Two leaves & a bud is one of my favorite tea company. The latest tea from their line that I’ve tried is Organic White Peony.

The white tea is minimally processed, gently sun-dried to preserve the mellow, smooth and savory flavor of the tea. So it’s a very light tea with a floral note.

White tea is prized for it’s high levels of antioxidant and other health promoting properties. It gets the name white tea from the silvery bud that forms along with the two leaves of the tip of the plant.

Tea Notes:

* Caffeine: LIGHT
* Top note: Smooth
* Middle Note: Robust and sweet
* Finish: Complex texture

I like how this tea never gets bitter after steeping. I can also steep it 2 or 3 times before tossing it out.

This tea is also easy to drink with any meal. A cup of White Peony is perfect for this time of year.

Comes in an eco-friendly cylinder holding 50 grams of loose tea. Makes 25 cups.

The company is also on a mission to support all Fair Trade teas. Their teas come from small farmers.

We need more small family farms and should do our best to support them. Both at home and around the world.

“Our journeys to the gardens show us time and time again that great growers deserve to be rewarded for great tea. As a result, we pay more for premium whole leaf teas, ensuring that more money makes it back to the source.” - two leaves & a bud.

I have tried to switch from green tea to white tea before, but I could never stick to it. Well, I decided since the weather is getting cooler, it’s time to try white tea again.

I found organic Peony white tea by Prince of Peace online at Vitacost.  I think it was about $5 per box of 100 individual wrapped tea bags.  This much tea should last me for a few months.

This particular tea was OK, but not something I can drink too often.  I’ts not bitter, but taste rather flat and very herbal.  I guess that’s why Peony root tea has been used as herbal remedies for ailments.

I would probably just drink this Peony white tea a few times a week. This is mainly since young white tea leaves has approximately 3 times more antioxidant than green tea. There is also less caffeine in white tea, compare to green or black tea.

I also got the Peony white tea since I think Peonies have such pretty blooms.  Red Peony photo from Wikipedia.

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I was interested in trying out teas from Mount of Olives because of the large selections they had to offer.  And also because they were blended with pomegranate leaves.  I know there are many health benefits to drinking pomegranate leaves tea and thought this would be a great tea to try.

The variety selection were all in a box named “Treasures”.  It include Earl Gray, Jasmine Green, English Breakfast, Green Tea Chai, White Tea Berry, Jerusalem Mint, Sweet Apple Spice, and Soothing Chamomile.

Of all the choices, the one that I would drink again is the White Tea Berry and the Jerusalem Mint.  You would think that having many selections to chose from I would find a real winner.  But that’s not the case here.

And as much as I enjoy pomegranate, the pomegranate leaves made this tea much too bitter and strong.  I’ve made pomegranate tea leaves and they are pretty bitter and not that good.  I would only drink it as a digestive aid.

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My tea review of the week is Stash’s Red and White Tea.  This tea is a blend of red tea (rooibos) from South Africa and white tea from China.

White tea is considered one of the most expensive teas in the world because it is more scarce than the other traditional teas.  White tea leaves are picked and harvested before the leaves are fully open and the buds are still covered by fine white hair.

White tea buds and young tea leaves have been found to contain lower levels of caffeine than older leaves such as green and black tea.   When white tea is harvested, it is allowed to withered and dried unlike with black or green tea.

Red tea comes from  the Cedarberg Mountain wilderness just north of Capetown, South Africa.  The plant is named “Aspalathus Linearis” and has needle-like leaves.  During the plant’s ripening process the leaves develop a reddish brown color, leading to the name “red bush”.

Like green tea, Rooibos is high in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.  Red tea is more like herbal tea and contains no caffeine.  It has a lightly sweet but astringent flavor making it a great tea alternative.  You can find loose red tea sold by the pound at places like Whole Foods.  If you can’t get your hand on Stash’s red and white blend, you can always make your own cup by brewing each type of tea and adding them together. Read the rest of this entry »