I usually reserve my smokier teas for cool or cold weather since I find them very comforting, but cloudy, rainy days spent gazing out the window qualify, too!
Tea Queens sells through consultants, and you can host a tea break or a tea party to learn about tea and to taste some of their offerings. If there is no consultant in your area, the website instructs you to call customer service, so I assume you can order directly from them.
This Russian Caravan is a blend of Assam, Keemun with lychee, and Lapsang Souchong. There are no steeping instructions on the website so I went with 200F and four minutes just to pamper the Assam a bit.
The resulting tea is so light I thought perhaps I had made a mistake, but I have another Lapsang blend that comes out a similar color.
This went very well with our breakfast of blueberry scones. The company sells scone mix, too, by the way! And teapot cookie cutters and colorful decorating sugars.
There is a touch of briskness from the Assam, and it is nicely smokey. I like smoke, and a few Russian Caravan blends have disappointed me by being a bit too tame, but this one was just right. I really don’t taste much lychee, even the cups I drank after the scone was long gone. I think mainly I pick up a general fruitiness from the the Assam and lychee together.
I have made a lot of new friends by having people over who want to learn about tea, where it is grown, how it is processed, how to prepare it, why to drink. I think the idea of hosting a party where an expert comes to conduct your own personal tea flight is marvelous! Especially since it gives you a discount on your tea, and real teaheads know how outrageous the tea budget can get!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tea Queens
Description
A blend of Assam and Keemun with Chinese lychee tea imparts a wonderful fruitiness. Lapsang Souchong adds a gentle touch of smokiness to this one of a kind blend.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Earl Grey Creme from Bluebird Tea Co. . . .
Back in January I treated myself to a huge Bluebird Tea Co order and like so many other companies my package arrived with a couple of extra samples to try. One of those samples happened to be this tea, a teabag of Earl Grey Creme (EGC). This is not one I would have picked for myself in light of my tumultuous relationship with bergamot but it arrived and I am happy to give it a try.
Alas it seems this has fallen victim to the astringency that often accompanies bergamot. Between the black base tea and the crisp citrus, this tea is a touch too brisk for my personal tastes. Often with ECGs, this astringency is drowned out by the vanilla or “creme” component but that is not the case here. With that said, there is a vanilla creaminess lingering beneath the bitter that is trying to break through.
In an effort to drown out the sharpness of the bergamot, I added a splash of half and half cream, which I do not like to do. However, even that isn’t toning down the briskness so ultimately I would say this tea just isn’t for me.
I should note that I brewed this not using my usual variable temperature kettle or mugs which might seem like it doesn’t matter but I have found that such things can impact the flavor of a tea. Moreover, I am in a different country on vacation and something as simple as a different composition of the water could be at play. So in fairness to this particular tea, which happens to be a winner of the 2013 Great Taste Award, my dislike could be because of my preference against bergamot or because of the different elements at play rather than a fault with the tea itself.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Bluebird Tea Co.
Description
Don’t we wish prime ministers today were as good as the ones in the good old days? Take PM Earl Grey, he was the cream of the crop. Not only did he help abolish slavery and reform the House of Commons, he also invented the legendary Earl Grey tea! So we’ve created this creamy tribute just for you old chap!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Hazelnut Mate from Fava Tea. . . . .
I really enjoy the flavor of hazelnut. When I was a coffee drinker I would always get a hazelnut macchiato or hazelnut iced coffee in the summers. I know that mate is very energizing, and I really would like to enjoy it. The mate blends I’ve tried thus far weren’t too pleasing to me. Although they were good blends, and i’m sure that others would enjoy them, they just weren’t my taste. When I came across Hazelnut Mate on Fava Tea’s website, I thought i’d give it a try. I figured I may enjoy the hazelnut flavor, since for whatever reason mate tends to come closest to a coffee substitute out of all the tea types, next to black tea of course. There’s something about the richness of the mate blends I’ve tried that really reminds me of coffee, plus the energy boost is pretty awesome too.
Upon smelling the dry leaf of this blend I noticed that the cocoa scent was strong, although that didn’t translate as strong to the taste of the cup. I was thankful for that because I didn’t want a blend that was too chocolatey, I wanted it to be more nutty/hazelnut. I immediately liked this tea as soon as I sipped it. This is the first mate blend that I couldn’t put down. It is so smooth and its not too heavy or thick. I have tried many hazelnut black teas, and the difference between them and this mate blend is that the mate has absolutely no bitterness and it isn’t as bold and in-your-face as black tea can be. Its really smooth and almost a little grassy, but the hazelnut component adds some nuttiness and that flavor that I know and love from my coffee-drinking days. I really enjoyed this tea and it has made me curious about other mate blends. Whether you’ve had mate before or not, if you like hazelnut you should try this!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Yerba Mate
Where to Buy: Fava Teas
Description
Nutty, smooth and packed full of vitamins and minerals this is the perfect choice for an enlightening lift! Roasted yerba mate leaves blended with hazelnuts, cocoa nibs and cornflower blossoms. And finally because sometimes you feel like a nut…. Blends well with Chocolate Cream Rocks.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Red White and Blue Black Tea from 52Teas. . . .
My desire for berry flavored teas is relatively new. I don’t usually gravitate towards fruit. I don’t know why but lately ive had a craving for berry teas! Ive actually had this sample for a while that I received with one of my orders from 52 Teas and I figured that my being in the mood for berry was a good opportunity to try it.
Something I have noticed about 52 Teas is that their black tea is very bold. If you dont generally care for bold black tea, then you may feel like it tends to overpower the cup. Try steeping it for less time. I steeped this for the recommended 2 1/2 minutes, but next time I may try 1 1/2 or 2 instead. I did find that the most dominant flavor here was black tea, shortly followed by blueberry and raspberry. Coconut was lost on me, unfortunately. I love coconut and it is one of my favorite flavors, so I was a little disappointed that it was undetectable to me. I think that the black tea was so bold, as was the raspberry and blueberry, that the coconut was just overpowered.
One thing I do appreciate was that this blend was made as a patriotic/Fourth of July celebration tea, and I love how different it is compared to going with something typical like “apple pie”. I think that it would be delicious iced and sweetened in the summertime. In fact, I think I would have enjoyed this 100% more if I had iced it. If you like bold black tea flavor and if you like berry, you will definitely love this blend. As for me, I am definitely going to finish off the rest of my sample, but this time im going to ice it! Yum!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Chocolate Covered Almond from DAVIDsTea
It seems like forever ago since I drank a tea from David’s Tea. Today I’m sharing with you their Chocolate Covered Almond flavored Black Tea. This tea is NOT currently listed on their website but according to the package does NOT contain dairy.
It claims that this is sweet, crunchy, and totally addictive. I would certainly agree that it IS a tasty treat! Cocoa, Carob, and Almonds are the addictive trinity here, friends! This tea also contains yerba mate, sugar, and flavorings.
Aside from the yummy-goodness of the flavor of this tea I have to say that I was overly impressed that it contained a black tea and Yerba Mate blended base. Because it had so much flavor it was hard to pick out the Yerba Mate flavor by itself but I appreciate that it was in there, regardless!
It’s sweet, bold, creamy, nutty, tasty, and certainly satisfies the sweet tooth on occasion.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: DAVIDsTea
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.
