Tangerine Blossom

Unfortunately I have only a sample of this.
So is it red? Is it white? Is it black? LOL the label says Red. The description says fermented white. I really do NOT care. Its amazing – that is all I need to know right now. Sure I will do some research at some point and learn what to call this tea, if it is red, or white, or who’s on first….but for now I am going to immerse myself in the simple pleasure of drinking it. Its divine. There is a jasmine aroma, or is it orange blossom water as another steepster suggested? Well I have orange blossom water and orange blossom water is a bit more orange, this is more floral and distinctly jasmine to me, when compared to my jasmine essential oil. I am on the second steep – just as delightful as the first – and plan to have this tea all evening long. I may set it aside for a bit and try something else in between but who knows – this is really speaking to me right now.
Yes there is a bit of a twang of slight bitterness in this tea, tangy like.
I have a strong feeling that tangerine is going to come out more in steep three.
Don’t ask me why I just have that feeling.
There is a subtle nutty flavor playing around in there somewhere.
The flavor left behind on the palate is almost metallic – in a way.
Have you ever eaten a nut, any kind really that has a skin, maybe some skin stayed on the nut after shelling it or maybe you are eating peanuts with skins on them. Do you know that tangy flavor from the nut skins? That is the flavor I am speaking of.
A bit drying on the back of the throat.
Yet a very very juicy tea! When you sip it not only does the tea quench you but its as if the tea makes your mouth water too. Its hard to explain and just has to be experienced.
Really enjoy this tea. Will put on my shopping list.
GAD I am starting to love floral teas!
GAD I never use the term GAD!
Hummmm
Empty cup … off to steep again! :)
YAY!

This tea is amazing. I’m just going to start with that.

This has been on my “to try” list for it seems like forever. The idea of a lightly flavored floral-citrus blend, and the fact that it is unique in being a red (i.e., black) tea created from white tea leaves, were very appealing to me. Fortunately Azzrian was kind enough to send me a sample, and so my wishes have been fulfilled. And this one, lucky for me, lives up to my expectations.

First of all, it smells wonderful, like tangerines with a light floral note. Like orange blossom water with the addition of a brightish black tea base underneath. Flavor-wise, definite yum. It’s such a light and bright black tea, but still distinctively a black tea. The flavoring is present but light and natural. This seems like a scented tea, like the tea was dried with tangerine blossoms (like how jasmine greens are made), and maybe it was. In any case, I am very much enjoying this cup and this will definitely go on my “to order (once I gain control of my stash)” list.

This tea perplexes me. In reading the bit of information on the sample package, it would be easy to think that this is a white tea, but it is not. I brewed it according to package directions, using boiling water that has cooled for 1 minute, and then steeping for 2 minutes.

The flavor is excellent. The tangerine is strong here, but there is a nice balance between tea and fruit. It tastes sweet, juicy and citrus-y but not overwhelming. I like this very much.

wow, this is delicious. It says it’s a fermented white tea so what does that mean, no wonder people are confused because all black tea is fermented as far as I know. I think it means this is a plant that is normally used for white tea only but here it’s been fermented?

Anyhoo, this tea is actually a light red. I steeped mine at around 180 F for two minutes and I found it to be very delicious – definitely light bodied but very full and sweet in the aftertaste, not a trace of bitterness to be found. The tangerine is present but not overpowering here. I would for sure order this again, it’s really a treat and nothing like I’ve experienced so far in my tea drinking journey. I have been very impressed with all of the samples I got from Shang from their clean, sweet and delicate nature.

Wombatgirl sent me this one, and I’ve been curious about it since I took it out of the box. Tangerine blossoms. That sounds really appealing to me, so I didn’t really want to use it because then I wouldn’t have it anymore and the joy of expectation would be gone as well. I admit the latter is probably the biggest problem.

There’s a floral smell of the blossoms, slightly perfume-y and sweet with a surprisingly caramel-y middle. I seriously wasn’t expecting that! Nevertheless, there it is. Unmistakably caramel and honey, with citrus-y tangerine aromas surrounding it. This stuff’s aroma blows my mind! Or… nose, rather. Very very nice!

Oh my word! Did I just take a sip of tea or did I bite a tangerine? This is very tangerine-y in a very natural way. Not a hint of synthetic perfumeiness to be found here. It’s citrus-y and sweet, sugared even. Although there’s a lot of caramel in the aroma, it’s not really in the flavour. It’s more of a mild not too refined sugar here.

So there’s a lot of flavour added here, but it still manages to be a rather delicate little thing. This is a tea that requires a quiet moment of relaxation. You can’t just chug it while doing all sorts of other stuff. Well, you can, but it would be a crying shame.

It’s no secret that I’ve been rather pleased with the Russian blends from Kusmi (with one notable exception), and how they all had some varying amounts of citrus fruit in them. But they don’t really measure up to this. This tastes like what Kusmi tried to achieve.

