Tea Time in Apr 2024 Box
Tea Time in Apr 2024 Box
Explore the wonderful world of our month's carefully selected teas, each of which is matched with pastries that have been thoughtfully chosen to enhance your taste experience. Our Origins section introduces you to the traditional artistry of Yunnan, China, through the enchanting Xinhui Green Mandarin Orange tea, a perfect blend of citrus and aged pu-erh. Paired with the buttery and fruity delights of Fruit Cookies from India and Korea's crisp Egg Biscuit Cookies, these combinations promise a balance of flavors. In the Fruity or Floral category, the Honeysuckle Blossom tea, crafted in the USA, offers a refreshing blend of floral and citrus notes, accompanied by the creamy Vanilla Sunflower Halva and the sweet Pineapple Soan Cake, creating a serene floral undertone. Finally, our Explorer tea, the Silver Yeti from Nepal, invites you on a sensory adventure with its low caffeine content and rich antioxidant properties, paired with unique treats that complement its subtle flavors, embodying the spirit of exploration and health.
Follow our My Tea Time blog series for an immersive exploration of your monthly tea experiences. Without further ado, let's start our April tea experience!
Origins
Get to know your Origins Tea!
This tea, hailing from the lush landscapes of Yunnan, China. Crafted from the Yunnan large-leaf bush species, known for its superior quality, this tea is a blend of Xinhui citrus and the aged, ripened essence of pu-erh, offering a diverse flavors with each sip.
Tea Name: Xinhui Green Mandarin Orange – China
Teamaker: Traditional Yunnan Tea Masters
Origin: Yunnan Province, China
Elevation: Yunnan's tea gardens are renowned for their high elevation, contributing to the tea's unique profile.
Cultivation: Utilizes traditional techniques honed over generations to cultivate the Yunnan large-leaf tea bush species, ensuring a premium quality product.
Harvest Date: Xinhui mandarin - July, 2017 | Pu-erh tea - April, 2015
Brewing Instructions: For a sublime tea experience, start with 1 tablespoon of tea leaves per 8 oz (about 250 ml) of water. Use water at 212°F (100°C) and steep for 60 seconds for the first infusion. For the second infusion, add an additional 30 seconds. The tea supports up to 4 infusions, allowing you to savor its evolving flavors.
Tea Aroma and Taste
This tea's aroma is a blend of Xinhui citrus fruit notes and the aged, palace-ripened flavor characteristic of pu-erh tea. Upon tasting, you'll be greeted with a slight sweetness and a smooth, soft mouthfeel, intertwined with a tangy citrus flavor.
Appearance: Greenish-brown peel, showcasing the natural beauty and traditional processing methods.
Smell: A captivating mix of Xinhui citrus fruit notes with the matured richness of palace-ripened pu-erh tea.
Taste: A mix of slight sweetness with a smooth and soft mouthfeel, complemented by a tangy citrus flavor and a refreshing aftertaste.
About the Farm and Farmers!
Nestled in the serene landscapes of Pu'er City, the Jiu Tai Po tea garden stands as a testament to the unique blend of tradition and nature. At over 2000 meters above sea level, this garden benefits from a unique ecological environment, fostering the growth of exceptional tea leaves cherished across the globe. Here, the ancient practice of tea cultivation is preserved, away from the hustle of modern life, ensuring every leaf tells a story of purity and dedication.
Background on the Farmers:
The heart and soul behind these exquisite teas is Mr. Yang, a tea farmer with over three decades of experience. Renowned for his dedication to quality and innovation, Mr. Yang's journey into tea-making is fueled by a passion for crafting the perfect blend. His collaboration with local fruit gardens in Xinhui, driven by a quest for the finest ingredients, underscores his commitment to excellence, making each sip of tea a testament to his lifelong devotion to the art of tea.
Pastry Pairings
With their buttery texture and bursts of candied fruit, the Indian Fruit Cookies enhance the earthy pu-erh overtones of the zesty Xinhui Green Mandarin Orange tea. The powerful citrus and earthy tastes of the tea are contrasted and balanced by the delicate sweetness and crunchy layers of Korea's Egg Biscuit Cookies, which provide a unique tasting experience that accentuates the skill of flavor matching.
Fruit Cookies – India
The Fruit Cookies from India offer a delightful crunch and a burst of fruity flavor, perfectly complementing the Xinhui Green Mandarin Orange tea. Their buttery texture and embedded candied fruits echo the citrus notes of the tea, with the tea's aged, earthy undertones. Together, they offer an exquisite tasting experience, blending tradition and indulgence in every bite and sip.
Egg Biscuit Cookies – Korea
The Egg Biscuit Cookies from Korea, with its crispy wafer layers enriched by egg, offers a delightfully crunchy texture that perfectly complements the Xinhui Green Mandarin Orange tea from China. The biscuit's subtle sweetness and light, airy feel contrast beautifully with the tea's deep citrus notes and the earthy undertones of pu-erh, creating a pairing that enhances the tasting experience of both. This combination is a testament to the art of flavor balance, offering a unique taste adventure.
Palate Cleanser (for taste testing): Saltine crackers are provided in our tea box to clean the taste of your mouth including spicy, bitter, or sweet.
