Louisa May Alcott from Simpson and Vail. . .

I was devastated to find out that I’d missed out on Starbucks’ Free Tea Friday. My body melted into the floor. I had to be picked out of the carpet and reassembled.

Then I remembered that I had some samples left. (YAAAASSS.) Lo and behold, this Simpson & Vail blend was batting its eyelashes at me.

“Hello,” Louisa May Alcott purred. “I am a light flowery green berry thing, and would probably be the bomb if you iced me.”

“You aren’t free,” I whispered, dabbing a tear from my eye.

“I am,” the tea said. “You get a lot of free samples from the SororiTea Sisters in exchange for reviews.”

“But… I have to, like, get the steeper, and make sure there’s ice,” I whined.

“Ugh, come on,” the tea said. “You don’t even need to boil the water. It comes out of your work’s water cooler’s hot side.”

I finally submitted to the tea’s taunts, and I’m very glad I did!

This tea does a lot of things very well that I’m often on the fence about:

1) Rose petals. Sometimes there are too many and the tea tastes like soap. These petals, on the other hand, are blended with a light hand.

2) A little bit of tartness. JUST A LITTLE. I need everything in my life to taste light and candylike. (My wines. My teas. Even my beers need to be light wheat-plus-fruit offerings.) The tartness here comes from the green tea, and it totally works.

3) Strawberries. This blend uses ACTUAL strawberries, not the fake mix-in stuff. This makes a big difference. It’s the difference between a juicy, authentic taste and a face-smack of Stevia.

4) Apples. They sweeten this blend up and go with its fruit-fiesta theme. Sometimes I wonder what apples are doing in a blend. They seem like a thing most tea-makers have in the cupboard and gleefully toss in there, crying, “WHY THE HECK NOT?”

My general thought here is: yum. This is a great iced tea. My sample is pretty big, so I think I’ll continue to give into its cajoling ways.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Green
Where to Buy:  Simpson and Vail

Description

Early in Little Women, while visiting a sick Laurie, Jo says that her sister Meg’s blancmange is made “very nicely.” Later, her own attempt turns out “lumpy” and accompanied by strawberries that were “not as ripe as they looked.” Our blend follows Meg’s example and is almost, as Laurie says, “too pretty to [drink].” Combining almond and strawberry flavors, this blend brews to a delicious tea that is fruity and aromatic. It manages to be both sweet and light thanks to the Chunmee green tea base and the gentle floral notes added by the rose petals.

Ingredients: Green tea, apple pieces, flavoring, strawberry pieces and rose peta

 

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Baltimore Clipper Tea from Eastern Shore Tea Co. . . .

Baltimore Clipper Tea is a black-and-green ” ‘Historic re-creation’ of the China tea carried during the golden years of the American Clipper Ship.”

Ahhh, those golden years from the 1830s until the 1850s. I should make a #ThrowbackThursday post about those sweet, sweet memories past.

This tea is EXTREMELY rich and malty. The black tea is the main stage, with a tiny bit of the green mostly in the background. The green adds a little tinge of that earthy bitterness, but not much else. I’m not quite sure why the green is there, maybe for historical accuracy? How was tea made in the 1830s?

While researching this clipper ship thing (or, okay, reading the tea description), I found out that the ships were essentially racing to England from China after harvest time. The English wanted their tea ASAP. They paid a premium for the freshest arrivals from the latest harvest.

Can you IMAGINE being a sea captain on one of those clipper ships? “AVAST, MATEY, GOTTA SERVE THE QUEEN! CHOP CHOP CHOP! THE CORGIS NEED A CUPPA!”

And then the swashbuckling crew is like “hold on, we’re finishing our own cups,” and the sea captain roars “THAT IS FOR THE GOOD PEOPLE OF ENGLAND, YOU BRUTES! NEVER DIP INTO YOUR OWN STASH! THAT’S THE FIRST RULE!”

A golden era, guys. We’ll never see it again. We land-lubbers will just have to blog about it from mostly-landlocked states. Alas.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Black
Where to Buy:  Eastern Shore Tea Co.
Description

Experience a taste of the excitement engendered by America’s merchant adventurers who built and owned the finest clipper ships in the world. The first real clipper ship was the “Ann McKim,” built for Isaac McKim in 1832. When the British ended the East India Company monopoly in the 1830s, the U.S. began a China trade with faster and more capacious ships, and competition between the two countries grew. Repeal of the British Navigation Laws in 1849 allowed American ships to load Asian tea for British markets. A typical voyage from Boston to Canton and back to England by way of the Cape of Good Hope took nine to ten months. American fortunes were made carrying furs from the Pacific Northwest to China, where they were traded for tea. A premium was paid in England for the earliest arriving ship with the season’s new teas from China. The first American ship to reach the docks was the Oriental arriving from Hong Kong in only ninety-seven days, creating a sensation. The twenty-five years of the clipper ended when the Suez Canal provided a shorter route through the Mediterranean. It was a romantic era in America’s maritime history and another chapter of tea’s long and important story in the world economy.
An “Historic re-creation” of the China tea carried during the golden years of the American Clipper Ship. Blended Black & Green China tea. Contains Caffeine. 20 Count foil wrapped tea bags in our classic white ribbon bag.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Raspberry Champagne from The Love Tea Company. . . . .

