The Persimmon Tree Tea Company

I pulled this sample from a traveling tea box a while back. It has been sitting with my samples for a couple months.

First thing I notice is a burnt cigar scent… which also happens to be the first thing I taste! It is this dry ashy flavor that takes over the sip. After the sip, the caramel creeps our from under the ash. Adding sugar doesn’t do much for bringing out the caramel. I’m not enjoying this cup. I think this one is a dumper. Next!

Backlog:

A very forgiving tea. I oversteeped it by several minutes because I forgot to set the timer, but I tasted no sign of bitterness and there was very little astringency or tannic quality at all. Very forgiving.

Fresh, vibrant taste with delightful tropical notes. A vegetal note that is somewhere between grass and steamed spinach. Lightly creamy/buttery.

The pineapple is tangy, and the mango and papaya is sweet and juicy tasting. A really nice tropical flavor.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/10/01/green-pineapple-tea-from-the-persimmon-tree/

Marco Lewis TTB

Thanks Persimmon Tree Tea for this sample!

This is my first jasmine green. I’ve been traumatized ever since having Adagio’s Jasmine Rooibos so I’m scared to try this, but here it goes.

2 steeps: rinse,40s,60s

Not too bad, the jasmine flavor was not overpowering like the other one I had. The only problem is it tastes as if the leaves have been artificially scented rather than being scented by real jasmine flowers. I don’t like artificially flavored teas so I don’t seem myself drinking this again.

Overboard TTB.

This was really good. I don’t know what Guava is supposed to taste like, so I can’t really make any judgement there, but this tastes very fruity and natural. The flavor definitely reminds me of tropical fruits and is somewhat similar to mango. It almost reminds me of grapefruit without the citrus sourness. It tastes like it would be delicious iced, as well. I kind of want to brew some of this with some of the Honeydew White I grabbed and see how they work together.

From the Marco Polo TTB

Ahhh I drank this DAYS ago, but never had the time to log it! Dude. This tea is SO good. Just the perfect hint of floral to a tea. I think… I think I actually have to purchase this tea because I didn’t really savour my time with it. Gotta get more!

Backlog:

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. I didn’t expect to like it a bunch given the fact that it’s not just a rooibos blend but a rooibos and chamomile blend. I guess my liking it had less to do with the fact that there’s rooibos and chamomile in the blend and more to do with the flavors of banana, coconut, caramel and a touch of graham.

It’s tasty. It’s sweet and a little bit dessert-y. A nice, caffeine free treat for late at night.

Here’s my full-length article: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/09/13/banana-coconut-tisane-from-the-persimmon-tree/

Another sample from The Persimmon Tree Tea….This one is definitely better than Adagio’s version of a Peach tea. It’s really strong and fruity, almost kinda sour, actually. But the aftertaste reminds me of Adagio’s version-has that burnt peach taste. :/
So that combined with the sourness that’s in every sip, I’m not really a huge fan. It’s a drinkable peach tea, and I’ve definitely had worse. But I’ve also definitely had better too!

Sadly, this one just tastes and smells like plain rooibos to me, with a subtle hint of banana. Not enough to qualify as a banana flavored tea though.
I generally like the teas from The Persimmon Tree Tea, but this one just wasn’t good to me. :/ Disappointed with it…

Sipdown! This is pretty good. The oolong is the star here, with just a little citrus sneaking in right before the end. The base itself has a lot of mineral tones up front and then goes intensely sweet in the aftertaste—yum! The additions make the taste smoother, but they don’t overpower.

Yours truly should never ever be allowed to be the final say on numbers, remember yesterday when I was so excited about the tea group being really close to 600 members? Yeah, I derped, I read 548 as 584, so not the first time I have done that either, I feel just a tiny bit sheepish about that error. But on a more positive and not me being a derp note, it is currently sleeting, we might actually get a nice icy coating and possibly some snow. Also my mom gave me a bunch (by that I mean six) of old Harney & Sons tins for storage purposes, not sure if I am going to use them for tea or paper, regardless they are very pretty.

Today’s tea is a funky twist on a classic spice tea, White Chai by the Persimmon Tree Tea Company, a blend of Ginger Root, Lemon Grass, Cinnamon Bark, White Tea, Pineapple Pieces, Cloves, Dried Coconut, Cardamom Pods, Red Peppercorn, Apple Pieces, Natural Spice Flavor, and Natural Cinnamon Flavor. The aroma starts out with a strong note of dried apples giving it a blend of sweet and just a hint of tart, this moved onto pepper, cloves, a but of cinnamon, and just a touch of cardamon and coconut at the finish. It certainly smells like a chai, but it has a tropical edge from the coconut and a much milder spice profile, as expected with a chai made from white tea, it is rather delicate.

