July 02, 2007
Organic White Chai Tea
Name: Organic White Chai Tea
Kathy's Rating: 8.0/10.0
Company: Revolution Tea
Origin of tea: China
Price: $7.99/1.06oz (30.0g)
Tea form: Loose chai-infused white tea in biodegradable sachets.
What they say: Rich and wonderfully fragrant, this exquisite blend combines White Bai Mu Dan Leaf with cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom, all organically grown. White tea, whose silvery buds are the least processed of all teas, contains the highest amount of antioxidants.
Preparation method: Pour below boiling water (180F) over tea and steep for 5 minutes.
Review: This tea blends a mild and pleasing balance of chai components, of which the ginger portion is the most apparent. However, even the ginger essence is not very strong, so that I could still appreciate the white tea.
Since white tea is the most delicate of all the tea varieties, it is important not to overwhelm the tea with more robust flavors. Blending white tea with traditionally strong spices such as ginger and cardamom was a risk Revolution Tea took, and I'd have to say that they succeeded in creating a unique and enjoyable tea.
Full-disclosure: Organic White Chai Tea was a gratuitous sample sent to me from Revolution Tea. My policy is to rate free tea samples with the same unbiased standards with which I rate personally purchased tea. To read more about my personal thoughts on tea review ethics, see this post.
Posted by Kathy at 10:02 PM | Permalink
May 12, 2005
White Blueberry
Name: White Blueberry
Kathy's Rating: 7.0/10.0
Company: Adagio Teas
Origin of tea: China
Price: $7/1.5oz (~42.5g)
Tea form: Loose blueberry flavored white tea.
What they say: Premium white tea from Fujian region of China flavored with sweet blueberries. A wonderfully smooth and subtle treat, delectable both hot and cold. If you're new to white tea, this would be a good place to start.
Preparation method: Pour below boiling water (180F) over tea and steep for 7 minutes.
Review: This is a decent fruity white tea. I was a bit worried, since the smell of blueberries was quite strong. However, the taste of blueberries was much more subtle than the smell suggested, so that was good.
White tea itself has a very subtle taste, so the blueberry flavor dominates this infusion. Therefore, if you like blueberries, then I recommend this tea. Otherwise, if you're looking for a more robust underlying tea taste, then perhaps you can try a blueberry black tea instead. Adagio does sell one, but I haven't tried it.
Full-disclosure: Blueberry White was a gratuitous sample sent to me from Adagio Teas. My policy is to rate free tea samples with the same unbiased standards with which I rate personally purchased tea. To read more about my personal thoughts on tea review ethics, see this post.
Posted by Kathy at 09:33 PM | Permalink
January 17, 2005
Organic Silver Needle
Name: Organic Silver Needle
Kathy's Rating: 9.0/10.0
Company: Rishi Tea
Origin of tea: Fujian, China
Price: $25/4oz (113.4g/.25lb)
Tea form: Loose silver needle white tea.
What they say: Organic Silver Needle consists of only the young, silvery down-covered buds harvested in early spring. Silver Needle, known as Bai Hao Yin Zhen, is the most sought after white tea and only harvested for a few days each year in the northern districts of Fujian, China. The white tea bushes of Northern Fujian were domesticated from wild tea trees and exhibit silvery down-covered leaves that have been prized for their medicinal properties for more than 1000 years. Silver Needle has a clear, light golden infusion with a rich flavored body, unique savory aroma and sweet mellow finish.
Preparation method: Pour slightly below boiling water over tea. Steep for 4 minutes.
Review: Please see my review of TenRen's Silver Needle white tea for more background information. I prepared TenRen's Silver Needle white tea along with Rishi Tea's Silver Needle in order to cross compare. Both teas are wonderful and of high quality. Rishi Tea's Silver Needle made for a more visually striking infusion in that the buds are longer, larger, and greener, while TenRen's buds were more anemic looking. The taste of Rishi Tea's Silver Needle tea is more vegetal and earthy than sweet and smooth, which is also good in its own respect. It really depends on personal tastes. Personally, I preferred TenRen's Silver Needle just slightly over Rishi Tea's Silver Needle, but think everyone should try both.