Love Tea Company purchases have been making the rounds of me and my friends lately. It all started when Nichole (Cuppageek here on the site) sent me a Tea It Forward care package.  So I sent a few to my friends. And then bought samples. 25% of net profits go to the Flagg Foundation for Mental Wellness.  

So I’m of course already in a good mood just looking at the packaging and getting a cup going. Plus, the idea of Raspberry Champagne is very appealing to someone who’s on a diet. Helping people! Drinking but not really! FIVE STARS.

I made this one iced as a dinner accompaniment. I’ve cut soda (for real this time!) (I think!). So I’m learning a little more on iced tea to fill in when I need caffeine.

I’ve made this one before hot, and thought it was pretty good, but ICED, my friends, is where it’s at.

The flavor is a mix of sweet and tart. It has the sass of the raspberry with the gentle playfulness of a white. There’s a bite that I guess I could associate with champagne, but also has a bit of a green apple vibe to it. The white tea has JUST enough caffeine to keep you coasting, but not enough to keep you up at night.

All in all, a lovely blend for a sparkly afternoon.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  White
Where to Buy:  The Love Tea Company
Description

Our White Raspberry Champagne is a great alternative to the real thing!  Our wine inspired blends create a character so versatile you’ll get all of the fun of a “fancy drink” without the boozy qualities.   The pairing of champagne and raspberry flavors dates back centuries and we’ve mastered it here in this wine evoking tisane. You won’t be disappointed this is a luxurious treat any day of the week.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

A Different Type of Chamomile Tea! Happy from Wild Leaf Active Teas

Welcome to Leah’s Tour of Decaf! Today’s pick is Happy by Wild Leaf Active Teas. The irony of drinking an “active tea” on a day I have no plans to hit the gym is not lost upon me. But I’m still not going.

Let’s talk about its contents and vibe! I love whoever wrote the copy for this blend; and I honestly am not sure I can do better. The tagline for it is “Take us to your happy mug. We’ll take you to your happy place.” The blend & ingredients are described thus: “A modern blend to cheer you up or chill you out, organic whole leaf Tulsi reduces stress and lift moods while Chamomile, Lemon Myrtle and Rose Petals brighten the spirit.”

And I must tell you: YUM. This is like a happy orchard with blooms and lemons and cascading dapples of afternoon hazy sunlight.

This blend has chamomile in it. Chamomile usually makes me sad, but the other flavors are happily taking center stage! They prop it up in deliciousness. Chamomile fans can be comforted that it’s in there; chamomile haters can be overjoyed that it’s a minor player.

I gave some of this to my caffeine-free-tea-loving coworker, and she was thrilled to finally have a chamomile tea that, and I quote, “doesn’t taste like bathwater.” She sometimes has tummy aches, and chamomile helps a lot, but its flavor is dissatisfying. She liked this sample and made off with the rest of it.

That’s 2 out of 2 thumbs up for this tea. Give it a whirl, any time of day!


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Herbal
Where to Buy:  Wild Leaf Active Teas
Description

Stress and anxiety-busting tulsi and calming chamomile create this bright and flavourful blend designed to help you be in your best mood, no matter what is thrown your way today. Sit back, sip this tea and then get back to making your way through life’s journey.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Huang Jin Bolero from Adagio Teas. . . .

This Anxi oolong isn’t currently available on Adagio’s site, but I’m reviewing it so you know what to look for if it returns or if something like it pops back up!

Here we have a lovely oolong with a nectar/nut flavor that’s closer to green than black. It’s a very light flavor that stays with you after you swallow it. This tastes like that point in the late afternoon when you’ve stopped paying attention to time. Dinner will come eventually, you guess.

This feeling is, more accurately, the feeling of long summers at summer camp. This tea is summer camp in a bag. It reminds me of long afternoons spent making crafts and learning archery and swimming laps. Gritting my teeth until I found a few friends in my group. Trying to make blades of grass sing. Getting picked up at the end of the day, woozy with sunburn. Having dirty feet and having little scratches around my ankles from hurtling across rocks. Learning how to craft a ghost story and tell a lie about having kissed a boy and pretend to be a mermaid effectively.

I eventually stopped going to summer camp (as do most of us, unless we wind up owning one). But every summer I always wonder why I’m not there, still. I’m like “it’s camp season. Why am I in this office?”

Today a little part of me scurried off to camp season. Thanks, Adagio.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Oolong
Where to Buy:  Adagio Teas
Description

This tea is not currently available but click below for oolongs that are.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!