Simpson & Vail has announced a few new Colombian Teas and I thought I would share with you their Colombian Black Tea today!
Their Colombian Black Tea is from the mountainous region of Colombia, in an area steeped in biodiversity, along the western slope of the Andes, called the Bitaco tea estate.
The gentle mist from the mountains, rich soil, and ample rainfall stimulates the growth of the tea bushes and produces this tea shouting its unique characteristics.
The large, black wiry, slightly tippy leaves have a light malty aroma and brew to an amber cup with a smooth taste and delicate fruity notes according to S&V! And I would have to agree!
I have been sipping in this one for a while. It hails a fairly sturdy 2nd infusion, too!
Even tho this is a pretty strong black tea it’s not OVERLY strong – like you need someone to break your morning zombie trance – but it’s a nice bolder cuppa to sip though out the day or even in the afternoon or early evening! Another DANDY of a black tea from Simpson & Vail!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Simpson & Vail
Description
From the mountainous region of Colombia, in an area steeped in biodiversity, along the western slope of the Andes, is the Bitaco tea estate. The gentle mist from the mountains, rich soil, and ample rainfall all stimulate the growth of the tea bushes, producing a tea with unique characteristics. The large, black wiry, slightly tippy leaves have a light malty aroma and brew to an amber cup with a smooth taste and delicate fruity notes.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Dragonfruit Fusion Teabags from Simpson and Vail.. . . .
June was National Iced Tea Month so I thought a few Iced Tea attempts were surely in order! To kick things off I brewed some Dragonfuit Fusion Tea Bags from Simpson & Vail.
As many of you know Hibiscus scares me and Rosehips are creeping on that list as well. When I saw how intensely pinkish-red this was after brewing I ASSUMED it was going to be that dreaded tarty-sour Hibiscus I was so frightened of. BUT…I don’t know how S&V did it but it worked well here! It wasn’t overly tart or overly sweet. Perhaps it was the Green Rooibos base that helped even it out?
Ingredients include Organic green rooibos, organic rosehips, organic hibiscus, organic orange peel, organic lemon peel and natural flavors. I will say that I could taste the citrusy peels mentioned in the list of ingredients and that seemed to really contribute to the overall flavor of this tea!
The rebel that I am – I sipped a half of a cup of this tea hot before icing and it was pretty good hot, too!
I have a very large thermo container that I will be traveling with a lot this summer and I can see myself keeping iced teas in there very soon! I’m looking forward to Iced Tea Season. Are you?
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal/Tisane
Where to Buy: Simpson & Vail
Description
Perfect for lazy summer days, this organic herbal blend brews to a ruby red color with a tropical fruit taste. Caffeine free and bursting with flavor, this “tea” will be enjoyed by young and old alike. Add a little sweetener or seltzer to brighten up the taste!
Ingredients: Organic green rooibos, organic rosehips, organic hibiscus, organic orange peel, organic lemon peel and natural flavors.
To brew:
Put teabag in a gallon container. Pour boiling water over the teabag to cover, steep for 5 minutes then remove the bag. Add cold water to fill the container and stir. Refrigerate. Serve over ice as is or with your choice of sweetener.
Iced tea in the refrigerator may turn cloudy. If this should occur, pour a little boiling water into the tea after removal from the refrigerator.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Jasmine Tea Blend from Simpson and Vail. . . . .
I haven’t quite made up my mind on whether I like jasmine or not. When I think I do, I try something else that includes jasmine and then I wonder if I actually don’t. I was hesitant to try this Jasmine Tea Blend by Simpson and Vail because of this. However, I persevered and decided to go ahead and try anyways.
Jasmine smells really sweet and tastes that way too. I did not even add sweetener to the steeped cup. I do like this, but being 100% honest I feel like I need another component here. Like, maybe, apple jasmine…or vanilla jasmine…or maybe like a jasmine tangerine or something. But, just plain jasmine tea isn’t really doing it for me. That said, this is definitely a rich jasmine flavor. Its sweet, its floral, and its smooth.