This tea is an absolute beauty. Please, Steepsterite, if you like citrus fruits and something sweet but not cloying, do yourself a favour and try this one.

I have been dying to try this tea since I purchased this a month ago and I finally splurged today. This has a wonderful perfume-y taste. I was thinking jasmine. But then reading the other reviews, I would say more like orange blossom water. The tea base is smooth, warm. As this is some type of fermented white tea , the brew is light and somewhat caramelly. It is quite different and I would definitely recommend it.

As LiberTEAs mentioned – this tea is perplexing! It says it’s a white tea but it’s really a black tea! :)

Perplexing isn’t always a bad thing because the aroma and flavor of this one is wonderful! VERY aromatic and flavorful! It tastes like tangerine zest or ‘skin’ more than actual tangerine-juiciness. That flavor paired with a heavy floral flavor and tea tastes make this what it is.

I like this because of the tangerine-zest type taste and like I said before…the aroma is out of this world!

If you are ready for a wild ride…try this one out…it will surprise ya!

Wow. I’m loving this tea!

It’s very aromatic, and very flavorful. Have you ever tried orange flower water in anything? Did you like it? If so, you’ll LOVE this. Since it uses tangerine blossoms rather than orange blossoms, it’s a slightly sweeter taste, but it’s got that flavor from the blossoms that doesn’t delve into sour or bitter like using orange peel in tea can. When used too much, orange flower water can move towards perfumy, but while this tea does have an aromatic quality (and leaves the ghosts of tangerine blossoms in your mouth) it’s not too heavy; nor does it taste like you’re chugging your grandmother’s perfume.

It’s also got an aroma and aftertaste of boiling sugar. Not that the brew is particularly sweet, but there’s an aroma when you’re making candy and this also has it. Warm and sweet, (and possibly sugar cane-y, but I haven’t gotten the opportunity to sniff many sugar canes, so I may be wrong on that…)

My delight in this tea is also surprising as it’s fairly delicate. I’m a bold flavor girl, and this is not bold, but oy! It’s yummy. If it can hold up to multiple steeps, I’ll be in heaven.

Hiya Steepster…it’s been awhile. How ya been?

On to the taster note. The Shang Tea sampler was my frivolous “Tea WANT!” purchase for March. The main reason I got it was for one particular tea, their Tangerine Blossom “red” tea. As the description stated, it was white tea leaves (Dai Bai) that’d been lightly fermented, then blended with tangerine blossoms.

The result was a dry leaf scent that smelled at first like a jasmine green, but imparted a light citrusy profile. The liquor brewed to – what I can best sum up as – “oolong amber”. The scent also echoed the oolong comparison. The taste? A black tea-ish forefront followed by a strong citrus tang in the middle, and a smooth aftertaste. I can find no fault with this tea. At all.

For me this is a mood tea, by which I mean that sometimes it’s striking, pungent flavor feels like just the right thing and sometimes it feels like it’s too much and too bitter and I can’t handle it.

Tangerine Blossom is a black tea that is made from Shang’s white tea leaves and scented with tangerine blossoms during the oxidation.

This is a pretty good tea, although it leaves something to be desired. Certainly it has one of the most rich, tangy, and citrus filled aromas that I have ever encountered, however the taste falls a few steps below the aroma. Certainly it is still very good, but disappointing based on the aroma.

I steeped this 6 times with 4 g of tea per cup of water.

This tea is amazing. It was love at first aroma. It is a light black tea. The orange blossom flavor sweeps over you first, followed by a light, crisp black tea flavor that balances and compliments the orange blossom.

It’s like Southern California in the spring…on a warm evening, near an orange grove when a breeze picks up the scent from the orange trees and it envelops you, perfectly sweet and intoxicating, so that you instantly stop moving and close your eyes trying to savor the moment as long as possible! This is Tangerine Blossom Tea by Shang Tea.

The flavor is natural; infused. And it is a continuum of flavor, not a riot of competing flavors. It is truely beautiful and relaxing.

Very smooth. The tangerine taste is very understated and complements the fermented white tea leaves perfectly.

This is a choice for when you want unique and when you want to savor the exceptional. Mildly uplifting, perfect for early evening when you want to recharge from the day and yet still be able to go to sleep later. Red teas are like that for me. This one is even milder than most red teas, but I found it to also have an herbal, almost medicinal quality. Medicinal doesn’t sound appealing, but it starts off in a way that you aren’t sure that you really like, so you keep slurping and slurping and it’s gone before you know it and you want more. The tangerine element balances the herbal, and then you have the underlying red tea body. I want to enjoy this tea just often enough that it remains a special treat.

I love this tea. I tend to start the day with a red tea and this is often the one I choose. I find it smooth and the added tangerine flavor a delight. I get four steepings — the first two are for 1 minute, the third for about a minute and a half, and the fourth I let sit on the leaves for a long time. My favorite is the second and I savor that one. The first steeping and part of the third go into a thermos cup to enjoy during my commute to work.