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Fortunately, I went to León 1,5 month ago, before the city was closed off because of Covid19, and so I could make a visit to my favourite tea shop there. Unfortunately, they didn´t have my favourite pu erh blend with Belgian caramel…but they recommended this other pu erh blend, with almonds! A wonderful treat, combining tea and marzipan w/o the calories that normally implies ;-) …I already had a brilliant almond green tea (from Kusmi, if I remember correctly), but I think the pu erh base makes it even better. As I probably won´t be able to travel to my home country Belgium for St-Nicholas´day and/or Christmas, I´ll enjoy plenty of cups of this tea, I think. And I can now order more online (this is a real advantage because of covid19, I must admit) as well…

I found a sample tea bag of this tea, so I tried it, and I must say it was a very nice surprise : a fruited green tea, from one of the big companies, to begin with, in teabag even…a lot of mango in nose, and the sweetness of litchi in finish, but all smelling and tasting very natural. I´m not much of a green tea expert, but I even think the green tea base is really good.

While I´ve almost emptied the pouch, I notice I haven´t written a review of this blend yet.
Aroma´s of tropical fruit in nose with the dry tea, once steeped these aroma´s have left and only a sweet air stays. Quite neutral taste (the green tea backbone), more sweet than fruity (maybe only a soft strawberry in finish) in my opinion. Easy enough to drink, without lasting impressions though.

From Bruu´s website :
What it is? A heavenly green tea blend, with plenty of papaya, a pinch of pineapple and stacks of strawberry.
Why we love it? Sweet and bitter in equal measure, with a real fruity finish. Perfectly refreshing to be enjoyed hot or cold.
Where it’s from? Also known as ‘Dragonwell’, Lung Ching is one of the most famous Chinese green teas worldwide, renowned for its quality and remarkable flavour. True Lung Ching tea, with its unique flat and crisp leaves, is grown only in the Hangzhou area in Zhejiang province. Longjing Village at the west side of the West Lake is the very “place of origin of Longjing Tea” and is called the “No. 1 Village of Tea”. Surrounded by the super high mountains, Longjing Village is not only the residence of over 800 people but the growing plantation of near 800 acres of Longjing Tea as well.
How our drink hits the senses: Huge swathes of pineapple and strawberry, with an almost bitter climax. Sweet and bitter in equal measure, with a real fruity finish.

Another of the 12 teas of Xmas I didn´t manage to drink in December. When I see “spiced orange”, I tend to avoid it, as it´s often over-spiced, over-orangey, over the top with fragrances which can be everything apart from subtle ;-) and I love spices, I love orange…in a delicate, balanced way!
So, first nice surprise was the aroma of the loose tea : one can tell the orange, and the spices, nothing too overwhelming or agressive though. Actually, it reminded me of “peperkoek”, a soft sweet treat typical for our celebration of Saint Nicholas (6th December)…definitely a positive point. Then, the brew : it´s OK, although a lot of the subtle aroma´s have been lost. As far as I am concerned, this is a lot better than what I expected (a gluewine-ish tea with straight-in-your-face clove), but quite a disappointment after the nose of the dry, loose tea.

This is tea from one of those golden pouches Bruu adds to their tea subscription. As in general I´m more of a black tea lover, I hadn´t tried this tea before, but I must say that I really like this green tea : needle-like appearance in loose tea, with an almost floral aroma (not grassy at all!), and when brewed, very light in colour and almost sweet in mouth. Floral again in finish. Nice.

How does Bruu describe the tea? I copy everything :
What it is? Mao Jian, is a sweet and floral green. There is an honesty in its flavour, reflecting the stress the tea bush goes through, due to the winter snows and altitude. As a result of the climate and temperatures the tea bush is exposed to, the season for the perfect Mao Jian tea is short, with the perfect crop coming from early spring.
Why we love it? Needle-like in appearance, and made from only the buds, Mao Jian leaves are commonly known as ‘hairy tips’ due to their appearance, the downy hairs (Mao) are what gives the tea its name.
Where it’s from? Hunan, Xinyang, China. Bai Yun mountains. 750m above sea level.
How our drink hits the senses? This Mao Jian is super fresh and packed full of flavour. Produced by smallholders in the Bai Yun mountains, you can almost taste the Chinese air!
The taste journey : It is a light, sweet cup, with a gentle floral aroma and a sappy freshness.

