"Barrie, the writer of summaries for Myteashelf is accurate, intriguing and charmingly playful, the tea measured up and then some." Chelsy’s Teaview: 7.1/10 Your Reviews: Add your review »

Bravo to the writer! Myteashelf.com did an absolutely fabulous job prescribing the medication for summer heat and the ensuing drowsiness it can inflict. Generally, I remain a bit distanced from the descriptions of tea on sites, but Barrie, I understand her and she did a glorious and imaginative job describing Cidron Berry. Her words didn’t set me up for disappointment, instead they were spot on and straight forward.

Now, for the tea. The organic lemon verbena is the main character of the tea, performing as a revitalising freshener to the weary mouth, eyes and mind. The wake up call that the verbena packs is not violent or harsh, but intrinsically subtle and appropriate. The lemon verbena is backed up by organic raspberries, organic vanilla, organic panela, organic blackberry leaf and organic peppermint. The peppermint brings out the flavours without overpowering them, so there’s no need to be wary of the mint in this blend. I found the website’s instructions for temperature and brew time quite adequate, 205 Fahrenheit and 5 minutes. I much preferred this delightful herbal blend on the rocks rather than steamy. Essentially, I find myself a bit impressed with the lemon based tea, as I normally grow very bitter towards the lemon category. This is the first good lemony tea I have enjoyed for quite some time.

— To purchase Myteashelf.com Cidron-berry, or for more specific information on ingredients or the story behind this particular blend, click here to go directly to the manufacturer's web site.

Chelsy Teaviews.com Reviewer » Read more about this reviewer on Chelsy's profile page. » Find a list of recent posts by Chelsy.

"The fragrance was a mélange of ginger, cinnamon, perhaps allspice, and black pepper, warm and inviting." Lynn’s Teaview: 9.5/10 Other Teaviews: Dan gave it 8.5/10 Your Reviews: Add your review »

First of all, this powdered chai mix from Tipu’s gets my vote for easiest preparation. The tea and organic spices are ground fine, to be stirred into hot liquid, and not strained.

According to company president Bipin Patel, this is an old family recipe that originated in Gujarat, India. Opening the package, I thanked his ancestors for the sweet, pungent aroma. The ingredients include Assam tea and organic cardamom, cinnamon, allspice, black pepper, nutmeg, ginger, mint, cloves. The fragrance was a mélange of ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and black pepper, warm and inviting.

Following the directions, I heated a half cup each of water and milk to boiling and stirred them into a level teaspoon of the spice mix. Don’t use more than that; this is powerful stuff. The flavor was a good approximation of the aroma, if not quite so mellow. In fact, this chai has real bite, attributable, in my mind, to the ginger and pepper. I drank it unsweetened and found it very good.

The only downside to this chai is that because it is a powder that is not strained out, it is initially a bit gritty. However, I let it sit for a few minutes and the spices soon settled out.

This is an intensely flavorful chai. I particularly like the ginger and black pepper notes. There’s nothing bland or hesitant about this chai, and as I said, it couldn’t be easier to make. Highly recommended.

— To purchase Tipu’s Instant Black Chai, or for more specific information on ingredients or the story behind this particular blend, click here to go directly to the manufacturer's web site.

Lynn Teaviews.com Reviewer » Read more about this reviewer on Lynn's profile page. » Find a list of recent posts by Lynn.

"Another wonderful blend from Rishi that is cozy and full of flavor. " Lea’s Teaview: 9/10 Other Teaviews: Laura gave it 9.50/10, Jamie gave it 7/10, Raven gave it 9.2/10, Katie gave it 7.4/10, Nicole gave it 10/10, Geoff gave it 9.2/10, Dan gave it 9.6/10, Shaiha gave it 6.8/10, Erika gave it 9/10, Chelsy gave it 8.7/10 Your Reviews: Add your review »

Rishi Tea is a company that I really like. I haven’t had a lot of their blends, but everything I have tried has been full of flavor and of good quality. They also have a nice website that’s pleasant to look at and navigate.