Brewing the tea makes my little tea nook (that is what I have decided to call it while I am staying with my mom) smell very warm and comforting. A blend of classic chai spices and apple cider, there is also a touch of lemon grass and coconut giving it a tropical feel. I cannot decide if the wet leaves make me feel like I am on vacation or getting ready for winter, it smells good but also smells confusing. The liquid is all spice, apples, and a touch of coconut and lemongrass. The finish has a distinct punch of pepper that wakes up the nose, I do love a good peppery tea!

Usually with a chai I add milk or cream, but since this is a white tea I worried it would be too strong and I would not get the full effect of the tea, and it was a good idea since this tea is super mild. The most dominant taste is definitely the apples, blending the sweet apples with the chai spices make it taste like a slightly Indian mulled cider. There is a touch of citrus at the finish giving the tea a brightness. This is a Christmas Chai, oddly enough, the flavor notes remind me so much of cider and the citrus spiced teas I would drink that time of year as a kid. I did not really taste the coconut or the white tea, it was more like a fruity chai. I am not entirely sure how I feel about it, I enjoyed the taste, but wish that the white tea would have made more of a showing.

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-persimmon-tree-tea-company-white.html

Thanksgiving with family was much easier than I expected. I think my brother actually was able to enjoy his day. We all ate too much. This morning I had pumpkin pie for breakfast because I could.

I decided to have an herbal in the middle of the day as this one is billed as restoring the digestive system. Seemed like a good idea. I often have peppermint tea at night (Candy Cane Lane!) and sometimes chamomile, I like it, I just like other stuff better. This one combines peppermint and chamomile and it works. It does have fennel and licorice root but before you go, “Eeeewwww”, they are very light background flavors and are muted by the lemon balm and peppermint. At first this is peppermint. Icy cheek tingling peppermint. Then you notice the apple like chamomile late in the sip. Below it is the mellow fennel/licorice root. At first I thought the lemon balm only served to mute the last two ingredients, then I realized I was catching it in the aroma all along. To me it says a lot when an herbal can bring this many layers to the cup. Very much liked this one.

I didn’t realize I haven’t reviewed this yet. I ordered samples of this a while back and I enjoyed it quite a bit. If you’ve never experienced the flavor of lotus it is a strange one. It reminds me of anise or licorice combined with cream and a hint of floral. It can taste and smell very strong compared to other scented teas like jasmine or chrysanthemum, so I find this one can sometimes benefit from a bit lighter brewing than other scented teas.

That’s about it in a nutshell. It’s a rather relaxing flavor if you like it. It’s definitely better off light to me, but you could easily brew this strong for a more invigorating brew.

As I’m brewing this… I’m thinking it smells terrible, like one of those cheap scented candles from Wal-Mart that are way too strong and smell a lot more like crummy chemicals than they do the actual fruit or whatever they are meant to resemble. They give me a headache. The smell is very strongly of fruit, and it doesn’t smell like real fruit, despite there is real fruit in it. I’m pretty familiar with the smell of warm pomegranate as I use pure pomegranate juice to create my own grenadine syrup for beverages, which basically just involves heating pomegranate juice and sugar together in a pot (though I finish it with a splash of orange blossom water). The scent of heating that juice is very different from this. It smells fresh and doesn’t penetrate the sinuses like perfume like this tea’s scent does.

In any case, the taste is not nearly as strong as the scent. It is fruity as you’d expect. Nothing about it really tastes like green tea. I’m already getting the feeling this would be a much more successful blend if it was paired with rooibos or black tea or something with a strong enough flavor of its own so that you could actually taste anything other than the pomegranate flavor.

The fruitiness becomes tart at the end of the sip, which is to be expected from pomegranate, as tasting the fruit or its juice will do that. However, there is a dry feeling in the mouth during and after the finish that makes me think “low quality green tea here”.

I feel I can’t be very forgiving to this tea because it is not very forgiving itself. You can get better green tea pre-made in a bottle at the nearest fuel station here in the states.

