Tea Reviews | It's All About The Leaf

Posts Tagged ‘Jasmine Flowers’

It doesn’t happen very often these days, but I would say about once every couple o’ months, something catches my eye in an “ooo shiny!” fashion. Okay, okay, I do that a lot…but not AS often with tea. I have a list saved as a Gmail draft that I call my “Tea WANT!” list. On it are several orthodox (and some plain out-there) teas that I hope to try someday. At present, I’ve notched off half of it. Some of the more difficult things were more easily obtained than I thought.

What’s this got to do with Shang Tea? Well, I ran across their operation via a tea social network called Steepster. (Think Facebook for cuppers.) Someone was waxing poetic about this black tea blend they recently tried. What caught my “shiny!” gland was the mention of tangerine blossoms. In case it isn’t readily apparent, I’m a tangerine fiend – been addicted to ‘em ever since I was a wee tot. I never knew those damn fruit trees had blossoms to them. Had I known, I would’ve built a fort out of ‘em.

Shang Tea is an operation out of Kansas City, MO. Other than being another brick-n-mortar tea shop in a mall, they have another thing to their credit. They own their own high-altitude tea garden in Fujian province, China. Their specialty happens to be Silver Needle white tea, but they also play around with the same cultivar to make red (or black) tea. This fermented option was blended with tangerine blossoms.

I bought a sampler pack that included this, along with several other white teas and blends. Needless to say, I first tore open the Tangerine Blossom black. Almost like an addict, even. It smelled beyond superb. Along with the slightly smoky/earthy black tea base was a scent similar to jasmine flowers and citrus rind – sweet yet floral. The tea leaves themselves were thin and twisty; the blossoms looked like – well – blossoms. Very…uh…blossomy.

The brewing instructions they recommended were a tad confusing, especially the measurements for the tea leaves. I skipped theirs and went with my own prep – 1 heaping teaspoon of leaves in 8oz of 205F water for three minutes. A bit light, sure, but it seemed the wisest approach.

The liquor brewed to a color that I would call “oolong amber”. The liquid aroma echoed the semi-fermented tea comparison with a fruity/lightly-astringent nose. As for taste, this completely floored me. It began with a regular Dian Hong-ish forefront that was immediately followed up with a strong citrus lean in the middle. That tapered off into a honey-floral aftertaste that simply lingered. I could find no fault with this blend. At all. It was perfect. I’m only upset that I’m all out of it now.

You can purchase the Tangerine Blossom Red Tea directly from the Shang Tea website.

I’m easily confused.  Especially when two conflicting rules butt up against each other.  So blends of black and green tea *definitely* confuse me.  Do I brew at high temps or low?  Risk scalding the green to get the black to brew up fully?  Or should you brew at the low temperature and risk a weak cuppa?

This meant playing with the parameters and seeing what worked best.  The lower temperature brew resulted in a more fruity/floral brew while the higher temperature brought out the tea more.  Both were flavorful cups that had some lovely fruity overtones.   My favorite was the lower temperature brew.  It had more floral and fruit notes and was definitely NOT a weak cup.  Either way, it was a lovely, light brown cup that was enjoyable to drink.

Nice, flavorful, and fruity. Yum.

You can purchase the 1001 Nights directly from the TeaFrog website.

I like this one a lot better than I thought I would. Even tho it has 4 floral type ingredients it’s not overly flower-like.  It’s not that bitter/floral type taste that I sometimes get and am worried about.  The Black tea and the green tea along with the flavors all make sense and make it very enjoyable!  I think I would have this more than once in a blue moon.  The aroma of the dry blend was pleasant and floral but also fruity.  I didn’t really taste the fruity tones, but that may be why it wasn’t overly floral tasting.  Perhaps those fruity tones helps cancel the potential floral bitterness.  I’m not sure how TeaFrog made this happen but I am sure glad they did.  This one made it to my 85 percentile of good-solid teas!

You can purchase the 1001 Nights directly from the TeaFrog website.

It has been blistering, sweltering hot this July down south in Louisiana. So, I have been guzzling lots of iced tea this summer, especially white teas, instead of my beloved pu’erhs, and chais, which sit ignored at the back of my cupboard as they seem too heavy in this oppressive heat. White tea has a light, buttery, silky flavor without the grassy aftertaste of a green tea and when flavored, it makes a wonderful iced tea. And as an added benefit, white teas are healthier as they contain more anti-oxidants than any other type of tea.

This blend is quite pretty and even frilly as whole, dried rose buds are scattered throughout the blend; whereas usually, only flecks of rose petals are used. Oddly, even though the rose buds are sprinkled throughout, the rose flavor was not noticeable, so I would assume the rose is for decoration only. The dried white tea leaves have the expected white silver fuzz.

Upon brewing, this iced tea is one of my favorites. It has a light and creamy flavor from the white tea, which is remains noticeable in the blend. The combination of coconut and vanilla should be as classic as coconut and pineapple. The vanilla tempers the sharpness of the coconut but both flavors are equally present but not overly sweet. And for those who are hesitant to try coconut flavors, this one does not taste like suntan oil, so try to sample this.

Please give this tea a try and you will not be disappointed.

You can purchase the Jasmine Green Tea directly from the TeaFrog website.

Upon tasting Rishi’s organic fair trade jasmine green tea, I was not surprised that it was a 2009 World Tea Championship winner. It is a delightfully light, clean, and fragrant brew; the flavor of jasmine is noticeable but does not over-power the green tea flavor. And unlike other jasmine teas, the Rishi’s version is not an overly floral, perfume-y, or potpourri scented brew reminding me of an old-fashioned living room decorated with chintz fabrics, too-many knick knacks, and floral wallpaper. As, it is excellent served either hot or iced, this tea can be served year-round and any time of day.

You can purchase the Jasmine Green Tea directly from the Rishi Tea website.