Hazelberry Pu’er Blend from Simple Loose Leaf

hazelberrypuerTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Pu-erh

Where to Buy:  Simple Loose Leaf

Tea Description:

The earthy smoothness of Pu’er creates a warm foundation for the rich flavor of hazelnut while playful, tangy-sweet strawberries peek through the nutty opulence. A hint of cream adds a soft, dreamy note to the blend.

Pu’er Tea, Strawberries, Cocoa Nibs, Natural Strawberry Flavor, Natural Creme Flavor, Natural Hazelnut Flavor

Learn more about this tea here.

Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s Selection Club subscription program here.

Taster’s Review:

When I opened the pouch of this Hazelberry Pu’er Blend from Simple Loose Leaf, I didn’t smell a strong earthy aroma.  Instead, what I smelled was hazelnuts!  Hints of fruit in the background, along with a slight earthy tone that mingled with the hazelnuts in way that was agreeable to the olfactory senses.  The brewed tea smells strongly of hazelnuts with notes of earth and a berry note.  

This is a really tasty Pu-erh blend!  The hazelnut flavor is well-defined and stands out.  The earthy notes of the Pu-erh meld with the nutty notes to create this really intense nutty flavor that is quite yummy.  It has a deep and mellow flavor, something that you just want to curl up with and enjoy.

The strawberry notes are not as strongly pronounced as the hazelnut, but, they are sweet with a tart note toward the finish.  I don’t know that I’ve ever had a hazelnut and strawberry blend before, but these two flavors work well together.  There is a creamy backdrop to the cup, and this seems to bring out the cacao flavors a little bit (as does the earthy tones of the Pu-erh and the hazelnut).  If I were to change anything at all about this blend, I’d want a little more chocolate.  But when do I ever want less chocolate?  Never.   More chocolate is always better.

This is really good.  I didn’t brew it the way I traditionally brew a Pu-erh (in my gaiwan) but I did take it for a quick rinse before the first steep, and I do recommend doing this to help wash away some of the stronger earthy qualities of the tea.

I got this tea in my April Selection Club box and I am just thrilled with it!  Wonder what it’s like to get a Selection Club sampler box?  Click here to see what teas I received this month!  Awesome, right?  Well, I’ve got even more good news:  Simple Loose Leaf has a special April promotion.  Get your first month of the Selection Club for just one dollar!  Use this code:  1DOLLARMONTH and enjoy up to five samples of different teas next month for just one dollar!  You can also opt to receive a larger quantity of one or two teas rather than the sampler box that I usually choose. Interested?  Check it out here and enjoy some great teas at a really great price next month.

Strawberry Seduction Black Tea from Shanti Tea

strawberry-seduction

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Shanti Tea

Tea Description:

Think of a big jucy strawberry covered in warm liquid chocolate. Sounds delicious, right? Now think of that taste captured in a warm cuppa black tea. Completely irresistible? We thought so too.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

Ohhhh YUMmmmm!

Chocolate covered strawberries!

Forgive me a moment as I sit here and indulge in this yummy tea!

The aroma wafting from my teacup is that of chocolate and berry, with notes of earthy black tea.  Shanti Tea has managed to capture the essence of chocolate covered strawberries in this Strawberry Seduction Black Tea quite well.  It not only smells like a strawberry that has just been dunked in chocolate fondue, but, it also tastes like that chocolate enrobed strawberry has been liquefied and stirred into a cup of rich, satisfying black tea.

There is a nice amount of chocolate to this cup (sure, it could use more, but, then, that’s the chocoholic in me talking!  As it is, it has a fair amount of chocolate, but, more chocolate always equals better), and the strawberry notes are not overpowered by the chocolate or the black tea.  There is a good balance of flavors here.

The strawberry is sweet with a barely there tart note at the finish.  (You know that little tingly feeling you get on your tongue after you’ve eaten a fresh, ripe berry?  Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about.)  It’s a very flavorful strawberry note, I like that it doesn’t taste like fake strawberry.  The black tea is not overly assertive, but, it is strong enough to stand up and be tasted as I sip this tea.  Strong … but not overpowering in any way.

Overall, this tea is a real winner – if you like chocolate covered strawberries, this is a tea you should try!

Strawberries & Sham-pag-nee Black Tea Blend from Cuppa Crew Tea Company

Strawberries &amp Sham-Pag-Nee from Cuppa Crew Tea Company

Tea Information:

Leaf Type: Black

Where to Buy: Cuppa Crew Tea Company

Tea Description:

Skip the “real” bubbly and go with this gorgeous tea instead!

We start with our Margaret’s Hope 2nd Flush Darjeeling – the “champagne” of teas – and add a touch of wild strawberries and whipped cream for a cuppa that’s fantastic hot or cold and with or without cream and sugar. You’ll love figuring out which way of prepping it you like best!

A perfect tea to enjoy with (or in spite of) that special someone….

