Jim Thorpe, PA, has an old jail, a train, mansions and a lot of stores that are magic-themed. For example, there are places called the Muggle’s Mug and the Conjured Soap Boutique.
There’s also a place called Down The Rabbit Hole . As a person with an Alice in Wonderland tattoo (visible here or here ), I couldn’t resist.
Imagine my surprise AND DELIGHT when I found tea in the back. The place was custom-made for me, basically.
I bought two blends, the first of which I tried today: Brewed Awakening. It was recommended for coffee drinkers looking to transition to tea. Its ingredients include pu’erh tea, cocoa beans, green coffee beans, chamomile petals, and green tea.
David’s Tea carried a similar blend called Espresso Yourself for a while. I liked it, but it was too aggressive/bitter for me.
Down the Rabbit Hole’s Brewed Awakening is much smoother. The pu’erh and the cocoa mellow down the tartness of the coffee beans. There’s a slick mouthfeel that I really like (despite not liking the word “mouthfeel” itself). There’s a calmness about this tea. It’s not yelling at you. It’s not kicking you. It’s ushering you into the morning gently.
This promising blend has me excited to try the other one I bought. Keep your eyes peeled for that one, which I’ll write up as soon as I get a chance to try it.
If you’re ever in Jim Thorpe, PA for some reason, you should check out this shop.
And the jail. . . too. It’s allegedly haunted.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Puerh
Where to Buy: Down The Rabbit Hole
Description
Check out Down the Rabbit Hole’s FB page below.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Jaffalicious/T2
One of my all-time favorite teas is DavidsTea’s Chocolate Orange. I have a friend who comes over to my house and only drinks that one, decimating my stash. When I was in T2, I found a similar tea, with a base of black tea instead of pu’erh. WAS THIS MY RE-STOCK SOLUTION?
Sort of. It’s pretty close, but not quite the same.
The DT Chocolate Orange is a POW, with the pu’erh being stronger and the chocolate being darker and spikier in flavor. The T2 Jaffalicious is more like the former, but with milk added. It’s sweeter, lighter, creamier, and more delicate. It’s a dessert tea. It’s tea you’d serve your grandmother to make her giggle.
I served this tea to my friend who keeps stealing my Chocolate Orange, and he didn’t really notice the difference. So I guess, in a way, it serves my needs exactly.
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Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: T2
Description
Jaffa lovers will agree, chocolate and orange is one of the greatest combos ever created. Lashings of velvety dark chocolate with a twang of sweet orange will take you to a world of all things heavenly.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Strawberry Rhubarb Parfait/Davids Tea. . .
My vegan friend gave this to me because it has traces of yogurt in it. SUCKER. IT’S MINE NOW.
I made this today and spent a chunk of the day wandering around the office showing people what a beautiful pink it was iced.
Three of us drank from the same mug, and thought the same thing: delicious. There’s a lot of hibiscus here, and a bit of strawberry, and some cream on the end notes. Yum. The sweet and the tart and the cream all balance each other out like a gymnast on a pommel horse.
I love this and I’m sad my friend drank most of it before going vegan.
If Canada were in the World Cup, this blend from America’s Hat would inspire me to root for them. Alas, they are not, so I will have to root for England instead. Tea people love England, right?
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Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Davids Tea
Description
Love rhubarb and strawberries? Try this sweet and tart caffeine-free infusion. It blends all the bright and juicy flavour of fresh-picked berries with a tart rhubarb punch and a hint of yogurt creaminess. Refreshingly fruity, it steeps up a satisfying deep red and is equally amazing hot or iced. Now that’s a beautiful thing.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Roasted Vanilla/Perkse. . . .
This tea comes in cute little twisty balls that remind me of armadillos curled up. As the tea steeps, they charmingly stretch out. (I’ve probably mentioned this in previous posts, but I’d like to mention for the record that UNFURLING TEA IS A BLESSING UPON THE EARTH. Thanks for the fun, meditative watch, tea!)
This tea has a beautiful vanilla/white chocolate flavor. Tasting it is the equivalent of listening to a harp. It’s delicate. It’s ethereal. It’s pale and sweet and floaty.
The green is a subtle counterpoint, so if you do want the benefits of green tea without that “green” flavor, try hitting this up!
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Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Perkse 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!
I Will Not Faint/Adagio Teas
Before I get started on this review, I have to disclose that I designed this Miss-Davenport-from-Space-Cases-themed tea myself. I don’t get any proceeds from it. Those go to a charity I think the character would have supported.
ANYWAY.
Making this tea was an adventure. I don’t know how to design or proportion a good tea. Adagio doesn’t really give guidance; it just lets you jump in there and throw stuff in the pot in whatever ratio you’d like.
I just put some stuff in this blend that felt appropriate to the character. She’s English (Earl Grey) and obsessed with waffles (caramel rooibos) and strawberries (strawberry tisane). This is a low-caffeine tea because the character is stressed out pretty much all the time. The last thing she needs is more zing in her fret.
The result smells like CRACK. You should smell this thing. Creamy and Earl-y and rich with berries.
The taste, however… is okay… but not great. I think that all the strawberry I hurled in there might have too much hibiscus lurking in it.
The flavor is, like, tangy? And not in the best way?
When I swallow, it’s great. But when it’s actively being sipped and in my mouth, it’s both bland and a bit much.
This might actually be good iced. Hot, it’s meh.
I feel like I might have messed this up a little bit, but you live, you learn. Feel free to try it, though, and all of the other Space Cases themed teas I made. Every single one has proceeds that go to charity. I am not taking your money, which is for the best, because I can’t promise any of them are good.
Ah, Adagio. You are the tea world’s Willie Wonka factory, and I appreciate you.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Description
This tea is a signature blend.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!