Review: The Boston Tea Company’s Cranberry Lemon Black Tea Chilled

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved.
No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

The Subject:	Cranberry Lemon
Company:	The Boston Tea Company [More info]

Tea type:	Black
Additions:	Cranberry, lemon
Aroma in glass —	Cranberry, lemon
Taste in glass —	Lemon sherbet with some tartness
Needs sweetener?	Yes – a touch
Color in glass —	Amber

 

Comments:
We’ll be trying this tea hot later on but just couldn’t resist steeping up a glassful to try chilled.

With a name like cranberry lemon, expectations are set high. This was more of a lemon sherbet flavoring, though. The cranberry was almost non-existent. If you like lemon sherbet and like to taste it in your tea, this is a good option. Hubby and I both felt that some sweetener would definitely help here. There is also a slightly chalky texture, and hubby got a blueberry flavor impression, again meaning that the name does not match the taste. We would definitely recommend going a bit heavier on the cranberry if that name is to relate to what greets your tongue.

General Info About Chilled/Iced Tea:
Despite what others say, clarity in iced or chilled tea is not a trait to use when judging your tea quality. What matters is the taste and, to a lesser extent depending on the sensitivity of your “sniffer,” the aroma.

When chilling a tea for the first time, I always try it unsweetened. If you want sweetener in the tea, add it while the tea is hot after steeping.

I don’t add ice to tea, since that would require the tea to be steeped stronger than usual to balance out the dilution when the ice melts. I let the hot tea sit on the counter and come to about room temperature, then put it in the refrigerator for a few hours or even overnight.

Disclaimer: This tea was provided by the company named. However, the rating of the tea and any opinions concerning it are always strictly objective.

Review: The Boston Tea Company’s Peach Passion Oolong Tea Chilled

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved.
No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

The Subject:	Peach Passion Oolong
Company:	The Boston Tea Company [More info]

Tea type:	Oolong
Additions:	Peach, sunflowers
Aroma in glass —	Peachy
Taste in glass —	Sunflower flavor dominates
Needs sweetener?	Yes – a touch
Color in glass —	Amber

 

Comments:
We’ll be trying this tea hot later on but just couldn’t resist steeping up a glassful to try chilled.

Once again, though, the name and the tea do not match. Some tea aficionados think that blind tastes tests should be normal. This tea is an example of why that would be a great idea. Without knowing that the tea is called “Peach Passion” and contains peach and sunflowers, you may actually like this tea. The name, however, sets up an expectation of peach flavor, but the tea doesn’t deliver. Instead, the taste is dominated by the sunflowers. There is a slight, sweet aftertaste, but the tea still needs a touch of sweetener, as far as hubby and I are concerned.

General Info About Chilled/Iced Tea:
Despite what others say, clarity in iced or chilled tea is not a trait to use when judging your tea quality. What matters is the taste and, to a lesser extent depending on the sensitivity of your “sniffer,” the aroma.

When chilling a tea for the first time, I always try it unsweetened. If you want sweetener in the tea, add it while the tea is hot after steeping.

I don’t add ice to tea, since that would require the tea to be steeped stronger than usual to balance out the dilution when the ice melts. I let the hot tea sit on the counter and come to about room temperature, then put it in the refrigerator for a few hours or even overnight.

Disclaimer: This tea was provided by the company named. However, the rating of the tea and any opinions concerning it are always strictly objective.

Review: Canton Tea Company’s Ye Sheng Wild White Tea

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved.
No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

The Subject:	Ye Sheng Wild White
Company:	Canton Tea Company. [More info]

Straight Tea Rating:
About the rating designation.
 