This is a blend you don’t see too often-I’ve only come across a couple of vendors that offer it, one I’ve tried which was from Golden Moon. If I recall correctly, it was good but after I finished my cup I had a slight toothpaste taste in my mouth. This blend from Rishi has no aftertaste and doesn’t taste artificial at all. It is organic, which is a big plus. I notice that organic blends are sort of hard to come by, or if they are offered its only a few select blends. It seems the yummiest looking blends aren’t offered that way and I always wonder why.

In addition to the blend being clean, it is quite possibly the smoothest pu-erh I’ve ever had, with no bite or bitterness to speak of. I am no expert on pu-erh, but this is definately a favorite of mine.

Unlike the few other vanilla mint blends I’ve seen, this one includes cinnamon and licorice root, which adds dimension and a little bit of coziness this is unexpected and welcome. On top of that, it has a rich, peppermint pattie-like smell and a deep chocolate brown hue.

This is another high-quality, well thought out blend from Rishi. I would recommend this to anyone, whether they are fans of pu-erh or not.

— To purchase Rishi Tea Vanilla Mint Organic Pu-erh, or for more specific information on ingredients or the story behind this particular blend, click here to go directly to the manufacturer's web site.

Lea Teaviews.com Reviewer » Read more about this reviewer on Lea's profile page. » Find a list of recent posts by Lea.

"This tastes more like a peach candy than the actual flavor that accompanies natural peaches. Even so, there are a lot of peach flavored teas on the market and I would consider the peach flavor offered with this one to be in the better half of what is out there." Laura’s Teaview: 7.5/10 Other Teaviews: Chelsy gave it 7.75/10, Vanessa gave it 7/10 Your Reviews: Add your review »

“Imagine the hot summer sun on juicy peaches ripe and ready to burst blended with this delicate rare yellow tea from the Wuyi Mountains in Northern Fujian Province, China. Yellow tea is sometimes known as green tea with a less intense flavor, subtler and sweeter, for yellow tea is processed differently than green tea.” —KTeas website.

Hmmm….well I don’t have too much experience with yellow teas and, ironically, I think that the last flavored one that I tried was also a peach flavored one. Hopefully this one will be as tasty as my recollection of the last one that I tried was. While KTeas sells this under their green tea category and yellow tea is basically considered a cross between an oolong and a green tea, if you handled me the sample package and asked me to name the tea base, I am pretty sure that I would peg it as a Wuyi oolong. The leaves in my sample package favor those of a darker oolong and are accompanied by little pops of yellow sunflower blossoms. The nose coming from the dry leaves is of a very fragrant peach aroma.

While KTeas generally has brewing parameters on their website, somehow this blend got missed so I was on my own when it came to brewing. Since I don’t have a standard yellow tea preparation, I decided to look up the brewing parameters of the last peach flavored yellow tea that I tried. I ended up going with a 190 degree water temp and a 2 minute infusion time. The tea actually does brew up very yellow in color. This one does has a relatively full flavor profile that is obviously peach flavored. It is not as pungent as the nose of the dry leaves indicated, which is probably a good thing. The peach flavor is tasty, but I don’t know if it exactly natural tasting. This tastes more like a peach candy than the actual flavor that accompanies natural peaches. Even so, there are a lot of peach flavored teas on the market and I would consider the peach flavor offered with this one to be in the better half of what is out there. The yellow tea base is pretty mild and tastes much more like an oolong than a green tea to me. There is no vegetalness whatsoever and even the mouthfeel of it is more oolong than green tea. The cup is pretty naturally sweet and I would definitely hold off on adding any sweetener until you’ve had an opportunity to taste it. For me, anything more than just a couple of rocks of German rock cane sugar is too much. On a hunch, I decided to add a splash of cream to this and it was actually quite tasty.

Overall, I found this to be a tasty and refreshing offering. While I do actually wish that the flavor profile was a little less full so that I could taste more of the yellow tea base, I still liked this fairly well. This one probably would have appealed to me a little more in my earlier days of tea drinking where I wanted everything to have a sweet, full flavor profile. Also, I think this one would make an excellent iced tea in part due to the rather full flavor profile. If you like peach flavored teas, then this is one that you should definitely check out due to the uniqueness of the tea base.

— To purchase KTeas Peach Yellow, or for more specific information on ingredients or the story behind this particular blend, click here to go directly to the manufacturer's web site.

Laura Teaviews.com Reviewer » Read more about this reviewer on Laura's profile page. » Find a list of recent posts by Laura.

