Raspberry Lemonade/CuppaGeek Teas

Tea friends, I am BEYOND pumped to review this tea for you today. Why, do you ask? Well, our sweet and wonderful SororiTea-Sister, CuppaGeek, has officially launched her OWN line of amazing teas, and this is the first one I’ve had the opportunity to sip! Nichole is far too humble and sweet to ever brag on her own teas, so let me be the first (and certainly not the last) to do so: THIS WAS AWESOME. As soon as I saw Nichole’s teas go up for sale, I ordered a few goodies, and Nichole generously sent me a few extras to try. Seeing as her teas arrived on one of our many unseasonably warm days lately, I picked the one that sounded the most delicious for cold-brewing, and immediately popped a few teaspoons into a glass mason jar with some water overnight.

The next morning, I had a bright and beautifully pink brew awaiting me. Upon first sip, I knew this is exactly what my dehydrated summer self was craving– tart and a bit sweet, fruity and lemonade-esque while still maintaining the integrity of the green rooibos (my fave) and green tea. I loved that the lemonade in this tea didn’t just come from lemon flavor, but from one of my favorite herbs (lemon verbena), and a host of other delicious fruit and citrus combinations. As delightful as this tea was on its own, with a tiny splash of lemonade, it’s absolutely elevated to the next level. The slightly tart raspberry flavor (bolstered by just a hint of hibiscus) really shines, giving me that summer-fruit deliciousness that I crave from May-September.

Overall, I was BLOWN AWAY by Nichole’s first go at blending her own flavors (seriously, if girl is this good right out of the gate, what’s next to come?). I’m dying to try more in her repertoire– a Doctor Who inspired green earl grey and herbal Cotton Candy fruity blend top my list right now– and am so excited to see what’s next for this new tea company. Help me offer a big and happy congrats to our Sororitea-Sister, CuppaGeek!

 


Want to Know More About This Tea?

Leaf Type: Green/Green Rooibos

Where to Buy:  CuppaGeek Teas

Description

This tea is available by request.  Contact CuppaGeek Teas for more info!

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Limoncello from The NecessiTeas. . . .

When I started up the kettle I had a plan. I was going to brew up Magic Potion by DAVIDsTEA, get a cool timelapse video for my #365daysoftea challenge, and write a kickass review about the tea and its magical color changing effects. Although I can say that it was pretty to see the rich blue of the butterfly pea flower give way to a deep purple when mixed with lemon juice, I have to say everything else was a bit of a mess. The timelapse wasn’t all that interesting and the tea was undrinkable as a result of my distaste for stevia. I scrapped my first tea plan and went for something else I thought I might enjoy more…Limoncello by the NecessiTeas.

I steeped two perfect teaspoons of the dry leaf in a 16 ounce mug. I brewed the tea for 5 minutes in 200F water, per the recommended steeping parameters.

I have to say, after the disaster that was Magic Potion, this tea felt like making a new friend after being stood up on a first date. My first attempt at a tasty evening tea may have been a bit of a disaster but this tea was there to pick up the pieces.

The lemon is front and center – crisp and true to the fruit without being bitter or overly sour. I think that is due to the combination of lemongrass, which is a bit more savory than lemon, and lemon peels which bring the bright lemon zest flavor. What surprised me as I drank is that this tea has a lot more body than just a typical lemon tea. I think the addition of the brown sugar gives this an almost baked good vibe and that is where the body and richness is coming from. Moreover, the tea has a bit of a vanilla creaminess. I should say that in light of my description, this tea that has body and cream is not at all heavy and in that sense “lemon meringue” feels like an accurate description.

All in all, I quite enjoyed this tea. It is both new and different from teas I’ve had and yet at the same time it feels very familiar. I would most definitely classify this as a dessert tea but not one that is overly sweet, which is surprising given there is sugar right in the leaf.

Ultimately, this tea might have been the second tea I grabbed but it is by no means anyone’s second choice.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Green Rooibos
Where to Buy:  The NecessiTeas
Description

The Italian dessert drink has made its way into a tea. Imagine lemon meringue teasing your taste buds, while sweetly melting in your mouth with a blend of vanilla and brown sugars. The lemony brightness shines through with lemongrass and a sprinkling of golden marigold petals, all topping a green rooibos tea.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

On the 7th Day of Christmas, 52 Teas gave to me….Crisp Cranberry Soda Green Rooibos Tea!

On the 7th Day of Christmas, 52 Teas gave to me….Crisp Cranberry Soda Green Rooibos Tea! So for this one, the smell of the dry leaf brought back memories! When I was younger my mom was really into sparkling water mixed with a splash of cranberry juice and a lime. As a little girl, I of course always wanted to copy her. This blend smells exactly like that “soda” drink tasted…down to the carbonation. Although, I’m not sure how you can “smell carbonation”, but I swear I can!

