A friend sent me some samples of Ginger Lemon Zest recently, and since the bags were so huge and plump with all the goodies inside I pulled out a gallon pitcher thinking that these must make two quarts each, or at least one quart with the possibility of resteeping. Fortunately, I decided to look up the instructions online before boiling my water because each bag is good for just eight to ten ounces! I had to look twice to be sure I wasn’t misreading that!
I used two bags and twenty ounces of water. When I pulled the bags out of the steeping cup, they were limp little bundles with very little left in them! Wow! That’s because much of what had filled the bag was the granulated honey infused with the ginger flavor.
The resulting brew looks like cloudy tea because this herbal mixture has LOTS of honey granules. Have no fear, it is not overly sweet.
I drank a small cup hot before bedtime to help with the reflux and heartburn issues I have been having lately and put the rest in the fridge.
This is really ginger forward, very warm but not unpleasantly hot and spicy, and nicely sweet from the honey. So convenient for carrying with you to work where a jar of honey might make a mess! The lemon myrtle is very light and more on the back of the sip, much gentler than citrus would be, with ginger rising again and lingering after. This would be brilliant to have around for colds and sore throats, not just tender tummies.
I enjoyed this as a relaxing bedtime cuppa but as a Southern gal in the dog days of summer, I am seriously looking forward to mixing this half and half with my sweet black tea on lots of ice!
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Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: True Honey Teas
Description
Our Ginger Lemon Zest is more than just a delicious tea – its an experience. Upon the first sip, you are hit with a bold ginger taste that fills your senses – we infuse only real ginger into the honey granules in its natural form. Real ginger is a delight, and you truly feel a healthy zest in this all natural blend. After the burst of ginger, your pallet is soothed with lemon undertones brought out by Australian Lemon Myrtle. As with all our blends, the Ginger Lemon Zest is paired with honey granules to offer sweet finishing notes
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Bubblegum/The NecessiTeas – Ashmanra-
It is hot and humid and hasn’t been a very fun day. Harrumph. I looked to my samples stash to find something light to cheer me up. Bubblegum sounded perfect!
This is a green tea with long, lightweight leaves and my second teaspoonful had a REAL GUMBALL in it! Be sure you scoop enough leaf for this one or go by weight instead of spoonfuls, leaving the gumball off the scale!
The instructions says to use water “just under boiling” but I went with my usual green tea temp and used 175F water for three minutes. Of course when I retrieved the infuser basket from the pot, I had to check to see what happened to the gumball! The color and hard coating were gone and a smaller sticky globe was there. Perhaps hotter water would have melted it entirely.
I drank a cup of this hot, and it was good, fruity, but not really screaming GUMBALL at me. It was just a pleasantly fruity green tea with a very light sour or brisk edge barely there. I didn’t add anything to it.
I put the rest of the tea in the fridge to chill for supper. I think I like it even better this way. The edge I tasted when it was hot is gone, and I am left with a light, refreshing, fruity green tea. I have enough leaf left for one more pot, and I will go unsweetened iced tea all the way with the balance of it.
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Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: The NecessiTeas
Description
We all remember that sweet pink bubblegum flavor as a kid. Contests with your best friend to see who could blow the biggest bubble and then having it pop and stick to your entire face. Chewing it for hours until our jaws ached or falling asleep with it in our mouth which meant waking up with a big sticky mess in our hair! This blend takes me back to all those childhood memories and will be loved by adults and children of all ages. Feel free to steep the actual gum balls or pop one in your mouth and work on your bubble blowing skills while your tea is steeping!
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*gifted in exchange for review*
Huang Guan Yin/Harney and Sons – Ashmanra –
Huang Guan Yin goes by several names. The tea plant is a hybrid/cross of a Tie Guan Yin cultivar and a Huang Jin Gui cultivar. The name literally translates as “Yellow Goddess of Mercy.” It is sometimes also called No. 105 or simply Yellow Goddess. It is a fairly new cultivar.
This particular one from Harney and Sons is very light. There is none of the roasty toasty or smokey flavor found in many TGY or Wuyi oolongs. No Tung Ting nuttiness. I think some companies do sell this processed a little more roasty if their descriptions are accurate.
