The Persimmon Tree Tea Company

TeaBox B — thanks again everyone! Right away, this reminded me of the other Persimmon Tree tea I had, even if I couldn’t remember what that was at the moment. Coconut cream? The sweet vanilla/cream flavor is there mostly. I can’t really tell it’s oolong or mandarin after a four minute steep. It’s just okay! I think the “cream” used here works better with the coconut.

Also, why does my throat feel like constant rooibos now? I haven’t any rooibos since this morning. It seems like I notice the rooibos scratch more and more. I think I should just invest in some teabag wraps to make sure the rooibos doesn’t get in the cup… but I thought that problem was solved with my mesh infuser!

This tea was not bad, but it wasn’t what I expected. I recently learned that I enjoy earl grey white tea, so grey herbal tea sounded like it could be good as well. The bergamot oil flavor was very light (I’m not even completely sure I tasted it, or at least it’s very different from what I’ve had in other earl grey teas), and the primary impression I had of this tea was fruitiness. That’s funny considering that there doesn’t seem to be any fruit in this tea… I’ll have to try it again, perhaps steeping longer and adding rock sugar.

I don’t know what I was thinking when I ordered this. I love oolongs, but flavored oolongs?

Well, I gave it a try. It’s not bad. The flavor is a bit weird, though. I can’t taste any lemon at all, or marigold – though I don’t know what marigold tastes like so for all I know I am tasting it, and it tastes exactly like the vanilla flavoring. I even added some sugar to try and bring out the other flavors but no go.

I won’t be buying this again.

Tonight I blended this with Russian Caravan black tea from Capital Teas, because when I had the chai alone last night there was no tea flavor to accompany the masala spices. The blend was a HUGE improvement.

I used 1 heaping tablespoon of Rooibos Vanilla Chai and about half to three-quarters of a tablespoon of Russian Caravan. (And like last night, I made it with a bit of rock sugar and half-and-half.) The resulting drink had a much fuller-bodied flavor than the chai produces alone. Very tasty! I will definitely be doing this again (perhaps experimenting with other blends).

This chai has masala spices, but it’s rooibos so there’s no caffeine. That is very appealing to me, because I’ve always associated masala chai with nighttime (perhaps because I’ve had it at dinner at Indian restaurants). It’d be nice to be able to consume it in the evening without worrying about caffeine.

I made this with a little rock sugar and half-and-half. The good news is that the masala spices are perfect. The bad news is that it tastes like there’s no tea underneath the spices. I only steeped this for about 4.5 minutes, so my next step is to try steeping it longer. If that doesn’t bring out a tea flavor, then perhaps this blending it with another tea will. (Maybe with a black tea? It will defeat the caffeine-free appeal of this, but the spices are excellent so I wouldn’t mind trading caffeine for a version with more flavor.)

My first sip of this was delicious, which was a relief because the smell wasn’t very appetizing. The caramel flavor wasn’t too overwhelming and it enhanced the green tea nicely. However, less than halfway through the cup the flavor suddenly became bland. Did my taste buds just habituate to the subtle flavor? I’m not sure what caused the change, but it was disappointing given how good the first few sips were. I’ll have to have it again (perhaps making it stronger) to see if the same thing happens.

This one has that plasticky element many caramels have, where it’s authentic tasting—the plastic flavor isn’t because it’s artificial caramel, it’s because sometimes caramel does taste like plastic to me. So, sweet plastic. Not sure I dig this one and I’m pretty sure Tokyo is more my general style in terms of flavor profile. But this is a good case of a tea that’s well done and hits what it’s aiming for, it’s just not for me. I will say the caramel aroma and flavor is impressively strong/satisfying without being unpleasant or fake seeming (I won’t name names but there’ve been a couple tea companies I’ve tried where it’s like “yeah that’s the smell and flavor of the hyper specific thing you’re going for…along with the impression of a buttload of chemicals, and everything wake-the-dead-level turned up to 11 [or a million]”), and I always like when a company can manage that as it doesn’t seem an easy balance to strike.

Continuing my quest to find a good chai, and aided by Dexter3657 who appears to have sent me all the chai in her cupboard including this one, I’ve steeped this while at the cottage this past weekend. Hot chai in the summer? Yes, especially if you get caught out on the lake by monsoon-type rain. We were fishing and as soon as the first drops started falling we pulled anchor and took off. Docked just fine but it’s a boat, not a car, you can’t just leave it and run. By the time we put the cover on and tied it down we were drenched. So you peel off your wet clothes, hang ’em up to dry, take a hot shower and sit down with some chai.

I have yet to find a chai where they weren’t heavy handed with the cloves. Why, oh why?!? This one was one of the better ones I’ve tried but still not mine, still too much clove. I have enough for another cup and I will possibly underleaf — which actually might not be a bad thing, I found the resteep was yummier than the first steep. With sugar and creamer I drank it and it was not bad. It will not, however, be a part of my cupboard.