Water temperature:	176° F (80° C)
Steeping time:	2-3 mins. (we recommend 2, 2½, & 3 mins.)
Tea type:	White
Dry leaves:	Full and broken, silvery, green, brown; planty aroma

 

1st Infusion:
Steeping times —	2 mins.
Aroma, plain —	Sweet, slightly nutty
Taste, plain —	Smooth feel, lightly planty/nutty
Color, plain —	Pale yellow-green
2nd Infusion:
Steeping times —	2½ mins.
Aroma, plain —	Lighter version of #1
Taste, plain —	Not as smooth, still mild and light
Color, plain —	A bit darker yellow-green
3rd Infusion:
Steeping times —	3 mins.
Aroma, plain —	Lighter than #2
Taste, plain —	Same as #3
Color, plain —	Same as #2

 

Comments:
The pouch used for this tea was made of foil and was heat sealed. Gotta love it! Those tea leaves journeyed all the way from Twickenham, UK, to my P.O. box here in the Southeast U.S., so using a package that blocks light, air, and moisture shows true care on the part of the vendor. Plus, the sample has been patiently waiting its turn to be reviewed, yet when opened, the leaves still had a wonderful, fresh aroma. And the label is clearly marked with steeping recommendation for time and water temperature, although they differ slightly from the vendor’s site (this has been the case with some other vendors, too, so I use what is on the package).

Look at those wonderful tender leaf pieces, many which are whole and the two-leaf-and-a-bud combo, both before and after steeping:

Be sure not to skimp on the amount of leaves used in each infusion. The vendor recommends two teaspoons per cup of water, which is what we used. The tea has such a light flavor that if you use a lesser amount, you will not get the taste this tea is known for (smooth feel, nutty/planty flavor).

For us, this is a tea to sip during a quiet contemplative moment. The fact that it’s also flexible, where you can adjust the strength to suit the depth of your contemplatory mood, is a point in its favor.

Be sure to read the story of this very special and excellent tea on the vendor’s site.

Disclaimer: This tea was provided by the company named. However, the rating of the tea and any opinions concerning it are always strictly objective.

Review: The English Tea Store’s Kambaa Estate Kenyan Tea

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved.
No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

The Subject:	Kambaa Estate Kenyan
Company:	The English Tea Store

Straight Tea Rating:
About the rating designation.

Water temperature:	212° F
Steeping time:	3-5 mins.
Tea type:	Black
Dry leaves:	CTC pieces

1st Infusion:
Steeping time —	5 mins.
Aroma, plain —	Rich, malty
Taste, plain —	Strong, malty, not bitter
Color, plain —	Reddish brown
Taste, enhanced —	Malty, caramelly

Comments:
Tea as a cash crop was introduced to Africa in the 19th century. This tea is from Kenya, which is the 4th largest producer in the world today. The tea leaves were processed using the CTC (“crush, tear, curl”) method, meaning also that they steep up fast. Be aware of this so you can decide how strong you want your “cuppa” to be.

Hubby and I tend to like teas like this a bit stronger and with some milk and sweetener, so we steeped for five minutes. The vendor site says the liquid is bright golden, but ours came out reddish brown and with a wonderful fragrance. Even straight, the tea was not bitter. There was a slight edge, but only slight. It was easily smoothed by the milk.

For those of you who prefer your tea without milk, steep a shorter time (2-3 minutes). You might even get a second steeping from the same batch of tea grounds. This is also a great tea to use for a masala chai (spiced tea).

Whatever your preference, enjoy a robust-tasting cuppa either by itself as a special “me time” treat or with your fave cake, pie, or cookie!

Disclaimer: This tea was provided by the company named. However, the rating of the tea and any opinions concerning it are always strictly objective.

Review: Element Tea’s Pomegranate Green Tea Chilled

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved.
No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

The Subject:	Pomegranate Green
Company:	Element Tea

Tea type:	Green
Additions:	Rosehips, Raspberries, Natural Flavors
Aroma in glass —	Fruity
Taste in glass —	Light, fruity, not tea-ish
Needs sweetener?	Maybe
Color in glass —	Amber

Comments:

We tried this tea hot and also wanted to try it chilled. Definitely not a disappointment. Hubby found the cold version quite refreshing as is but thought a bit of sweetener wouldn’t hurt. I liked it straight, but there is a bit of an aftertaste that is not pleasant while certainly not being a turn off. The flavor is not overly fruity and also not overly “green” tasting (planty, vegetal, whatever term you choose).

Worth a try, especially if you like a fruit-flavored tea without being overwhelmed by the fruitiness.