There was dirt today, and leaves, and lots of bugs. Just a heads up. Yeah, I got to play in the dirt today like a little kid, it was wonderful! Today might be the last warm day before snow comes and covers all of my mother’s potted plants, making all the late autumn cleaning a really mushy, gross, and cold mess. So while waiting for mom to require my assistance, I took my camera and lifted various rocks and stumps looking for bugs. I found several spiders, tons of centipedes (and centipede eggs) more pillbugs than I could count, and a terrestrial flatworm of some type. Sadly mom would not let me keep the Yellow Sac Spider in a jar since ‘enough spiders find their way inside’ which is completely true. No desk friend for me this time…yet.

So, to spare some of my more bug-phobic readers anymore heebie-jeebies, it is time for tea! Today’s tea is The Persimmon Tree Tea Company’s Wellness Blend, an herbal blend of Organic Green Rooibos, Organic Fennel, Organic Linden Flower, Organic Orange Peel, Organic Raspberries, Organic Licorice Root, Organic Neem, Organic Cinnamon, Elderberries, Echinacea, and Chili Pepper, designed as a pick me cup. It also has the added benefit of calming the nerves and getting rid of headaches, and you know, when you have chronic headaches a nice herbal sip before bedtime is always welcome. The aroma, well, with all these herbs in it is expectantly herbaceous, reminding me of a plethora of dried herbs hanging from an herb show. Of course there are floral notes, a touch of peppery warmth, and a tiny bit of celery. It reminds me a little of my mom’s kitchen during winter, her drying kitchen herbs, a pot of simmering spice potpourri, and always flowers.

The now steeped pile of plants and spices is quite soggy, and still very much so smells like herbs, but this time with a very sweet note of fruit and a slightly tart note of berries. This fades to warm spice, pepper, and woody finish. The liquid, oddly enough, smells like pie. It smells like pie crust, berry fillings, and an herbal finish.

Sadly? I do not have a headache, and I am actually quite calm, so I am unable to relay on how the tea affects that, so it will just be about how it tastes. It starts sweet and herbal, a blend of fruit and spices. Again, pie comes to mind, not entirely sure why, but each sip I take reminds me of eating a slightly spicy berry pie with herbs baked into the crust. Not that I have ever actually eaten that, but it sounds really tasty. I like this tea, it is pretty mild as herbal teas go, no kicking in the face with the taste of plant bits and flowers, so that is a good if you want something gentle while being spicy and sweet.

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-persimmon-tree-tea-company-wellness.html (minor spider warning at the end, a very pretty long jawed orb weaver)

I no longer have a small teapot, so I filled a glass with hot water, then added the ball of tea. The next five minutes were spent watching it come alive as the water softened the dried leaves. I’m not sure if words can explain how much fun it is to watch this tea bloom. It almost made me wish I had someone home to share it with. Almost. I’m really enjoying having the house to myself and some peace and quiet for a change. Once the tea had steeped I found the taste to be very delicate. Rather than having the grassy, almost vegetal flavor many green teas have, I found it to be slightly sweet with a hint of floral flavor. This took me by surprise, since the tea is called Jasmine Blossom I expected the tea to have a much stronger floral flavor, but I found the delicate taste pleasant and relaxing. It was exactly what I needed today, now that I’ve had the chance to relax I can get back to all of the hustle and bustle of preparing for the holidays.

You can read the rest of the review on my blog:
http://www.notstarvingyet.com/index/2014/11/25/tuesday-tea-jasmine-blossom-flowering-tea-the-persimmon-tree.html

Not what I was expecting. Dry it has a light scent of bergamot. Brewed it has a rooibos scent. Hot this is rooibos but rooibos mellowed. It does not have the typical overwhelming scratchy rooibos taste. Absent from my perspective is the citrus. I am certain that is what tames the herbal leaf. I just don’t taste it. Once the cup cools the bergamot comes out to play and it is pleasant enough. I liked this best at room temperature. If you are looking for a way to learn to like rooibos, this might do it for you. If you want a stout cup of herbal Earl Grey this is not it. As its own thing, I did enjoy this one.

I think I have some sort of origami themed sickness, I get out my paper to work on some pieces and next thing I know hours have passed, my teacup is empty, and I am sitting in a pile of origami. Do any of my crafty friends do this? Go into a sort of half-remembered trance and then realize ‘oh, I just did a bunch of stuff’ usually because your body lets you know you need to do something else (like eat.) It is both rewarding and a little strange. Clearly I am just the Cheval for the Loa of origami, and I am actually totally ok with that.

