No. 72 White Petal

I started out on the light end of the tea spectrum this morning. I chose this tea mostly because of the convenience of it being in a bag. My co-workers were all late (and one had just given birth. yay!), so I was checking in patients for 3 practices and a bag was just way easier. Yummy, creamy, floral tea! Definitely helped keep me going!

The dry bag yields a wonderful fragrance of warm flowers. We’re not talking about floral in the usual sense, where the aroma hits you the way it would when you’re in the company of actual perfumes. Here, you get the feeling of meadow-y buds with their faces bright and open towards the day. The osmanthus masquerades as a whiff of peach. In the cup, these scents deepen and round out, like they’ve been slowly baked into the tea. Ozzy gets fruit-tastic here.

Oh no this is not something to drink in the morning. As soon as you start sipping, the chamomile takes over. You’d never think that a calming herb could taste so powerful, but something about this blend really takes it to a new level… Full review: http://snooteablog.com/2013/07/20/snooty-tea-review-steven-smith-tea-round-2/

Excellent cup. I don’t always like white teas, but this one is just the right mix of floral, and somehow fruity, that it’s the perfect afternoon cup.

Delicate and floral. Very nice afternoon tea without too much caffeine.

I received a single tea sachet sample of this from a cupboard sale by Ost, thank you Ost! I am always a little worried when a blend includes chamomile (I don’t like the flavor of it, but can handle it in certain blends depending on the amount used/if the taste isn’t too strong in the overall flavor profile of the blend), but the one chamomile tea I can stomach is Steven Smith Teamaker’s Meadow, so I’m hoping for the best here.

The tea steeps a bright golden color and smells very floral, with a touch of honey. The flavor is… surprisingly pleasant! I can make out the chamomile a bit, but mixed with the osmanthus in the blend, I’m tasting more of a sweet, floral flavor, closer to a subtle rose mixed with honeysuckle. There is a subtle hay note as well, especially near the end of the sip and in the aftertaste, but the floral dominates during the sip. I think this is a pleasant tea for early evening.

Ordered this at a Local Coffee Shop because I’ve been wanting to try it. I should have known better… I wasn’t thinking and forgot to specify the temperature and it was over steeped. So I won’t write a review but I will say that I still drank it and I think I would really enjoy this actually when prepared the right way.

Pass the Stash TTB 2.0

I’ve been rather curious about Steven Smith’s teas. I have browsed his website many times and there are definitely several things I would like to try. I was excited to see that my local The Fresh Market has a sampler box of his teas, but it’s different from the one listed online and it’s missing a couple of the teas that was really interested in trying. So poo! This was actually one of the teas I was curious about. Luckily for me, there was a single individually-wrapped sachet in the box! Sorry guys, I had to try it. :P

I really really like this tea! It’s a lovely mix of the soft hay-like flavor of bai mudan and the lightly floral honey tones of chamomile. I have no idea what osmanthus tastes like, but I definitely get an extra floral element in here. I’m finding this extremely delicious with a little bit of honey! I would definitely buy this as a nice calming evening option.

No 72 White Petal is my very first tea from Steven Smith Teamaker. I picked up a box at Whole Foods this afternoon out of curiosity. The liquor is light gold and the flavor only barely floral. A very subtle blend. I’ve been noticing of late that white teas sometimes remind me of the second infusions of green teas…

I do not really taste either the osmanthus or chamomile as distinct. Instead, there is a more general and very light floral facet to this tea.

Really enjoyed this after a long day after the holidays. The mix of chamomile really made this a very relaxing and soothing experience.

The osmanthus flower really makes this a fine cup, and a very relaxing experience. A superb way to end the workday!