The scent cup revealed floral aroma reminiscent of baby powder – that light magnolia or osmanthus scent, and a baked sugary treat smell that made me think of cream filled dougnuts. Then a herbaceous savory note rises.
It was prepared gongfu style. The liquor is yellow. There is quite a mix of flavor here. The floral scents are still there, but there is a savory note overlaid on all the sweetness. Sipping the tea, I taste the floral aspects first and then the savory nips in at the aftertaste like vegetable liquor from leafy greens, like tender greens (popular in the South where I live) or perhaps bok choy, perhaps more well known.
The leaves held up for steep after steep, delivering a lot of flavor. It was a very interesting tea to try. I wouldn’t want to waste this one by drinking it with a meal. I prefer to enjoy it on it own to tease out all the flavors.
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Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Harney & Sons
Description
This is a light Oolong from the Wuyishan area of northern Fujian Province. We have been buying from Mr. Chao for many years. This Spring we stopped by and saw him and his wife. This is one of the 3 teas that we bought from them. This is a cross blend between Ti Quan Yin and Huang Jin Gui, so you have nice floral notes and a bit of sweetness.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
**this tea was purchased and not gifted in exchange for a review**
Black Thai Tropical/Tiesta Tea- Ashmanra-
Black Thai Tropical was very different from what I expected! Since it comes from the Energizer line I was expecting a cup of deeply colored, strong black tea with some fruit flavors, but when I opened the pouch I saw mostly dried fruit pieces – big ones! – with bits of black tea clinging to them. It was extremely aromatic and I could have sworn I smelled lime but it isn’t listed in the ingredients.
This steeped up to a medium golden color, looking more like a fruit infusion than a black tea. I tried it both hot and plain, and iced with sugar, so let’s start with hot.
I felt no need for sugar in this. It is quite “citrus fruity” with the papaya and mango giving a very different vibe than most fruit teas that seem to rely heavily on apple and hibiscus with spices like cinnamon and clove. This is a bright, refreshing change from that. I don’t feel like I am drinking a cup of black tea. The fruit is center stage. With as little black tea as I see in the pouch, I wonder how much caffeine is actually in this. I don’t mind, as I don’t seek out caffeine and if I have too much of it in the afternoon I will be up all night!
I tried it as iced sweet tea because it is ridiculously hot and humid where I live and we guzzle
tons of iced tea here. I grew up on super sweet Southern iced black tea, and I am loving icing all different kinds now. I have pulled back the amount of sugar considerably from what we made when I was growing up.
I think I liked this best as an iced tea. The aroma is amazing! The fruit flavor is really citrusy and bright, and the papaya and mango make it more unique than most of the fruit blends I run into. It was fantastically refreshing and also went very well with a meal.
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Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tiesta Tea
Description
This tropical trio combines the power of black tea with the bursting flavors of pineapple and mango to create a force strong enough to take down any to-do list. You’ve got exotic places to go, people to see, and the world at your fingertips; this Energizer blend is the one to get you there.
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Naughty or Anise/Tiesta Tea
I had a nice, big sample pack of this one, full of juicy chunks of fruit and whole spices. The thing is, I am not a big fan of dried fruit teas. I drink mostly real TEA so I have put off trying this. But today was abnormally warm and it seemed like a good time to try it.
The reason I don’t like fruit tea usually is that it either has almost no flavor, like someone whispered the name of a fruit at the water, or they add hibiscus for color and flavor and it all ends up just being a variation on hibiscus – tart and sassy.
This one came out SO DIFFERENT.
I used the whole pouch and steeped it twice, because I wanted a large pitcher to drink with our evening meal. I did sweeten it lightly with cane sugar. I added chilled water and ice and oh my goodness, it was great!
It had FLAVOR! You could really taste the fruit and the spices were so well matched to bring out the best in it. I like anise, and it was just the right amount for me with beautiful whole stars in the blend. The cinnamon brought out the apple pie vibe they talk about. This is from the “Relaxer” tea line, and who could be tense with an apple pie?
Bottom line – I loved it and would definitely love to have it again.
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Leaf Type: Fruit Tisane
Where to Buy: Tiesta Tea
Description
Star anise, cinnamon and almond blend together for a spunky twist on apple pie. Being naughty has never tasted so nice.
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