Tea Poll & Giveaway
Today I was playing around with tea blending, trying to figure out what the next tea should be like... And I thought to myself: why not ask you, and see what you are craving these days tea-wise.
My line has currently three teas: Immortelle l'Amour, which is rooibos-based; Roses et Chocolat, which is a black tea blend; and Charisma, which is based in green tea. Dawna & I created 5 teas in total, but we discontinued Tirzah, which was a sencha blended with linden blossoms and other flowers, lemon peel, spearmint and lemon balm; and Gaucho, which was a bold blend of yerbamate with lemongrass and red clover.
So, here is the poll for you to tell me what you are craving. And the giveaway for this week is a tin of the delicious Immortelle l'Amour tea!
posted by Ayala Moriel @ 9:36:00 PM
10 Comments:
I had some white tea bath products a while ago. I remember the scent was light and clean.
What are the characteristics of each tea base - red/rooibos, white, green, black? I'd be curious to read about tea notes from your perspective.
Alternate suggestion: maybe something gourmand inspired by that Milky Oolong you served? Yum!
Ha! I just clicked on the "tea notes" label of your blog and answered my own question.
(I should really be doing my taxes...)
Laura,
White tea is very subtle, mild and slightly peppery, with a very nice and sweet finish.
Red is the Chinese term for black tea. Rooibos is different - it's not really tea and it comes from a bush native to South Africa that goes a similar process of oxidation to turn it from green to red. It has a sweet, fruity aroma on its own and many great properties, the main one being an anti-oxidant.
Green tea is usually fresh and has a slightly grassy or even oceanic taste (as in some senchas). There is really a lot of variety among each group based on the grade, location it was grown and other particular processing details.
Black tea is the most oxidized/fermented of them all.
Oolong is somehwere in the middle between green and black and sometimes is called "blue tea". Oolongs are so complex on their own I feel it's a shame to blend them with anything else. Especially the milky oolong!
If anything, I will create a perfume based on it. In fact, I'm planning on infusing some of it in alcohol next week, to go with a very special osmanthus perfume I'm working on. It's going to be very lactonic and milky and I hope the oolong will work!
I also wanted to say: someone who voted for "other" wanted a tea with jasmine in it. Charisma has a very similar characteristics to jasmine tea, so I feel it would be redundant to do another one...
If you love jasmine tea, you should try Charisma!!!
Hm, I didn't know Tirzah was that popular. Bringing it back is certainly something to think about...
I voted for white - I miss that the most among the tea scented perfumes.
Ines,
I love white tea too!
Dawna and I have been planning a white tea blend for a while. We just need to decide on the perfect timing and context for it.
I'm glad to see I'm not alone in my craving for a white tea perfume :-)
I voted for black tea. I love black tea.
Ayala,
I want to preface my comments with what I like best about your tea blends -- that they are high-quality, nuanced in aromatics and flavor, balanced, and often have a surprising yet wonderful ingredient (cacao nibs in Roses and Chocolate, osmanthus in Charisma). My favorite tea of yours is Roses & Chocolate, I think it's perfection. I had received a sample with an order once. I loved it. Then I tried to see if I could find a comparable replacement to it, and the one I found by a good tea importer was no where near as good.
So whatever you pick, I think will be great. I voted for White Tea, because I like white tea and look forward to your interpretation of it. Same with Lapsang Souchong, would love to see what you come up with.
Amy
Amy,
Thank you for your feedback, and I'm really glad you have enjoyed the Roses et Chocolat tea so much!
The quality of the raw materials plays a HUGE role in the final result of any product. It's true for perfumery and it's certainly true for tea. I think anyone who cooks at home have experienced the difference between cooking with fresh tomatoes, for example, that were grown in season and soaked the amount of sun and nutrients they need to develop a full flavour, as opposed to hothouse ones that got just enough to look like a tomato but taste quite like the real thing...
The teas and other botanicals used in each of our perfumed tea blends are of the highest quality and were chosen for their unique aromatic profile that was influenced by all the different stages that are required to produce them: growing conditions, fermentation, picking and drying methods, and even how they were blended. Dawna pays a lot of attention to how and when and where she blends those teas and I think you can taste the love that goes into them - in addition to the creativity that went into developing the unique flavour to complement the teas.
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