As for the fishing…good eats!

http://instagram.com/p/dwijocnqW8/

Thanks for the lovely sample, Cavocorax! I actually dreamt last night that I was reaching over for this sample to give it a go, so when I woke up, I thought that I might as well FOLLOW MY DREAMS.

I also dreamt that I tried to order Butiki’s Taiwanese Wild Mountain Black since I haven’t tried it yet and have been wanting to, but it was out of stock, and I was tremendously sad. Really, brain? I mean, really?

So I steeped this up and took a sip. It’s a classic Assam, malty and full-bodied, but a little on the astringent side, and still not as malty as I would like, since that’s my favourite part about Assams. I added some half-and-half cream and a touch of honey and it’s making a pleasant late breakfast beverage.

I had this a while ago with a bit of rock sugar and it was quite good, but not good enough to replace when I use up the sample. I’m currently having it without sugar, and it still tastes good (I don’t think it needs the sugar, so I won’t be adding sugar again.) The first time I had it the apple flavor was stronger (maybe the sugar contributed to that?), but today the peach flavor stands out. Either way, the addition of the fruit makes this much better than standard black tea. This has none of the bitterness or pungency that I taste with most black teas.

(Tea from silentrequiem. Thanks!)

Sometimes I don’t enjoy black tea because of the thick and bitter taste, but this black tea was quite good. The fruit flavor was strong during the first few sips, which complemented (and calmed) the black tea flavor nicely. However, the taste became much weaker as I finished the cup, and it ended on a bland note. I resteeped it and it was a little too weak to be impressive (or worth resteeping in the future). While I enjoyed this and will finish the sample happily, it’s not good enough to restock.

(Tea from silentrequiem, thanks!)

I brewed this and Tealux’s Coconut Creme at the same time to compare them. The ingredients seemed very similar, and they looked the same, other than Persimmon’s tea being in smaller pieces.

Brewed at the same temp, same time, and in the same type of steeper, the results are: the Persimmon Tree’s has a creamier coconut taste and richer mouth feel. I really like both, but I think this one edges out the lighter Tealux’s by a bit.

I’m glad I compared them before I drank DTs Cinnamon Heart, as I tried them again after and all I could taste was cinnamon. I need something to cleanse my palate.

Mmm… So good! I’ve had this twice now and it was delicious both times. It also re-steeped well. I added a little bit of rock sugar (during the second steep the first time, and only during the first steep the second time) and the sweetness is a nice addition but not necessary. The coconut flavor is strong and, in my opinion, extremely good.

(Tea from silentrequiem. Thanks!)

This is a great rooibos that I blend with flavored teas. It is especially great with black teas. It makes those overly fruity/flavored blends taste better – it tones down the other flavors to a palatable level for me, and adds its own something in the process. I haven’t tried it by itself.

Let me preface this by saying that this is only the second unflavored white tea I have tried. I really wanted to know what flavor the white tea contributes to the flavored white teas, and after trying this, I can tell that the flavor of the white tea is not lost in Persimmon Tree’s flavored whites, like white guava. You can definitely taste the white tea, along with the added flavor there. Here, I get hayish flavor, but not as strong as in the silver needle white tea. I think I prefer this one over silver needle because of its sweetness. Now I know what the white tea base tastes like, so I’ll be able to appreciate the flavored whites more. In the end though, I think I prefer a little flavor added to my white teas. Maybe that will change, but for now, that’s how it is! ;)

Thanks to whatshesaid for the sample!

I liked this more than I expected to. I am not a big fan of coconut flavor, but the coconut in this tea is very natural and well complemented by the creaminess. The base tea also comes through nicely. I got two good steeps out of it, with the second revealing greater depth and complexity. This won’t go on my shopping list, but I would recommend it to coconut fans.

Mmmm creamy. At first, the flavor of this is overwhelmingly creamy with just a touch of coconut. The coconut comes out more in the aftertaste. As I keep drinking it, though, the coconut really comes out to play and it’s about an even flavor balance between creamy and coconutty. Kind of like coconut water with a thicker mouthfeel. Alas, I don’t actually like coconut, so this goes in the nice-to-have-tried-it-but-don’t-want-more category. Many thanks to whatshesaid for the sample!

The dry leaves are also super pretty!

I hate it when my tasting notes vanish into the ether after I hit that submit button!

To get to the short and sweet of it, I was looking for something different today, after finally conceding that yes, indeed, the doctor was right about the apple allergy. So I’m backing off my apple blends and heading towards things like this.

I was hoping that the ginger would have a nice bite, but instead of nipping at my senses it just gummed at my temper. In its defense, I do wish I hand’t used the rock sugar that came with the sampler. It just wouldn’t dissolve, and stubbornly clung to the bottom of the cup. The top was plain, the bottom was syrup.

This is not going to fill the hole left behind by my favorite apples.