I type this in West Virginia, which might be as far, thematically, from Paris as possible. I need, very much, to channel some class.
This blend, Brunch In Paris, is a chocolate/orange mix of black and honeybush. The honeybush is naturally sweet, so it and the chocolate are the primary flavors here. The orange is more subtle, but it does sneak up from the corner now and again to whisper in your ear. (Creepy. Why did this suddenly get creepy?)
I’m not sure why orange and chocolate are supposed to say “Paris,” but then, I haven’t been there in 2 decades.
It really says to me more “Easter.” The sweetness reminds me of children in floral dresses with doily collars. The chocolate is tucked into brightly-colored eggs scattered throughout back yards across the nation. The orange is OBVIOUSLY the ever-present ready-to-smash chocolate orange. If your Easter did not contain a chocolate orange, you have not lived. Forget everything. Get out there and buy a chocolate orange when Easter rolls around. It is, after all, the next big holiday.
Wishing you lots of love from middle America, Paris. I’ll visit you again someday.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black & Honeybush
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
Description
We think that a good cup of tea can transport you to someplace special. And that’s what we had in mind when we created our fresh, flavorful blend of chocolate orange tea. It reminds us of brunch in a fine cafe in Paris, the city of light.
To create this magic we pair a simple blend of black tea and honeybush tea with cacao nibs and orange peel / orange extract. It’s delicious and will give you an emotional boost. Excellent with a splash of honey and milk.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Timid Red from Tea Taxi. . . .
Tea Taxi is one of those tea companies I hear about all the time, but I’m not sure I’ve ever tried. They have a bunch of fun looking mixes, complete with sprinkles and cute names.
Today’s pick was Timid Red, which I mostly reached for because there are little red hearts in it. Cute! In addition to the tea, this mix rocks “Candy (sugar, cornstarch, cellulose gum), natural flavors, sunflower, safflower, [and] calendula.” CANDY AS THE FIRST INGREDIENT?
The flavor itself is mostly vanilla with a kick of grenadine and a very light floral note.
It’s a savory and sweet mix that’s pretty strong, which I love. (Watery tea is the bane of my existence.) I’m not sure why it’s called “Timid Red,” since it’s fairly bold. Maybe the vanilla is supposed to be sweet (ergo timid)?
I disagree with this assessment. I think that this red is a go-getter. It’s SASSY.
The only beef I have with this tea is the company’s slightly confusing branding system. On the sample-size bag, each type of tea comes with an animal symbol instead of one universal Tea Taxi symbol. So my sample came with a stag and “Rouge Timide” on the front, and I had to Google what it was and work my way backwards. I don’t think that the full-size bags have that issue, thankfully.
If you’re reading this, Tea Taxi friends: j’adore votre thé, mais votre emballage est confusant. Merci pour votre temps.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tea Taxi
Description
The delicate aromas of vanilla and pomegranate in this black tea may well remind you of your first pangs of love. Close your eyes and let yourself go…
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Passion Fruit de la Crème from 52Teas. . .
I iced this blend with dinner tonight. It was the perfect accompaniment to a summer salad. The vanilla and white hold hands as the background to a lovely fruity top layer. It’s a chilly, sweet cream flavor that sparkles.
This berry-and-sugar-tasting blend is the Wonder Woman of teas: quiet yet tough, feminine yet sturdy. And, like Wonder Woman, it’s a summer blockbuster that’s stolen my heart.
I realize that calling a tea “feminine” might turn people away from it, which isn’t a result I want. There’s a weird bias against men liking “girly” things that doesn’t apply to women liking “manly” things. Which I think is a bunch of hooey.
So implore the dudes out there: try this tea. Get in touch with your Softer Side. Let the creamy, fruity deliciousness wash over you.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
I’ve not done a passion fruit tea before – so I thought it was about time to change that! Because passion fruit tends to be a tart fruit, I thought the perfect tea base would be a sweet Bai Mu Dan from the Yunnan Province. Then I added some vanilla bean for some extra sweetness and a touch of creaminess.
This is really quite nice, I love the way the sweeter components soften the tart fruit just enough so I’m not puckering – but not so much that it obscures the flavor of the fruit. It’s going to make a really lovely summertime refresher!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Lemon Raspberry Rooibos from Simpson and Vail. . .
If I were going to name this tea, I’d name it “Lemon Lemon Lemon Raspberry Rooibos,” because the lemon is really the main feature here. It’s the spotlight-grabber. It’s the one that turns ALL the chairs around on The Voice.
It’s a very zesty lemon. Not fake or sugary. Like someone actually squeezed out a lemon into a bowl and allowed you to drink some. It’s the real deal. If you like lemon, welcome to the main attraction.
The raspberry is the slacker younger sibling. When it arrives in class, its teachers are like “we expect great things from you, just like your big sister Lemon!” But Raspberry always shows up to class late, in the aftertaste. And it’s a bit underwhelming. There’s nothing wrong with Raspberry; it’s just meek and doesn’t always turn in its homework. We don’t taste it all the time. To be fair, it never really had a chance against ALL THAT LEMON. Perhaps if it’d been born to a different tea, it would have been able to hold its own.
The rooibos adds a bit of sweetness to the ensemble. It’s behind the scenes.
If we’re going with this school metaphor — and I feel like I’ve committed to it by now — rooibos is the mom at home. Rooibos sends the children out with their lunches neatly packed. The influence of rooibos is there, very delicately. But it’s clearly the least of the influences, even behind poor Raspberry.
If you love lemon, and want to go to the Lemon Show, by golly, come on over. She loves all that attention.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Simpson and Vail
Description
We have blended this “miracle tea” with black teas and herbs to create a wonderfully refreshing beverage. Enjoy hot or cold.
Ingredients: Black teas, Rooibos, organic lemon peel, organic raspberry leaves and natural flavors.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Wild Hunan Gold from Harney & Sons. . . . .
ATTENTION TEA-PLE! I CAN FINALLY DRINK TEA AGAIN!
I had mouth surgery last week, and hot drinks totally irritated the Spot In Question. It was GRUELING. I was living off protein shakes. I had to cut up my few solids into into tiny, tiny pieces, including stuff like pizza and grapes. I felt like I had a picky toddler, except it was me. A WEEPY, FUSSY, 5’7″ TODDLER who could only eat things at room temperature or colder.
So today I picked a nice new straight tea that allegedly has “strong cocoa flavors.” I was like “FREE OF CALORIE CHOCOLATES? MY LIFE IS A SPARKLE HEAVEN. I WILL KISS IT WITH MY HEALED MOUTH.”
Bad news: The tea doesn’t really taste like cocoa.
Good news: It tastes like bread. The kind of bread an actual person makes, not the kind that comes from the grocery store. The kind that sometimes has holes in it and is a mid-to-dark brown. French countryside bread.
This is the kind of bread that the French peasants protested over.
And Marie Antoinette was like “let them eat cake.”
And the French were all, “no seriously, we have the bread thing down. Bread is the thing we want. We asked for that specifically. If we cannot cut this bread, we will use our slicing tools for more nefarious purposes.”
So it’s yummy! But not in the way Harney’s description says. Prepare yourself in other ways.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Harney & Sons
Description
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!