Two Leaves Tea Company, Organic White Peony

Two Leaves Tea Company Description:
White tea is made from the young, unopened bud of the tea plant, and handled gently to preserve silvery white hairs on the leaves. We think that you'll sense the care used to harvest this tea in each cuppa' - it's smooth taste is matched by a soft flavor you can drink all day.

Price: $7.95 for 15 sachets. Steep twice for $0.26 per cup.

Part of the Complete Sampler Pack furnished by Two Leaves Tea Company

My Review:

The wrapper on this one is pink. Pink? Secure in my manhood I press on. The biodegradable sachet contains little flakes of leaf. I use to really enjoy white peony from a tea bag. After experiencing the same in loose leaf form I learned there really is no comparison between the two. The bagged white tea is just very two dimensional. It is flat. So, even knowing the Two Leaves sachets have been very good. I am nervous. I sniff the sachet and it is nicely sweet smelling leaf. Relief. The wrapper says to steep for 3 minutes but does not give a water temperature. Most white teas need cooler water than green tea for a proper cup. I heat the water to steaming and turn it off for a few moments then pour.

The sachet did not plump as much as the others in the sample pack have so far, but it’s all good, because this tastes fantastic. It is a little like fresh hay. It is also a combination of melon and cucumber. The aftertaste is lingering and pleasant. The cup smells really good as well. The colder this gets the better I personally like it. The first cup is miles above any white tea in a bag that I have tried. In fact it holds its own against the loose leaf teas. This makes a very good cup of tea. The second cup is weaker, yet still flavorful.

Visit Two Leaves at http://www.twoleavestea.com/

Zhena's Gypsy Tea, Chamomile Rose

Zhena's Gypsy Tea Description:
This tea is the result of carefully crafted blending, to ensure that the essential harmony of the botanicals healthful properties yield a superb tea experience.

A harmonious blend of select golden colored Chamomile blossoms, rose petals and hibiscus flowers is balanced with serene, soothing notes of fennel, lemon myrtle and orange peel with a floral bouquet that scents the steam. Chamomile is noted for its naturally calming energy and its ability to relax both body and mind. One of our most popular signature caffeine-free blends.

Ingredients: Chamomile Flowers, Fennel Seeds, Hibiscus Flowers, Orange Peel, Rose Petals, Natural Lemon Flavor.

Price: $6.99 for 15 sachets or about $0.46/serving direct from Zhena's Gypsy Tea. Multiple steeps would reduce this per serving. I found his much cheaper online. As low as $0.26/ serving.

My Review:
This came in the mail as a surprise from a tea friend. This is my first Zhena's Gypsy Tea. Of course it's not actually tea. It is an herbal blend. The wrapper is bright and well labeled and includes ingredients and steeping instructions. Opening the wrapper reveals the sachet made from biodegradable, GMO free, corn silk. Inside you can see the mix. It looks a lot like course sawdust and tiny wood chips. Looking closer the chamomile is obvious. I see tiny pieces of flower petals, and bits of fennel.

After steeping the brew is pinkish and not really like the picture. It smells like you might expect - a little rosey and a little chamomile.

In the sip there is a lot going on and it is pretty enjoyable to me. I taste the chamomile. I taste the floral and citrus elements as kind of a unit. While you can separate the floral and citrus elements, they flawlessly fit together. I can taste the rose. I taste the hibiscus though it is mild. It does add a tiny amount of tartness but that mixes with the orange and lemon. I also taste the fennel. I happen to like fennel and was really surprised how it stood out and in a good way.

I am not a big herbal drinker but I liked this one a lot.

Visit Zhena's Gypsy Tea at http://www.gypsytea.com/

Two Leaves Tea Company, Organic Orange Sencha

Two Leaves Tea Company Description:
We take these big green tea leaves and blend them delicately with Italian red orange flavor for a memorable yet not overpowering citrus flavor. It'll perk up your tastebuds and your mind.

Price: $7.95 for 15 sachets. Steep twice for $0.26 per cup.

Two Leaves Tea Company as part of their Complete Sampler pack provided this tea.

My Review:

I have never seen an orange Sencha before. I tore open the clear outer wrap and caught the first hints of orange. The scent was really nice at first, but quickly seemed overly soapy. Knowing that dry scent often does not translate into the brew I continued on. The water was at a light boil and the steep was around 4 minutes. The instructions are on the outer wrap, but I found them to be a little difficult to see as they are printed very faintly in green. The brew started light green and turned amber as the steep time ended.

As I suspected, the orange flavor is subdued in the sip. This is a light, balanced, cup. It starts kind of earthy, which is a bit of a non-descript term but I can’t think of a better way to say it. Then I notice the orange that gently slides into the grassy textures of the Sencha green tea aftertaste. It is slightly astringent but not bitter. The delicate nature of the cup has almost a milky quality about it.

