Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Samovar Tea Lounge
Tea Description:
Hand-picked, sun dried for three days, baked, then cured. Woody hints of roasted hazelnuts, and sweet corn. Lingering notes of hot cocoa. A golden infusion to soothe monkey mind. Explore the darkest of the white teas.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I really enjoy white tea in the summer evenings. White tea seems to have a natural cooling effect, and even when I drink it hot, it seems to make me feel a little more comfortable on these hot summer nights. And this Organic Bai Mudan White Tea from Samovar Tea Lounge is really lovely.
It’s very interesting to me that I’ve tried many different Bai Mu Dan teas from many different tea companies, but, even as many as I’ve tasted, I still notice different flavors. The tea may be the same “type” of white tea, but, the flavors that the tea leaves produce from one company to another are different. This particular Bai Mudan has a lovely chocolate-y finish that I don’t think I’ve tasted in other Bai Mu Dan teas.
There is a richness to this tea – even though it is a delicate white tea – a pleasing earthiness that has a slight toasty taste to it. It is as though I can taste the sun in this tea … I can taste a sun roasted flavor like warm hay that has been lightly baked in the summer sun.
The description above suggests woody notes, hazelnuts, and corn … and while I don’t taste a “sweet corn” taste exactly, I do taste a sweet, nutty flavor and I can see how someone might suggest a “sweet corn” flavor from that. It’s sweet, but not in a fruity or a floral tone … more like a sweet nutty tone with notes of vegetation.
A very enjoyable cuppa.
Mt. Hood Vanilla from Townshend’s Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Townshend’s Tea
Tea Description:
A crisp black tea from Sri Lanka with the added flavor of smooth vanilla bean. A gentle everyday hot tea, or a smooth and quenching iced tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’m sure I’ve mentioned this more than once, but I do love Townshend’s Tea. I often refer to it as a “Starbucks” for tea (because, let’s face it, when it comes to tea, Starbucks falls flat) because it has that same comfortable, lounge-y kind of feel, in fact, I find it more comfortable/lounge-y. And not just because of the tea. The whole vibe there is much more relaxed. Sort of like tea itself. Sure, tea has caffeine, but because of the polyphenols in tea, you get a gentle, steady delivery of the caffeine to your system instead of that coffee jolt.
Photo from Wikipedia. Click on the pic to go there.
And while you do have to be in Portland to take in the relaxed atmosphere of Townshend’s Tea, you don’t have to be in Portland to enjoy their teas. They sell their teas online! I ordered this tea online because I was unsure when I’d be able to visit their store, and I really wanted to try this tea. Mt. Hood – while I’ve not been there, but hopefully will visit soon! – it is something that touches me daily with its breathtaking views. On some cloudy days, it appears to be floating in the clouds. On clear days, it looks so cold yet beautifully serene.
The first time I tried this, I found it a bit lacking in something. It was still very enjoyable: sweet, creamy and smooth. But, I felt like it was missing something. I wanted a stronger black tea base. And while I am now drinking from the same package of tea that I had tried that first time, I am finding this cup to be more satisfying than it was the first time around.
Even though the black tea is still not as bold as I think I’d like it to be, I am discovering more of a malty tone today than I remember tasting previously. It’s still sweet, creamy and smooth … and this malty note adds a nice dimension and a more satisfying mouthfeel to the cup. I guess I just needed to try it again … maybe I didn’t use enough leaf last time. Who knows?
It was good the first time, but now it is REALLY good! I’m really enjoying this. It makes a great tea to enjoy in the afternoon. It’s not quite strong enough for a breakfast tea, unless you are looking for something a little more gentle for your mornings. A beautiful tea that celebrates some of the beauty of Oregon.
Strawberry Sencha from Tea Chai Té
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Tea Chai Té
Tea Description:
This Japanese sencha tea is flavored with bits of strawberry, creating a strong aroma reminiscent of frolicking in the buff, hand in hand with your lover, through a strawberry patch.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
On Tuesday, my dear husband took me out for lunch in the Sellwood neighborhood in Portland, and after lunch, he pulled up directions to the new Tea Chai Té in the neighborhood and asked me if I wanted to go. Yes, I proclaimed quite enthusiastically!
I have tried teas from Tea Chai Té, but I haven’t actually been to either location (they have another location on 23rd Street in Portland). So, I was really excited to check out this tea lounge. This establishment is an old, red train caboose turned into a tea lounge. This is not one of those fancy tea houses (although I like those too), this is a lounge, complete with a comfortable, casual atmosphere where people were reading their tablets and browsing the internet on their laptops.
I had ordered a 20 oz. cup of this tea iced, as well as purchased a 1 ounce loose leaf package to take with me. And while I did enjoy the tea that they made for me at Tea Chai Té (and the guy who worked the counter was so pleasant), I have to admit that I’m finding this cup that I made myself to be much better than the one that was made for me. This tastes stronger than that one did, so I suspect that either they should have made a more concentrated brew before icing it.
This is amazing. The Sencha tastes and feels smooth and buttery. The green tea offers a barely-there grassy note in the distance, while allowing the strawberry flavor to be the focus of this cup.
The straberry melds deliciously with the aforementioned buttery tones, giving it an almost berries and cream kind of quality. Sweet, juicy strawberry flavor that tastes very authentic – like someone had liquified a fresh, ripe strawberry and added it to my teacup. YUM!
Creamy Toffee from Kaleisia Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Kaleisia Tea
Tea Description:
This caramel and black tea blend delivers a bold and robust brew.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve often said that my three favorite “flavors” for tea are chocolate, bergamot and jasmine (not necessarily in that order). But if I were to list my four favorite flavors, I think caramel would be the fourth, only narrowly missing the mark as one of the top three. In fact, I think there is a part of me that probably prefers caramel flavored tea better than chocolate flavored tea because the sweetness of the caramel seems to go so perfectly with the flavor of tea (especially black tea) but the chocoholic in me won’t let caramel over-ride the chocolate. It’s an internal battle that I must contend with daily.
So, when I found this tea that promised me a creamy, caramel-y toffee flavor with a robust black tea, I couldn’t resist … I had to try it!
And this tea does deliver what it promised! This cup is rich and delicious, with lots of sweet, caramel-y flavor. The black tea is a good, solid black tea – perhaps not the most robust tea I’ve ever tasted, but, it provides a good background for the toffee flavor. I like that it is sweet and creamy without additions, however, if you wish to enhance the creaminess a bit, try adding a splash of milk or cream.
This is the first tea that I’ve tried from Kaleisia, and I’m quite pleased with what I’ve tasted. It makes a delectable dessert tea, and even a nice breakfast tea … for those of us who like to have our dessert first thing in the morning!