"Wow! The green tea designed for non-green tea drinkers." Shaiha’s Teaview: 8.6/10 Other Teaviews: Geoff gave it 7.6/10, Vanessa gave it 6.5/10 Your Reviews: Add your review »

I am not one really for green tea but I have been on a Darjeeling kick lately so I just had to see how a green Darjeeling measured up. This particular tea is from the Singell Estate in India which practices organic and biodynamic farming. Not knowing anything about this way of farming, I just had to look it up and loved what I found. A biodynamic farmer looks at everything on the farm as part of a whole. They don’t use any chemicals but instead use natural composts to maintain the nutrients in the soil. Very holistic way of gardening.

The leaves in the this tea tend to be smaller with a few that stand out being almost an inch in length. The aroma is very fresh and lightly floral. Since this is a green tea, I went with the green tea settings on my IngeniTea maker with a steep time of 2 ½ minutes.

I was really expecting the liquor to be a lighter green in color, instead it is a very pale reddish gold. The aroma is faint but is decidedly grassy with floral overtones. I have to say that I am really enjoying the aroma and if the taste measures up I will be in heaven.

Now as I have remarked before I don’t like drinking my vegetables, that is unless you are talking about V-8. This green tea however is remarkable. It has a grassy taste which is very fresh and you can taste the flowers that come across in the aroma. This is a very smooth tea with a lingering sweet aftertaste. I think that I have finally found an unflavored green that I am actually enjoy. In fact, I find that I like it better than a lot of the Darjeelings that I have tried recently. This tea is definitely going on my list of ones to pick up for my own personal stash.

— To purchase SerendipiTea Darjeeling Singell Estate, or for more specific information on ingredients or the story behind this particular blend, click here to go directly to the manufacturer's web site.

Shaiha Teaviews.com Reviewer » Read more about this reviewer on Shaiha's profile page. » Find a list of recent posts by Shaiha.

"The combination of spices was delicious, lead by the clove, ginger, and cinnamon." Erika’s Teaview: 9/10 Your Reviews: Add your review »

After trying Up N’Atom Chai’s Organic Black Tea and being really impressed, I had to add this one to my list.  Not much differs between the black and green tea options.  As with the other sample, the combination of spices was very impressive, consisting of huge pieces of the various spices.  The tea in the mix is rather difficult to spot, but I received an explanation to the seeming lack of leaf from Up N’Atom Chai’s response to my last review in which they noted that their chai is a “blend of spices with some tea, rather than a tea blended with some spices” (http://www.teaviews.com/2010/05/12/review-up-n’atom-chai-organic-chinese-black-tea/).  A lower amount of leaf is used to avoid potential bitterness from the tea.

I prepared my cup using one heaping teaspoon of chai added to one-cup water and one quarter cup of 2% milk.  On the stovetop, I brought the ingredients to a boil, then reduced the heat and allowed it to simmer for five minutes.  After my timer went off, I opened the pot and was greeted by an amazing, rich and spicy scent and many fully opened leaves.  I guess they were in there after all!  I strained the mixture into a cup and added a teaspoon or so of agave.  I found it difficult not to just gulp this tea down.  The combination of spices was delicious, lead by the clove, ginger, and cinnamon.  Although the presence of tea was visually verified, I don’t think it really added much to the drink.  For me though, this wasn’t a bad thing.  It was there, but the spice was the star of the show and the reason I loved this particular chai.  If you enjoy chai and like it on the spicy side, this is a must try.

— To purchase Up N’Atom Chai Organic Green Tea, or for more specific information on ingredients or the story behind this particular blend, click here to go directly to the manufacturer's web site.

Erika Teaviews.com Reviewer » Read more about this reviewer on Erika's profile page. » Find a list of recent posts by Erika.

"You can control the flavors of the blend by using or omitting sweetener and I think that's a plus as you could tailor the flavor to suit a variety of tastes." Jamie’s Teaview: 7/10 Your Reviews: Add your review »

Art of Tea is a new vendor to me, and I found their website a lot of fun to peruse. With free shipping offered on all orders over $75.00 and numerous delicious sounding teas to choose from, as well as an informative website, it seemed like a good place to try a sample.

