Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Tasting: Je T'aime from Nina's Paris

Happy Piggy loves the scent

Valentine's day is around the corner and I've been thinking about teas well-suited for the day. For me, any high quality pure tea would be appropriate, but perhaps not as stylish. I started contemplating all the seemingly romantic blends out there but then my eyes came to rest upon a sample I recently received from Nina's Paris called Je t'aime. Could anything be more appropriate for a day of celebrating love?

The dry leaves are all about vanilla and caramel. Sweet and strong. My body was lifted up and lured towards the scent like a cartoon character. The fragrance had me stepping into in a confectioner's shop. After steeping, the brew's aroma shouts vanilla and caramel along with a buttery sweetness. After brewing this tea, my little office smelled like a french patisserie fully of buttery sweetness. The tea itself surprised me, as the flavor is actually subtle. Coconut, vanilla, butter, caramel and malty black tea all play nicely together. I could also detect notes of raw almonds. The caramel flavor is smooth and pleasant, not at all like the demanding scent of the brewed tea.

This would be a pleasant dessert tea after a Valentine's day dinner. It does have caffeine, so not for those that are sensitive to an evening black tea sip. The sweet comforting flavors make it a nice wintertime treat.

Thank you to Nina's Paris for the sample! You can purchase this tea through the Nina's Paris online shop, or on amazon.

Friday, January 16, 2015

Tasting: Thurbo Moonlight Darjeeling



I recently received an intriguing package from Golden Tips tea, straight from India. Inside was a myriad of tea samples. It felt like my birthday!

Golden Tips has been selling teas since 1933 and offer over 150 types of pure teas from India. I couldn't decide on what tea to try first, and then the Thurbo Moonlight Darjeeling called out to me. I was intrigued by the 'moonlight' in the title. Is this tea picked at night? Do the tea plants flower at night? Mysterious.



I was curious about the origin of the name, and online searches didn't turn anything up. So naturally I took to twitter. I asked Niraj of Happy Earth Tea what he thought of the name, since he is an expert on all things Darjeeling. According to Niraj, the Castleton estate started calling their white tea 'moonlight' due to the light color of the leaves. Niraj also mentioned that lately tippy black teas are also given the name 'moonlight'. It turns out the Thurbo and Castleton estates are owned by the same company so it makes sense that they used the name for the tea. It still sounds mystical to me. I like it that way.


There certainly are golden tippy leaves in this tea. The dry leaves have a lovely floral, sweet, muscatel aroma with an undertone of dried grass. Smells like a Darjeeling black tea!


The brew is super muscatel grape-like, along with the flavors of golden raisin, and sweet honey with a slight floral note. It's light and juicy, smooth without astringency. The flavor actually reminds me of a Japanese 'muscat gummy' candy I've eaten in the past. This is a light and refreshing Darjeeling perfect for drinking any time of the day.

I have many more teas from Golden Tips to review, and stay tuned for an interview with the Director of the company. It's coming soon. For more on this tea, visit the Golden Tips website.

Friday, January 9, 2015

Tasting: Pekoe Sip House


Lately I've been highlighting companies that offer sustainable tea while supporting the community and farmers. Today's tasting reviews are for Pekoe Sip House, another company making a difference. They have three cafes in Boulder, CO and recently launched an online tea shop. Pekoe Sip House offers sustainably sourced tea blends and contribute to the financial and environmental success of their community. You can visit this page to learn more about their strong values.

No Pain Rooibos

The company generously allowed me to select two teas of my choice to sample. I decided on the Sweet Spice Black Tea and No Pain Rooibos. There were many interesting teas to try, but these two grabbed my attention first. 



Let's start with the rooibos. I'm not usually a fan of rooibos, I don't enjoy the taste. But I wanted to keep an open mind so I asked for a rooibos blend. I've started to enjoy teas I never thought I would, so why not give it a try! 

The ingredients for the blend are: organic rooibos, organic apple, fenugreek seed, cardamom, lemon, black pepper, cinnamon, clove, ginger, and turmeric. The leaves have a very strong cardamom, masala chai-like scent. Rooibos and lemon are also quite prominent. The brew has a similar chai/lemon aroma. It has an interesting flavor, one I haven't encountered before. Earthy, tart, sour, spicy, and sweet all at once. Many flavors playing off of each other. I particularly enjoyed the clove, ginger and citrus notes in the brew. The tea is warming, sweet, and cozy. The rooibos flavor is quite tame within the spicy carnival. Ginger and turmeric are known to provide pain-relief. I'm not going to tout the health benefits of tea, but the headache I had before I started drinking the blend started to dissipate by the end of the tasting session.

Sweet Spice Tea
Now, on to the Sweet Spice Tea.  This is a whole leaf black tea blend, with orange peel and cinnamon oil. I think I may have mentioned awhile back that I love cinnamon tea in the colder weather. It's a super comforting, warm flavor. The leaves are spicy, sweet with a hint of citrus. It smells as good as it tastes. This tea honestly tastes like one of my most favorite spicy cinnamon teas but without the sneaky artificial flavor. The dry leaves have more of an citrus tang than the brew itself, which is fine by me. It is tingly, spicy, and satisfying. There is a pleasing sweetness as well, perhaps from the cinnamon oil. This is a tea I could drink daily in the winter, especially on blustery, snowy days. Imagine snuggling by a fire, looking out the window at gently falling snowflakes. This tea is the perfect enhancement to a peaceful winter moment. 

Thank you very much to Pekoe Sip House for the samples. Best of luck with your new online shop. If I'm ever in Boulder, I will make a beeline to one of your cafes! If you are interested in purchasing their teas, you can visit the online shop.