Vista Blend from Plum Deluxe. . . .

by TeaRax

There is so much Yes going on with Plum Deluxe! I discovered them when my Sororitea sister sent me a surprise cuppa their Pomme Blossom White tea. It’s a discontinued exclusive so I won’t tease you with too much detail. This was a very colorful blend with some “furry” white leaves. What was so exceptional was that the second steep tastes even better!!! Which is usually not my experience with flavored white teas.

I ordered another, not sold out, white tea blend of theirs called Afternoon “High Tea”, which is a peach and pear blend that also held up to resteep. It was a completely different taste profile than the Pomegranate and berries that I fell in love with earlier, but it was still very posh tasting. All their teas are made with organic ingredients — no sulfites, no artificial chemicals, and non-GMO. Eco-Friendly for the Win!

I ended up subscribing to Plum Deluxe’s tea of the month club. It’s only $10 for one exclusive bag of hand crafted tea, plus access to their amazing Facebook community. And Yay for supporting local PNW businesses!

The real star from this month’s shipment was a sample of their Vista Blend Herbal Tea.

This definitely tastes like the uncaffeinated sister of the Pomme Blossom. I’m not sure what the common element is, but it could be the Love and Gratitude they blend into their creations? This company likes to send out smiles.

The infusion slowly turns the color of a summer sunset, and the beautiful sight is complemented well by the apricot flavor. A creamy lavender taste leads into a mellow citrus that lingers nicely for quite some time after drinking.

The naturally sweet Honeybush base made a scrumptious treat cold brewed, and no sweetener was needed, which for me is saying something. Double win! I don’t want this cup to end, so I will definitely be buying more of this with next month’s mystery blend.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Honeybush
Where to Buy:  Plum Deluxe
Description

The apricot + lavender “Vista Blend” is inspired by one of our favorite things about nature — the views. This tea reminds us that we can have a beautiful view wherever we are, if only we slow down to appreciate it.

We use a base of earthy honeybush tea, paired perfectly with Oregon lavender and apricot essence. The fruit and floral pair to create a calming influence.  It’s just delightful — and especially refreshing on ice. Originally this tea was a seasonal-only blend but based on your demands, we’ve elevated it to a signature blend so you can get your Vista cuppa anytime of year.

All Plum Deluxe teas are hand-blended and infused with love in Portland, Oregon. Each 1oz packet makes 15-20 cups. All organic ingredients — no sulfites, no artificial chemicals, non-GMO

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

TeaRax

My favorite tea is always changing, like a typical Gemini. When I was a teenager, my native Washington Starbucks coffee was forbidden, but I occasionally snuck in a chai latte, so black teas have been my go-to morning drink when I feel feisty. As an adult, I spent 3+ years living in China and Japan where I learned about green, white, oolong, and pu'er teas origins. I was even prescribed traditional medicinal teas while I was there and that's a taste you don't soon forget! But it didn't scare me away from herbals - I really like cold brewing rooibos and tisanes now because I can share them with my toddler. I am back in school to become a geologist, and these science textbooks can be difficult to get through without a strong cuppa. When I'm not studying, I love pairing my teas with my BFFL and salted caramel macarons, or having existential chats with my dad.

This post was posted in Fruit/Herbal Tisane, Plum Deluxe

Comparing Two Taiwanese Oolongs from #TeaAve and #Teavivre. . . . .

by TeaRax

I’m going down the rabbit hole here with two Taiwanese oolongs, like Alishan Wonderland. The first time I visited a “Star-ba-ke” in China, I tried ordering a “tea with milk”. But they said it was too gross, several times, and they wouldn’t make it for me. I thought they had to be joking! They weren’t. My friend later told me I was insisting that “cheese” chai was a thing at American Starbucks. I could have died from the mix of embarrassment and jet lag.

Not too far away from that, around 1200 meters up Ali mountain on a foggy island with low temperatures, both the Osmanthus Oolong from Tea Ave and the Alishan Jin Xuan Milk Oolong from Tea Vivre were born to have complex flavor profiles, but nothing like cheese, I was assured. It is literally translated as Golden Daylily. I tried both these teas without adding any sweetener.
The Tea Vivre Jin Xuan Milk Oolong was so clean tasting that at first I wasn’t sure I steeped it, but the body of it feels thicker than just water and when the fruity aftertaste lingered, I was completely blown away. The flavor really crept up on me! I was able to resteep this naturally flavored tea several times and the fresh-then-orchid combo never failed to delight.

 

Osmanthus Oolong by Tea Ave was an equally light colored infusion but had more flavor at the front end instead. A very clean apricot flavor greeted my taste buds with this fuller bodied brew. The floral aftertaste was somewhat tannic but not as long lasting as the original flavor style. One aspect I really liked about this brand were the specific instructions for each brewing style, down to the grams for tea and mL of water. The scientist and the tea lover in me both wish I was Canadian so I could order more of this brand.

