This tea gets top points for the cuteness factor. Pink pig sprinkles? Check. Delightfully punny name? Check. Delicious, unexpected, cookie-tasting tea? Check. This tea made me smile without even opening the bag, and I just had to break out my adorable sky blue teapot to brew up this blend.
Even in the dry leaf, you can smell the fig flavor, immediately reminding me of Fig Newton cookies. Cookies and tea are an age-old couple, and cookie-inspired tea flavors are understandably popular. Most of those tend to be shortbread, or cinnamon, or gingerbread, so a fig-cookie tea is a nice take on an under-used flavor.
This tea brews up as fragrant and sweet as it smells, the fig taste holds its own against the hearty black tea base. Drinking this tea warm helps feed the baked-good charm of the flavors, like sweet cinnamon raisin bread or raisins in brown sugar oatmeal cookies. Figs, dates, and raisins are all naturally sweet and starchy, so this tea has a dessert-feel even without sweetener or milk. I’m not always a fan of overly-sugary teas, but the natural, fruit-sweetness of the fig in this blend really captivated me. This blend was an unexpected favorite, and I will be bookmarking it for future orders.
Assuming the namesake of this tea– Miss Piggy– you should definitely brew this blend in your most stylish cup, and drink this tea with a load of confidence and sass, enjoying every drop of sweet indulgence. Hmph!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Flavored Black Tea
Where to Buy: Tea & Tins
Description:
Loose leaf black tea, nicknamed Miss Figgy! Ingredients: black tea, fig taste with dried figs and pink pig sprinkles.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Holiday Blend Alert! Spiced Pumpkin Pie from Bluebird Tea Co.
In my family, the holidays mean nothing without our traditions. Buy Christmas PJs together the day after Thanksgiving? Check. (Even as adults. Yup, this is a real thing, you guys.) Go to the orchard every autumn and come home with enough apples to keep us flush with homemade applesauce until the cows come home? Check. (Still eating that applesauce, btw). Surprise each other with new books on Christmas Eve and spend all day cozied up (in our Christmas PJs, naturally) and reading? Check. (That’s one of my faves).
But no Thanksgiving tradition runs as deep in our family as pumpkin pie. My grandma used to make the MOST delicious pumpkin pie yearly, only for Thanksgiving, and my plethora of cousins and I would duke it out for the biggest slice year after year. Even now after she’s gone, my mom and aunts carry on her tradition at our family gatherings. I’ve tried to play with her recipe a few times, tweaking it to be grain- and dairy-free– and while I’ve gotten it close, nothing tops the memory I have of the sweet, creamy, spicy, toothsome (and hard-won) pie of my childhood.
That said, if a tea is going to claim to taste not just like pumpkin, but pumpkin PIE? I’m going to hold it to some high standards. This black tea blend from Bluebird Tea Co hits many marks– not every mark, but enough that I can definitely give it my pie-stamp of approval. A bagged black tea with visible chunks (pumpkin sprinkles? maybe dried sweet potato?), it definitely delivers on the pie flavors I’ve come to know and love– sweet, creamy, almost vanilla crust-like notes, complimented by a heart dose of squash and spice. This tea takes cream and sweet well, and my dash of added maple syrup only likely elevated these flavors.
The only downfall I found was that when hot, this tea has a bit of a bitter aftertaste that I didn’t care for. When my cup cooled down, this bitter-ish flash all but disappeared, and the rest of the cup was a sweet delight. This might not be my grandma’s pie, but it’s close. Sipping on cups of this in November just might be a new addition to my autumn traditions!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Flavored Black Tea
Where to Buy: Bluebird Tea Co.
This tea is no longer available but these holiday teas are!
Hot Mama from Tea and Tins- Take a Look, Sprinkles!!
I’ve never been called one “Hot Mama” before but I felt like one while sipping on Hot Mama by Tea & Tins. Okay…maybe that was a stretch but it made for a good review opening, right?
There have been teas I have sipped on that provide that childhood memory of fireballs and Hot Mama from Tea & Tins is very reminiscent of those days and memories. It might not be exactly that hot but it could be put in the same conversation, I suppose.
Even tho I didn’t find any cinnamon hearts in the loose leaf mixture that I infused I didn’t feel slighted. The cinnamon flavor and spices were just fine and dandy the way they were. I also enjoyed the orange peel chunks in this flavored black tea.
Hot Mama by Tea & Tins is perfect for a fall or winter day or a night by the fire.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Flavored Black Tea
Where to Buy: Tea and Tins
Description
Loose leaf black tea, super hot and spicy! For cinnamon lovers!
