Tea - Loose Leaf Tea - Ramblings

Archive for October, 2008

Background:
TeaGschwendner has very high quality teas. The others I have sampled have been extraordinary. With anticipation I look forward to trying this flavored white. I enjoy strawberry flavored whites. I have tried at least two other ones from different manufacturers. This will be interesting to compare. The sample clearly had whole dried strawberries in the tea. The smell of the tea was not particularly strawberry like but rather had a sweet fruit component which must be from the flavoring. The white tea leaves look absolutely wonderful.

Brewing:
Brewed for about 4 minutes with two teaspoons for about 10 ounces of water.

Taste/Impressions:
A faint smell of strawberries is distinct in the brewed tea. It is interesting how the strawberry is such a small part of the overall taste. The tea has a wonderful white tea base. Clearly this is a very high quality tea. White tea has a delicate flavor that makes a nice compliment to many flavors. The strawberry flavoring is a wonderful compliment to white tea. In this example, the flavors are nicely balanced. The strawberry comes through late in the taste profile. The initial and middle part of each taste is mostly white tea in my opinion.

I wonder whether other companies use as high a quality white tea base as TeaGschwendner does. I think it makes a difference. Blends are interesting. I like them, but it can be hard getting them right. Well this is one that has.
Conclusion:
I like this tea. This has already made to purchase list for my next order. This has a nice tea flavor with a nice addition of strawberry. A well formulated blend that I recommend. Not to strong on the strawberry with a nice white tea. Enjoy.

David_A
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This herbal blend from Tavalon includes Chamomile, Peppermint, Lemongrass, Rooibos and Vanilla. As a rule, I’m not usually very fond of chamomile teas, so when I saw how full of chamomile my sample was, I was afraid I might be disappointed in this one. But, once I opened my sample and took a rather large whiff, I was pleased to note that the peppermint was much more of a player than I had imagined. So having opened my mind for more than just a basic chamomile, I brewed a large mug and sat back to enjoy all that Serenity had to offer. First off, the chamomile and peppermint seemed to join effortlessly, making both more appealing to me. The lemongrass was noted more as an afterthought once I had completed a sip. While I didn’t specifically taste the rooibos or vanilla, I do believe that they both worked to mellow out the chamomile. In addition to the other things I have read about rooibos, it is said to help with allergies and headaches. As a sufferer of both, I am always looking to add rooibos to my day. The peppermint seemed to be the ingredient that made this herbal stand above many of the others that I have tried. It is truly a relaxing blend.

While a cup of tea certainly can’t solve all of life’s problems, this one at least helped me to put them on the back burner for tonight. I would highly recommend Serenity to fans of herbals, especially peppermint and to anyone like myself who really isn’t sure they enjoy chamomile.

Cindy
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TeaGschwendner has a pretty good track record with me so far. I’ve liked everything that I’ve tried from them and have even placed an order for some of their teas. However, when I read the description of this one, I was a little nervous as to whether or not I would even want to finish the cup because some of the ingredients in this blend are ones that I really like and some I don’t, so it just really depends on what dominates in the cup as to whether I would like this. I am hopeful, though, because this blend did place as a Top 5 Mint Blend under $15 at the World Tea Championship.

Ok, so what are the tea ingredients you might be wondering? They are lemon grass, mint, raspberry leaves, cardamom, licorice, mallow petals and rose petals. There are few ingredients in the middle that I don’t care for sometimes–especially licorice! My sample kinda resembles grass clippings with a few wildflowers. It is actually kinda pretty. TeaGschwendner’s website is brief in its description of Pitta “A slightly sweet spice and herb blend that is fresh and lemony.” When I open the sample bag, the primary thing that I smell is mint.