Posted by Kathy at 12:15 AM | Permalink
January 16, 2005
White Down Silver Needle
Name: White Down Silver Needle
Kathy's Rating: 9.5/10.0
Company: TenRen
Origin of tea: Fujian, China
Price: $22/4oz (113.4g)
Tea form: Loose silver needle white tea.
What they say: White Tea is grown in the high mountains of Fujian province. Like Green tea, White teas undergo little processing. This purity may be what researchers from Oregon State University report may cause White tea to have a greater concentration of polyphenols than Green tea and therefore may have the strongest anti-cancer potential of all teas. White tea has the sweet aroma of fresh tea leaves and is unique in quality.
Preparation method: Pour slightly below boiling water over tea. Steep for 4 minutes.
Review: I didn't start out with a favorable impression of white tea, as my first experience wasn't that great. Over time, I've really come to appreciate white tea, though. In case you're wondering, white tea is actually the buds of the tea plant instead of the leaves, and is not allowed to ferment at all. It's called 'white tea' because the buds have little downy white hairs on them when harvested. Another name for this type of white tea is 'Yin Zhen', which translates to 'Silver Needle'. Today, I prepared TenRen's Silver Needle along with Rishi Tea's Organic Silver Needle, which I will also review.
The results? Both teas were spectacular. TenRen's Silver Needle tasted sweeter and had a smoother aftertaste, which was why it got a slightly higher rating, but really, both teas are star performers. I was careful not to over-infuse the tea, which would have given it a bitter taste.
Posted by Kathy at 11:49 PM | Permalink
December 12, 2004
Persimmon White Tea
Name: Persimmon White Tea
Kathy's Rating: 6.0/10.0
Company: The Republic of Tea
Origin of tea: Fujian Province, China
Price: $13/80g/50 tea bags (2.8oz)
Tea form: Tea bags
What they say: The Color of Royalty. Cultivated for centuries in China and honored for the royal red-orange color of its glossy skin, this succulent tangy-sweet fruit has a spicy finish.
Preparation method: Steep 30-60 seconds at water temperature slightly below boiling.
Review: When I opened this canister and sniffed at the contents, an overwhelmingly sweet, candy-like smell greeted my nose. I was afraid that the tea would be cloying, but surprisingly, it wasn't. If you read the 'What they say' section of this review, and expected the tea to be spicy and/or tangy, don't. I didn't taste spicy or tangy notes in this tea. Instead, the tea is fairly fruity, mildly sweet, and slightly earthy, which is a good combination - much better than spicy and tangy. This is a great tea for the tea drinker who likes more complex fruity teas - which can be hard to come by. This tea would have gotten a higher rating than its current 6.0/10.0 if real dried persimmon pieces had been included as opposed to using flavorings (whether artificial or natural) to scent the tea.
Posted by Kathy at 03:55 PM | Permalink
November 04, 2004
Winter White Earl Grey White Tea
Name: Winter White Earl Grey White Tea
Kathy's Rating: 7.0/10.0
Company: Harney & Sons Teas
Origin of tea: China
Price: ~$3.50/5 sachets (.27oz)
Tea form: Loose mutan white tea in silken sachets
What they say: A new tea that combines beautiful Chinese Mutan White tea with lemony natural Bergamot. Have you been following all the press on the health benefits of white tea?
Preparation method: Boil water and pour over sachet. Steep for 5 minutes.