Overall a lovely experience with two drink-all-day oolongs. The best part is that now I don’t have to cringe at my bad memory when I hear the phrase “milk tea”.

TeaRax

My favorite tea is always changing, like a typical Gemini. When I was a teenager, my native Washington Starbucks coffee was forbidden, but I occasionally snuck in a chai latte, so black teas have been my go-to morning drink when I feel feisty. As an adult, I spent 3+ years living in China and Japan where I learned about green, white, oolong, and pu'er teas origins. I was even prescribed traditional medicinal teas while I was there and that's a taste you don't soon forget! But it didn't scare me away from herbals - I really like cold brewing rooibos and tisanes now because I can share them with my toddler. I am back in school to become a geologist, and these science textbooks can be difficult to get through without a strong cuppa. When I'm not studying, I love pairing my teas with my BFFL and salted caramel macarons, or having existential chats with my dad.

This post was posted in Oolong

Bright Eyes from Art of Tea. . . .

by TeaRax

Although I’ve seen Ayurveda teas around, this was my first experience with the therapeutic style from India, meant to balance my doshas and perk me up without caffeine.

It was fairly late but I needed a little energy boost to get me through the rest of my homework. I thought it would be a perfect time to try an herbal. Hello, Bright Eyed. The dry blend gave off a cheerful, earthen scent like a dusty sunrise. I measured half the recommended amount because this had much shorter brew time than I expected. I had a feeling it’d be powerful.

The infusion came out unabashedly marigold, despite the turmeric having tinted my gravity strainer. It’s really made of strong stuff! And it certainly smells healthy. There’s a hint of licorice, perhaps that’s the sarsaparilla? Initially the turmeric tasted tart, though not very astringent, with a subtle tingling aftertaste from the ginger. I added a spoonful of honey, which is how I normally drink my teas, and it definitely let the mellower cinnamon shine through. Overall, this was a light bodied tea with a well rounded spicy taste.

I ended up staying Alert much later than I meant to, but I learned from this…I will definitely never underestimate herbal teas again!

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Herbal
Where to Buy:  Art of Tea
Description

An invigorating blend of turmeric, ginger and other fragrant spices, this tea draws from Ayurvedic principles to energize and awaken your mind and body–all without caffeine! This autumnal tisane brews to a beautiful copper hue and can be enjoyed year round, and at any time of day.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

TeaRax

My favorite tea is always changing, like a typical Gemini. When I was a teenager, my native Washington Starbucks coffee was forbidden, but I occasionally snuck in a chai latte, so black teas have been my go-to morning drink when I feel feisty. As an adult, I spent 3+ years living in China and Japan where I learned about green, white, oolong, and pu'er teas origins. I was even prescribed traditional medicinal teas while I was there and that's a taste you don't soon forget! But it didn't scare me away from herbals - I really like cold brewing rooibos and tisanes now because I can share them with my toddler. I am back in school to become a geologist, and these science textbooks can be difficult to get through without a strong cuppa. When I'm not studying, I love pairing my teas with my BFFL and salted caramel macarons, or having existential chats with my dad.

This post was posted in Art of Tea, Fruit/Herbal Tisane

Hot Mama from Tea & Tins. . . .

by TeaRax

Drinking this Hot Mama tea feels like dancing to a Beyoncé song while Ryan Gosling winks a “Hey Girl” at you. If I had to start every day the same way, it would be with this kind of delicious affirmation.

I was interested at first sight of the heart decorations and brewed this up hot and also cold because I wasn’t sure if the candy hearts would melt or not and it turned out well both ways. (They didn’t melt, surprisingly!) I generally add a good amount of honey to my tea but this was the first time EVER I didn’t add any sweetener to a tea and LOVED it. While both styles were delicious, I preferred the overnight cold brew because the warm cinnamon taste was instantly cooled by the chilled water.

I’m on their website to ordering more right now! It looks like they offer plenty of eye-catching teas to start your day lightheartedly. Mornings are hard enough to get through with a boring drink.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Black Tea
Where to Buy:   Tea & Tins
Description

Loose leaf black tea, super hot and spicy! For cinnamon lovers!

Ingredients: black tea, cinnamon, spices, peppercorns and cinnamon hearts

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

TeaRax

My favorite tea is always changing, like a typical Gemini. When I was a teenager, my native Washington Starbucks coffee was forbidden, but I occasionally snuck in a chai latte, so black teas have been my go-to morning drink when I feel feisty. As an adult, I spent 3+ years living in China and Japan where I learned about green, white, oolong, and pu'er teas origins. I was even prescribed traditional medicinal teas while I was there and that's a taste you don't soon forget! But it didn't scare me away from herbals - I really like cold brewing rooibos and tisanes now because I can share them with my toddler. I am back in school to become a geologist, and these science textbooks can be difficult to get through without a strong cuppa. When I'm not studying, I love pairing my teas with my BFFL and salted caramel macarons, or having existential chats with my dad.

This post was posted in Black Tea, Tea and Tins