So after that slightly strange intro (clearly I need more tea, or possibly food) we are onto today’s tea: The Persimmon Tree Tea Company’s French Vanilla Bean. This sweet sounding tea is a blend of Organic Black Teas, Vanilla Bean, Coconut, and Almonds…those are some of my favorite things in a tea, I wonder if blended together they will be as good? Ok I already know since this tea was logged in my notebook, mwahaha I have tea spoilers! Wow, I am in an odd mood! So, how does this tea smell? Good, like really good, like a vanilla bean and almond infused biscotti dipped in chocolate with a touch of coconut sitting next to a steaming cup of rich, malty, black tea. Sniffing this tea makes me feel under-dressed and lacking elegance, clearly I should be wearing something pretty while sipping this out of fine bone china in some swanky Paris cafe.

Brewing this rich tea does not make it any better, I still feel like I am in the wrong place to be drinking this tea. At least I have a fancy teacup and nifty artisan made teapot to have my tea in. The aroma is super rich, it is sweet and heady from the vanilla, much like sniffing vanilla beans and not vanilla ice cream so it has that richness without creamy heaviness. There is also a cocoa and almond note, not really picking up the coconut though. That is because it is hiding in the aroma of the liquid! It is just a touch, but you can smell the sweet and creamy note of the coconut along with the deliciously sweet vanilla and almonds. There is also a brisk hint of black tea giving the tea a bit of a bite at the finish.

Ok, tasting time, I have my fancy bone china teacup with a matching saucer (really, the saucer is a huge deal for me) and I am ready to take my first sip. It starts out mellow and smooth while retaining the richness of the aroma, it is rich while not weighing you down, kinda like how you feel weighed down by a rich fudge but not by a rich slice of angel food cake. This blooms into a decadent blend of vanilla, almonds, malt, and cocoa, oh man is that ever rich! The coconut adds a level of creaminess to the tea in both mouthfeel and taste, luckily the amount is small so the creaminess does not slide to oily like some coconut heavy teas can do. There is a slight briskness to the tea which keeps the tea from sinking into a too intense heaviness, it wakes up the mouth after the decadence has lulled it into a stupor. The cocoa notes linger in an aftertaste for a while. I was tempted to add a splash of cream to this tea, but decided that would make it too heavy, my mom did try her cup with cream and while it was good it confirmed my suspicion (though she really liked it that way.) We ended up making an afternoon of it with many cups, this is a good afternoon tea.

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-persimmon-tree-tea-company-french.html

Another sample from Starfevre! I am a vanilla fiend, so of course I had to give this one a try. I must say, I am unsure why there is shredded coconut in this tea, it has nothing to do with French vanilla (neither do almonds, but oh well). The base tea is much darker than the picture, it almost black, and there are some stems included. It smells vaguely vanilla-esque, perhaps with a bit of a custard note.

The steeped tea smells sort of like vanilla custard as well, but the aroma is not as strong as I would like. This is definitely a light-bodied and lightly flavored vanilla tea. I do enjoy the vanilla that’s here, and it does remind me of vanilla bean, which is nice. However, I feel this needs more, either in the vanilla flavor or in the base tea’s flavor. It just falls a little flat as-is, with a lack of dimension.

Last sample from the Persimmon Tree Tea!
So, I’ve never had a darjeeling tea before, and I don’t hear much about them. But this one perked my interest
The steeping aroma is very fruity, kinda smells like grapes to me actually, which is weird. Not sure it’s supposed to smell like that! But that’s how it smells to me.
The taste is odd for me. But perhaps this is what normal darjeelings are like.
It’s fruity and earthy. Mostly earthy with hints of fruit.
I’m not at all used to a tea like this. But it’s not bad. As I continued to drink, the earthiness got stronger, which I didn’t like so much.
But overall it’s not a bad cup. Just different to what I’ve tried before.
This makes me curious to try more darjeelings though!
Thanks so much to The Persimmon Tree Tea again for sending me samples! Has been great to try more of their teas! ^^

Currently yours truly is bundled up in the most amazingly fuzzy robe ever, it feels like the way I always imagined clouds to feel as a child, and it has a hood! Today my mom and I hit the thrift store for a little wardrobe overhauling (most my clothes back in KC are just worn to death!) and I needed more winter themed clothes. The cloud robe of happiness, along with a beautiful abalone shell (which might be a new tea dish, trying it out) was part of my haul today. Tomorrow we have high hopes to go on a hike before the polar vortex comes along and sweeps us up into winter’s loving embrace, at least I will be warmly-whimsically dressed.

