The package for Cripple Creek black tea from Swallowtail Tea (the same makers as Red Rooster Coffee) features a picture of iced tea with slices of oranges and a swallowtail butterfly perched on the rim. The label was so enticing on this warm day, that I had to give this new tea try.
This is a Ceylon tea. Usually I associate a mouth-puckering sharpness with Ceylon teas, but Cripple Creek is surprisingly smooth and mellow. There is still a brightness to the tea, just a wisp of citrus or fig, but the focus of the flavor is much more malty, and almost toffee-like.
This reminds me of some of my favorite breakfast black tea blends from other suppliers. It is robust without being too earthy or smoky, and tart without being bitter. Cripple Creek is well-balanced and serves you well for a hot breakfast cup or a traditional iced pitcher. Besides, the label is so pretty, I’d want a tin on my shelf just to show it off.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Swallowtail Tea (Red Rooster Coffee)
Description: Sourced from the Dilmah Estates in the Southwest region of Sri Lanka, this tea goes great on its own, or with milk and sugar. Harvested between the months of March and July Ceylon is the most popular tea in Sri Lanka and beyond due to its smooth and balanced flavor, with notes of malt and allspice.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Edith Wharton blend from Simpson and Vail
This lovely tea has been sitting on my tea shelf for a while, just waiting for the right day. Well today was the day. This darjeeling blend was created in honor of author Edith Wharton at the Simpson and Vail tea shop.
I don’t know what it is, but darjeeling and earl grey teas always make me think of ladylike tea parties with finger sandwiches and sugar cubes. This darjeeling blend is crisp and and could fit into the high tea setting, but it also has a lot more to bring to your cup.
In both scent and taste this blend is pleasantly bright and playful with plenty of grapefruit citrus. This tartness feels satisfying like having the perfect biting witty comment ready to go on your tongue. Beyond the grapefruit there is a bit of ginger heat, quickly followed by the smooth, vanilla tones of the mallow blossoms at the end.
Bold but ladylike, sharp but playful. This is a great tea for that favorite smart and sassy friend in your life, or for any literary tea aficionado.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Simpson and Vail
Description:
For our Edith Wharton blend we pay homage to her descriptions of the undercurrents rippling through fashionable society. We have combined a refined, high-grown Darjeeling black tea with a little passionfruit and citrus flavor, a dash of spice and lovely flower petals to create a taste that is smooth and elegant. Perfect for an afternoon tête-à-tête.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Currant Explosion from Simpson and Vail
This tea lives up to its name. There are so many dried berries in the dry leaf it is more like trail mix than tea. Currants and rose hips galore! The blend is jazzed up with little magenta raspberry pieces as well.
The other amazing part of this tea is that it is a fruity herbal blend without hibiscus. Love it, hate it, hibiscus can sometimes be a deal breaker for tea drinkers. Rest easy and brew this berry blend instead.
The tea brews up a golden color and smells like berries and damp grass. The blackberry leaves add a softer foliage flavor beyond the fruitiness. This helps the berries taste more natural, rather than candy-sweet.
The raspberries play a bigger role in the flavor than I expected, their red berry jam flavor coming through first, followed by the deeper tart tones of the currant.
The currant seems like a formal, adult flavor to me, but if you make this tea into a sweetened cold brew it could be the hit of a kids’ summer party. Or keep it straight-laced and drink it hot from a traditional teacup to help ease into the evening.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Simpson and Vail
Description: This flavored tisane explodes on your taste buds! The exceptional blend is a huge hit with young and old alike.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Death Eaters Tea Club Specialty Box from Riddle’s Tea Shoppe
Bring out your inner good or bad wizard with a box of wizarding-world-themed tea goodies. Riddle’s Tea Shoppe offers quarterly boxes alternating between the Death Eaters Tea Club (canonically, the bad guys) and the Auror Tea Society (the good guys). The 2018 spring Death Eaters box was my first hands-on experience with Riddle’s Tea Shoppe, though I’ve long admired photos from afar.
This box was jam-packed with well-designed surprises. My box featured a canister of Basilisk Egg tea bags (spicy, earthy chai with lemongrass and peppercorns), a bag of loose Devil’s Snare tea (rich black tea with dark berry and cocoa flavors), and a bag of loose Venomous Tentacula tea (a decaf blend of black tea and rooibos with strawberry marzipan flavors). To pair with my tea was a vial of shimmery Unicorn Blood (simple syrup). Each treat featured original artwork or uniquely designed labels to make them feel extra magical and make them suitable to display in your tea shelf.
Beyond tea, the box included a laser cut wood bookmark and enamel pin, featuring stylish typography of favorite evil wizard spell words. There was also a print of an original watercolor painting of the Chamber of Secrets from Riddle’s Tea Shoppe’s creator. Of course, the Death Eaters Tea Club cute-and-creepy skull logo is on the box itself and various stickers and labels.
This box gave a lot of experience and beauty for a modest price. The one challenge is ordering before the pre-orders sell out, and waiting while the materials are assembled and shipped. To keep up-to-date on the next box, check out Death Eaters Tea Club (@deatheatersteaclub), Auror Tea Society (@aurorteasociety), and Riddle’s Tea Shoppe (@riddlesteashoppe) on Instagram. Also check on Riddle’s Tea Shoppe on Etsy for non-box goods related to tea and fantasy fandoms. The shop updates randomly, so check back often.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: various
Where to Buy: RTS Quarterly
Description: Each box contains:
– 1 canister of tea [Caffeinated]
– 2 small tea samples (10g each) [1 decaf / 1 caffeinated]
– 1 enamel pin
– 4 additional surprise items!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Daryl Dixon Fandom Blend from Adagio Teas
This is a fandom blend from the wild west of build-your-own blends on Adagio Teas. I couldn’t find an exact match on tea flavors and fandom styling on the website, so I am going by look and taste for this tea. (Don’t worry there are a few other Daryl Dixon blends on the site if you need to get your fandom fix).
The character of Daryl Dixon kicks plenty of zombie butt on the Walking Dead, so it is only appropriate that his tea blend is driven by high-caffeine yerba mate. This mate is the green (unroasted) variety, and brings a little fresh citrus note into the brew alongside all its usual earthiness.
I believe this blend also contains a flavored green tea that helps brighten up the lemon undertones even further. As is appropriate for any gory zombie show, this tea also features a dose of Blood Orange herbal tea. The proportion of blood orange is small, so it adds a bit of juicy orange flavor without taking over the blend. The brewed tea is green-yellow in color, with only the tiniest hint of pink from the powerful hibiscus.
This is a blend that packs a punch without being too bold or bitter. When you need an unconventional pick-me-up, try brewing a cup like this yerba mate Daryl Dixon blend.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Mate
Where to Buy: Adagio
Description: This blend is no longer available but click below for blends that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!