Tea Blog

Some teas seem to have a real “personal” quality, suited to a more personal tea time. They are generally teas best steeped in smaller quantities and enjoyed a sip at a time. A number of options are out there awaiting your selection for when you need that bit of time to yourself and your tea (herbals, too!).

Here are a few recommendations, based on reviews hubby and I have done:

1 Snow Dragon White Tea — One look at the dry tea and you know you have something special. Each leaf has been rolled into a spiral, unlike Gunpowder tea leaves that are rolled into tight balls. To allow these leaves to unfold gently in the water as intended, steep them loose in the pot, no infuser basket to come between you and the tea. The smell of the dry tea in the pouch is fresh and planty — like on the tea plantation when the leaves were first plucked. The tea liquid has a flavor that is smoky, mild, and with no trace of bitterness, very pleasant and drinkable, plus calming and refreshing. You can sip on this in a personal tea moment and even have some mild-tasting food like plain crackers or fruit with it.

2 Pomegranate Rosehip Black Tea — The tea is a nice quality Ceylon black tea, one of my faves, with real pieces of pomegranate and rosehips (a great source of Vitamin C). The aroma is a wonderful blend of that jammy smelling tea and a fruity tang from the pomegranate and rosehips. The leaves steep up in water brought to a rolling boil for 2-5 minutes and result in a beautiful reddish-brown color liquid with a pomegranate/jammy/tangy aroma and a flavor with a cocoa-like quality and plenty of pomegranate fruitiness but no bitterness. This is what a flavored tea should be like: great tea flavor balanced with the flavors of the items added to it. The tea even takes a little milk, which adds a rich texture, and a bit of sweetener heightens the hit of the pomegranate and rosehips on the tongue. A great treat for your personal tea time.

3 Mercedes Apple Spice Herbal — There is no tea (Camellia Sinensis) in this mix. So, if you want to avoid caffeine and have a tasty beverage during your personal moment, this is great to try. The first whiff from the pouch is very apple-y, and the pieces of fruit and spice steep up a liquid that is rosy in color. At first sip, you’ll get apple taste but also a strong blast of cinnamon and cloves which might give the liquid quite an edge — easily taken away with the sweetener of your choice. The rose petals and other flowers will add an interesting flavor, with the apple acting as a fairly strong base flavor.

4 Earl Grey Cream Metropolitan Blend Tea — Another variation on the Earl Grey theme, using Ceylon black tea with oil of bergamot and natural flavorings. The dry mix shows some blue flower petals in it (either sunflower or cornflower) and the aroma hinted of vanilla. Being a black tea, it steeps up in boiling water for 3 minutes, producing a ruby colored liquid with a vanilla-ish aroma. The flavor is smooth with no bitterness or edge, but the Earl Grey flavor characteristic is very subdued. A little milk and sweetener make the flavor quite satisfying and almost eggnog-ish in an Earl Grey sort of way, with the flower petals adding in their own distinctive aroma and taste. Overall, intriguing and appealing to those who aren’t totally wedded to the one and only original recipe for Earl Grey.

5 British Earl Grey Flavored White Tea — The dry tea emits a fairly strong Earl Grey fragrance (that comes from the oil of bergamot). The vendor recommends using water that is steaming and to steep for 1-4 minutes. The honey-gold liquid of the first infusion had a light Earl Grey aroma and a flavor that was smooth and lighter than we expected, based on the aroma of the dry leaves. We were quite happy about this. The second infusion was lighter all round but not so much so that it was a waste. In fact, it was quite satisfying, just like the first round. there is something about this combination that was a really winner.

Pick your own personal tea or herbal, something that can be enjoyed by the cupful and deliver up the flavor sip after sip. Enjoy!

© Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog, 2009-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this article’s author and/or the blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.