Ontario Icewine

Thank you for the sample, NM Tea co. I’ve never had a tea that attempts to mimic wine before and was very excited to try this. I’m so grateful that there a couple of mugs-worth in the packet because it’s going to take me a few tries before I figure out how I feel about this one. On first impression I like it a lot.

This is a nice floral tea. I wasn’t expecting that and thought it would be more on the sweet and fruity side from the name and the smell of the dry leaf. There’s a hint of roses, with a sweetness that drifts up from the liquor’s aroma. The base is also giving me those crisp and fresh cucumber-melon notes, which contribute to a sense of sweetness.

The same profile that reminds me vaguely of roses also lends itself to a flavour that I can only describe as grapey- I get this more near the finish and when I inhale and sip (I probably look funny). The aftertaste, in particular, is fruity sweet. It does make me think of a sweet wine.

Second steep accidentally went over six minutes and tastes a lot like the first steep. It’s silky with a mildly fruity astringent finish.

I have yet to try a Riesling, and the one icewine I’ve had the pleasure to sample was of the red variety, so I can’t fairly say how this tea holds up to what it’s trying to imitate. My obsession with Silver Needle has also made me neglect getting familiar with White Peony, the base of this tea. I’ll have to amend some of these things.

I was planning to do a blog review of this tea, but decided against it.

First off, my tea was very twiggy. The tea starts off delicate, sweet and smooth. Mid sip is floral and a really flat wine taste, ending with a bit of grape flavor and quite of bit of dryness. Also, I thought this tea would be much sweeter like icewine. I added sweetener which perked up the icewineness and reduced the flatness.

Ehh, maybe my sample was old? I dunno. Alas, rest of the sample goes to the swap box.

T.C. sent me just enough of this to make a ~20 oz pot of Ontario Icewine, which put uberpressure on me not to screw it up with heat or oversteeping (I ruined a perfectly good re-steep earlier because SQUIRREL). TA-DA, a perfect pot! Lucky me!

After a 30 second brew this is amber-colored and strong, with a fruity, slightly sharp white wine aroma. It has the bright mouthfeel of other wine teas I’ve tried, and the sip is impressively well-balanced (IMO) between the delicate white tea flavor and the wine. I can taste both easily and there’s a harmony of flavor between them I really enjoy.

There’s nothing fake about it, which is usually where a tea and I part ways.

Anyway, the leaves were a little beat up from their trip in the envelope, so there’s a lot of detritus in the bottom of the pot. I have a sinking suspicion that it will be bitter by the time I get to the rest of it, but we’ll see.

I managed to leave most of the swirly leaf powder in the pot. I’m smelling sweet spring flowers now in addition to the juicy wine grape. Yum!

Now I’m sad I don’t have any more. But you bet I’ll try to re-steep it later and see how it goes. Thanks again, T.C.! Great cup.

Fresh NMTC order in today!
This one caught my eye immediately and I had to try it.
Whites are still new to me so I’m somewhat leery on rating them…but here goes!
The smell does have a wine tinge to it. sharp and vinegary.
The first sip I immediately wanted to say I didn’t like it. But a second later I changed my mind. It’s one that grows on you. The more you sip the more you like it. No aftertaste. It’s smell is there in the taste but subtle. The more I drink (and the more I type while drinking), the more I like it.
All I can really say is that like most whites it’s a delicate and light taste. I personally enjoy it and feel if you enjoy white teas you would also. It’s a keeper for me. I’ll decide weather to reorder it after I try a few other whites for compairison.

Well, I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m sure a fan of having wine with breakfast. At least that’s what this lovely wine-infused tea tastes like, and I’m now just a little in love. The tea itself didn’t smell terribly similar to icewine when dry, but as soon as water is poured on the leaves (which become vibrant green and utterly gorgeous), the true scent emerges: light, sweet, slightly fermented. The liquor is slightly red and has a surprisingly full-bodied flavor for a white.

Since I love strong teas in the morning, and this tea satisfies me bright and early, it’s definitely a keeper. Thanks to T.C. for giving me a chance to try this baby!

This tea is a dark amber. It smells like roses, light and floral. There is no smell of berries like in the dry leaves. Tasting it, the primary taste is just like the smell. It tastes very strongly of roses, almost as if they were actually in the tea itself, although I have seen no parts of it. At the end of the tea, after I have let it sit for a while there is a sweet raspberry aftertaste that slowly overrides the other tones in the first brew. I brewed it a little too hot for the first brew, for a little too long, so it is a little extra bitter.

For more notes on this tea see the review on my blog.
http://teasnobbery.com/2010/10/08/tea-review-ontario-icewine-from-nmteaco/

A friend gave some of this a while back, and I have to say I find it to be an aquired taste. It’s not my favourite tea, but it seems to grow more and more on me each time I taste it.

I had it clear this last time, and I think I prefer it that way, which is somewhat odd as I’m normally a milk and honey/sugar kind of tea drinker. However, each tea has its own character, and this one appears to be best left to its own devices.