Mandarin Cream

Another Persimmon Tree tea. Honestly, I didn’t realize that this is a green oolong. The leaves are quite dark and they’re not rolled up, just long and twisty. I was quite surprised when I took the brewing basket out of my cup and saw how pale the infusion was! The dry leaf didn’t necessarily smell green, just sweet and vanilla-esque with some butter rum notes. Oh well, onward and upward! :P

This is actually quite tasty, even though I don’t generally enjoy greener oolongs. The vanilla and cream is quite strong, and there’s a definite buttery quality than approaches butter rum or butterscotch when combined with the other two flavors. I do notice a slight green grassy or vegetal quality lingering in the background, but it’s not too noticeable and I don’t mind it at all. There’s also a touch of floral (of course) and a slight fruit aftertaste, either from the “mandarin” or naturally from the oolong base. Speaking of mandarin, I don’t really taste citrus in this blend, but I feel it doesn’t necessarily need it with the richness of the other flavors. Quite good overall! :)

Mmm, this is a lovely tea. On their website it’s labeled “Best Seller” and I can definitely see why. It brews up to a lovely golden hay color and smells oddly like buttered rum. Tastes light, slightly buttery with some vanilla cream. I don’t know that I taste the lemon myrtle, but it’s still delicious. I often find flavored teas overwhelming and end up mixing them to tone down the flavor, but not with this one. It is perfect on its own.

After spending all day with Mandala Special Dark, I wanted to transition to something creamy but fruity. This seemed like it would fit the bill.

This tea smells like what I imagine buttermilk smells like, but with a dash of vanilla. This is definitely a creamy tea. Taking a sip, I first and foremost taste vanilla cream. Then I get a sort of buttery taste. At the end of the sip I can almost believe I detect a citrus note. With a name like Mandarin Cream I was expecting something similar to like an orange creamsicle.

This is almost purely cream. It’s actually sort of amazing because it even seems to have a thick creamy mouthfeel to it to. If I closed my eyes I might even think I was drinking warm sweetened vanilla cream. It’s actually pretty good. It kind of seems like a thinned out coffee creamer. Different from what I was expecting but not bad.

Another sample I bought with my Persimmon Tree order a few weeks ago. I thought since I’ve enjoyed a few orange/citrus teas, that I would be brave and get myself a sample of theirs.

Dry leaf smells mildly sweet and orange

Steeped I got creamy orange with the base playing a supporting role in the mouth feel and flavor. I did find that after a couple of sips it started tasting chemical and artificial… Oh no! It got even more so as it cooled.

Since this is an oolong I decided to do a resteep. Much to my surprise it that chemical flavor was gone and I enjoyed it much more this time. The chemical flavor began to return as it cooled… Bummer.

I did a third steep and it was much like the second. Note to self… Drink this one hot!

I enjoy this enough to finish the sample. I just wish the orange flavor was true throughout the variety of temperatures that my cup tends to get before I finish it. I don’t know if it would ever be a re-order or not… but I do find I like the light base with this. Maybe if I order from them again sometime I would consider another sample.

Weird, this tea is rated so low! Yet I enjoyed it so much! Just a reminder that ratings aren’t necessarily something to go by, though I really put too much stock in them, I think.

I’ve had this one in my cupboard for awhile, I’d actually ordered it from Persimmon.

I’d almost forgotten that I drank this one right after supper. Not sure what made me choose it, I guess because it’s been so long.

I find it creamy and delicious. Somewhat buttery, sweet but not in a fake way. Natural vanilla and an element of “freshness” to the taste.

A nice spring tea for sure. So good. Glad I own it.

ETA O HAY 250th tasting note! :)
This one is worthy, I suppose!

When I first opened up the tin I was greeted with the heavenly scent of vanilla. This wasn’t the artificial scent of vanilla I’ve come to expect of many vanilla teas. No, this smelled like I had opened up a new package of vanilla beans. Did I mention that it smelled heavenly? I love the scent of vanilla beans! Once the tea had been steeped the vanilla flavor mellowed out a little and I could taste the subtle floral flavors from the pouchong base as well as a hint of citrus from the lemon myrtle. When it comes to citrus teas I find that I prefer the subtle flavor that lemon myrtle adds. It gives a hint of citrus flavor without the overwhelming tartness of real lemon.

Now that I’ve tried this tea I’m kicking myself for not having tried it sooner. The bright citrus flavor and sweet vanilla are the perfect springtime combination. I love that it is sweet enough on its own that I don’t have to add sugar to it. Since it was 45°F when I woke up I tried this hot first, but it also makes a wonderful iced tea. I’ll definitely be purchasing more of this once the weather warms up!

You can read the full review on my blog:
http://www.notstarvingyet.com/index/2014/4/22/tuesday-tea-mandarin-cream-the-persimmon-tree-tea-company.html

I would like to thank Nghia from The Persimmon Tree Tea Company for sending me this tea for review.

I took the rest of this out of Traveling Teabox B some time ago and have only just now gotten around to trying it…

The loose leaf smelled vaguely citrus-y, which I guessed was the lemon myrtle. Not a really appealing smell, to be honest. It’s floral and tangy at the same time, but in a way that just is not doing it for me.

Once it cooled off enough to drink, I decided I’d try it unsweetened first. The liquor smells again very strongly of lemon myrtle, but now I’m getting the vanilla in the aroma. Perhaps it won’t be so bad. Not that I have anything against lemon myrtle, but for some reason, the smell of it is turning me off, like maybe I had a bad experience with it that I can’t quite remember at the moment…

Hmm, I have decided my verdict: this tea is bleh. It could speak to the age of the sample (which is unknown by me, maybe someone knows), but the lemon myrtle is just not as good as it could be. I’m assuming that’s what’s causing the tangy-floral flavor that I’m not liking. It’s borderline metallic, almost, and the more it cools, the more astringent the pouchong is, which doesn’t help. In a word, nope.

First Sip Thought: “Hello Spring”

Smell: Inhale the aroma and you will be in heaven. I find the smell to be light but the marigold petals are definitely made evident.

Taste: A best seller indeed. I’ve slowly become a frequent oolong drinker and this one can easily be on my list of favourites. Like the scent, the taste is subtle with a hint of sweetness. I was very impressed that it was not bitter at all. I was a bit confused why it was called “cream” until I took a sip and noticed a lingering taste of natural vanilla. The vanilla flavour is a nice touch and compliments the citrus well. The lemon myrtle and marigold petals instantly make me think of spring time (which could come sooner rather than later!) Overall, this tea is quite delicious and I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a flavourful, yet smooth flavoured oolong tea.

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