"The flavor was smooth and vegetal, a little kelpy, but not as robust as the aroma seemed to promise. I let it cool and tried again. The flavor was there, just not very forcefully. " Lynn’s Teaview: 7/10 Other Teaviews: Vanessa gave it 8.7/10 Your Reviews: Add your review »

Grand Tea lists their Jo Sencha as a AA Superior grade. My sample contained a healthy helping of very dark green leaves which were partially crushed to powder, but I generally put that down to shipping when the tea comes to me in a plastic bag. Those leaves that had survived were flat, shiny, and about half an inch long. Sencha leaves are steamed, rolled, dried and oven fired to help preserve them and add flavor and come out looking much flatter than most other types of tea. They’re really quite pretty.

My sample smelled sweet, vegetal, and a touch kelpy. I infused a generous teaspoon of dry leaf in eight ounces of 175F water for two minutes. The pale, peridot green liquor had a rich, sweet vegetal/grassy fragrance. The flavor was smooth and vegetal, a little kelpy, but not as robust as the aroma seemed to promise. I let it cool and tried again. The flavor was there, just not very forcefully.

The price point is not bad, and it is organic. Overall this tea falls into that “not bad/not great” category and might do for an everyday tea.

— To purchase Grand Tea Jo Sencha, 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.

" One thing about this blend is that it is fairly two dimensional (even more so than many) in that the initial taste is strawberry kiwi and the aftertaste/finish is all coconut. " Laura’s Teaview: 8.8/10 Other Teaviews: Dan gave it 8.7/10 Your Reviews: Add your review »

“Our Caribbean Blue Lady tea is a blend of coconut cream, strawberry and kiwi with a splash of blue flowers. Reminiscent of a tropical cocoa. This is totally different from our grapefruit based Blue Lady Tea.” —Culinary Teas website.

If you follow along with my reviews on Teaviews with any regularity, then you probably already know that I love, love, love coconut. Pretty much anytime there is an available sample with coconut as an ingredient it is requested by me. Culinary Teas is a company that I am not unfamiliar with as I have had friends give me some samples of their stuff. However, it has been quite awhile since one of their offerings has entered my tea cup. My sample package consists of the dry black tea leaves, thin shreds of coconut and small blue flower petal shreds. It smells delicious and the aroma is slightly intense. It smells mostly like a strawberry kiwi blend with little in the aroma to call attention to the coconut. Did I mention that I love coconut?

I prepared this using water cut just short of boiling and infused this for about 4 min. The flavor profile is very nicely done and quite delicious. The flavoring is not quite as intense as the aroma suggested and that is probably a good thing. When you first begin to drink the blend the primary flavor is that of a strawberry kiwi tea. However, the finish and aftertaste is all coconut!! The coconut flavor is spot on and reminds of a good dessert coconut flavor. The black tea base used is quite mild and is of a good enough quality so as not to detract from the blend. One word of caution, this blend is very naturally sweet on its own so I would hold off on adding any sweetener until you’ve had an opportunity to taste it. Since my favorite part of the cup is in the finish and aftertaste (coconut), I was reluctant to add any dairy and try this out latte style.

If the description of this blend appeals to you, then this is definitely one that you should add to your cart when shopping with Culinary Teas. I thoroughly enjoyed this blend. It is kind of the perfect union of strawberry, kiwi and coconut. One thing about this blend is that it is fairly two dimensional (even more so than many) in that the initial taste is strawberry kiwi and the aftertaste/finish is all coconut. It is almost like this blend has a split personality—in a good way. At $13 for a 4 oz bag of tea, this one is a bit of a splurge but one that I would make. In a word: Yummo.

— To purchase Culinary Teas Caribbean Blue Lady, 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.