It steeps up to pretty lemon color and smells mostly like lemons and mint. When the brew was hot, I would say that it mostly just tasted fresh–like a lemon flavored mint. I could taste a note of licorice, but that was not a dominating flavor making this a decent cup for me. However, I found myself wanting the lemongrass to stand out a little more in the blend. It is refreshing, and I would say palate cleansing. It is drinkable without sugar but I decided to sweeten it with some rock cane sugar to see how that changed the flavors. Unfortunately, I think it actually brought out more licorice taste or that flavor just became more pronounced as it cooled.

Pitta was an interesting cup. There is not an overwhelmingly lemony or minty taste and I kinda wanted one of them to dominate the cup a bit more. The licorice taste was subtle at first, but became more pronounced as I drank it. I am not a fan of the licorice flavor, and in many blends, I probably would have not been able to finish the cup. After I drank this I found that my mouth felt like I had just finished brushing my teeth. This is not a favorite of mine but I would recommend it to those that like licorice teas and are also fond of lemongrass and mint.

Laura
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Background:
The tea sample I received came in a paper bag (almost resembling a large tea bag) with a modern pyramid sachet inside. I checked out the website (http://www.choiceorganicteas.com/) which states that they use organic ingredients and follow “Fair Trade” practices which involve a living wage and usually some form of ownership for the workers. It is a good social justice practice for certain parts of the world where some labor practices can be very unfair.
The ingredients are Chamomile, orange peel, hibiscus, lemon myrtle, and citrus flavor. The aroma is very light and airy. I actually smelled scents of chocolate, which did not mesh with the list of ingredients. The citrus and hibiscus come through ever so slightly.

Brewing:
Fully boiled water stood for about 3 minutes before steeping 6 minutes. I made a large cup for the one sachet so I let it stand the maximum recommended time.

Taste/Impressions:
Even as the tea steeped it was possible to pick up the scent of citrus. Even while hot the first taste of tea has a distinct lemon/citrus taste to it. Not overpowering but clearly there. The hibiscus comes through after the initial taste hits the mouth. At least hot the tea does not have a long lasting taste. As long I had the tea in my mouth the citrus was available in the taste but vanished as soon as I swallowed. For me it seems a bit “watered” down, not quite strong enough. I like the flavors and the blend but I do wish it were stronger. Chamomile and citrus flavors go well together. I hoped as the tea cooled off the flavors would be more predominant but the hope never materialized. Overall sort of watered down. I am not sure whether such a light taste was intended or not.

Conclusion:
The tea is an interesting blend of potentially good flavors and balance but just not strong or hearty enough. This tea would really shine if the flavors came through stronger. If you like very light herbal teas then this one may suit you very well.

David_A
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If you are a fan of Chai tea (Indian black tea blend), I strongly suggest trying Tavalon’s Kama Chai Sutra. Your getting a mild cup of Chai when steeped for 5 minutes. I like my Chai a bit on the strong side. In order to get that strong punch I resort to cooking it over the stove top. I first add my tea to cold water, and let the water come to a full boil. I will boil for around 30 seconds and then take off the heat and then strain. This will produce a much more flavorful spicy cup. I love my Chai to be dark and strong.

As this tea starts to cool, I will then add enough sweetened condensed milk to suit me. I normally add about 2 tablespoons per six ounces. When drinking Kama Chai Sutra on it’s own, I am able to really enjoy it without any milk or sugar. Alone it tastes earthy with a strong , cloves, cinnamon, and ginger feel to it. When you add the sweetened condensed milk, it brings out a vanilla flavor and tends to blend all of the spices together a bit more. After this tea cools down a bit, I will then add ice and serve in tall glasses. Wow, Is that ever so delicious! This tea can be enjoyed cold or hot, with or without additives. I love teas that are versatile.

Tavalon’s Kama Chai Sutra is not as spicy as some of the others, however, this blend is so smooth, and has a perfect balance. I don’t sense any bitterness, even if I go past that 30 seconds in boiling. If you haven’t tried this blend and you are a lover of Chai tea, I highly suggest trying.