I’m a huge fan of rooibos based dessert tisanes and blends. Usually I’m hesitant about flavored drinks of any kind but occasionally, a brew will sound so delicious and alluring that I throw my probably overwrought sensibility to the wind and enjoy trying something really rich sounding. Caramelized Pear sounded like it would fit the bill beautifully.

The blend is comprised of the following Ingredients: Organic fair trade rooibos, organic apple bits, Marigolds, Natural Flavors. The scent is definitely owing to the natural flavors and is pretty intensely sweet – it’s not really all that natural smelling! I was a little cowed by the scent of the dry rooibos, but it seemed that when steeped it would be toned down.

I steeped a tablespoon of the rooibos blend in a 24 ounce tea pot for 5 minutes using boiling water. I tried my first round unsweetened and I was really quite impressed. The cloyingly sweet had transformed to a somewhat fruity and nicely caramel-y backing to a good, fresh tasting and pleasingly round rooibos. The pear notes, which to me might be the hardest of fruits to mimic with flavor of any sort, was really nicely done. There were hints of a honey warmth in there that could definitely come across as pear like, especially pears at the bottom of an upside down style cake, with yummy burnt sugar gooing them up.

With sweetener, this pear like flavor becomes more pronounced. A little sweetener goes a long way and I found that I liked just a tiny tad added (I use stevia, and so this may be part of the issue; a little stevia always seems to go a long way). While unsweetened, caramel notes are forward, with sweetener, the fruity sweetness comes out more. I noticed the more subtle taste of pear (more specifically pear than just generally sweet and fruity) come through as the drink cools a bit in the mug.

I did find that this tea had a bit of a funky aftertaste for my absolute liking. The taste of the drink in general was a bit over the top for me sweetened, I preferred it unsweetened. However, I will say that I tend to not be very fond in general of flavored teas or dessert brews. I will say that this was enjoyable and didn’t leave my tongue with a lingering phony taste or a tongue semi-paralyzed from weird flavors.

Certainly this would make a yummy dessert drink (especially in fall when the nights start to draw in a little closer). This blend did a good job of actually catching a pear like flavor, and that was nice. I think this would also make a great iced tea and plan to try it that way. You can control the flavors of the blend by using or omitting sweetener and I think that’s a plus as you could tailor the flavor to suit a variety of tastes.

I’m looking forward to trying some more options from Art of Tea and think this would appeal to a wide audience.

Vendor Alert! For a wide selection of green, black, white and oolong teas, as well as teaware and tea-related accessories, be sure to visit Art of Tea.

Jamie Teaviews.com Reviewer » Read more about this reviewer on Jamie's profile page. » Find a list of recent posts by Jamie.

"A marvelous metamorphosis of smoky, grilled apple, malty, and sweetly roasted flavours, each brew is another turnpike up a trek in the Wuyi Mountains." Chelsy’s Teaview: 7.9/10 Other Teaviews: Shaiha gave it 9.2/10, Geoff gave it 7.3/10, Sophie gave it 7.8/10, Jamie gave it 9/10, Troy gave it 8/10, Lynn gave it 8/10, Vanessa gave it 8.8/10, Raven gave it 8.3/10 Your Reviews: Add your review »

Big Red Robe, also known as Da Hong Pao, is from the Wuyi Mountains of China. Legend holds that a Ming Dynasty Emperor’s mother had fallen ill and was cured by a certain bush from which tea was brought to her and made. The Emperor, in gratitude, sent four large crimson garments to cover the bushes where the tea had come from. It is still said that three of these four bushes survive today. That is why Da Hong Pao, is called, in loving memory of Mother Ming, Big Red Robe.

Of course, three bushes cannot supply the tea world with all of the labled Da Hong Pao today… or can they. Snippings were taken from the original plants and and cultivated in other locales of the Wuyi mountains, and that is how the tea world is supplied with reasonably princed Da Hong Pao. This methodology of cleaving and transplanting of the original Camellia Sinensis plants yeilds genetically identical plants, so indeed, in a matter of molecular speak, we all drink this same Da Hong Pao.