"I felt it lacked the complexity of an especially fresh and fine Silver Needle." Katie’s Teaview: 6.8/10 Other Teaviews: Scott gave it 7.5/10, Raven gave it 7.4/10, Vanessa gave it 7.5/10 Your Reviews: Add your review »

This pretty little ditty is a hand-rolled Silver Needle white tea. Some time ago, I attempted to debunk someone’s scepticism over hand-rolled teas. He (or she – I honestly don’t remember) called them “gimicky.” In some ways, you can consider them unnecessary, but along with being fancier-looking, rolled teas allow less surface area to come into contact with the air, thus allowing the tea to age slower. So sure, it isn’t necessary and may add more to the cost than it always should, if you want your Silver needle to be that much fresher, rolled is the way to go. Besides, visually pleasing teas are nice to have around, though if they don’t measure up on taste, then what’s the point?

I put two teaspoons of the pearls along with 12 ounces of 175° water into my clear glass teapot for three minutes. The tea smells sweet and somewhat vegetal, and the flavour is similar. It is hefty for a Silver Needle, and I had hoped for a more delicate cup. For my second steep, I left the tea for four minutes, which gave me a cup more like what I expected. It was less savoury and more of the delicate sweet white I know and love.

I attempted a third infusion, which I steeped five minutes. This cup had a somewhat tart aftertaste and teetered on the line set between the hearty first steep and the calm second.

Final verdict: A good white tea, but not exceptional. I felt it lacked the complexity of an especially fresh and fine Silver Needle. If you’re looking to buy something particularly stunning, this isn’t a miss, but if you’re wanting to buy based on flavour alone, you can probably do better.

Special Offer! Free Shipping on orders over $50! If you're interested in purchasing this tea or others from Teavana, shop now by clicking this link: Shop Teavana for Teas and Tea Accessories

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

"A wonderful twist on an old standard, brimming with the taste of lemon zest, bergamot and floral notes." Sophie’s Teaview: 8.7/10 Your Reviews: Add your review »

I was immediately intrigued by Culinary Teas’ evocatively-named Baroness Earl Grey, both on a historical and flavour level. Who was this mysterious Baroness and what does her tea taste like, I wondered. Would it be as delicious as my beloved Earl Grey? Fortunately, Culinary Teas’ great website tells me that they named this tea for a woebegone 16th or 17th century baroness who lost her husband at sea during a trading voyage to China. It also provides lots of more practical information which is always a pleasure: the provenance, detailed brewing instructions (hot and iced) and a list of ingredients. It’s definitely worth a look.

This tea is described as containing black tea, dried orange and lemon pieces, rose and cornflower petals, cinnamon, as well as natural flavours (presumably including bergamot essence, without which there can be no Earl Grey!). All of the above ingredients are abundantly present looking at the dried blend, with the exception of the cinnamon, which I can’t seem to spot. The tea leaves are of varying lengths and the colour of espresso. Overall, the mixture looks and smells lovely in a Victorian sort of way. The bergamot takes second place as the smells of spicy lemon and rose petals dominate the blend. It’s easy to imagine this perfume trailing behind a lady in all her furs and feathered hats, sadly wandering about the docks looking for her husband.

Once brewed, the scent is a bit tamer, leaning more towards the gentle sweetness of the cinnamon and cornflowers. Following the instructions on the site, I chose a 4 and a half minute steep. The result is a bronze-coloured tea, brimming with the taste of lemon zest. This is a flavourful and invigorating cup, floral and astringent all at once, not unlike freshly crushed lavender. The sweetness of flower petals is quickly followed by the peppery bite of lemon peel. To my delight, the taste of bergamot is abundantly present throughout, without overwhelming the delicate floral notes. As the tea cools, the aftertaste becomes more citrusy, making it a great candidate for an iced tea as well. A second 4 and a half minute infusion leads to another pleasing cup, although with less expansiveness and definition in the flavours. The floral notes have faded at this point. What remains is passable citrus Earl Grey, not bad at all for a second steeping really.

This is wonderful twist on an old standard, indeed a noble tea that’s been expertly blended by the folks at Culinary Teas. I would very much recommend this tea to any Earl Grey lover looking to venture out into new territories, without straying too far from home. Well worth it!

— To purchase Culinary Teas Baroness Earl Grey, 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.