General Info About Chilled/Iced Tea:
Despite what others say, clarity in iced or chilled tea is not a trait to use when judging your tea quality. What matters is the taste and, to a lesser extent depending on the sensitivity of your “sniffer,” the aroma.

When chilling a tea for the first time, I always try it unsweetened. If you want sweetener in the tea, add it while the tea is hot after steeping.

I don’t add ice to tea, since that would require the tea to be steeped stronger than usual to balance out the dilution when the ice melts. I let the hot tea sit on the counter and come to about room temperature, then put it in the refrigerator for a few hours or even overnight.

Disclaimer: This tea was provided by the company named. However, the rating of the tea and any opinions concerning it are always strictly objective.

Review: Element Tea’s Pomegranate Green Tea

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved.
No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

The Subject:	Pomegranate Green
Company:	Element Tea. [More info]

Flavored Tea Rating:

About the rating designation.

Flavorings work with tea?	Yes
Tea can be tasted?	No
Flavor blend balanced?	No

Water temperature:	160° F
Steeping time:	3 mins.
Tea type:	Green
Additions:	Rosehips, Raspberries, Natural Flavors
Dry leaves:	Broken pieces, dark green, plus chunks of rosehips. Fresh aroma, mainly of raspberry and rosehips.

1st Infusion:
Steeping time —	3 mins.
Aroma, plain —	Fruity, floral
Taste, plain —	Mainly fruity/floral, not much tea flavor
Color, plain —	Rosy
2nd Infusion:
Steeping time —	3 mins.
Aroma, plain —	Lighter
Taste, plain —	Lighter
Color, plain —	Same

Comments:
Not sure why this tea is called pomegranate green since it has rosehips and raspberries in it. Strange. Hubby and I tried this tea hot first, then chilled some overnight to see how it would be (we’ll post the results here later). While hubby loves it, I’m still undecided. It has a floral quality that doesn’t quite agree with me. The flavor is mild, though, and the overall taste of the tea is smooth. You can drink this tea straight and feel quite satisfied. The tea taste, however, is totally overwhelmed by the raspberry and rosehips.

We opened the foil-lined pack and saw a lovely sight: tea leaf pieces of the typical size, shape, and color for this tea type. Not a bunch of tea dust!

For you floral and raspberry lovers out there, give this tea a try. For those of you who want the subtlety of green teas, you'd do better to stick with the straight ones, not this.

Disclaimer: This tea was provided by the company named. However, the rating of the tea and any opinions concerning it are always strictly objective.

Review: The Tea and Jazz House’s “The Carter” Tea

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved.
No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

The Subject:	The Carter
Company:	The Tea and Jazz House [More info]

Flavored Tea Rating:



About the rating designation.

Flavorings work with tea?	Yes
Tea can be tasted?	A little
Flavor blend balanced?	Not quite

Water temperature:	190° F
Steeping time:	3-5 mins.
Tea type:	Per vendor, her supplier says it is Pu-erh
Additions:	Orange peel
Dry leaves:	Large broken pieces, dark color, real orange rind pieces, strong orange aroma

1st Infusion:
Steeping time —	3 mins.
Aroma, plain —	Tangerine, slightly smoky
Taste, plain —	Smooth, not bitter, orange/smoky, tangy
Color, plain —	Dark amber
2nd Infusion:
Steeping time —	3½ mins.
Aroma, plain —	Tangerine
Taste, plain —	Mostly orange taste
Color, plain —	Amber

Comments:
If you love tangerines, rejoice, for this tea has a strong tangerine flavor and aroma. If you prefer more “tea taste” in your tea, you might find the tangerine overwhelming.

One look at the dry tea leaves shows how much they’ve been oxidized, to the point of being a black tea. The vendor’s site says this is a pu-erh tea, yet the subname on the tea pack says it’s an orange oolong and it’s under “Oolong” on the site, so it’s a bit puzzling to me. [UPDATE: The vendor has confirmed with her supplier that this is a black pu-erh.] There are also real pieces of orange rind, which accounts for the strong orange aroma and taste, along with a slight tanginess.

