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Mar 31

Organic Plum Berry from Rishi Tea

Flavored Tea,Rishi Tea,Tea Review,White Tea 4:00 pm | No Comments

Organic Plum Berry from Rishi TeaWhat a beautiful blend!

The aroma is quite fruity, it smells like fruit punch.  It also tastes a bit like fruit punch.  The plum flavor tastes a bit “candied” to me.  It is a sweet plum taste, but it is nonetheless quite tasty.  The berry flavor is sweet with a lingering tangy note.

Even with the hibiscus in this blend, I wouldn’t categorize it as overly tart.  It is a little tart, but the tartness comes more from the berry flavor than from the hibiscus, in my opinion.  The hibiscus does lend a deep, rosy hue to the cup, making it a lovely tea to serve in a clear glass teacup, if you have one.

The white tea is pretty discreet in this blend.  It does not present a strong flavor to the cup, but it is there, sitting off in the background.  It has a delicate, light taste.

Rishi Tea describes this blend as

A blend of white teas combined with succulent plum and wild forest berries. It’s juicy with a deep ruby colored infusion that’s tart, fruity and naturally refreshing.

The overall cup is very juicy tasting.  This is one that kids would enjoy with all the fruit flavors going on – try serving this the next time you’d like your kids to join you for some tea!  For me, though, I would rather this tea have a little more tea flavor and a little less fruit flavor.  It’s not bad, but it’s not my favorite either.  It is still very tasty, and would make a very refreshing iced tea for those long, hot summer days that are approaching.  Cheers!



liber-teas
liber-teas
http://hungryinportland.com


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Mar 31

Divine Temple from Georgia Tea Company

Flavored Tea,Georgia Tea Company,Green Tea,Tea Review,White Tea 8:00 am | No Comments

Divine Temple from Georgia Tea CompanyThis tea sure has a lot going on, but it tastes great!  The raw leaf smells sweet and fruity, and that smell tapers off a little after brewing.

The flavor is definitely fruity!  With all the fruit flavors going on, it’s a little difficult to discern one from another as it seems to become one homogenized flavor.  However, I can detect notes of cherry and berry, as well as citrus-y orange flavors.  There is a background tropical note that is sometimes pineapple-y and sometimes mango/papaya-ish.

But, let’s not forget about the tea.  Even with all of these fruity flavors, the tea flavors are definitely present.  The green tea is most prominent even though the white tea is the first tea listed in the ingredients.   That doesn’t surprise me though, because green is typically a stronger tea flavor than white.  The white tea is there too, just softer in taste.  The overall tea flavor is crisp and fresh tasting with hints of somewhat grassy vegetation.

My personal favorite flavor point in this diverse blend of teas and fruits is the jasmine.  It is oh-so-subtle, but, it is certainly is lovely.  The jasmine note is delicate and brings a feminine touch to this delicious jumble of flavors.

Georgia Tea Company describes this blend as

A favorite among our customers! With fruit taste, truly a great white and green tea blend!

Ingredients:  white tea China Pai Mu Tan, green tea Darjeeling, green tea China -Fog Tea, -Sencha, -Lung Ching, -Gunpowder, -Jasmine, -Jasmine Jade Pearls, candied mango bits (mango, sugar), candied pineapple bits (pineapple, sugar), candied papaya bits (papaya, sugar), flavoring, orange peels, strawberry bits, red currants, sour cherry bits, apricot bits

I highly recommend this blend from Georgia Tea Company, it’s absolutely delicious!  While I was writing this review, I noticed that this blend is currently sold out, let’s hope that it becomes available again soon!

I prefer this one iced (although it’s quite tasty hot too)… it’s just so refreshing as an iced tea that it certainly makes it worth the wait to let it cool.  This one rates very high on the YUM scale!  I love it!



liber-teas
liber-teas
http://hungryinportland.com


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Mar 30

Ginger Peach Tea from The Boston Tea Company

Black Tea,Flavored Tea,Tea Review,The Boston Tea Co 11:00 pm | No Comments

Ginger Peach Tea from The Boston Tea CompanyThis tea surprised me with the very first sip!  The ginger is very zesty in that first sip, and hit my palate with a wallop!  After that first sip, though, the ginger evens out and even softens significantly to become more of a strong yet well-balanced presence in the cup.

The black tea is a pleasantly brisk, solid tea that has a well-rounded flavor and a nice sweetness that plays off the  peachy tones very nicely.

