
The dry leaf smells delicious! The aroma of the brewed tea is not nearly as strong as the dry leaf, but it still smells yummy. I smell the pineapple, and the crisp, vegetal scent of the white tea. I don’t smell a strong baked cake sort of smell here … I’m hoping that I’ll taste it though.
When right-from-the-teapot hot, the flavors are a little bit muddled. I taste the pineapple, and I taste a sweet creaminess. I taste the white tea notes. But, allow the tea to cool a few minutes and the flavors begin to emerge!
Now, I taste the delicate vanilla notes that reflect a sort of “angel food cake” sort of taste. These meld very nicely with the softness of the white tea, which is airy and slightly earthy. In keeping with the overall “delicateness” of this tea, the pineapple is not an aggressive, in your face flavor. It’s all a very soft, sweet experience – sort of like what you’d get if you were to be eating a slice of angel food cake topped with a pineapple sauce. The flavors continue to improve as the tea cools, telling me that this would be excellent as an iced tea.
And speaking of iced tea … the newest fundraising initiative that 52Teas has “kickstarted” is for equipment for their iced tea brand: Southern Boy Teas. I’ve reviewed quite a few of these teas, and there have been a few new ones recently announced. (I am eagerly awaiting my delivery of these teas, which I will receive as a gift for supporting the kickstarter fundraising campaign. When I get them … I’ll review them!) Please consider contributing to this fundraiser, because I really want to see Frank dance the jig!
Pu-Erh Earl Grey from Red Leaf Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh & White Tea
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
Aged Pu Erh tea has some similarities to green tea but yet still has a taste all its own for tea lovers to enjoy. This aged tea is combined with bergamot oil to create a new take on the traditional Earl Grey tea. Pu Erh Earl Grey uses only the finest aged Chinese tea along with bergamot and a touch of peony to balance out the flavor. The result is a strong cup of tea with amazing citrus tones and a hint of floral accent. Pu Erh tea has a distinct strong flavor that tea lovers will recognize instantly and the Earl Grey blend is one that will take this aged tea and make it a favorite of everyone.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
For those of you who have read very many of my reviews on different types of Earl Grey tea, you’re probably well aware that I’m carrying on an unabashed, passionate love affair with the Earl. So when I am given a new Earl Grey to try, I get very excited.
But, I can say that this was one Earl Grey that I was not excited to try. I was even a little nervous to try it. I love Earl Grey, but, I’ve had my ups and downs with Pu-erh. And while I am slowly coming to terms with the rather assertive nature of Pu-erh, and even gaining some appreciation for the tea, it’s taken quite a while for this to occur, and I wasn’t too sure I was ready to try my beloved Earl Grey as a Pu-erh.
I did not steep according to the instructions on the website, which suggest a boiling temperature for 5 – 7 minutes. Instead, I got out my gaiwan, eyeballed a measurement of the tea in the bottom of my gaiwan, added hot water (190°F) and put on the cover. I did a quick rinse, and then allowed the first infusion to steep for 45 seconds, and the second for one minute, and these two infusions were combined in one cup.
The Pu-erh is a shou Pu-erh, which means it has been fully ripened. It is strong and earthy. But, fortunately, the bergamot is also strong, and the bright, tangy character of the citrus fruit shines through. Also in this blend is a sprinkling of white tea, which surprised me when I first opened the pouch, as I didn’t expect to see Silver Needles in the package. I don’t know that I can taste much of the Silver Needles’ contribution to the cup, but, I can’t say that the tea would taste the same without this component.
And I have to say that despite my misgivings about the idea of a Pu-Erh Earl Grey, this is quite good. Delicious even! It earned a It’s not going to earn its way into my list of favorite Earl Grey teas, but, it certainly has earned a spot on my list of preferred Pu-Erh Teas.
I like this!