My Favorite Tea Blend
It would be great to open this up for all to enter their favorites. In general, we all have such different pallets that we really do need to have 142 loose leaf teas and herbs. At times, we've been tempted to add more but freshness is a key element as well. We won't bring in anything that sits around.
Among all of our teas, I have an appreciation for the Traditional Black teas. I enjoy anything where I can sense the terroir and artisan work that creates something so delicate but also so strong. Some green and white teas have great terroir as well but none really come through like the black teas. I usually reach for the Chinese Breakfast or Yunnan Gold but the Darjeelings are seriously good.
Our oolong category shows off pretty well with each item representing a little different element of this wide range of teas. Ginseng Oolong, WuYi Shui Xian are both incredible.
But, honestly, my heart falls into another tea category. I love Pu-erh! I love its earthy aromas and complexity in the cup. Pu-erh is typically pressed into cakes and aged. When this semi-produced Mao Cha leaf is pressed and aged, it actually goes through a fermentation process. The health benefits are off the charts and it is said that Pu-erh is the only type of tea that can lower your cholesterol!! Pu-erh helps with digestion and cleansing. Adding fermented products to your diet is entirely beneficial.
The cakes have different vintages, locations and specifics. They have a life of their own and some are at their peak at about 25 years of aging. There are processes that speed up that process to about 6 months but those leaves don't quite carry the same characteristics of raw cakes.
There are also loose leaf varieties of Pu-erh. Deep, dark, rich, smooth and earthy still just like the cakes but actually quite versatile and easy to uniquely flavor.
My favorite tea is actually a blend of 3 of our products. It's sometimes hard for me to choose one Pu-erh but for the last several months, it's been the Goji, Pomegranate and Strawberry Pu-erh. But a few months ago, I wanted to brighten it up so I threw in a little Sweet Orange Pu-erh and that was even better. But (yes, another "but") then... even though I liked the berry sweetness combined with the deep, richness, I added some of our Strawberry Ginger Herbal. OMG, this hit the perfect note for me. The herbal blend has Sweet Blackberry Leaf and huge berry flavor which rounds the whole thing into something that just makes me smile every day.
Oh, yeah, BTW, I drink it ICED!!