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

"The acai flavor was but a faint memory of what the scent promised. I could taste the weak acai flavor first, then after that flavor had passed, a grainy white tea. " Vanessa’s Teaview: 5.5/10 Your Reviews: Add your review »

My sample of Acai White Tea from Two Leaves and a Bud came packaged in a nylon (I think) tea sachet which was mostly transparent and allowed me to see the contents. The webpage for this teas shows large leaf pieces and large, red, pieces of acai berries. Sadly, my tea sachet contents looked nothing like that image, but rather were rather small white tea leaf pieces and hardly even a speck of red or pink from the berries. The tea does have a pleasant aroma that is sweet and berry-like and, for the most part, masks any white tea aroma. The brewed tea was a little darker in color than I expected for a white tea. Even my second steeping of the same tea sachet resulted in a relatively dark-colored brew. The flavor of this tea was more subtle than I was hoping, as the acai flavor was but a faint memory of what the scent promised. The acai flavor was present but just very mild, and almost undetectable on the second infusion. The white tea was grainy in flavor and had a mild bitterness to it. I found myself considering adding some sugar to this tea, but to me, sugar does not usually meld well with white tea flavors. I could taste the weak acai flavor first, then after that flavor had passed, a grainy white tea. I would have preferred to have one unified flavor rather than tasting the components in steps. I haven’t had many other acai teas to compare this tea to, but in general terms of flavored white teas, I don’t find this one to be a particularly outstanding offering. This tea falls into that dubious category of “I would drink it again if someone offered it to me, but I certainly wouldn’t put any effort into seeking it out for myself”.

— To purchase Two Leaves and A Bud Organic Acai White 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.

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

"52 Teas have done it again - a winning combination that's sure to grab your attention, particularly if you are a raisin lover." Dan’s Teaview: 8/10 Your Reviews: Add your review »

While I never would have thought to toss a sprinkling of raisins into my cup of oolong tea, it seems so obvious now that I wonder *why* I haven’t? 52 Teas thinks this type of stuff up all day long, and they are all the more genius for it. This happens to be one of mad-scientist Frank’s creations from December 2009, and I might warn you it’s in limited supply. So if they are sold out by the time you read this, hey man, sorry.

Frank takes Formosa Oolong (a fancy term for saying the tea was grown in Taiwan — Formosa meaning “beautiful”, which is quite nice) and blends it with natural flavors of raisin and vanilla. Also sprinkled into the mix are – you guessed it – golden raisins. The dried blend is quite gnarly, to be honest – a mish-mash of processed tea leaves, all twisty and rolled; a good portion of twigs and stems (not sure that’s really a good thing, coming from a quality-control perspective); and chunks of greenish-yellow raisins, with a few shriveled, reddish ones mixed in as well. It’s kind of a Halloween-looking tea, if you will. A tad spooky. The leaves are of varying size – mostly medium size, and mostly broken.

A 4 minute steep with sub-boiling water and utilizing 2 tsp of leaf makes this tea a pungent one. The aroma of the dried blend pretty much screams “raisin”, and the cup matches as well. The vanilla flavoring in conjunction with the raisins creates what is obviously a deliciously sweet brew, so anyone adding sugar to this is clearly a maniac. Every sip of the cup, hot or cold, is quite intense, with big, bold raisin flavor. The vanilla is certainly detectable as well, and blends perfectly with the raisin taste. A second infusion (even at an accidental 8-minute steep!) provides a slightly subdued raisin/vanilla flavor, but is still plenty potent. What’s nice about this second cup is that the oolong creeps back in more toward the forefront. I rather prefer this cup to the first, not because the first was bad or anything, but that the flavors balance out more nicely.

52 Teas have done it again – a winning combination that’s sure to grab your attention, particularly if you are a raisin lover.

— To purchase 52 Teas Golden Raisin Oolong, 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.

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

"I doubt this will become a staple, but I may pick some up in the future for a change of pace." Katie’s Teaview: 7.4/10 Other Teaviews: Laura gave it 9.50/10, Jamie gave it 7/10, Raven gave it 9.2/10, Shaiha gave it 6.8/10 Your Reviews: Add your review »

I’m not sure who decided to add vanilla and mint to the uniquely hefty flavour of cooked pu-erh, but it’s bold. Whether or not it’s a good move in the end is up to the consumer, and today that consumer is me.