I sometimes wonder who comes up with the names for the tea blends, and this one made me wonder as well…what would I put in a blend I would call Mediterranean? I´m not sure whether it would be green tea based, but it might have some citrusy notes to it… and aromatic plants.
Well, The Capsoul decided to name their citrusy green tea Mediterranean. The citrusy notes are subtly present in the loose tea, and once steeped, they seem to blend in with the herbal nature of the green tea to make it very enjoyable drinking, however lacking real aromatic focus points. I like it, but I reckon I would have expected a bolder experience.

This is another of the “12 teas of Xmas” I´m only now drinking, and this one only had one previous review, and a seriously bad one! So, very weary…although I´m quite happy with the result. Dry the tea only smelled “maple syrup” with a lot of imagination ;-) …and in the ultimate finish of the smelling experience. When brewed, the leaves open up nicely, and make for a yellow varnish coloured drink with a kind of caramel aroma to it, not too overwhelming, and not up front, so at least the blend was made being moderate with the flavourings (what I can appreciate). Then, the drink itself : the grassy character of a lot of green teas has been softened by the floral and sweet additions. I´m not too familiar with the real maple syrop to be able to tell this tea really contains it (and I honestly am not too concerned, as like in other drinks with good – but “foreign” – ingredients, e.g. coffee stout, I tend to prefer the good ingredient on its own or in a “traditional use”) : it seems like something caramel-like, but only in the finish, and continuing for quite some time in the back of the mouth. That´s OK by me (to drink this once).

I´m finally getting through my “12 teas of Xmas” I bought last December! I shared with my husband who likes apple-based desserts (I prefer the fruit itself as it is).
A lot of caramel coming through in nose dry, and once steeped the apple comes in and softens everything up, and only in the finish the toffee gets you, so this tea actually works. I´m not a huge fan of sweet brews, but I do understand that this might be a hit over Xmas.
When I saw the tea taking coulour, I knew the hibiscus might be overwhelming the blend, but it actually stays quite subtle – apart from the colour.

Another golden pouch (added to every tea subscription by Bruu), and another very solid breakfast tea. The tea is very fine of texture, as I understand from the brilliant leaflet Bruu adds to all these golden pouches is the result of the CTC (crush, tear, curl) technique which allows for a stronger tea when brewed. As I make my breakfast tea always in a glass mug with glass filter, I was wondering if I wouldn´t end up with a inefficient filter, but it´s doing just fine. The brew is a lovely dark red colour and the malty taste is strong but complex and elegant. As far as I am concerned, no need to add milk ;-)

From the leaflet :
Why we love Surianalle
Clean & medium-toned fragrance of sweet biscuit in a dip of malt. Liquor of golden yellow with an orange and a rounded cup. Strong bodied with lively briskness, a touch of fruit and a sterling lingering note of sweetness in the finish. Expect the unexpected. The beauty of the hills beckons you to an inspiring morning of tea. A lot can certainly happen over this cup of tea!

I tasted this tea from a “golden pouch” Bruu is adding to each tea subscription this year. I might order it in a bigger pouch as it´s a nice breakfast tea, malty but not too agressive (strong) as they sometimes are (especially the ones from Kenya and Tanzania). Elegant with a particularly long finish.

What Bruu themselves say on their website :
What it is? A malty black tea with a nutty character.
Why we love it? Luponde is much softer and more mellow than other Tanzanian teas, yet with an aromatic zest and a fine length of flavour.
Where it’s from? Njombe District, Tanzania. With a hot and humid eastern shore bordering the India Ocean, and a mountainous, densely forested area in the northeast, Tanzania is one of the most important tea-producing countries in Africa. It has a warm, tropical climate with seasonal patterns of precipitation – a perfect recipe for growing tea. Although much of Tanzania is too dry for tea, the Luponde Plantation flourishes in the high altitude.
How our drink hits the senses? A very light, malty and earthy aroma fills the senses.
The taste journey : A very mellow, fresh BRUU with a fine length of flavour. Luponde can be drunk with or without milk, we just love the versatility.