In that aforementioned first sip, I didn’t taste much of the peach… but now as I’m continuing to sip, the peach has developed into a rather strong note.  Strong, but not overwhelming.  The ginger and peach are very complimentary to each other, with a little zesty pepper taste from the ginger, and a lovely, smooth peachy overtone.

The Boston Tea Company/Bentley’s Finest Tea describes this blend as

Get a tasty zing from a touch of ginger to some pleasing peach marvelously mixed with our premium high-grown blend of Chinese and Indian black tea. It’s the perfect pair that presents a powerful punch to perk up your sleepy little taste buds! This zippy flavor stores well in our convenient and sleek black tin. Open it and brew this zestful blend, again and again! Drink a cup of royalty with Bentley’s Finest Tea!

This rewarding, full-bodied tea is deliciously comforting when consumed hot, and quite refreshing and thirst-quenching when served iced!  I find that a tiny drizzle of honey goes a long way with this blend, bringing out some of the softer notes in this tea without overpowering the gentle sweetness that this tea already possesses.   A very yummy tea, indeed!



liber-teas
liber-teas
http://hungryinportland.com


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Mar 29

No. 33 Chai from Steven Smith Teamaker

Black Tea,Chai Tea,Flavored Tea,Steven Smith Teamaker,Tea Review 4:00 pm | No Comments

No. 33 Chai from Steven Smith TeamakerOn my last trip to Steven Smith’s tea shop in Portland, I picked up this chai (among a couple of others).  I absolutely love a good spiced chai blend and trying Steven Smith’s Chai was definitely at the top of my list.

The dry leaf is very pretty.  I like the addition of the pink peppercorns, they add a bright punch of color.  The aroma is warm with spice.

This is a very hearty, full-flavored chai.  The Assam tea is rich and malty and strong enough to not only be tasted amongst the strong spices, but to dominate the spices!

That’s not to say that the spices do not hold their own, because they do.  I can taste the spices, but I like that I can first and foremost taste the tea.  The spice blend is well-balanced with no particular spice overwhelming the cup.  The ginger, pepper and cinnamon are in perfect harmony, adding some pleasant heat without being too spicy.  The cardamom and cloves provide an excellent background flavor.

Steven Smith Teamaker describes this chai as

To Indians, chai means sweetly spiced tea served with foamed milk. Ours combines second flush Assam teas with pungent ginger root, cassia, black pepper, cloves and cardamom to create a rich and spicy brew worthy of any chai wallah.

This full-bodied chai is a very pleasing blend, one that I would recommend to even those who usually shy away from chai because they fear it will be too spicy.  Because the emphasis here is on the second-flush Assam tea, I don’t think that this comes across as too spicy.  It is robust, to be sure, but, it is not overly spiced.

I found this to be especially rewarding served hot with honey, latte style with a generous splash of warm milk.  It’s quite good without the milk too, but, I prefer it with the milk.  I love a good chai latte, and with this chai from Steven Smith as the base, this delightful treat blows away those overly sweet chai latte beverages from the coffee shop.  This is delicious!



liber-teas
liber-teas
http://hungryinportland.com


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Mar 29

Piña Colada from 52 Teas

52 Teas,Flavored Tea,Green Tea,Tea Review 8:00 am | No Comments

Pina Colada from 52 TeasThis is a very authentic Piña Colada flavored green tea from 52 Teas!  They start with a crisp grassy green tea base, created from a combination of Chun Mee, young  Hyson, and Chinese Sencha which has a perfect balance of mellow and astringent flavors.

To this base they added huge chunks of dried pineapple and coconut, and a lovely overall “pina colada” flavoring which tastes like a real piña colada.  I found that adding coconut milk to this tea is an incredible treat.  Check the milk aisle – or possibly the sugar & spices aisle (in Wal-Mart I’ve also found it with the alcohol mixes near the liquor dept.) – for coconut milk at your local grocer’s – it’s a gotta-have for this tea!

52 Teas describes this tea as:

If you thought our award-winning Piña Colada Honeybush was good, wait till you get to try THIS!

We blended some of the finest green teas we had–some chun mee, young hyson supreme and a smaller portion of Japanese sencha for balance with real dried pineapple, our honking big coconut flakes and all natural flavors. This is going to blow you away. I was thinking really hard about not offering two green teas in a row, but this is so amazing I couldn’t resist.

Best served with a touch of sweetener, and with or without milk (as I said above, coconut milk is the way to go for this particular blend!  This also makes a heck of an excellent iced tea for summertime.  Now that spring is finally here, it’s time to start enjoying good iced teas again, and this Piña Colada green tea makes a crisp, refreshing iced green tea.



