Oddly…it’s been a while since I have sipped on a new-to-me tea from Harney & Sons so when I received this little gem from fellow SororiTea Sister ‘Super Starling’ I was pretty jazzed!
Upon opening the package I could easily see it was a black tea with bits of lemon peel mixed in. While reading the company’s website description I learned the rest of the flavor profile – while taking my first sip…fig and vanilla! Oh! Fig! Yay! Not enough flavored teas featured fig in my opinion. At this point I’m even more excited to try it.
The post-infusion liquor smells like a nifty breakfast croissant of sorts. Very delicious – to the nose…but what about the taste? It surely follows suit! The black tea base was of medium strength. Not overly strong. The lemon, fig, and vanilla flavors all mesh together to create their own SUPER FLAVOR!
I’m REALLY enjoying this…I mean REALLY REALLY enjoying this flavored black tea. I can’t want to take another sip…and then brew another cup! YUM!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Harney & Sons
Description
A wonderful naturally flavored black tea, Capri combines dried figs and tart lemon reminiscent of the Isola di Capri in Italy, with a hint of vanilla.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Raspberry Almond Coffee from A Quarter To Tea. . . .
Tart berries combine with sweetness, nuts, and a bit of Slytherin darkness to form this really well-balanced tea. It’s like a date with a mysterious, complex woman.
I’m surprised it’s white tea, actually, because there’s so much flavor flying out of it. White tea is the new Hip Thing To Drink. It’s usually pretty delicate, which makes the punch of this surprising.
What makes white tea white tea? LET ME TELL YOU, KIDS. GATHER ROUND. BRING YOUR BLANKET.
White tea is called white tea because of its color. It is tea leaves plucked very early in the tea’s life, before it unfurls and turns a rich green (green tea). The tea is also not oxidized, which is a process that darkens the leaf (black tea). The leaf, aside from its natural paleness, also still has its white fuzz. These factors combine for a really light, delicate flavor.
Usually. Not here.
This tea is basically the romantic interest in a film noir. She’s pale, dramatic, and has a few tricks up her sleeve.
This tea isn’t currently available, but if you contact A Quarter To Tea, they will often make custom orders of 4oz or more.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
Roasty and warming with sweet almonds and a bright fruity finish.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Local Hideaway/Pacific Tea. . . . .
Local Hideaway from Pacific Tea. I have to admit…I was sipping on this because of the name. That and because it was a flavored green tea and I was craving a green!
Lets take a look at the ingredients in this one, shall we? Contains green tea*, licorice root*, coconut pieces*, natural coconut flavoring, carob*, vanilla pieces*
The * indicates ingredients are certified organic. I have to say the green tea base was of medium strength and somewhat of muted flavor on the tongue. I could smell and taste the licorice but it wasn’t overdone, thankfully. I couldn’t really taste or individually point out the coconut, carob, or vanilla…but…I knew there was another flavor in there to make it more than ‘just licorice’.
The overall taste on the tongue was fairly good. I wouldn’t place it in my personal top ten but I wouldn’t cringe at a cup either. It was pretty middle of the road for me…and that is NOT a bad thing, REALLY!
Sometimes you just NEED a mellower cup. One that you can sip on and not really put too much thought into trying to figure out. It’s a much appreciated cuppa and I’m so glad I was able to try it. Which reminds me…if you do one thing today…why not share a cup of tea with a friend!?
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Pacific Tea
Description
Take me back to the summer of enveloping coconut trees on roads less travelled. Lingering notes of coconut, carob, liquorice and vanilla remind of days better spent.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Peppermint Crunch Inside-Out Lattes/The NecessiTeas. . . .
Tea Experimenting is continuing today with another go at an inside-out latte. Last time I used On Wisconsin by A Quarter to Tea and the floral base and honey notes just didn’t compliment the prep method. So, this time around I went for a richer, more chocolatey tea, Peppermint Crunch by the NecessiTeas.
My first step was to make concentrated tea ice cubes by steeping the tea per the company recommendations but using about double-triple the amount of leaf I would use regularly for the amount of water. Once it steeped long enough, I put the concentrate in an iced cube tray and left it to freeze overnight.
Once the ice cubes were frozen, I was able to take them out of the tray and fill a glass with them. I then topped the glass with milk and waited for the magic to happen. The ice cubes slowly flavored the milk and the more they melted, the more peppermint flavor they imparted. They also produced a chocolate quality but not exactly a creamy chocolate bar, more like a chocolate cookie. Actually it had me thinking thin mints…dipped in milk and I was quite happy.
I also decided to take some of the ice cubes and blend them with milk. This is what I did last time with On Wisconsin and I used too much ice, making for a slightly chunky drink. This time around, I went heavy on the milk and light on the ice and it turned out much smoother. Though initially it separated into a milky foam on top and the flavored milk below, it eventually melted back into each other given I got distracted for quite some time before actually getting around to drinking this. Flavorwise, this had a nice creamy peppermint to it, with a sprinkling of cocoa. It has a similar taste to the milk over ice but with slightly less chocolate. Personally I think that is because the ratio of tea ice cubes to milk was less in this drink and thus it was more water and less tea flavor. Nevertheless, both inside-out lattes were quite good and rather refreshing on a humid day.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: The NecessiTeas
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for blends that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Hawaiian Pineapple Mango Green/The Tea Farm. . . . .
Today I was craving a sweet something or other and thought with this new health kick I’m on- that I would try to curve this craving with tea. I’ve done it before but always end up justifying a cookie and the end of the cuppa. What can I say? Shortbread cookies just to with tea beautifully!
Looking over my teas that I needed to pay some attention, I came across this blend, Hawaiian Pineapple Mango Green- a green tea blended with pieces of pineapple and mango. Figured that combination of flavors would be perfect to keep me from reaching from the cookie jar. . .and I was right!
With water prepped right around 180F and then steeped for about 3 minutes- the tea just didn’t have the umpf of flavor I was looking for. I could taste the green tea base, which was pleasant enough, but I wasn’t getting the pineapple or the mango. I decided I could wait a few more minutes and steeped the tea for about 8 minutes. Took another sip and was greeted with that sweet pineapple and mango flavors I was looking for. The flavors were sweet and I found myself not needing the cookie after all.
I can imagine this tea would be delicious in the summer iced giving you all the tropical vibes you can handle!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: The Tea Farm
Description
Try our Hawaiian Pineapple Mango Green Tea as an iced tea as a delicious afternoon iced tea!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!