This is a tea shop I would love to visit in person someday! The website promises that new visitors to the shop are greeted with a curtsy and a twirl, and I could really use that kind of enthusiasm right now!
Ginger Peach Snowcone is a blend of White Monkey Chinese tea, sunflower blossom, and natural flavors.
It has only been two days since I bemoaned to a friend that almost all peach teas add ginger, which is fine in small amounts but too hot for this gal in any significant amounts unless I add lots of sweetener. I really love straight peach flavor or peach and vanilla.
Sniffing the dry blend, I detected no ginger and figured I was home free. Sniffing the steeped tea I detected no ginger. Sipping the tea…no ginger.
Now, this is really great in my book, but if you were looking for a punch of ginger you won’t be happy.
The funny thing, even the peach is incredibly light and what I taste is the white monkey base, a nice dose of floral taste from the sunflower, and the lightest hint of peach, making this a truly delicate and refreshing blend. I tried it hot and unsweetened and as an iced sweet tea.
What is this reminding me of? Come on, think!
I’ve got it!
Suddenly the scent transported me back to my childhood, going to the beauty shop with my mother every Saturday morning, and smelling the sweet smells of all the shampoos and hairsprays and colognes. Something there smelled just like this tea and it just makes me feel so girly that I want to put on some cute low pumps, a sweet skirt, a little pearl necklace, and paint my nails pink.
Thanks for a lovely trip down memory lane! If I ever get to visit T by Daniel, I will return the curtsy and twirl!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: T by Daniel
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Feenduft/Floragold – VariaTea-
One of my tea friends was super kind and gave me a bunch of tea pyramids by Floragold. There was so much variety and while I typically prefer loose leaf, I’ve been enjoying the convenience of being able to grab a tea bag and brew up a cup with such quick clean-up.
If I am being honest, I had low expectations of the quality of the teas. I think there is an underlying tea snob in me that always expects less from a tea bag/satchet/pyramid than I do from loose leaf teas. However, these Floragold teas have been pretty good so far.
This tea, Feenduft aka Fairy Fragrance, is a green rooibos that is meant to taste like strawberry kiwi. Personally, I think that flavor is quite spot-on. The green rooibos base compliments those flavors nicely as well. All elements are present and floral and light, which makes for a nice cuppa.
Of the Floragold teas I have tried, this one is one of my favorites. It’s convenient and the flavors are lovely. It could be a bit stronger on the strawberry kiwi and a bit less base, but that is more a personal preference for my tastes. Besides that, I am a fan.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
TeaLady Grey/Rare Tea Company – Stephenia-
I admit it, I am obsessed with earl grey tea. Every morning is started with a cuppa of earl grey and many times I end my day with a caffeine-free rooibos version. I literally have over 40 different varieties of the stuff from all sorts of companies in my tea collection but I am always looking for THE holy grail earl grey. I think I may have actually found it!
I recently saw that Rare Tea Company released a new version of earl grey. If you are not familiar with Rare Tea Company it was founded by Henrietta Lovell. She wrote a fantastic book called Infused which recounts how tea has shaped her life and has been a constant companion through times of trouble. I can’t recommend the book enough, especially if you love tea! At any rate she created a new blend called TeaLady Grey. I was immediately drawn to it because of the addition of lemongrass. Lemongrass is perhaps one of my absolute favorite herbals and I especially love when it is added to earl grey. It helps to deepen the citrus notes of the bergamot. I ordered the tea during one of their free ship events. Make sure you are subscribed to their email because free ship events are offered several times a year.
The tea begins with a beautiful base. And really, a tea blend is only as good as the base used with it. I find so many companies start with an inferior base in hopes that the other ingredients will mask the fact that the tea leaves are not good. The base is black tea from the Shire Highlands of Malawi. It is a smaller cut leaf typical of teas from this region. The base is strong, malty and a perfect tea to carry the Sri Lankan lemongrass, Malawi lemon verbena and Italian bergamot. Because Henrietta has such a great relationship with her tea farmers she is able to secure the highest quality and freshest ingredients which translates to an exquisite tea experience. This is an absolutely perfectly blended tea and on par with all the other great teas I have had from Rare Tea Company. The layering of the citrus notes from the bergamot, lemongrass and lemon verbena create a perfectly bright and well rounded cup. If you are a fan of earl grey I highly recommend this version. This blend checks all the boxes for me and then some on what I am looking for in a perfect earl grey.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Rare Tea Co.
Description
This tea is our Rare Tea Lady’s (founder Henrietta Lovell) riff on a traditional Earl Grey; a more delicately herbaceous and distinctly lemon blend.
Instead of containing just black tea and the essential oil of bergamot that composes a traditional Earl Grey Tea – we’ve built up the lemon notes, not with more citrus but uniquely with delicious lemon herbs.
Rich yet elegant black tea from the Shire Highlands of Malawi blended with Italian Bergamot, Malawi Lemon Verbena and Sri Lankan Lemongrass.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Peach & Apricot Green Tea/Joseph’s Tea -CuppaGeek-
These are incredibly busy days for me and my family. Besides a family situations we have going on, my 9-5 job is in the political arena so I’m pretty much working from the minute I wake up until the minute I’m heading to bed with emails still coming in. I do very much love my job but because of the craziness. . . .my tea drinking has fallen to the way side a bit and I’m missing my tea time so very much.
So after lunch the other day, I made it a priority to enjoy tea time (with snacks even) and grabbed a tea we recently relieved from Joseph’s Tea- Peach & Apricot Green Tea. This particular tea was in a tea bag so I knew that even if I had to quickly start working again, I would be able to easily keep drinking this delight.
Brewed with water at 170F and allowed to steep right around 3 minutes, this tea was a delightful surprise. Really sweet peachy notes with a subtle smoky flavor. I don’t get the apricot notes as much as I get the peachy notes, but I’ll be honest, I’m ok with that because of how lovely the peach flavor was.
This tea was really simple yet really lovely tea to enjoy and enjoy I did. This tea was my companion all afternoon. I found myself really digging the contrast of the sweet peach notes with the gunpowder green tea.
I did try for a few more resteeps and I was again pleasantly surprised. I can see this tea being a dynamite iced tea and something I will be trying in the future.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Joseph’s Tea
Description
Temple of heaven Gunpowder green tea with peach and Apricot flavoring. One of our best sellers!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
**gifted for review**
Chestnut/Adagio Teas -Ashmanra-
I have recently been introduced to LOTS of tea by Adagio, and honestly I had no idea that they had such a huge selection.
I decided to share this pot of tea with someone who has actually had chestnuts since I never have so I would be able to tell you how authentic the taste is!
My impression of the tea is that it tastes exactly like the company description – black tea with a pleasant dryness. It is nutty, but the company says their teas are safe for people with nut allergies. The facility is also gluten free.
I took it plain but it definitely could take milk and sugar if you prefer. It had that raspy dry feel on the tongue that many Keemun teas give, a cocoa powder vibe without chocolate. It reminded of the feeling when a wee bit of the “bitter” from inside a pecan or walnut shell gets in your mouth. That may sound bad but as they said – it is a pleasant bitterness.
So what about the person who has had actual chestnuts? She said it was so authentic that she was transported back to Eastern Europe at Christmastime, buying roasted chestnuts from vendors in the street. She was quite nostalgic and I am pretty sure she would be pleased to find a box of this tea in her stocking this year!
This also gave a decent resteep. Many thanks to the Sisters for sharing this one with me!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Description
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!