Review: I'm partial to Earl Grey teas, but I've never tried a white tea infused with bergamot before. Most Earl Grey teas use black tea leaves infused with bergamot. Since black teas tend to have more bitter undertones - not to mention caffeine levels, I figured this tea would taste like a regular Earl Grey without the bitterness and buzz. I was definitely right on that guess. This was a fun tea to drink, and the next time I just want to sit down and relax with a cup of tea on a lazy weekend afternoon, this tea will come to mind. This tea merited a fairly high rating (7.0/10.0), but it just didn't sing enough to me to rate higher.
Posted by Kathy at 09:05 PM | Permalink
Wedding Tea
Name: Wedding Tea
Kathy's Rating: 7.5/10.0
Company: Harney & Sons Teas
Origin of tea: China
Price: ~$5/5 sachets (11.2g/.4oz)
Tea form: Loose white mutan tea and rose petals in silken sachets
What they say: Wedding Tea is an elegant and beautiful blend of flavors. Mutan White tea is infused with a hint of lemon-vanilla, and then pink rosebuds are added, to represent the bloom of new love. Our wedding tea comes in silken tea sachets, so the presentation of the tea is as elegant as the occasion it represents.
Preparation method: Boil water and pour over sachet. Steep for 5 minutes.
Review: This tea is very strongly infused with vanilla. Despite the advertised claims of hints of lemon, I was not able to tell that this tea has citrus undertones at all. The overall taste is very mellow, and very pleasant. Almost like I'm eating creme brulee. I'm not kidding, there really is a strong vanilla-caramel taste to the tea. Even though the leaf is classified as a white tea, this tea doesn't taste like a white tea because of the vanilla. In fact, it's like drinking a black tea - without the bitterness. I loved this tea, and can't wait to brew another cup. This is one tea that I'll be ordering more of. My one complaint is that I wish it wasn't called "Wedding Tea". The name seems kind of tacky to me, and honestly, this spectacular tea blend deserves a lot better than a tacky name. How about "Rose Pearl Mutan White Tea"? Oh, well, if I forget about the name, I can totally enjoy this tea. I think I'm going to go brew myself another cup of this now.
Posted by Kathy at 08:45 PM | Permalink
May 26, 2004
Emperor's White Tea
Name: Emperor's White Tea
Kathy's Rating: 5.5/10.0
Company: The Republic of Tea
Origin of tea: Fujian Province, China
Price: $13/80g (2.8oz)
Tea form: Tea bags
What they say: This China White Tea is revered for its unmatched subtlety, complexity and mellow, sweet notes. Emperors had this tea plucked from their secret gardens to share with visiting dignitaries who reveled in the airy fragrance and pure flavor.
Preparation method: Steep 30-60 seconds at water temperature slightly below boiling.
Review: This is a stronger tasting white tea. The fragrance is less mellow, and the aftertaste is slightly bitter. For those who are used to drinking stronger teas such as black tea, this tea will be easier to adjust to. I enjoyed this tea and would recommend it as a starting point for a newbie to white tea.
Posted by Kathy at 10:13 PM | Permalink
May 14, 2004
White Peony White Tea
Name: White Peony White Tea
Kathy's Rating: 4.5/10.0
Company: Red & Green Co.
Origin of tea: Fujian Province, China
Price: $12/30g (1.06oz)
Tea form: Loose leaf with buds
What they say: A tea consisting of both buds and leaf. After picking, the unrolled leaf is simply air dried. Its light flowery aroma, sweet taste and soft green color are refreshing to the eye and palate. Very low in caffeine.
Preparation method: Steep 4-6 minutes at water temperature slightly below boiling.
Review: This tea is more fragrant than flavorful. The leaf scent is slightly reminiscent of hay. Upon tasting, there is a very subtle floral note, followed by a very mellow aftertaste. This seems to be the sort of tea to enjoy when in an unhurried, reflective environment. Since I am accustomed to more full-bodied teas, I found it challenging to fully appreciate this tea, but I am intrigued by its uniqueness. Definitely, if you are interested in expanding your tea repertoire, this is a must try.
Posted by Kathy at 10:10 PM | Permalink