The Persimmon Tree Tea Company

I love white tea. This is an interesting one because it goes in a different direction than I expected. Normally, I think hay, melon, cucumber. This one seems to bounce between malt and corn. Even I can tell this one is sweet. The sip ends with a pleasant bite that turns mineral. The aftertaste is corn and floral notes. I steeped this twice as long as I normally would (3 minute) per The Persimmon Tree recommendation. Second western mug brew started clean mineral. then turned briefly earthy, before finishing with a sweet mineral. It left me with mild cheek tingle, a warming sensation, and a coolness on my breath. I plan to try again later with different parameters and see what happens.

Backlog:

As I said in my full-length review of this tea – http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/12/02/white-chai-from-the-persimmon-tree/ – when it comes to this tea, you should throw out everything you’ve come to know about chai because this is deliciously different from any chai you might have had.

I like that this was blended with the white tea base in mind. I can taste the white tea – the flavors are strong but they don’t overpower the delicate qualities of the white tea. It’s subtle, but the other flavors are subtle too – and when they all come together, they create a really pleasant impact.

There is some kick to the chai: peppery, zesty spice. It’s a warm and cozy kind of chai. And I love the fruit in this: the pineapple, coconut, apple and the lemon-lime notes of the lemongrass. I like the sweet, fruity element that these fruit flavors bring to the cup.

Really good and very different – and very interesting!

Backlog:

This is a delightful Assam, one of the maltiest I’ve yet to taste. It is also one of the few Assam teas that I’ve sampled that doesn’t have that hint of bitterness to it. Usually I taste just a hint of bitterness to an Assam, like a whispered tone that tells me that if I had oversteeped the tea it’d be quite bitter. I’m not even tasting that with this tea.

Rich and smooth from start to finish. Very little astringency. Sweet. Notes of sweet plum, date and raisin. Hints of flower in the distance.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/11/19/assam-gold-black-tea-from-the-persimmon-tree/

Chai – kind of never been a fan in the past. Rooibos – another hit and miss with me.

Last month I had The Persimmon Tree’s Masala Chai and was impressed. So I decided to try this one. This one seemed much stronger spiced to me. The ginger packs some heat. On the bright side the vanilla knocks the harsh edge off the rooibos.

Once milk and Splenda are added this became a warm cup of yum. The spices kind of mingled and washed past the tongue. It felt thick and creamy. Didn’t really notice the rooibos at this point. My only complaint is the ginger was a little intense but it is important to note I am not a ginger enthusiast.

This would be excellent sitting around an evening fire in the cool night air.

This is another swap sample that got buried and was just re-discovered this week. I find this to be a very unique tea concept…I don’t think I’ve ever had a tea with both apple and peach flavorings in it and I’ve also never had a black/rooibos blend. It smelled really sweet and fruity while it was steeping and I started to get excited. Unfortunately, the flavor just doesn’t live up. If they had left out the rooibos, I think this could have been great. It has really nice apple and peach flavor with just a touch of warm cinnamon. But the wash of woody rooibos in the aftertaste is completely ruining the experience for me.

Whoa…you know that awesome feeling when you think you’re just trying an ordinary tea and instead are smacked in the mouth with unexpected yum? That’s what happened here. Having not read the description and having just seen the title, I thought I’d be getting a fairly standard assam (especially since teas from the Persimmon Tree Tea Company have been particularly hit or miss for me). But, not only was there really nice depth and maltiness to this, I was also able to get three fantastic steeps out of this by restraining myself and only steeping a couple of minutes each time. Really lovely and something I could totally see myself drinking daily (if it weren’t currently out of stock).

Thanks for the sample, Ost. This is another one you’ve sent me that I never would have picked out on my own but am so glad to have tried!!

I know I’ve mentioned this before, but I’m not normally a fan of citrus flavors. I’ve discovered recently that I really enjoy lemongrass, which while citrusy, is much more mild than pure lemon. Today’s tea combines lemon verbena, lemongrass, and ginger with South African honeybush for a mild and soothing herbal tea. There is only a hint of ginger in this blend and it lacks the bite I was expecting, but overall the tea did helped settle my stomach. A small drizzle of honey did wonders for my sore throat, although I decided to switch to iced tea for a little added relief. Yes, I know it’s supposed to get down to -8°F tonight, but sometimes you need iced tea in the dead of winter. I will admit it’s kind of odd to be sipping on iced tea while wearing thermal underwear and being covered in two blankets. I’ve never once claimed to be normal, just keep that in mind.

You can read the full review on my blog:
http://www.notstarvingyet.com/index/2014/12/30/tuesday-tea-wellness-blend-the-persimmon-tree.html

Mmm, I think flavored white teas are becoming a new favorite for me! I’ve had two truly outstanding ones in the last month: Toffee Dream from Cornelia Bean and now this one. The lightness of the base is a perfect match for the natural coconut flavor. It’s just slightly creamy and sweet without any additives. Thank you so much to The Cookie Lady for surprising me with a sample of this one in her Christmas card! I definitely see myself purchasing it in the future.

I don’t normally go for chai. I like all the ingredients but find the ginger is often overdone or it is too peppery. I found this one to be very balanced. I started with a straight chai and water steep. The spices were all pretty even except I couldn’t single out the cardamom. For the purist this blend does not have pepper. The black assam base is easily tasted and had an unusual fruity greenness to it. I got brave and added one packet of sweetener, as I know chai is normally supposed to be very sweet. This made all the flavors pop just a little bit more. So I went crazy and added milk. I never add milk with the exception of my morning frappe. The word I used on my blog to describe this was SHAZAM! Normally I think milk mutes and muddies the flavors. In this cup it separated them. Even the cardamom came out of hiding. Never again can I say I don’t like chai. I fully intend to stove top simmer this in milk and sugar next time. Very impressed.

Overboard TTB

This is nice and a bit different from other coconut flavored teas that I’ve tried. The tea itself has a dry hay note which blends very well with the coconut flavor. While the coconut is present it also seems softer… more delicate… than coconut usually is in teas. A really lovely cup and something I might pick up at a later date.

I read through the reviews trying to figure out why this has such a wide range of opinions. I still have no explanation. I personally have not been drawn to vanilla teas. While I will drink Earl Grey cream, I much prefer straight in your face Earl Grey. So, I went into this not expecting much and got a tea I really like. This is not a straight vanilla bean and black tea. There are almond slivers, and coconut pieces in it as well. The vanilla and coconut blend neatly together in a well behaved and balanced way. I think I understand why some didn’t like it, as the flavor is not overwhelming. Normally, I think vanilla is so over used, in a blend, it is all I taste. Here, it has just the right amount, for me, as I also taste the other ingredients. The almond the least, and if I didn’t know it was present, I doubt I would catch it. You can taste the black tea base. There is no bitterness and no astringency (@195F/3.5m). I can’t identify the base type (probably assam) but unlike some teas I at least know it is there.