I appreciate the orange being restrained as it is not a flavor, on its own, that I find appealing in tea. Blended with other citrus flavors, I would want it bolder. Here, it is the perfect intensity for me. The Sencha, to my tastes though, is too light. A couple years ago I would have disagreed, as I did not ‘get’ Sencha. Just read my trashing of Stash Green Tea to see what I mean. Although I posted the review on this blog just last year, it was actually taken from notes originally written a couple years earlier. Today, I want my Sencha to stand up and be noticed.

This is a perfectly acceptable cup of tea. There is nothing really wrong with it, except it does not appeal to my tastes. Maybe I would feel differently had I sampled this tea on a bright sunny afternoon. With its low caffeine and light body, this doesn’t work for me on a dark dreary rain-soaked December morning. I will add, once the cup reached room temperature, I did find this tea to be more to my liking.

Visit Two Leaves at http://www.twoleavestea.com/

Two Leaves Tea Company, Organic Earl Grey

Two Leaves Description:
The best Earl Grey teas begin with high quality full black tea leaves, which get their legendary flavor from natural bergamot oil - oil from a citrus fruit grown in Bergamo, Italy. This is an elegant cuppa' tea with tried and true flavor that ranges from a light citrus zip to a deep, smooth black tea.

Price: $7.95 for 15 sachets. Steep twice for $0.26 per cup.

This tea was part of the Complete Sample pack provided by Two Leaves Tea Company

My Review:
I love Earl Grey. It is my favorite flavored tea. I am also picky about it. The bergamot has to be strong enough I that I know this is Earl Grey without having to read the label. At the same time it cannot be so strong as to overpower the tea base. I want to taste tea. Two Leaves teas have been pretty good so far, let’s see if they understand a good cup of Earl Grey.

I tore open the clear plastic outer wrap and sniffed the sachet. The bergamot is strong and citrusy. I do not know from the label if this contains actual bergamot or if it is flavored but given the organic nature of Two Leaves I believe it is natural bergamot. (Edit Fact Check – according to Two Leaves this is natural bergamot)

I guess I need an explanation of what whole leaf means, as this is small cut pieces of leaf, not whole leaves. I steeped in boiling water for about three minutes. The instructions say four minutes but I have to be careful not to overdo black tea. The sachet really plumps up nicely. The smell of the sachet is bergamot and tea. This is promising.

The sip reveals a lighter touch on the bergamot than what the scent would suggest. My normal Earl Grey is by Ahmad but I use Twinings Earl Grey as the reference because most people whether they like it or not have tried it. Using Twinings as the benchmark, this is much lighter. It is stronger flavored than Ahmad No 1 (an excellent inexpensive tea). So if you are familiar with those teas you have an idea of where this fits in. The bergamot leans towards light lemon in flavor.

The tea base is definitely more flavorful than Twinings. This is not bitter. It is a more elegant Earl than I am accustomed to drinking as it lacks the bite of Ahmad. The astringency level is low enough it does not make you pucker. Yet it is drying. A longer steep might have brought out more bergamot but the trade off would be more astringency.

The second cup was steeped at 5 minutes and is even lighter on the bergamot but it is still present. The base stood out more. It is woody tasting and probably fruity but it is hard tell whether I am tasting tea or bergamot. There is still no bitterness or bite. I have tasted this base before I believe it is a rally smooth Ceylon tea.

All in all, while not my favorite, this is not a bad Earl Grey. It got high marks on Steepster.

Visit Two Leaves at http://www.twoleavestea.com/

Two Leaves Tea Company, Organic Darjeeling

Two Leaves Description:

Strong but sensitive -we like that in a tea. These organic, golden orange pekoe tea leaves are grown on the rolling hills of Darjeeling, India. This rich drink evokes the quality tea from India, and we think its subtle astringency pairs perfectly with dessert.

Price: $7.95 for 15 sachets. That's $0.53 per sachet. It will steep twice reducing the cost to $0.26/mug

This sachet is from the Complete Sampler Pack provided by Two Leaves.

My Review:
After trying the Assam, which I didn’t think I would like but did, I am really looking forward to this one. I do love a good Darjeeling. This is labeled as whole leaf black tea and that is obvious even looking through the clear outer wrap into the sachet. The instructions don’t list a water temperature so I went with just beginning to boil. Darjeeling can be a bit fussy about temperature. The recommended steep time is 4 minutes. I forgot to set my timer, so, lets call it 4 minutes… sort of.