Today we are taking a sip with The Persimmon Tree Tea Company’s Bao Zhong, (also goes by the name Pouchong) a very lightly oxidized, curly leaf, oolong. This tea runs the risk of sneaking into green tea territory because depending on the specific Bao Zhong, it can be oxidized anywhere from 8-12% which really is not a lot. I admit to only having a little experience with this type of oolong (having only had three different ones) so I am happy to experiment more with it. The aroma is gently floral, like you expect from a ‘greener’ oolong, but much more delicate. There are notes of lily, lilac, and honeysuckle, it reminds me of spring rather than a heady orchid filled conservatory.

The brewed leaves are immensely floral, so much honeysuckle and lilac, I feel like I am standing in the best garden ever, since those are two of my favorite flowers. It borders on the heady, but those are such light smelling flowers that it is not overwhelming. The liquid is also floral, lots of honeysuckle nectar sweetness with a hint of creaminess, it is delightfully delicate and sweet.

Ah, ok, that tea is exactly what I needed! It is light and sweet with a very clean floral quality, it tastes like honeysuckle nectar, sun warmed and creamy. I often lament that honeysuckles do not produce enough nectar on those days I when I collect the tiny drops of nectar from a handful of flowers, this tea can give you the effect without all the work. There is a hint of greenness at the end of the sip and the aftertaste has a lingering floral quality.

The aroma of the second steep is really quite heady, honeysuckle and lilac is present but there is also now a strong orchid presence that is pretty intense. The mouthfeel is delightfully smooth to the point of creaminess, the taste is also pretty creamy, with a slight chestnut nuttiness to it. Of course there are floral notes, heady orchid and sweet honeysuckle which start strong and stay around till the finish.

Man, the aroma is still so intensely floral so heady that it is almost a little too much for me, clearly I am too weak for such a powerful orchid, lilac, lily, and honeysuckle powerhouse. The taste, surprisingly, is mellowing out, it is buttery and a bit green with a tiny hint of mineral at the finish. It is rather clean and refreshing with a dryness at the end. This is a tea I could see myself craving, but not necessarily wanting as an everyday tea. Those days when winter is harsh and I want spring flowers, or I am in the garden and want to reflect my environment in my cup, or even like today when I am wanting a clean, floral tasting tea to soothe me, those are the days I will want this tea.

For reviews and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-persimmon-tree-tea-company-bao.html

Sooo this is going to be a shorter review.
My pain killers are kicking in like…6 hours late and is making me feel super exhausted, despite all the tea I am drinking tonight! XD Was going to try all of the Persimmon Tree’s teas, but I am gonna have to end on this one. :/
I don’t know why I never bothered getting a sample of this from the few times I ordered from them. I have no idea what I was thinking! Maybe I thought the name was too bland…I really have no idea.
But I’m regretting not trying this sooner!
I love vanilla teas, I need to try all the vanilla teas!
The smell of this one really threw me off though. It smelled strongly of chocolate and coffee. Perhaps my sniffer is just broken, but it definitely smelled that way to me!
The taste is fantastic!
I’d compare it to the Vanilla jelly beans you can get at the store.
It’s so full and strong. This one will really wake you up in the morning!
It’s much stronger than Periwinkle, in fact, it’s one of the strongest vanilla teas I’ve had so far on my quest for the perfect vanilla tea!
Really enjoying this one. If you are looking for a good vanilla tea, this is worth a try!
I will definitely have to pick more of this up!!
Thank you soo much for the sample, Persimmon Tree Tea! :D

Next tea from The Persimmon Tree Tea! :D
I have always loved oolongs, and this one sounded really good on their website, so I decided to give it a shot!
At first I thought this was just going to be a normal roasty oolong. The steeping and dry leaf aroma just smelled roasty, and that’s pretty much all.
But the flavor surprised me a bit.
It wasn’t just roasty, it also tasted like flowers and grass.
That probably doesn’t sound appealing when I put it that way-haha!
But the flower and grass make it a much lighter oolong than if it were just strong and roasty. Since I’ve been straying from roasty oolongs lately, and veering towards floral oolongs, I appreciate this tea more.
I like that it doesn’t just taste roasted. The flowers and grass tastes make it much more full and light. Not bad!
Glad I got to try this one. Thanks to the Persimmon Tree Tea! :D

Backlog:

A nice, caffeine free chai. I like the way the nutty flavors of the rooibos meld with the other flavors – it tastes a bit like a spiced cookie in a teacup. YUM!

A strong, zesty flavor. I like that the spices are not too understated. The vanilla softens the edge a little. The orange brightens the cup. It’s really a tasty combination of flavors.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/07/30/organic-rooibos-vanilla-chai-blend-from-the-persimmon-tree/