Barbara
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I really enjoy a good fruity herbal tea. I love the bright flavors and cheery colors the blends yield. However, I don’t like when a blend relies on hibiscus for most of it’s flavor, and a lot of companies seem to do this. Lucky for me, Tea Guys don’t, or at least not with their strawberry kiwi blend.

Before I get into the review, I want to give the disclaimer that I brewed this up strong. It says on the package it’s for iced tea (two cups), but I didn’t have time for that, and the cup I used is probably closer to one and a half cups.

That being said, this tea is full of bright strawberry and kiwi flavor. With a lot of
strawberry kiwi tea/drinks, you can’t really taste the kiwi at all, the strawberry always dominates. This one is unique in that the strawberry and the kiwi flavors are of equal strength, and they blend wonderfully. Like the flavors of the tea, the sweet to tart ratio is also perfectly balanced.

This is a great blend, perfect for summer. And though I had mine hot, I have no doubt that this will be excellent and refreshing iced as well.

Lea
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I feel compelled to state right from the onset of my review of Revolution’s White Pear Tea that I actually am not a big fan of pear-flavored food and drinks (although I do enjoy pears themselves). My experience has been that many pear flavorings are nauseatingly sweet and artificial and just way off the mark from what a pear truly tastes like. Still, I thought I should be open-minded and sample Revolution’s White Pear Tea. Like all Revolution products, the tea sachet comes in individual servings, each wrapped in its own cellophane-covered cardboard box. This approach can be considered either convenient or environmentally-wasteful, but that topic should be saved for another time. On to the tea review. Upon opening the box, I was hit with a strong pear aroma, and I couldn’t have been more pleased to observe that it was a very natural pear scent. No fake, sugary, candy flavors here. While removing the sachet from the box, I noticed that even though the broken leaves in the sachet were decently sized, there was quite a bit of dust flying around every time I moved the tea bag. The brewed tea retained the pear scent, which was readily detectable in the taste as well. I was pleasantly surprised with the pear flavor, which pleased me both in its natural flavor and perfect balance. I wouldn’t call the pear flavor subtle, but on the other hand it definitely was not an in-your-face overpowering flavor. My main (and only) complaint with this tea, and the reason for the somewhat low rating, is that I found the white tea used as the base to be rather unpleasant. In theory, a delicate white tea is a perfect base for a delicate flavor such as pear. The white tea used here, however, was a little earthier (aka greener) than I was hoping for, and it just clashed with the pear. There was a bit of an awkward aftertaste as a result. This tea was by no means undrinkable, but fell a bit short of my expectations because of the white tea used. Still, Revolution gets points for having a natural and well-balanced pear flavor. I would recommend this tea to those that really like pears and also to enthusiasts of flavored green teas, since the earthiness of this white tea might appeal to green tea lovers.

Vanessa
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I’m actually rather amazed that I liked this tea. Its not that Teas from Rishi are at all suspect, its just that I figured I’d be completely sick of Yunnan Greens by now. I have two or three in my teashelf that I’ve been drinking alot of lately to make some room in there for the new purchases I didn’t need. The green tea’s from Yunnan have a strong grassy flavor thats a bit cruder than some of the more sophisticated Japanese and Chinese greens. Yunnan is one of the many regions that claim to be the first to domesticate Carmelia Sinensis, and you can really taste it in their teas. There’s something primal, and ancient about the flavor, as if they lift all the layers and layers of over-refinement we’ve achieved over the years and bring us back to something that actually tastes like the leaves of a deciduous tree.

This tea is marketed as Organic and Fair Trade, which should probably mean a lot more to me than it does. I’m obsessively ego-centric and could probably ignore any injustice that brings fine tea to my cup, but for people with a properly functioning conscious its got to be a real boon to know that everyone involved got a fair price for their efforts, and that half the countryside wasn’t sprayed in pesticides. Of course for the obsessively moral I’m sure there is something to quibble over in the definitions of Fair Trade and Organic.