Removing the biodegradable sachet reveals it is swollen to the max and extremely stuffed with leaf. I don’t really detect an aroma in the air. If I put my nose close to the cup it is lightly fruity. I take my first sip and oh my, this seriously tastes like a malted milk ball. I looked through other reviews of this tea on the web and no else noted this flavor. Even so, that’s what I got. The Muscat grape taste I was expecting comes in late in the sip and lingers in the after taste. There is no bitterness. I don’t detect a lot of astringency, as a bite, yet is a little drying. While it is hot, I don’t know I would be able identify it as Darjeeling had I not seen the label. Once it cools it becomes more as expected. My experience is limited to a half dozen tea bag versions, and one or two loose leaf versions.

I really enjoyed the first cup. The second was lighter yet very flavorful.

Visit Two Leaves at http://www.twoleavestea.com/

Two Leaves Tea Company, Organic Assam

Two Leaves Description:
Sure, you can sip Assam for breakfast. We encourage it. But we're not going to call this tea the classic "English Breakfast," because that typically refers to a blend of lesser quality teas. These are big, black, organic tea leaves grown in Assam, India, where hot days and cool nights bring out a rich, full flavor.

Price: $7.95 for 15 sachets. That's $0.53 per sachet. It will steep twice reducing the cost to $0.26/mug

This sachet is from the Complete Sampler Kit provided by Two Leaves.

My Review:
I can’t recall the last straight Assam that I reviewed. It has been a long time. Assam, in the past, has always struck me as beige. Nice but not memorable. Let’s see if Two Leaves changes my mind. This is a whole leaf sachet. I have only had tea bag fannings thus far in my tea journey. The sachet comes sealed in a clear plastic envelope. The sachet itself is biodegradable nylon. You can see the leaf inside and it does look pretty much intact and not the tiny dust specks I am accustomed to seeing.

The dry leaf does not have a lot of scent. I heated 12oz of water to boiling and poured over the sachet. The instructions say use a 4 minute steep. Mine was closer to 3 and a half. The brew has nice and dark. I removed the sachet and fought my old instincts to squeeze. If tea hurts your stomach, the two main reasons are over steeping and squeezing the bag – don’t do it! I resisted and instead, I turned it over a few times to drain it. I am amazed at how much it plumped up. Dry, I wondered if there was really going to be enough. Now the sachet is bloated with leaf. Cool.

As the cup sits cooling, I notice the aroma. It is wonderfully fruity, almost like a cherry pipe tobacco. This has me intrigued. As I begin sipping the fruity aroma fills my nostrils. At this point, the tea can taste like water and I am going to like it. Of course it doesn’t taste like water. It is cherry and woodsy. What else is that I taste? Is it malt? Why yes it is and it is good! There is no bitterness. The astringency seems light. This is hardly the beige I was expecting. Thank you Two Leaves for tearing down another wall of preconceived notions and enlightening me.

The second cup was just as tasty as the first.

Visit Two Leaves at http://www.twoleavestea.com/

Holiday Sampler from Two Leaves

Today's post is a review of the complete sampler pack from Two Leaves Tea Company. 

Two Leaves Description:
Discover each two leaves' tea flavor with this wonderful sampler. Contains one of each two leaves tea sachets - a total of 18 sachets. Find new favorites while enjoying the wonderful world of two leaves tea!
NEW LOOK! We've revamped this sampler box. The white box measures 9" x 4" x 2.5" and contains a tidy, colorful row of all 18 sachets. The compact box will nicely fit in your tea drawer or cupboard. 

Price: $14.95

My Review:
It was like the Holidays came a little early when I arrived home from work to find a package containing this sampler. Since there was no "do not open before Christmas" sticker on the box, I quickly cut the tape and opened. Inside was the white sample box. Oooh it's like a present wrapped inside a present. I lifted the top to reveal the green tissue paper. At this point, being a guy, I thought I was supposed to remove the tissue paper and almost made a mess.  Thankfully the sachets are individually clear plastic wrapped.

The sampler contains one each of - Organic Assam, Organic Darjeeling, Organic Earl Grey, Tamayokucha, Organic Orange Sencha, Jasmine Petal, Organic Tropical Goji, Organic Pomi-berry, Organic Gen Mai Cha, Organic Better Rest Blend, Organic Better Morning Blend, Organic Better Belly Blend, Organic Peppermint, Alpine Berry, Organic White Peony, Organic Chamomile, Organic Mountain High Chai, and Organic African Sunset.

This is an interesting gift idea that most tea drinkers would love to receive. First, because, well - its tea. Second it is a number of different teas and herbals to try. Tea drinkers generally love samplers. I know I look forward to trying these teas and reviewing them on The Everyday Tea Blog. I have previously tried a couple Two Leaves sachets and found them to be quite tasty.

There are a number of other samplers to choose from on their website, but I personally would choose this complete sampler. Although, I really like the look of the teabag teapots in teaware. I have never seen one of these before. Santa, are you paying attention?

Visit Two Leaves Tea Company at http://www.twoleavestea.com/