Because of the orange rind in this tea, we avoided trying it with milk, since citrus and milk are “mortal enemies” (well, not exactly, but they’re definitely not best buddies). Hubby found that a bit of sweetener was helpful. I, however, liked it straight and find it to be better than another orange tea I like (Mighty Leaf’s Orange Dulce).

We also tried this tea chilled overnight in the refrigerator. The result showed that you should definitely sweeten it after steeping and while it is still hot (or use a sweetener that you can add to the cold tea). Our version also had a bit of chalkiness, making it seem more like the powdered orange drink Tang® than tea.

The Tea and Jazz House names their tea blends after jazz greats and assure that the tea has a flavor and character suited to each musician chosen for the honorific. In this case, it’s Betty Carter, known for her scat singing and original vocal style. Sadly, she only reached age 69, but was active in jazz up to the end.

Mary Cali, the owner, launched her tea store online recently and has a limited selection at this time. This is certainly one for you orange lovers to try.

Disclaimer: This tea was provided by the company named. However, the rating of the tea and any opinions concerning it are always strictly objective.

Review: The Boston Tea Company’s Berry Medley Black Tea Chilled

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved.
No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

The Subject:	Berry Medley
Company:	The Boston Tea Company [More info]

Tea type:	Black
Additions:	Mango, sunflowers
Aroma in glass —	Berry
Taste in glass —	Raspberry, cranberry, rosehips, safflowers, pomegranate
Needs sweetener?	Yes definitely
Color in glass —	Amber

 

Comments:

We’ll be trying this tea hot later on but just couldn’t resist steeping up a glassful to try chilled.

Hubby was really pleased by the color and kept saying how lovely it looked. I had to agree, the appearance was truly nice. The flavor didn’t live up to the promise of that appearance, though. It was overly floral, dominating the fruit flavors and having a chalky character. Sweetener is definitely needed. The other option is to steep this blend up more lightly than we did. We used a teaspoon for each 8 ounces of water. Cut that back a bit for a lighter taste. We’re looking forward to trying the tea hot and suspect it will be better that way.

General Info About Chilled/Iced Tea:
Despite what others say, clarity in iced or chilled tea is not a trait to use when judging your tea quality. What matters is the taste and, to a lesser extent depending on the sensitivity of your “sniffer,” the aroma.

When chilling a tea for the first time, I always try it unsweetened. If you want sweetener in the tea, add it while the tea is hot after steeping.

I don’t add ice to tea, since that would require the tea to be steeped stronger than usual to balance out the dilution when the ice melts. I let the hot tea sit on the counter and come to about room temperature, then put it in the refrigerator for a few hours or even overnight.

Disclaimer: This tea was provided by the company named. However, the rating of the tea and any opinions concerning it are always strictly objective.

Review: The Boston Tea Company’s Apricot Green Tea Chilled

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved.
No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

The Subject:	Apricot Green
Company:	The Boston Tea Company [More info]

Tea type:	Green
Additions:	Apricot, sunflowers
Aroma in glass —	Apricot, sunflowers
Taste in glass —	Light, refreshing, apricotty
Needs sweetener?	No
Color in glass —	Yellow-green

 

Comments:

We’ll be trying this tea hot later on but just couldn’t resist steeping up a glassful to try chilled.

The lighter teas like whites and greens always look so lovely in the glass. This one is no exception. It is relatively uncloudy, which is a bit hard to tell from the photo because the glass gets a bit of condensation on it during the photo taking process. The important thing, though is the taste, many of these lovely teas disappointing the that characteristic. This one is not a disappointment; the flavor is amazing and a wonderful balance of tea, apricot, and a light floral from the sunflower petals.

Boston Tea Company is definitely one of those tea vendors out there that takes their tea seriously.

General Info About Chilled/Iced Tea:
Despite what others say, clarity in iced or chilled tea is not a trait to use when judging your tea quality. What matters is the taste and, to a lesser extent depending on the sensitivity of your “sniffer,” the aroma.

When chilling a tea for the first time, I always try it unsweetened. If you want sweetener in the tea, add it while the tea is hot after steeping.

I don’t add ice to tea, since that would require the tea to be steeped stronger than usual to balance out the dilution when the ice melts. I let the hot tea sit on the counter and come to about room temperature, then put it in the refrigerator for a few hours or even overnight.