Ingredients: black tea, cinnamon, spices, peppercorns and cinnamon hearts
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Nefertiti from Tay Tea- Review by Two Sisters, Not Just One!
We thought it would be fine to start getting multiple Sisters’ thoughts going for one tea. We hope you enjoy!
TeaEqualsBliss: My husband is a bit obsessed with Egyptology and I have to admit I had little to no knowledge of the history until I met him. Now that I have been around him and his love of everything Egypt for years I feel I can I have a fairly decent and somewhat intelligent conversation about a few of their historical figures. When I came across Nefertiti from Tay Tea I knew we had to try it!
CuppaGeek: I am right there with you. I’ve always been intrigued by the gorgeous appeal and fascinating stories that concern all things Egypt. Especially the history behind figures like Nefertiti.
TeaEqualsBliss: Nefertiti from Tay Tea contains organic black tea blends pomegranate, vanilla, blackberry leaves and calendula petals. The dry mix smells amazing! I can smell black tea, a bit of pom pep, and creamy, sweet vanilla.
CuppaGeek: The aroma notes I really feel come through is the black tea base. This has one of those black tea bases that demands attention with a sweet underlying berry aroma. Quite nice for this afternoon’s tea.
TeaEqualsBliss: I don’t know about you CuppaGeek, but once I brewed up this tea I was surprised by how dark the liquor was! The black tea base is more sturdy than I anticipated and for that I am grateful as I am a fan of strong black teas in general! Perhaps that was done on purpose because of Nefertiti being a STRONG woman figure. She has been depicted as a powerful and independent woman in history. So I guess that makes sense that this tea symbolizes her strength in the form of a sturdy tea!
CuppaGeek: Absolutely! This tea does translate into a very strong black tea with a light flavoring. I think you are more fond of those types of tea than I am, but as a “I need perked up” sort of tea, this works. The notes that come across the strongest are those malty black astringent flavors that are slightly sweetened with a light layer of vanilla. I almost wish that the tea wasn’t so heavy in the base but on the other hand, like you said, Nefertiti was a very strong female presence.
TeaEqualsBliss: Many people have said that Nefertiti was also looked at as a sensual goddess. Maybe I am reading to much into this tribute of this tea or maybe that is what Tay Tea had in mind while blending these flavors together.
CuppaGeek: I have a feeling this tea is a fitting tribute to Nefertiti! Strong with a slightly sweet twist.
TeaEqualsBliss; I can’t wait to dive into another offering by Tay Tea. This one is hitting all the right notes. Off to brew up another cuppa!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type:
Where to Buy: Tay Tea
Description
This exotic and luxurious organic black tea blends pomegranate, vanilla, blackberry leaves and calendula petals to create a mellow yet memorable tea experience fit for a Queen!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Sparkle Pony Oolong Tea from 52Teas
Sparkle Pony Oolong Tea from 52 Teas is just FUN in every way! Not only is it FUN but it’s special and unique in every way, too! Let me see if I can explain some of my thoughts behind this tea!
First off…Sparkle Pony Oolong Tea from 52 Teas contains organic oolong tea, dried pluots, organic ginger root, organic crystallized ginger (sliced ginger and sugar), vegan edible glitter and organic natural flavors.
Dried Pluots!? Are you serious!? I LOVE Pluots! In case you are not familiar with the fruit…they are a hybrid fruit…a cross between an apricot and a plum. They smell and taste like BOTH a plum and an apricot at the same time! They are juicy, sweet, and have that recognizable stone-fruit taste.
The ginger and crystallized ginger flavored are very distinct in this tea. The crystallized flavor is more muted that I thought it would be but totally understand why as I think it being any more intense would just change the taste completely.
The edible vegan glitter was more for show and you had to look at it cross-eyed to even find it but I know how expensive that stuff is so I’m totally ok with there NOT being more. I mean, we are here for the tea, right!?
The Oolong Tea itself has a woodsy-oolong taste to it. It infused darker than I expected but it was a pleasant surprise. The oolong even had a subtle smoky or hint of charcoal type flavor to it, too! Again, a nice surprise!
If you read a product description of ANY tea today make sure you check this one out because you can really see just how much thought and thoughtfulness Anne put into this creation over at 52 Teas! Whether you enjoy this tea for the artisan factor or enjoy the connection and tribute to unicorns/ponies, the Burning Man Festival, or even Portlandia it’s certainly a tea that will stick in your mind for one reason or another and certainly worthy of being one of 52 Teas Anniversary Teas! I’m LOVING THIS!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description (Please note, this tea is no longer available)
ingredients: organic oolong tea, dried pluots, organic ginger root, organic crystallized ginger (sliced ginger and sugar), vegan edible glitter and organic natural flavors.