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

This is a tea I’ve been wanting to try since I read my SororiTea Sister Azzrian’s review of it, because it sounded so incredibly yummy!  And my sister was so lovely to send me a sampling of the tea.  Thanks, Azzrian!

This Strawberries & Sham-pag-nee Black Tea Blend from Cuppa Crew Tea Company is different from just about every other strawberry tea that I’ve tasted (and I’ve tasted quite a few).  And the most notable difference between this tea and other strawberry flavored offerings out there is that the black tea base used for this blend is a Margaret’s Hope 2nd Flush Darjeeling!

The Darjeeling gives this tea a lighter body than the typical Ceylon or other black tea leaf would, and this lighter quality lends a very lively, “bubbly” kind of character to the cup.  The Darjeeling is a tad on the astringent side, so I would recommend brewing this tea at a slightly lower temperature (I usually go with 195°F for a black Darjeeling), and brewing it for 2 – 2 1/2 minutes.  This will keep it from becoming too astringent.  The tea still has a dry quality to it, similar to what you might experience when drinking a dry wine.  (Note:  I also find that this tea benefits from a minute or two of cooling time so that the flavors can develop)

And the tea does have a wine-like quality to it (hints of muscatel!) and I find that this is very complementary to the strawberry notes.  The strawberry is delightfully sweet and offers hints of tartness to it too.  There is a creamy undertone to the cup as well, and this adds to the sweetness.

A very lovely and unique strawberry flavored tea.  I really enjoyed this one.

Nutty & Sweet SororiTEA from Uniq Teas

Nutty & Sweet SororiTEA from Uniq Teas
Nutty & Sweet SororiTEA from Uniq Teas

Tea Information:

Leaf Type: Genmaicha, Green

Where to Buy: Uniq Teas

Tea Description:

Delicious nutty genmaicha blended with sweet succulent strawberry green tea. This is Azzrian’s blend. Azzrian loves genmaicha, and strawberry teas are her weakness, so she combined the two. A mix of nutty and sweet, just like her!

Blend

55% Genmai-cha / 45% Strawberry Orchid

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

A huge Thank you goes out to Uniq Teas for giving me a chance to create my own blend!

Nutty & Sweet SororiTEA from Uniq Teas is a blend of two of my favorite things, Genmaicha and Strawberries!

I love a good genmaicha, and I adore the fresh sweet flavor of strawberries. Combined it is the most wonderful flavor you can imagine! In some ways it reminds me of a Long Island Strawberry Tea, which is one of my summer staples! It has that really ripe, fresh, and not overly sweet strawberry flavor.

If you are looking for a strawberry flavor that is intensely sweet to the point of almost cloying, or an artificial soda pop flavor of strawberry then this tea is not for you. This is something very natural tasting, very refreshing, and of course add to that the genmaicha, which is savory, nutty, green, etc … its just delicious!

I named my tea to reflect my personality which is somewhat nutty, somewhat sweet, but perhaps not too much of either on its own. I also can certainly be bitter from time to time so you want to be sure that you steep my tea blend correctly or it could, like me, get a little snappy! It is fresh (I can be a little fresh at times) and refreshing, (I would like to think I can be) with its grassy natural flavors, (I do love nature), and excellent cooled or iced. Also like LiberTEA, and TeaEqualsBliss, who also created and named their own blends, I wanted my tea blend to represent our Sisterhood! It is the perfect blend when you want to get some grounding earthy goodness or when you want to feel rejuvenated!

See TeaEqualsBliss’s review and her tea here. See LiberTEA’S review and her tea here.

I love my blend and now you have a chance to win a custom blend of your own! Check it out here.

Strawberry Cascade Tea from White August Tea Company

Tea Type: White Tea

Where To Buy: White August Tea Company

Product Description:

Awe-inspiring bai mu dan white tea, overflowing with strawberries, rose petals and creamy coconut. The perfect compliment to the perfect day.

Tasters Review:

The smell of this is unique…it’s sort of hard to explain but I would try by saying the rose comes thru more than the other ingredients but you can tell there are other ingredients within this mix…something slightly fruity but not very identifiable based on aroma alone…I think that is because the coconut fragrance interrupts the fruit and the rose overpower both the coconut and the strawberry.   But the aroma is lovely, regardless!

The taste is really wonderful!

The white tea flavor hits you and the strawberry is the prominent flavor on the tongue but it’s still somewhat mellow and isn’t tart at all! The rose comes thru a little too and the coconut takes the back seat but seems to step up to the plate a little more as it cools.

What a beautiful, gently flavored, tasty White Tea!  I really like this!
It’s a great cup – both HOT and COLD!!!

I’m a fan of  Strawberry Cascade from White August Tea Company and I must say I haven’t met a White August Tea I haven’t liked so far!  They have a wonderful selection and LOTS of tasty teas!  They are quickly becoming a tea company suggest to many of my friends!