This tea is sturdy and sophisticated, like a sweater vest on a college professor who is woke to the kids’ causes. It is tasteful. It is educated. It knows how to reap the health benefits of green tea AND black tea.
There are notes here of plum, stone, moss, and maybe some algae, which I say with utter love and absolutely no derision. It’s earthy and wet and vegetal and a little bit juicy.
It somehow manages to make me feel like I know what’s going on. Like drinking it has made me a better person. Like maybe, very slightly, I have it together.
I do not, just to clarify.
I do not at all.
But the tea is very nice.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Qi Aerista
Description
Aroma is honey, woody and with a lightly roasted aroma. Flavor is smooth, crisp, with a sweet aftertaste. To dry and enhance flavor profile, the tea leaves underwent a slow roasting process with charcoal for 9 straight hours to produce its characteristic smooth flavors.
This High Mountain Oolong is grown on Xiyan mountain in Dapu county. This beautiful county is known as the Shangri-La of the Hakka world, where Hakka is one of the ethnic subgroups in China.
What makes this cup of High Mountain Oolong incredibly delightful is that these tea plants are grown at high altitude with an age of more than 60 years old
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Earl Grey from Zest Tea. . . .
Zest Tea’s claim to fame is the amount of caffeine each cup carries: the same as an amount of coffee, but with “calm and steady alertness” instead of coffee-jiggers. These tea-heads (“sorta like deadheads but with different plants”) won “best new product” at 2015’s World Tea Expo.
How does this “high-octane tea” hold up?
I tried a sample of the Earl Grey, which depicted Sherlock Holmes on the bag. (They’re already currying my favor. It’s like they knew I was coming). This Earl Grey is based on an Orange Pekoe Darjeeling instead of an assam, which gives the mix a kicky, citrus-y base. There are also hints of leather/smoke. Plus, of course, bergamot, thanks to Charles “Chaz” Grey.
It’s genuinely a rugged kick in the butt. Boom. You really ARE awake. The
I’m not sure about the difference between tea-caffeine and coffee-caffeine, but I do think that they affect me differently. The idea of having high-caffeine tea that’s as awake-inducing as coffee is amazing, and I’m glad someone is filling this niche.
Someone funny, no less. If you get bored, you should explore their site. It’s very funny. They deserve recognition almost as much as I deserve caffeine.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Zest Tea
Description
Earl grey has been a popular blend since it was introduced to the British Earl, Charles Grey, in the 1830’s. Most Earl Greys are made with low-quality base teas, but not ours. Zest’s Earl is made with premium Nilgiri Indian black tea blended with a delicious bergamot essential oil.
Natural Ingredients – Certified Non-GMO
Ingredients: South Indian Flower Orange Pekoe Black Tea, Bergamot Flavor, Natural Caffeine
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Blood Orange Herbal from Simple Loose Leaf. . . .
I purchased myself a subscription to Simple Loose Leaf because I simply did not have enough tea in my house. *
* (Full disclosure: this is a filthy, no-holds-barred lie).
My most recent package had an Earl Grey tea, a genmaicha, an oolong, and this herbal tea, which I think is a nice, well-rounded mix. Lots of flavor profiles. Great intro, especially to someone who perhaps doesn’t know tea very well.
The Blood Orange Herbal contains “Rooibos, Orange peel, Hibiscus, Rosehips, Apple pieces, Safflowers, and Rose petals with Orange, vanilla, and lemon flavor.” Simple Loose Leaf says this is a summery blend, which I totally agree with, so I decided to ice it to accompany my dinner.
I’m glad I did! The sweetness of the rooibos and apple play nicely against the tang of the orange and hibiscus. A velvety sweet lemon balances gallantly atop the tableau, almost an afterthought, a kiss.
This tea is essentially a maypole dance of flavors. It has me looking forward to when the spring/summer finally comes. This tea gives me hope that sunshine is around the corner!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Simple Loose Leaf
Description
Blood Orange is a melody of orange and apple with the earthy flavor of rooibos as the backdrop. It will remind you of summer no matter the time of year.
Ingredients: Rooibos, Orange peel, Hibiscus, Rosehips, Apple pieces, Safflowers, and Rose petals with Orange, vanilla, and lemon flavor
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Maple Creme Oolong from Adagio Teas. . . .
One of my coworkers slipped me a baggie with 3 servings of this as I walked in this morning, so I obviously had no choice in the matter but to try it. It’s just me, the new Florence and the Machine album, and tea. Obviously the key ingredients for a great morning for this graphic designer.
The first thing I noticed about the tea was how strong it smelled. I could suss out that creamy maple through a Ziplock bag held at arm’s length. MAMA LIKEY.
Second, I noticed how ogle-worthy the tea looks. It has pieces in it (likely the apple) and red leaves (safflower) to give off that Canadian feel. Bless those Canadians and their charming accents and dreamy prime minster. What a great bunch of folks.
But what about the taste? Delicious, guys.
When it’s on the tongue, you get spices. It’s like a cider-chai. But then, when you swallow, ahhhhhhhh, syrup. Apples, spices, and maple for DAYS.
BOOM. Suddenly you’re Justin Trudeau’s best friend. He calls you with hot gossip. He invites you on hikes that are exactly at your exercise level. You’re going horseback riding with his mountie friends next week. Also: there’s a sale on flannel at your favorite store, and you will never be cold again.
Thanks, Canada!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Description
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Creme Earl Grey Yerba Mate from Fusion Sweets. . .
What kind of day is it? The kind where I try my first ever earl grey maté. I’ve tried black (obviously), green (sure), and even a rooibos, but never a maté on this theme. WHO IS READY FOR EXCITEMENT?
For those of you who haven’t tried maté, it’s a caffeinated South American leaf that’s not, technically, the same type of plant as tea. It has a smooth taste that’s, in my opinion, closest to a green/coffee flavor. It’s an underdog of the tea world, a feisty up-and-comer that doesn’t quite fit in.
This earl grey creme is VERY creme-y. It’s got oodles of vanilla, almost enough to wash out the tang of the bergamot and the mate, but not quite. The sweet-vs-tangy battle is an interesting taste experience and the backbone of the flavor profile. They manage to coexist, but my brain flicks back and forth between the two like kids on a see-saw. They’re both present in the aftertaste.
All in all, while I enjoyed this tea’s kicky nature, its duality is a bit overwhelming. I’m not sure that this is the one for me. But it’s totally worth trying, especially if you’re an Earl Grey afficianado and want to complete the “set.”
Fusion Sweets has an option on its site where you can order a sampler.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Mate
Where to Buy: Fusion Sweets
Description
Similar to Earl Grey tea with the creaminess of vanilla but without the astringency of black tea.
We’ve scented yerba maté with Italian oil of bergamot and sweetened with vanilla beans.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!