(Read more about Tea J Tea’s recommended way of tasting: Sip-Bite-Sip)
Fruity or Floral
Dive into the enchanting world of Honeysuckle Blossom, a tea that blurs the lines between fruity zest and floral serenity. Crafted in the USA, this blend offers a refreshing departure from the usual tea selections, presenting a blend of oolong tea with natural elements that awaken the senses and enrich the spirit with every sip.
Tea Name: Honeysuckle Blossom – USA
Processing: This exquisite blend comprises oolong tea leaves, meticulously combined with honeysuckle buds, lemongrass, apple pieces, calendula petals, and natural flavors.
Year: 2023
Caffeine Content: Moderate
Brewing Instructions: For the perfect cup of Honeysuckle Blossom tea, begin with 1 tablespoon of tea per 8 ounces (250 ml) of water. Heat water to 205°F (95°C) and steep the tea for 120 seconds. For those who enjoy a more profound flavor, add an extra 30 seconds for the second infusion. This tea supports up to 3 infusions, allowing you to unravel its complex flavors gradually.
Tea Aroma and Taste
Take a taste adventure with the Honeysuckle Blossom tea, which combines delicate floral notes with a crisp citrus flavor for a unique flavor experience. This tea is more than simply a beverage; it's a peaceful break from the day to appreciate the wonders of nature.
Appearance: The tea presents a vibrant palette of colors, with the deep amber hue of oolong tea leaves beautifully contrasted by the bright yellow of calendula petals and the subtle green of lemongrass.
Smell: Upon opening the tea, one is greeted with a captivating aroma that weaves together the sweet, intoxicating scent of honeysuckle with the fresh, citrusy notes of lemongrass and the subtle earthiness of oolong tea.
Tasting Notes: Honeysuckle Blossom offers a tasting profile that is both delicate and floral, underscored by a refreshing complexity. Notes of floral honeysuckle sing through each sip, complemented by the gentle zest of lemongrass and the sweet undertones of apple. This blend is a celebration of refreshment, antioxidants, and a soothing embrace for the heart, brain, digestion, and immune system.
Pastry Pairings
The creamy, crumbly Vanilla Sunflower Halva offers a dance of sweet vanilla and nutty sunflower, perfectly complementing Honeysuckle Blossom's floral zest. Meanwhile, the airy, flaky Pineapple Soan Cake, with its sweet pineapple and warm cardamom notes, beautifully contrasts and enhances the tea's serene floral undertones, creating a unique pairing that elevates the tea-time experience with its blend of textures and flavors.
Vanilla Sunflower Halva – Ukraine
The Vanilla Sunflower Halva, with its creamy, crumbly texture, unfolds a delicate dance of sweet vanilla and nutty sunflower kernels, offering a perfect counterbalance to the Honeysuckle Blossom tea's floral and fruity notes. This pairing marries the halva's gentle sweetness and smooth mouthfeel with the tea's refreshing zest, creating an indulgent symphony of flavors that enhance the tea's natural vibrancy and depth.
Pineapple Soan Cake – India
Diving into the luscious layers of Pineapple Soan Cake reveals a symphony of sweet and nutty flavors, complemented by the subtle warmth of cardamom. Its airy, flaky texture melts delightfully on the tongue, offering a contrast to the smooth, floral notes of Honeysuckle Blossom tea. This pairing marries the cake's tropical sweetness with the tea's serene floral undertones, making each sip and bite a celebration of nuanced flavors and textures.
Explorer
Try Something New
This white tea, known as the Silver Yeti, comes from the unspoiled valleys of Nepal and is a veritable gold mine of flavor and health advantages. Through its potent antioxidants, Explorer tea, designed for individuals who desire more from their everyday routines, urges you to embrace greater health and uncover profound focus.
Tea Name: Silver Yeti - Nepal
Processing: The leaves of Camellia Sinensis are carefully processed to retain their delicate white tea qualities, ensuring a low caffeine content while maximizing health benefits.
Year: 2023
Caffeine Content: Low
Brewing Instructions: For the perfect cup of Explorer tea, use 1 tablespoon of leaves per 8 oz (250 ml) of water. Begin by heating water to 175°F (80°C). Steep the leaves for 180 seconds for the first infusion, adding an additional 50 seconds for a second infusion if desired. This meticulous brewing process unfolds the tea's full spectrum of flavors and health benefits, inviting you to a moment of serene contemplation.
Tea Aroma and Taste
Compared to many other white teas, this tea is light in flavor and has nuanced flavor notes.
Appearance: The tea boasts a delicate hue, reminiscent of the first light of dawn, with leaves that whisper tales of their handpicked origins and organic certification.
Smell: The aroma is a delicate balance of buttercream and sweet hay, with an undercurrent of stonefruit that promises a tantalizing taste adventure.
Tasting Notes: Layers of buttercream and stonefruit emerge into Explorer tea, leaving a hint of sweetness reminiscent of fragrant grass. With the help of the tea's natural components and antioxidant qualities, every sip takes you one step closer to wellbeing and focus.
Are you interested in previous Subscription Boxes from previous months? Check out Last Month’s box (March Tea Time in A Box).