Cocoa Mint from Steeped Tea. . . .

by Mary

Girl. Scout. Cookies. (insert hallelujah hands emoji here)

Now, listen up. I have Celiac disease. It has been MANY a year since I’ve had a legit girl scout cookie. But friends, if you’ve ever dreamed of drinking a Thin Mint (tm, I’m sure) in a cup, this tea is for you.

To be fair, I’ve had lots of great (and many so-so) chocolate mint teas over the years, and I’m not here to say that this one blows the rest of them out of the water. But it solidly stood its ground in the better-than-most category, and with a splash of coconut milk and a touch of maple syrup (ooh la la!), this was decadent, fresh and minty, with none of that imposter-chocolate flavor that is so often found in chocolate teas.

I’ll be brewing this one up to sip while I longingly eye the tables of cookies set outside of my grocery store, poised and ready for deliciousness and also destruction of my intestinal tract. Dang you, gluten! Close second, tea.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Black
Where to Buy:  Steeped Tea
Description

Ingredients: Black tea, Blackberry leaves, Peppermint leaves, Natural flavors. Naturally contains caffeine.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Mary

Hi there! I'm Mary, a 27-year-old mental health professional living with my fiancé and our quirky kitten in the Midwest! I've loved tea for as long as I can remember-- in fact, I have vivid memory of being four or five in a tea shop and being mesmerized by all the tea flavors and proclaiming that I "was going to be kind of adult who drank tea, not coffee." A stint living (and tea-drinking my way through) London and twenty-some years later, I'm still channeling that sassy four-year-old and loving my tea habit. When I'm not sipping a cuppa, you'll find me reading, doing yoga, traveling, exploring my own city, planning our wedding and experimenting with different healthful and healing foods in my kitchen.

This post was posted in Black Tea, Steeped Tea

Cranberry Betty from A Quarter To Tea. . . .

by Mary

I’m not exactly sure who Cranberry Betty is, you guys. But here’s how I imagine her: wild, curly white hair. A very sensible cardigan. Fan-TASTIC red shoes. Spitfire wit. A big old mug of this tea, named after her, of course– piping hot in her hand.

(Okay, fine, Google tells me it’s some sort of baked good. My fictitious Betty is a pretty great baker too, Google.)

This white tea from A Quarter to Tea is pretty much everything I imagine my Betty to be– bold, flavorful, sweet (that brown sugar note, though) and just a touch sour (hello, cranberry and tiny twist of lemon!). I have vehemently proclaimed myself a white tea hater in the past (or at least, white tea apathetic), but I think AQTT is turning that boat around. Every single white tea blend I’ve had from our friends at AQTT has been knocking it out of the park lately, and I’ve been demolishing every single sample bag I’ve got.

This is another one that won’t sit languishing in my tea cabinet for very long– Betty’s got places to be, friends. (My teacup, for example.)

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  White
Where to Buy:  A Quarter To Tea
Description

This tea is no longer available but click below for white teas that are.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Mary

Hi there! I'm Mary, a 27-year-old mental health professional living with my fiancé and our quirky kitten in the Midwest! I've loved tea for as long as I can remember-- in fact, I have vivid memory of being four or five in a tea shop and being mesmerized by all the tea flavors and proclaiming that I "was going to be kind of adult who drank tea, not coffee." A stint living (and tea-drinking my way through) London and twenty-some years later, I'm still channeling that sassy four-year-old and loving my tea habit. When I'm not sipping a cuppa, you'll find me reading, doing yoga, traveling, exploring my own city, planning our wedding and experimenting with different healthful and healing foods in my kitchen.

This post was posted in A Quarter To Tea, White Tea

Walnut Orange Scone from DAVIDs Tea. . .

by Mary

Something’s happening to me, you guys. I think I’m becoming a white tea convert. *INSERT GASP HERE*

Now, for the white tea purists among us… maybe skip the rest of this review. I’m certainly not sipping them plain, austere and floral, out of my finest china with my pinky up. But whereas I always though white teas just weren’t for me, I’ve been especially enjoying a few fun blends from my favorite tea purveyors lately, particularly when they’ve got some fun fruity notes blended in the mix.

This walnut orange scone white from David’s Tea is totally hitting all of those marks. It’s nutty, it’s bright and fresh and floral and citrusy and fruity– it maybe doesn’t taste too much like pastry to me, but I’m willing to forgive the slightly misleading name because this one is just so dang delicious.

I also have a fondness for teas that don’t require any sweetener to accentuate their flavors, and this one is simply perfect as it. Big, bold, bright, a little sweet from the fruit– like biting into the perfect wintry treat right out of the oven on a Sunday morning.

Maybe someday, I’ll graduate to finally become a fancypants white tea drinker. In the meantime, though, I’m going to thoroughly enjoy exploring these new doors opened to my tea-lovers’-palate (though my burgenoning tea cabinet may be slightly less thrilled).

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  White
Where to Buy:  DAVIDs Tea
Description

This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Mary

Hi there! I'm Mary, a 27-year-old mental health professional living with my fiancé and our quirky kitten in the Midwest! I've loved tea for as long as I can remember-- in fact, I have vivid memory of being four or five in a tea shop and being mesmerized by all the tea flavors and proclaiming that I "was going to be kind of adult who drank tea, not coffee." A stint living (and tea-drinking my way through) London and twenty-some years later, I'm still channeling that sassy four-year-old and loving my tea habit. When I'm not sipping a cuppa, you'll find me reading, doing yoga, traveling, exploring my own city, planning our wedding and experimenting with different healthful and healing foods in my kitchen.

