Choice Organic Teas’ New “Bookend” Teas

Now that the New Year is fully upon us, changes are on the horizon. For we hedonists all like to shake things up on a regular basis, don’t we?

So … how about tea for two … or four.

Four new flavors, that is.

As of this month (currently available at their online store and scheduled to be in stores next month) Seattle’s own Choice Organic Teas, which started in 1989 and focuses exclusively on highly-certified teas – Certified Organic, Fair Trade Certified™, Kosher, non-GMO, and certified HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) – is rolling out four new teas.

They already have some 70+ varieties of tea, including tea bags, tea pyramids, and loose tea. With these new four, now they’re really closer to around 80 teas in total.

So, with so many teas, why four new ones?

“After careful consideration and research, we determined we needed to add these four varieties to round out our product line,” stated Anne-Marie Phillips, Head of Sales and Marketing for Choice Organic Teas, in a recent press release. “Made with pure ingredients, these perfectly balanced teas are sourced from some of the most beautiful places on earth. We invite our customers to go beyond their horizons and discover the world one cup at a time. We feel confident our customers will fall in love with these flavorful new teas.”

These teas – sold for around $5 a box, with 16 tea bags in each box – are “bookend” teas: literally at two different ends of the tea spectrum. While two of the teas are green teas, two are chai blends. (Your Hedonista recently received some media samples.)

The lightest of the four, in everything from color to aroma to taste, is their Premium Korean Green tea: a very light green, sweet-smelling tea with notes of chlorophyll and bright green tea, this tea is sourced from the volcanic ash-rich soil and subtropical climate of Korea’s Hawaii-like Jeju Island, known as the “Island of the Gods.” Their first (and thus far only) tea from South Korea, the tea leaves of this tea are are seamed, rolled, and dried in the way of the Sencha tradition.

The next-lightest is another green tea: their Decaffeinated Green tea a light green tea with notes of toasted brown, this Indian tea has both notes of grass and grain in it. Given that it’s decaffeinated – in a carbon dioxide process that is currently the only certified organic method available, no less – it’s a good tea to drink starting in the morning and continuing into the night.

Now to the other end of the spectrum: their new Rooibos Chai tea blends South African rooibos (a decaffeinated tea) with masala spices of clove, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, and black pepper, to create a chai tea with a twist. Dark red and caramel in the cup, this tea tastes and smells very cinnamon-forward, with a spicy bite on the backend. Drink it straight-up or with milk and sweetener.

Finally, the biggest and boldest of these four newbies in terms look, scent and taste: Choice Organic Teas’ Masala Chai. This chai blends those same masala spices with an Assam black tea from India’s Brahmaputra River Valley, resulting in tasting notes of both malt and heavy spice. I enjoy this one with milk (either poured right in or frothed in my Capresso) and a sweetener, like sugar (white or natural) or honey.

Note: In order to comply with FTC Act 16 C.F.R. 255, Heed the Hedonist would like to disclose that it does receive media “comps” and/or media discounts – but not in exchange for favorable coverage, or for withholding unfavorable overage, of the given venue/meal/performance/product/service.