One teaspoon, boiling water, and five minutes yield an opaque deep chocolate liquor. It smells weaker than I expected, more mint than anything else, but the other scents are there. The tea is incredibly well-balanced with the mint lingering on well passed everything else. Pu-erh was an excellent choice for a base tea after all.

The cinnamon is an especially brilliant touch, leading me to believe this would be excellent prepared like a chai, with milk and honey. For my second infusion, I let the tea steep for six minutes followed by the addition of milk and honey. The tea itself is somewhat less exciting than the first cup, though still definitely worth the second cup. I do especially enjoy this with the additions, which is rare for me since I usually prefer my teas plain.

I’m not in love with this blend, but I have a lot of respect for Rishi’s gusto. I haven’t seen (well, tasted) anything quite like this on the tea market. I doubt this will become a staple, but I may pick some up in the future for a change of pace. In the dead of winter, I like to have hearty, warming teas around, and sometimes I’m not in the mood for chai. This seems like a great alternative for the days I’m in the mood for something different.

— 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.

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

"I would warn those that do not strongly LOVE mint to avoid this one though because the mint is very intense. Don't expect this to be oolong with hints of mint because it is actually vice versa." Laura’s Teaview: 7.6/10 Other Teaviews: Dan gave it 7.5/10, Vanessa gave it 7/10 Your Reviews: Add your review »

“Invigorate your body and spirit with revitalizing quality of mint. We infused high altitude Alishan oolong with natural mint according to production process of traditional infused tea. This tea is a balance of awakening and quieting characters. Intense mint aroma with hints of oolong. Light and smooth body with a refreshing mix of exhilarating mint and subtle oolong flavors. Elegant finish with a natural sweet after taste.” —Naivetea website.

I have been putting off reviewing this tea for sometime now and I guess it is because the combination of mint and oolong seems a bit odd to me. However, I like pretty much anything mint flavored so I don’t know why this one keeps getting passed over as most of the offerings from Naivetea have been tasty. Further, a friend of mine who has her own blog tried this and loved it. Today I decided to select this one in part because I had a chewable vitamin this morning that left a nasty taste in my mouth so I decided to check out what I had available in the mint department. This one was basically begging me to review it.

Naivetea uses a green oolong for their fragrance-infused blends. The little oolong fists are scented rather intensely of mint in the kind of way that could help clear your sinuses. I prepared this using water cut just short of boiling and infused for about 20-30 seconds. The flavor profile is indeed intense and the mint largely overpowers the oolong. This appears to have the same oolong in it as used in Naivetea’s other fragrance-infused blends (Alishan) and it is a little bit of a shame that you can’t taste more of the oolong because it is a fairly good one. While I was concerned that the pairing of mint and oolong might be weird, all I can really taste is the mint. The primary contribution from the oolong is a mildly creamy mouthfeel. The combination of the intense mint and the creamy mouthfeel of the oolong is not unlike the center of a peppermint patty!

When preparing my second infusion, I also used water cut just short of boiling, but allowed the leaves to infuse for about 45 seconds. The mint flavor remained very intense and continued to totally dominate the oolong. However, the creamy mouthfeel that I experienced with the first infusion is largely AWOL. For that reason, I would call the first infusion my favorite. I suspect that this one will easily give up 4-5 infusions.

Overall, I found this to be a unique and tasty offering from Naivetea. I would warn those that do not strongly LOVE mint to avoid this one though because the mint is very intense. Don’t expect this to be oolong with hints of mint because it is actually vice versa. The mint flavor is extremely well done and tastes of very fresh mint despite the fact that there are no real pieces of fresh mint mingled amongst the little oolong fists. I found that this blend did an excellent job of cleansing my palate. This one is definitely worth consideration if you are looking for a mint blend that will keep going and going.

— To purchase Naivetea Mint Oolong, 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.