                This blend is a total thirst quencher. I’m drinking it hot because I’m not very into icing my teas, but I can imagine this would be so amazing iced. I love the green rooibos base. It is lighter and not as “woody” as red rooibos. The cranberry is not super tart, but it’s still present and I feel like I can taste a little bit of lime or citrus. Then,  of course, there is the “soda” aspect. If you did not tell me that this blend was meant to taste like a “soda” drink, I would still have thought it did- that is how accurate this tea portrays crisp cranberry soda. It is so crisp and it tastes so hydrating I am literally gulping it down. I really did enjoy this one and I feel like it totally represented its name 100%. It would be amazing in the summertime as an iced beverage or even as a tea-popsicle! This one is a winner for sure!


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Green Rooibos
Where to Buy:  52Teas
Description

This tea is not available but click below for teas that are.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Organic Orangetopia Rooibos from Amitea Organics. . . .

Even though we are in the midst of pumpkin flavored and heavy spiced teas, I still yearn from brighter and more vibrant flavors. Mainly, because in my neck of the woods, the days have certainly been gloomier and more on the rainy side.

The other day I remembered that I had picked up some samples from Amitea Organics, an Etsy Tea Shop. If you aren’t familiar with Amitea Organics, take a moment and check out their wide variety of amazing teas. I’ve been a fan of theirs from the very beginning and just love the flavors they are able to capture with their hand blended creations.

Since this is a green rooibos base blend, I decided to go ahead and brew this tea up with fresh boiled water at 212F and allowed the tea to steep for 5 minutes.  With the rest of the flavors being primarily orange zest and safflower petals, I wasn’t worried about any kind of oversteeping.

After allowing the blend to steep for a bit, I also allowed the tea to cool. Took my fist sip and was happily greeted with the warm fresh flavors of orange and a sweet vanilla honey note from the green rooibos base. Sunshine in a Cup is what I’ve nicknamed this tea. This blend is simple yet vibrant and so happy to deliver flavors that are more reminiscent of summer. I wouldn’t say this blend reminds me of a cremsicle but with a bit more orange and vanilla, you probably could easily get there.

I’m a  huge fan of all things flavored orange, so this tea was right up my alley. I enjoyed several cups of this tea hot and should have saved a bit for a decent cold brew, but couldn’t resist.  The flavors were just so soothing and warming, I just found myself gulping this tea prepped hot down.

This blend is one to keep close for those warm snuggly nights in the not to distant winter future that my area will see.  Being one that doesn’t love chai blends, I’m always on the look for blends that give you that warm and fuzzy feeling, and this blend does just that.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Green Rooibos
Where to Buy:  Amitea Organics
Description

Light tasting Green Rooibos makes a fantastic base for just about any flavors and additions. This Orange herbal blend is juicy and fruity. The perfect caffeine free iced tea, or enjoy it piping hot on a cold evening, it won’t keep you awake, and might just soothe you to sleep!

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Rocket Fuel from Adagio Teas. . . .

Among the many fandom blends Adagio has to offer, there are a few Adagio collections waiting to be found. One such collection is the Tree House Collection made up of Tea Rex, Monster Brew, and this tea, Rocket Fuel. All the teas come is silk tea satchets stored in colorful tins and all are caffeine free as the lot are meant to be child friendly in look, contents, and taste.

Rocket Fuel is blended with green rooibos tea, apple pieces, raspberry leaves, orange peels, blueberries, natural orange flavor, natural blueberry flavor, marigold flowers & blue cornflowers. I had enough to make this both hot and iced, each steeped for 3 minutes in 200F water.

I tried to start with the hot cup but tbh it was a bit too hot and I didn’t taste very much so this note, I will be starting with the iced tea to give the other time to cool. The main flavor of the iced tea is definitely apple. Apple and the rooibos base which is the very slightest bit woody. I even get the slightest touch of orange peel but not much. More than anything, this is an apple tea.

Hot, the rooibos base is much stronger. In fact, here it is the most prominent flavor, followed by orange peel. The apple comes in at the tailend of the sip to add some sweetness but is not nearly as strong as in the iced tea.

have had this previously, both hot and iced, and remember really enjoying it. The iced tea I remember having a great citrus flavor while the hot was full of berry flavor. However, that was over three years ago and it would see my tastes have changes as these two cups were disappointing and not at all what I remember.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Rooibos
Where to Buy:  Adagio Teas
Description

A powerful tea to provide the energy you need to travel fast and far, and visit new worlds, like Venus and Mars.

blended with green rooibos tea, apple pieces, raspberry leaves, orange peels, blueberries, natural orange flavor, natural blueberry flavor, marigold flowers & blue cornflowers

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!