Disclaimer: This tea was provided by the company named. However, the rating of the tea and any opinions concerning it are always strictly objective.

Review: The English Tea Store’s Lychee Congou Black Tea

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved.
No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

The Subject:	Lychee Congou
Company:	The English Tea Store

Straight Tea Rating:
About the rating designation.

Water temperature:	212° F
Steeping time:	3-5 mins.
Tea type:	Black
Dry leaves:	Broken pieces, black color, sweetly perfumy aroma

1st Infusion:	Used 2 cups water
Aroma, plain —	Sweetly perfumy
Taste, plain —	Mild, not bitter, sweetely perfumy
Color, plain —	Light reddish-brown
2nd Infusion:	Used only 1 cup water
Aroma, plain —	Sweetly perfumy
Taste, plain —	Lighter flavor
Color, plain —	Slightly lighter reddish-brown

Comments:
Hubby and I are rather hesitant to even rate this tea. If we had read about lychees first, we probably would have held off on trying it. This type of perfumy tea is not our bailiwick. So, if you like Earl Grey and other such perfumed teas and can’t get enough of those shops that sell scented candles and soaps, this tea is a great one for you to try. Hubby and I, however, are taking a pass. The perfumy yet sweet aroma and flavor of the lychee was overwhelming and filled every head cavity. The good thing, though, was how mild the tea itself was, with no bitterness or astringency. It is Keemun Panda, which we reviewed awhile back and found to be excellent.

Lychees are fruits, but unlike most fruits typically eaten in the U.S., they are more fragrant than sweet tasting. They have an inedible outer rind that you peel off to get to the white fruity part. There’s a big seed in the middle, too, sort of like a mini-avocado but white and sweet and floral. Adding this flavor to a wonderful black tea seems not to be worthwhile. The tea seems so good by itself that nothing else is needed, especially lychee.

The sample package and the vendor’s website do not have any steeping instructions for this tea, so we went for the basic black tea steeping temp and time. If you choose to steep the tea longer, you could end up with some bitterness.

The leaf pieces are typical for a China black tea, both before and after steeping:

Overall, it’s probably a great tea for those who can stand perfumy fragrances and is mild enough to drink without any sweeteners (nor is milk recommended), but for hubby and me it was not one of our better tea adventures. In fact, it aggravated hubby’s allergies from the first whiff of the tea leaves in the bag.

Disclaimer: This tea was provided by the company named. However, the rating of the tea and any opinions concerning it are always strictly objective.

Review: Thunderbolt Tea’s 2010 Sample #13 Tea

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved.
No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

The Subject:	Autumn Flush 2010 Giddapahar Wiry Musk
Company:	Thunderbolt Tea. [More info]

Straight Tea Rating:
About the rating designation.

Water temperature:	200° F (our guess)
Steeping time:	4 mins. (our guess)
Tea type:	Black based on leaf and liquid appearance
Dry leaves:	Broken leaf, coppery brown, sweet nutty/toasty aroma

  

1st Infusion:
Steeping time —	4 mins.
Aroma, plain —	Nutty
Taste, plain —	Fruity, mild, smooth
Color, plain —	Dark amber
2nd Infusion:
Steeping time —	4½ mins.
Aroma, plain —	Nutty
Taste, plain —	Fruity, mild, smooth
Color, plain —	Dark amber

 

Comments:
Another 2010 Autumn Flush sample, reviewed a bit late perhaps, since 2011 first and second flush teas are in the hands of several fellow reviewers out there. Nevertheless, hubby and I present for your edification our impressions of this tea from the Giddapahar tea garden. We thank Benoy of Thunderbolt Tea for this and other samples he has sent. Each has been a new journey into the world of tea.

As with the other samples, these teas are not ground up in a big machine into dust. They are lovely broken leaf pieces that are a coppery brown after steeping, as you can see here:

The taste will tell the difference. This is an unbelievably wonderful tasting tea, fruity in that typical Darjeeling fashion but mild and smooth with a hint of nutty character to the aroma. We couldn’t resist trying some with a little milk and sweetener in it. The results were fabulous with the muscatel character coming through, especially since only a little milk is needed.