This particular robe has long and winded leaves that unleash a different tempo of Oolong every time they are soaked. The first couple of brews were toasty and woodsy. The second was much more characteristic of a charred grill stove, nearly like the fire was fueled by unwanted fallen walnuts. The earlier brews also had a light astringency to them, laid on a foundation of light maltiness. The later brews were lighter, slightly fruity and held hints of grilled apples. The maltiness had been fading, but only to be replaced with a soothing and wavy smoked fruit and nut mix. Nearly like trail mix in a drinkable form. Overall, this is a good oolong that takes you off on mini adventures with the changes and delights of the different brews.

Special Offer! Free shipping on all purchases over $60 from AmericanTeaRoom.com.

Chelsy Teaviews.com Reviewer » Read more about this reviewer on Chelsy's profile page. » Find a list of recent posts by Chelsy.

"The dark, cidery gold liquor has a fantastic, slightly "smoky" flavor that merges perfectly with a sultry jasmine." Jamie’s Teaview: 8/10 Other Teaviews: Shaiha gave it 5/10 Your Reviews: Add your review »

Chateau Rouge offers this jasmine green tea in an attractive format, tightly wound, tiny little pearls about half the size of the “usual” pearls I have tried. The fragrance of the pearls has a lovely scent of jasmine, and the introduction of hot water brings out a rush of sweet floral fragrance that is extremely appealing.

The green leaves breathe out fragrance as they unfurl completely – letting go of watery white petals of jasmine in the process. The dark, cidery gold liquor has a fantastic, slightly “smoky” flavor that merges perfectly with a sultry jasmine for a flavor impression that makes you sit and pay close attention to what you are tasting. I say “smoky” but I mean that not in the sense of something like a Lapsang Souchong at all. In fact, it’s more smoky in the sense that you are tasting a bit of the processing of the leaf itself. The “smokiness” is more like a step up from a roasted flavor – and perhaps is somewhat the taste result of an alchemy between leaf and flower. Whatever it is that produces it, it’s incredibly pleasing!

Aside from the fantastic flavor of leaf and flower, the tea is wonderfully textural, filling the mouth and nose with full feeling and rich scent and flavor. The finish is very dry but doesn’t seem especially astringent or puckery. As the tea cools a bit, a high, fresh and lightly vegetal taste is discernible – peeking out intriguingly from the interesting “smoky” floral brew.

A second infusion is worth making, but even with a longer steep time loses much of the jasmine effect and is much more vegetal, offering a new dimension to the tea. Overtones of a roasted or very faintly charcoal like nuance are engaging and fresh paired with the vegetal and make the second infusion a lively cup as well.

I highly recommend this jasmine from Chateau Rouge!

— To purchase Chateau Rouge Jasmine Downy Pearls, or for more specific information on ingredients or the story behind this particular blend, click here to go directly to the manufacturer's web site.

Jamie Teaviews.com Reviewer » Read more about this reviewer on Jamie's profile page. » Find a list of recent posts by Jamie.

"A bagged green tea with a hint of saffron, but sadly only a hint." Troy’s Teaview: 4/10 Your Reviews: Add your review »

The Saffron Crocus is a bit of an odd duck botanically, bred for its flavorful stamen the Crocus only blooms in late fall, as apposed to the late winter, early spring of most of the crocus family. The Saffron crocus is also practically sterile due to its freakishly large, but rather tasty, reproductive organs. I suppose it is the size that counts…

At any rate I’m reviewing Azafran Los Molinos De La Mancha Saffron Tea Green, not the reproductive biology of the domesticated Saffron. Although I don’t know in what order these reviews will appear on the site, since I’ve already reviewed their black tea, I’ll go ahead and reference that just a bit.

As with the Black tea blend I was a bit taken aback by the limited effect of the saffron. The saffron is present, but its very mild and really just sits in the background, the green tea blend isn’t anything particularly special, just another bagged generic green tea, but the saffron should be a bit stronger to differentiate itself. Again, as with the black tea, lots of potential, its drinkable, and it’d be fine in the very same situations any bagged tea is fine, but it really doesn’t stand out.

— To purchase Azafran de la Mancha Saffron Tea Green, or for more specific information on ingredients or the story behind this particular blend, click here to go directly to the manufacturer's web site.

Troy Teaviews.com Reviewer » Read more about this reviewer on Troy's profile page. » Find a list of recent posts by Troy.