This post was posted in DAVIDsTEA, White Tea

Detox from Lipton. . . .

by Mary

I’ll be honest– when I saw these teas snuck into my most recent review package, I had two thoughts. First, upon seeing the back of these tea bags before anything else:

1) OOoooh– all my favorite herbs! Look at that cute branding. Also, GIMME.

And then, upon seeing the brand: 2) LIPTON? Really? Dandelion, nettle? WELLBEING?

I guess, just, well… color me surprised, friends. I’m not too proud to admit that maybe up til this point, I’ve had a little bit of a negative bias towards Lipton. Nothing against this North-American tea magnate, I just… well, if my choice is between bland bags at the store, and my amazing loose leaf tea collection, you can guess where I’m usually going to gravitate.

So with hopeful skepticism, I brewed this one up. And y’all? I was straight. up. delighted. The dry leaf is nothing to write home about– in fact, it’s pretty standard to what I expect Lipton to be. But the flavor is fantastic! These known detoxifying herbs (I mean, I’m no doctor– but these two are heavy hitters in any liver-supporting tea I’ve ever sipped) shone through without the bitterness they often can display. The grapefruit oil is beautifully balanced, enough to bring a bit of a citrus tang without being overwhelming.

Overall, this was truly lovely. A surprising cuppa that was perfect for a morning after a Thursday-night alcoholic cider or two (am I getting old? I think I’m getting old). Whether it did any voodoo detoxifying magic or not, it just felt crisp, clean, and refreshing. I think I may actually be picking up a box or two of this one to keep around for future workday sips– and if I see any more of these Lipton wellness blends hanging around, I’m definitely going to give them a try!

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Green
Where to Buy:  Lipton
Description

Bounce back to you with the new Lipton Detox Herbal Supplement with Green Tea, containing dandelion, nettle, and grapefruit. Detox is an herbal infusion that’s the perfect companion to clean eating*. Carefully selected botanicals are blended with green tea and grapefruit essential oil that make every cup delicious. Enjoy a daily cup or two of Lipton Detox to supplement your varied, balanced diet.

For the perfect cup, brew tea bag 4-6 minutes in freshly boiled water. Wellbeing by Lipton. Feel Happy & Healthy.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Mary

Hi there! I'm Mary, a 27-year-old mental health professional living with my fiancé and our quirky kitten in the Midwest! I've loved tea for as long as I can remember-- in fact, I have vivid memory of being four or five in a tea shop and being mesmerized by all the tea flavors and proclaiming that I "was going to be kind of adult who drank tea, not coffee." A stint living (and tea-drinking my way through) London and twenty-some years later, I'm still channeling that sassy four-year-old and loving my tea habit. When I'm not sipping a cuppa, you'll find me reading, doing yoga, traveling, exploring my own city, planning our wedding and experimenting with different healthful and healing foods in my kitchen.

This post was posted in Green Tea, Lipton

Snowy Mountain from Plum Deluxe. . . .

by Mary

When this tea showed up on day five of my tea advent calendar*, I was immediately intrigued by the ingredient inclusion of chestnuts. Like, the roasting-on-an-open-fire kind? What does a chestnut even TASTE like, I thought to myself.

And then I brewed it up, immediately picked out the warm, toasty, nutty notes and went, oh yeah! I know what chestnuts taste like! I just had forgotten, apparently. If you’ve forgotten, too– well, they’re nutty. Warm. A little bit more savory than your garden variety almond, but not in a gross way, just in a way that evokes all the good holiday feels. Top it off with the creamy vanilla in this delightful black tea, and you’ve got a great cuppa. I don’t know if I’m picking up on the “meringue” flavor so much as I’m just getting delicious vanilla notes, but either way, it works here. With a splash of cream and honey, this makes for a decadent and festive morning cup that has nothing to do with peppermint or spice. Yum! I’ll at least *sip* this one over an open fire, any day.

*Can we all agree this is the best idea ever? I switched it up from my usual David’s Tea 24 Days of Tea to a calendar put out by my favorite Plum Deluxe this year, and it was a great call. I still like DT, but their offerings were getting boring (same thing! every year!) and PD’s is more than just tea. So fun!

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
Description

Part of 2017 Tea Advent Calendar-this tea may not be available but click below for teas that are.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Mary

Hi there! I'm Mary, a 27-year-old mental health professional living with my fiancé and our quirky kitten in the Midwest! I've loved tea for as long as I can remember-- in fact, I have vivid memory of being four or five in a tea shop and being mesmerized by all the tea flavors and proclaiming that I "was going to be kind of adult who drank tea, not coffee." A stint living (and tea-drinking my way through) London and twenty-some years later, I'm still channeling that sassy four-year-old and loving my tea habit. When I'm not sipping a cuppa, you'll find me reading, doing yoga, traveling, exploring my own city, planning our wedding and experimenting with different healthful and healing foods in my kitchen.

This post was posted in Black Tea, Plum Deluxe