Hubby liked the second infusion better, since it had a lighter flavor, free of the slight tang of the first one. He suggested that you try rinsing the leaves briefly before doing the first steeping to give you two more even infusions.

A rare thing for us at the end of conducting this taste test is that hubby and I made another full potful just to enjoy. It was that scrumptious!

Disclaimer: This tea was provided by the company named. However, the rating of the tea and any opinions concerning it are always strictly objective.

Review: The Boston Tea Company’s Tropical Mango Black Tea Chilled

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved.
No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

The Subject:	Tropical Mango
Company:	The Boston Tea Company [More info]

Tea type:	Black
Additions:	Mango, sunflowers
Aroma in glass —	Mango
Taste in glass —	Mango, slightly floral, some tanginess
Needs sweetener?	No
Color in glass —	Dark red-brown, slightly cloudy

Comments:
We’ll be trying this tea hot later on but just couldn’t resist steeping up a glassful to try chilled.

This is one of those teas that gets a bit cloudy when chilled, but quite frankly that doesn’t matter. Also, I may have steeped it a bit too strong. I used 12 ounces of water and 1.5 teaspoons of tea leaves. I’m thinking that just a teaspoon of tea leaves would have been sufficient. Still, the flavor is amazing and a wonderful balance of tea, mango, and a light floral from the sunflower petals.

Boston Tea Company is definitely one of those tea vendors out there that takes their tea seriously.

General Info About Chilled/Iced Tea:
Despite what others say, clarity in iced or chilled tea is not a trait to use when judging your tea quality. What matters is the taste and, to a lesser extent depending on the sensitivity of your “sniffer,” the aroma.

When chilling a tea for the first time, I always try it unsweetened. If you want sweetener in the tea, add it while the tea is hot after steeping.

I don’t add ice to tea, since that would require the tea to be steeped stronger than usual to balance out the dilution when the ice melts. I let the hot tea sit on the counter and come to about room temperature, then put it in the refrigerator for a few hours or even overnight.

Disclaimer: This tea was provided by the company named. However, the rating of the tea and any opinions concerning it are always strictly objective.

Review: The Boston Tea Company’s Peach Dream White Tea Chilled

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved.
No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

The Subject:	Peach Dream
Company:	The Boston Tea Company [More info]

Tea type:	White
Additions:	Peach, sunflowers
Aroma in glass —	Peachy
Taste in glass —	Light, naturally sweet
Needs sweetener?	No
Color in glass —	Golden peachy, fairly clear

 

Comments:

We’ll be trying this tea hot later on but just couldn’t resist steeping up a glassful to try chilled.

Well, if you want a tea that looks great in the glass, this is it. If you like your cold tea to have a peachy taste, this is it. It’s also mild and sweet enough that you don’t need to add anything. Great for dieters. Boston Tea Company is definitely one of those tea vendors out there that takes their tea seriously.

General Info About Chilled/Iced Tea:
Despite what Krystal Lane says in her article, Help! My Iced Tea Is Cloudy!, clarity in iced or chilled tea is not a trait to use when judging your tea quality. What matters is the taste and, to a lesser extent depending on the sensitivity of your “sniffer,” the aroma.

When chilling a tea for the first time, I always try it unsweetened. If you want sweetener in the tea, add it while the tea is hot after steeping.

I don’t add ice to tea, since that would require the tea to be steeped stronger than usual to balance out the dilution when the ice melts. I let the hot tea sit on the counter and come to about room temperature, then put it in the refrigerator for a few hours or even overnight.

Disclaimer: This tea was provided by the company named. However, the rating of the tea and any opinions concerning it are always strictly objective.

Review: Home Discount Store’s Orange Spice Black Tea

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved.
No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

The Subject:	Orange Spice Black
Company:	Home Discount Store. [More info]

Flavored Tea Rating:
About the rating designation.