The Tea Guru
The Tea Guru
http://www.teareviewblog.com


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Mar 27

Rwandan Black Tea from Stash Tea

Black Tea,Stash Tea,Tea Review,Unflavored Tea 8:00 am | No Comments

Rwandan Black Tea from Stash TeaThe aroma of this tea is very inviting.  I can smell notes of dark chocolate, fruit, honey and a distant floral note.

The flavor is so rewarding!  It has a very rich, robust presence and a toothsome quality to it.  The flavor doesn’t taste as chocolate-y as the fragrance would suggest but, it is still very flavorful.  There is a citrus-like background to the fruit notes, with more of a sweet plum taste in the foreground.

The finish is moderately astringent – it is lightly drying but doesn’t leave the palate feeling parched.  Just as the description from Stash suggests (the description is provided below), there is a honey-like aftertaste to this tea.  This enchanting sweetness keeps me coming back for more!

As I continue to sip, I also notice a delicious malty tone to this cup.  There is also a vague hint of smoke that weaves itself in and out of the sip and lingers on the back of the palate in the finish.  Overall, the cup is brisk, smooth, and offers a mellow sweetness that is very enjoyable.

Stash Tea describes this tea as

Named after the central African country where it is grown, this tea is produced by the orthodox method, at an elevation of approximately 2000 meters in the northern part of the country. Rwanda is landlocked but is noted for its lakes. Although close to the equator, the country has a temperate climate due to its high elevation. Rwanda is known for its rare mountain gorillas, made famous by conservationist Dian Fossey and the movie, Gorillas in the Mist. This black tea is made in the style of low grown Ceylons with tightly twisted chocolate-colored leaves that produce an amber cup with a medium-body and astringency. This tea has a pleasant sweetness with a honey-like aftertaste. Infuse for 3-5 minutes with boiling water. Good for a second infusion.

I enjoyed this cup hot and each measurement of leaves produces two very flavorful infusions.   In fact, I found the second infusion to be even sweeter and more delicious than the first, so it is definitely worth the effort to steep this tea twice!  I like it straight without any additions, but it is equally as nice with a little bit of sugar if you like your tea sweet.  It is also quite good with a thin slice of citrus fruit and I like how this brings out the citrus-like qualities of the tea.  It also is a very refreshing iced tea!



liber-teas
liber-teas
http://hungryinportland.com


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Mar 26

Apples and Snowflakes from Karma Blends

Flavored Tea,Karma Blends,Tea Review,White Tea 8:00 am | 1 Comment

Apples and Snowflakes from Karma BlendsThis is a stunning tea blend from Karma Blends!  When I first saw the tea I knew I was in for a treat. Whole, tippy white tea leaves were blended with huge chunks of peppermint candy, mint leaves, chunks of dried apples, and the occasional clove bud.

The scent is light and minty, very refreshing…the aroma of this tea is a great pick-me-up first thing in the morning!   The flavor was just as yummy as I had anticipated, with the lovely mint flavors sharing center stage with the light juicy flavor of the apples.   The white tea base is a mild, almost floral touch in the background, and the cloves providing a hint of warmth amongst the other, brighter flavors in this tea.

Karma Blends describes this tea as:

Add romance to your day with our Apples and Snowflakes. Inspired by the season of fall, just the aroma of this tea is enough to put you in another world. Flakes of white mint candy add a sweet touch. We promise you will replace your apple cider with this one!

The Tea Tale – A warm drink in winter is not just about the drink or its temperature. Its about the aroma, the experience, the company, and the mood. And that is just what this tea is about. We created this one on our company ski trip to Vermont. Each ingredient was contributed by a different member. True Tea-m work as we call it. We must not forget to mention that this one kept us great warm company through the season!

Ingredients :- White Tea, Cloves, Mint, Apple, Mint Candy.

This is indeed a fine tea for fall or winter and is best served hot as I think chilling it would really distract from a lot of the more delicious subtle nuances in the flavors such as the warm clove and floral notes in the white tea leaves.  I added a touch of sweetener for a really lovely sweet minty fresh blend, but would not recommend milk for a tea such as this (I have yet to meet a white tea that wasn’t completely overwhelmed by milk, white teas should simply not be served with milk products).   Overall a very delicious flavored white tea from Karma Blends!



The Tea Guru
The Tea Guru
http://www.teareviewblog.com


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