"Because this tea is so mild, it could be an excellent base for flavored green tea blends. On its own, however, I found it to be too weak in the flavor department. " Vanessa’s Teaview: 5/10 Your Reviews: Add your review »

Tamayokucha is a gyokuro-style green tea, meaning that it is grown in the shade for the final few weeks of growth. The Two Leaves and a Bud website states that ‘This incredible Japanese tea is steamed as it dries, yielding a sweet, light flavor with no bitterness” and that the shading process results in a full complex flavor. I will completely agree with the first part of this statement- the tea is very light and sweet and does not have even the slightest hint of bitterness. However, I cannot agree with the statement that it has a full complex flavor. This tea is too mild, almost to the point of being weak and flavorless. Honestly, I had to really strain my taste buds to pick up much flavor. I would recommend that you use these tea bags to prepare small (as in 8 ounces or less) cups of tea, as the tea is already so subdued in flavor, that using too much water will only dilute what little flavor is there. This was not my personal favorite, as I prefer green tea with a bit more oomph. As far as gyokuro goes, I am far from an expert, but I will say that I have had tastier examples. This tea strikes me as something that might interest those that want the benefits of green tea but aren’t necessarily won over by strong vegetal flavors. Because this tea is so mild, it could be an excellent base for flavored green tea blends. On its own, however, I found it to be too weak in the flavor department.

— To purchase Two Leaves And A Bud Tamayokucha, 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.

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

"The website listing refers to Provence as “aromatherapy in a glass” and it's a good comparison. It has a clean, crisp fragrance akin to good potpourri, which this mix really sort of is. You could tuck little pillows of it into your dresser drawers with good effect. " Lynn’s Teaview: 9.3/10 Your Reviews: Add your review »

ntil recently, I did not consider lavender a food. Then a good friend who makes amazing chocolate truffles brought lavender flavored confections to our Christmas party and it was a revelation. Even so, I’d have been hard pressed to tell you exactly what lavender tastes like. The truffles were more lavender scented than flavored.

American Tea Room’s lavender-based Provence tisane is certainly an olfactory experience, and a visual one, as well. To the eye it is mostly tiny dried lavender buds, with large green mint leaves and tiny, hair-like twigs mixed in. It is composed of lavender buds, lemon verbena, lemon balm, lemongrass, peppermint, and spearmint. The website listing refers to Provence as “aromatherapy in a glass” and it’s a good comparison. It has a clean, crisp fragrance akin to good potpourri, which this mix really sort of is. You could tuck little pillows of it into your dresser drawers with good effect. Initially, lavender and spearmint were the prevalent notes.

I infused a heaping teaspoon of the dried mixture in six ounces of 195F water for five minutes. While it steeped, I nibbled a lavender bud to find out, once and for all, what lavender tastes like. Eaten dry, it is bitter.

By the time it was done the whole kitchen smelled of lavender, lemon, and mint. If a smell can be “sunny” then this one was, and it was much appreciated, as it was a dark, cold, rainy day. I poured the tisane into a glass teacup and sniffed the contents of the teapot. They smelled powerfully of lavender and the mints.

Although the website describes the color as coppery, my cup was a bright yellow. The flavor was minty and citrusy, without any bitterness, but instead with a strong floral note that went straight up into my nose: lavender. I guess it is best infused, rather than eaten straight. The lemon verbena and lemongrass were definitely present, but more as a background taste. It is a very smooth tisane, with a minty lavender finish. To be quite honest, when I first read the list of ingredients and smelled it dry, I feared that it might be a bit soapy, but it wasn’t; instead, it was smooth, slightly sweet, slightly astringent, and very well-balanced. With rain pounding on the roof, thunder rumbling, a fire on the hearth, Segovia playing softly in the background, and a warm dog snuggled up beside me on the couch, this was the perfect tisane for the moment.

A second infusion of five minutes gave up another yellow liquor, this one with a more lemony fragrance, although the flavor was primarily lavender with the slightest hint of the bitterness I’d tasted in the dry bud, and a fruity vegetal flavor that reminded me more of chamomile. The mints made themselves known mostly in a coolness on the tongue. Overall it lacked the balance and complexity of the first cup. To my taste, at least, this is a one-shot tisane, but a very good one. Highly recommended.

Special Offer! For a limited time save 25% on all Taiwanese High Mountain Oolong tea. Free Shipping for orders over $60. Click to visit American Tea Room.

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