You Need to Brew Sugar Magnolia

Tea :      Sugar Magnolia

Producer: https://www.teasource.com/ Teasource

Website: Sugar Magnolias

Website description:  This white tea is everything delightful. The cup is sweet and smooth with a floral undercurrent.

Ingredients: white tea, natural flavor, orange peel, calendula, cornflower

Brewing Specs

  • Water: 32 oz
  • Temperature: 80 F outside in direct sunlight (Sun Tea technique)
  • Steep Time: 4 hours for 3 gm

My Review System: https://artofthepair.com/tea-overview/

Iced Tea Technique

  1. All iced teas are brewed using direct sunlight for a minimum of 4 hours.
  2. Only 3 gm of tea is used per 32 oz / 1 Quart of water.
  3. Once tea is brewed, it’s strained and placed into refrigerator to cool to under 40F (typically overnight).
  4. Samples are evaluated without ice, fruit additions (such as lemon) or additional sweetener.
  5. Iced tea is consumed within 24 hours of brewing.

My Overall Impression (Score of 90.0%)

We are finally starting to see some of the warmer weather in MI and it makes my heart so glad.  I do immensely love all of the seasons here.  However, the warmer weather brings me happiness as I’m able to smoke and grill without a jacket and hat, and I get to plant my garden and watch it grow.

Mostly, I get to play with Iced teas and these I crave and devour.  It seems like I will go through a quart every day.  That may not seem like a lot for most people but for me after additionally consuming 2 hot cups of tea for breakfast is a huge amount.  There is something about iced tea that brings pleasant thoughts such as:

  • Fresh garden tomatoes with salt and pepper only,
  • Cutting and eating fresh watermelons, and honeydews that have a musky scent that fill a room when they are ripe,
  • Reading exciting new grilling techniques and trying them out (such corn ribs last year), and
  • Fresh iced tea.

For me, I can make iced tea by brewing hot teas and chilling them.  They just do not taste the same as leaving them out in the sun steeping over a longer period of time.  Maybe due to lower tannin levels or they do not appear as astringent.  Maybe it’s the gentler approach.  In any case, I love this method. 

I’ve also found that white teas (with their lower brewing temperatures) produce amazing brews this way.  This week, Teasource’s Sugar Magnolia is an amazing iced tea.  From its inviting aromas (in the bag and then brewed) to the complex flavor structure, great mouth rinsing acidity and lower tannins make this a great find.  Factor in the price point and this is one that you really should purchase and try.

What do I think this Tea’s Personality is?

  • I’m sitting on my porch watching the summer rain sipping on this brew and being thankful for quiet times (and the rain since we needed it).

The Price

The price on 5/14/24 is $8.40 for 2 oz or 56.69 grams.

Broken down:

  • 56 gm / 3 gm for steeping = 18 brews
  • 18 brews from package = app. 47 cents per brew (1 Quart) or 12 cents per cup

This is an amazing value for a great soulful brew.  I use the soulful as this tea has so many dimensions to it that make it a lovely iced tea.

Aromas

  • Opening the package, large lovely floral, sugarcane, maple, citrus and violet notes emerge.
  • This is followed by notes of light toasted malt, fruity drink powder (no joke but it reminded me of a fruit punch powder when you open the package and it floats everywhere), cardamon, mangos, lemons, nutmeg and cloves.
  • Once brewed, the aroma was cut to about 20% strength of what I found above but still showing notes of all. As it warmed in the glass, more of the aromas appeared.

Flavors

  • First impression – Wow………This is complex. Just a lovely structure and backbone to it.
  • It has a very creamy texture to it with off dry tones and low tannins.
  • It has flavors of golden malt and lemons followed by mandarin / orange syrup, fresh pineapple, fuji apples and grapes.
  • It shows hints of ginger, cardamon, 5 Spice and finished with a touch of nutmeg.

Scores

  • Aromas (4.7/5)
  • Flavors (8.7/10)
  • Overall impression (4.6/5)
    • Total score = 90 percent (18/20)

Foods to Pair and Why

Verified by MonsterInsights