Flavorings work with tea?	Yes
Tea can be tasted?	Yes
Flavor blend balanced?	Yes

Water temperature:	see Comments
Steeping time:	see Comments
Tea type:	Black
Additions:	Cloveoil, orange peel
Dry leaves:	Big pieces with orange peel chunks

Infusions:
Aroma, plain —	see Comments
Taste, plain —	see Comments
Color, plain —	see Comments

 

Comments:
Hubby and I made a BIG mistake on our initial try of this tea. We steeped it according to the “English style” steeping instructions on the package label. Yikes! Too strong, too clove-ish, not enough citrus, astringent taste to the black tea. The second steep was better, less strong, far less bitter, but still clove-ish. A touch of artificial sweetener made things worse, not better for both infusions. The sweetener actually increased the bitterness.

Wisely, the vendor had sent us enough to try again, so this time we followed the “Chinese style” steeping instructions (hubby’s recommendation).

This round was much MUCH better. A light amber colored liquid with clove/citrus aroma and flavor balanced with the taste and scent of the tea was a great result. We did two infusions, both being very tasty. Hubby tried a bit of honey and said that it sweetened the tea but also smoothed out the tea (I can’t have honey, so he is my taste tester for this part of the experience).

You can see by the appearance both before and after steeping that this is definitely NOT teadust in a bag. And you can see orange peel chunks there. Bravo!

The tea in this cup was steeped using the “English style.” As you can see, it’s much darker. It is also much stronger smelling and tasting. We were going to try it chilled, but the clove taste convinced us not to, despite the label saying it would be good both hot and cold.

This is a very noteworthy company. Great prices, great teas — what more could you ask for? Just be flexible on which steeping instructions you follow.

Disclaimer: This tea was provided by the company named. However, the rating of the tea and any opinions concerning it are always strictly objective.

Review: Persimmon Tree Tea’s Silver Needle

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved.
No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

The Subject:	Silver Needle
Company:	Persimmon Tree Tea. [More info]

Straight Tea Rating:
About the rating designation.

Water temperature:	180° F
Steeping time:	2-3 mins.
Tea type:	White
Dry leaves:	Some full leaves, some broken leaves, dark green to green to silvery color, hint of walnutty aroma

1st Infusion:
Steeping time —	2 mins.
Aroma, plain —	Faintly sweet
Taste, plain —	Mild, smooth, slightly planty
Color, plain —	Pale peachy
2nd Infusion:
Steeping time —	2½ mins.
Aroma, plain —	Faint honey
Taste, plain —	Mild, smooth, hint of sweetness
Color, plain —	Pale peachy
3rd Infusion:
Steeping time —	3 mins.
Aroma, plain —	Faint
Taste, plain —	Faint
Color, plain —	Pale peachy

 

Comments:
Hubby and I have tried at least one other version of this tea, so we had something with which to compare this. Silver Needle is supposed to be a very high-level white tea with a wonderful light flavor. So how does this one stack up?

On the one hand, this tea is mild, light in flavor, and with a delicate and lightly sweet aroma (brings to mind caramel, vanilla, maple syrup, and honey).

Here you can see the dry and steeped leaves:

Compared to the other Silver Needle we tried, the dry leaves of this one don’t have as sweet an aroma nor are they as consistently whole and green to silver in color. A number of them are dark green to brown. However, the flavor is mild and appealing, with three good steeps possible from the same batch of leaves (the same as the other version of this tea). That’s good if you want a white tea that will stretch your tea dollars.

Another price comparison (converted to price per ounce) is needed here to show you whether this version of Silver Needle is right for you:

California Tea House – from $8 to $12 per ounce
Persimmon Tea Tree – from $3.50 to $5.35 per ounce

*Based on prices on the vendors’ sites as of 24 June 2011.

Well, I know this is not very definitive. You need to decide if you want the really high quality version or this one of a bit lesser quality which is still a lovely sipper tea.

Just for the heck of it, hubby and I chilled some of this tea overnight to see how it would do. We’ve tried other white teas chilled and found them to be on the downside of tasteless. We had hoped this tea might be different. It certainly looked pretty in the glass. Sadly, as with many things in life, looks can be deceiving. You don’t get any of the flavor nuances of the hot version. In fact, it’s downright bland.

Disclaimer: This tea was provided by the company named. However, the rating of the tea and any opinions concerning it are always strictly objective.