One thing about this tea is that its even more sensitive to being over steeped than many of the Green teas I’ve had. This isn’t to say that Green tea isn’t usually a total prima donna, simply that you have to be a little more careful with this one.If you follow the common recommendations for green tea though, you should be fine.

Troy
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“An inspiring “New Style” Chinese White Tea hailing from Fuding county in Fujian Province. Created by a fine plucking of the bud and first leaf in late March or early April, first grade Pai Mu Tan (or White Peony) is distinguished by its high count of silver downy buds. A pale blonde infusion reveals the slightest astringency and subtle acidity with clean notes of chestnut, honey and white flowers.”—TeaGschwendner’s website.

So, I have to admit that I am a fan of a good white tea. Silver Needles, though they are the Cadillac (hey–I’m from the D and that’s what we drive around here) of white teas, tend to be a little too subtle or bland for me. I don’t like to have to try that hard to find the subtle notes. I sometimes get too bored to infuse them more than twice before they need to be discarded. That said, I was huge fan of TeaGschwendner’s Strawberry White and loved that so much that it prompted me to request more of their teas. I also placed an order with them.

First of all, my sample looks beautiful with very little shake and nice size silvery buds. The taste is very mild and delicate. This tea requires careful steeping to get the flavors to peak. There is no bitterness or astringency to be associated with this tea when brewed with care. While mild on the palate this is a stronger white than some I’ve tasted which makes me enjoy it all the more. The first infusion provides a little less nuttiness with pleasant floral after notes. The nutty flavor was brought up a notch in my second infusion and I enjoyed it as much as the first–if not more.

Bottom line–I would have liked to have another white peony to sample this against as I think it would fare pretty well. This is not a bargain priced white, but more of one that I think will appeal to those that seek and are willing to pay for the taste that a quality leaf provides. I think that I prefer this to Silver Needle and this will be given consideration next time I find myself on the market for quality plain white. TeaGschwendner seems to set the bar where quality whites are concerned (they are hit and miss though on their flavored whites).

Laura
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The vender description of the tea is delightfully accurate:
“The robust flavor is equally elegant and complex. Rich and malty character, with subtle notes of ripe cherries, dark prunes, and hints of hazelnuts and honey. Full bodied, dark in the cup, and further enhanced
with a touch of milk or cream. A connoisseur’s breakfast tea.”

The tea drinker is wonderfully introduced to this blend with the deep,
rich, smoky aroma of the tea leaves which act to revive the senses with
their refreshing aromatic presentation.

Upon experiencing the wonderful smell of this tea, one is instantly
reminded of the last calm morning they were able to experience without
being rushed. The scent alone gives the impression that this is indeed a
breakfast tea– one that will revive as well as sooth and offer as a
good morning pick-me-up.

There is a slight tanginess in each sip, which really helps in the
waking up experience. The flavor is full and of good quality so there is no need for any sweetener or creamer additions. The taste is refreshingly clean and reminiscent of a light coffee without the after taste. Basically, a perfect morning blend to start the day.

The vender describes the flavor as “. robust…[that] is equally elegant and complex. Rich and malty character, with subtle notes of ripe cherries, dark prunes, and hints of hazelnuts and honey create an unforgettable tea drinking experience.”

I found the experience to be complex yet subtle, as the description suggests. The tea exuded quality in the elegant balancing of complex flavors. It had a light tone with a refreshing, full flavor with a slight tanginess that allowed one to have a unique breakfast experience.

Without any additives, I found that the hazelnut was the most pronounced
of all the flavors, bringing about the slight tanginess I was referring to. The second most revealing flavor would have to be the cherries.

Sweetener adds nicely to this blend, bringing about some boldness to the
fruit components. The deep, rich prune flavor is far more pronounced. Sweetener gives the tea some more depth as it acts to subdue the tangy
element of the flavor. Milk or creamer also pair very well, bringing about the malt and hazelnut undertones to light.

Vanessa
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