Ontario Icewine

Here’s Hoping Traveling Tea Box (HHTTB)
For those who don’t know, I’m a recovering addict. It’s been almost 30 years since I had a drink (actually my anniversary is coming up soon).
So I haven’t had a glass of wine in at least that long, & I’ve never had Ontario Ice Wine. In fact, I never even heard of it until I joined Steepster, LOL.

So this is actually pretty nice! Plain it was so so, with a little stevia (& I really mean just a pinch), it is a lovely fruity cup.

SIPDOWN! you know what’s fun? mixing up the teas you’re drinking even though they taste nothing alike lol oopsy… so anyway this tea? it’s slightly floral…a little grape like and with a bit of sweetner it’s like the memory of ice wine. Over all not a bad little tea that i’m glad i got the chance to try, though don’t feel the need to purchase :)

Tea # 16 from HHTTTB2

Elements of grape and rose on a dry white base. Sweetener amplifies the icewine notes, but I was expecting it to be sweeter from the gate.

Thank you for the sample, NM Tea co. I’ve never had a tea that attempts to mimic wine before and was very excited to try this. I’m so grateful that there a couple of mugs-worth in the packet because it’s going to take me a few tries before I figure out how I feel about this one. On first impression I like it a lot.

This is a nice floral tea. I wasn’t expecting that and thought it would be more on the sweet and fruity side from the name and the smell of the dry leaf. There’s a hint of roses, with a sweetness that drifts up from the liquor’s aroma. The base is also giving me those crisp and fresh cucumber-melon notes, which contribute to a sense of sweetness.

The same profile that reminds me vaguely of roses also lends itself to a flavour that I can only describe as grapey- I get this more near the finish and when I inhale and sip (I probably look funny). The aftertaste, in particular, is fruity sweet. It does make me think of a sweet wine.

Second steep accidentally went over six minutes and tastes a lot like the first steep. It’s silky with a mildly fruity astringent finish.

I have yet to try a Riesling, and the one icewine I’ve had the pleasure to sample was of the red variety, so I can’t fairly say how this tea holds up to what it’s trying to imitate. My obsession with Silver Needle has also made me neglect getting familiar with White Peony, the base of this tea. I’ll have to amend some of these things.

A rough day was made infinitely better by a box of tea on my doorstep. Not a surprise box, for the generous Dexter3657 warned me before sending it, even asked what else did I want inside it, but anyway, out of all the teas in the box this is what got picked first.

What do the people in New Mexico know about Ontario ice wine? Well, they apparently know enough to make this tea taste a little bit like it. I’m a wino. I go to our ice wine festival in Niagara-on- the lake every year, spend the weekend imbibing so imagine my surprise when I learned there’s a tea mimicking ice wine. Ontario ice wine none the less.

I’m not sure if this will appeal to non-Ontarioans but that’s neither here nor there.

The tea brews quite dark. I expected a lighter brew because well, it’s white tea and also because the cheaper ice wine, and therefore the more popular, is the whiter one. You can have a Cabernet ice wine but a 375 ml bottle will set you back $80 here in Ontario.

It is fragrant and the aroma matches the flavour. It has no sweetness, although you can see how one might expect it. With some sugar it does come quite close to the ice wine flavour, I will admit. Although the flavour is subtle, even with sugar. But it is there.

The moral: don’t expect sweet and don’t expect white. But …
Good job, NMTC.

Much thanks to Dexter3657.

I was planning to do a blog review of this tea, but decided against it.

First off, my tea was very twiggy. The tea starts off delicate, sweet and smooth. Mid sip is floral and a really flat wine taste, ending with a bit of grape flavor and quite of bit of dryness. Also, I thought this tea would be much sweeter like icewine. I added sweetener which perked up the icewineness and reduced the flatness.

Ehh, maybe my sample was old? I dunno. Alas, rest of the sample goes to the swap box.

Tea #3 from the Here’s Hoping TTB

I wasn’t really sure how to feel about this tea when I saw it in the box. I’ve had icewine before, but I’ve never had a tea that mimics wine, despite the fact they’ve become rather popular. I ended up being pleasantly surprised by this tea, the grape flavor came across clearly. I did find it to be a bit more dry than I prefer, but then again I don’t like dry wines either. Overall it was pretty interesting to try, but not something I would order myself.

This tea won’t be continuing on, I finished off the last little bit.

T.C. sent me just enough of this to make a ~20 oz pot of Ontario Icewine, which put uberpressure on me not to screw it up with heat or oversteeping (I ruined a perfectly good re-steep earlier because SQUIRREL). TA-DA, a perfect pot! Lucky me!

After a 30 second brew this is amber-colored and strong, with a fruity, slightly sharp white wine aroma. It has the bright mouthfeel of other wine teas I’ve tried, and the sip is impressively well-balanced (IMO) between the delicate white tea flavor and the wine. I can taste both easily and there’s a harmony of flavor between them I really enjoy.

There’s nothing fake about it, which is usually where a tea and I part ways.

Anyway, the leaves were a little beat up from their trip in the envelope, so there’s a lot of detritus in the bottom of the pot. I have a sinking suspicion that it will be bitter by the time I get to the rest of it, but we’ll see.

I managed to leave most of the swirly leaf powder in the pot. I’m smelling sweet spring flowers now in addition to the juicy wine grape. Yum!

Now I’m sad I don’t have any more. But you bet I’ll try to re-steep it later and see how it goes. Thanks again, T.C.! Great cup.

Fresh NMTC order in today!
This one caught my eye immediately and I had to try it.
Whites are still new to me so I’m somewhat leery on rating them…but here goes!
The smell does have a wine tinge to it. sharp and vinegary.
The first sip I immediately wanted to say I didn’t like it. But a second later I changed my mind. It’s one that grows on you. The more you sip the more you like it. No aftertaste. It’s smell is there in the taste but subtle. The more I drink (and the more I type while drinking), the more I like it.
All I can really say is that like most whites it’s a delicate and light taste. I personally enjoy it and feel if you enjoy white teas you would also. It’s a keeper for me. I’ll decide weather to reorder it after I try a few other whites for compairison.

Well, I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m sure a fan of having wine with breakfast. At least that’s what this lovely wine-infused tea tastes like, and I’m now just a little in love. The tea itself didn’t smell terribly similar to icewine when dry, but as soon as water is poured on the leaves (which become vibrant green and utterly gorgeous), the true scent emerges: light, sweet, slightly fermented. The liquor is slightly red and has a surprisingly full-bodied flavor for a white.

Since I love strong teas in the morning, and this tea satisfies me bright and early, it’s definitely a keeper. Thanks to T.C. for giving me a chance to try this baby!