I think that this would be a great cup to drink if I want to unwind in the evening after a nice bath. The smell of jasmine is definitely relaxing. I just don’t know if i’m all for straight floral tea. Like I said, I am longing for a second component. I do think that this is yummy, though, and I think that someone who enjoys floral teas or jasmine teas would really love this. Even if you aren’t sure whether you like floral tea, this would definitely be a tea to try it out. It is authentic and yummy. I have had great luck with Simpson and Vail and I really always enjoy their blends.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Simpson and Vail
Description
The process of producing Jasmine tea started in China sometime during the Song Dynasty (960-1279) using tea blended with Jasmine blossoms. Jasmine teas are created using different types of tea: white, oolong and green predominantly. The base teas used are picked, depending on the type of tea, from March to June, but the Jasmine blossoms do not bloom until the summer. So the teas are picked, processed and stored until the fresh blossoms can be added. The blossoms are picked in the morning when the dew has dried off the closed buds. The buds are then kept cool during the day and then in the evening, when the buds begin to open, they are mixed into the tea. After at least 4 hours, when the tea has absorbed the jasmine scent, the blossoms are removed and fresh buds are added. For standard grade jasmine teas, the blossoms are added 2 or 3 times. For premium grade jasmine teas, this process may be repeated up to 8 times. Once the blenders are satisfied that the tea has the appropriate amount of aroma, the tea is re-fired to remove the moisture that was introduced to the tea by the fresh jasmine blossoms. Jasmine tea destined to remain in China usually has the spent blossoms removed from the finished product, but with teas that are exported, jasmine blossoms are sometimes left in the finished tea for their appearance.
Historically the aroma of Jasmine blossoms was recommended for stress relief, depression and relaxation. For us, the aroma of Jasmine infused teas does have a profound ability to calm and relax!
This Jasmine tea, from the Fujian Province in China, is a scented oolong tea with a delicious jasmine flavor. The medium size tea leaves brew to a pale ecru cup with a strong jasmine bouquet.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Salty Caramel Pumpkin Black Tea from Simpson and Vail. . . . #allthingspumpkin
I had to brew this tea three times before I actually started to enjoy it. I don’t know what happened, but I usually brew my black teas for 4-5 minutes. Don’t brew this one for that long, it gets way too bitter and both the salted caramel and pumpkin flavors will be overpowered. This tea needs to brew for only 2-3 minutes in order to be enjoyable!
Aside from the brewing issue, this tea is delicious! I love pumpkin everything- pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin bread, pumpkin donuts, pumpkin pie, and even pumpkin soup. So, naturally, pumpkin tea is going to be something that I have to try. I also really like salted caramel. The combination of pumpkin and salted caramel makes my mouth water. It sounds so good! I was really bummed the first two times I brewed this one because I though that the black tea was just way too overpowering and way too bitter. Thankfully I finally went to their website and saw that this blend is only meant to be steeped for 3 minutes. Once I steeped it properly I was in heaven. Yum!
This blend filled my kitchen with smells of creamy salted caramel and pumpkin. On taste, salted caramel was in the forefront with pumpkin and black tea trailing behind. Even properly steeped, the black tea is still dominant in the blend. My only critique would be for them to maybe use a less bold black tea next time because the flavors of pumpkin and salted caramel would have popped just a little bit more. Otherwise, this tea is really really good! I’m now wondering if they make a salted caramel pumpkin ice cream flavor because the combination is heavenly! Even though pumpkin season is basically over, this blend is still worth a try because it is really good. I will look forward to it next fall!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Simpson and Vail
Description
Fall in a cup! The aroma of caramel and pumpkin will delight your olfactory sense with the promise of a warm, tasty brew. The amber colored cup offers pumpkin on the front end with the delicious salty caramel taste at the back. These flavors are the perfect marriage in that they complement each other without competing.
Ingredients: black teas, marigold petals and pumpkin and salty caramal flavorings.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
August Peach Green Tea from Simpson and Vail. . . .
Apparently peaches in august are sweeter than other times of the year. I didn’t know this until now. Learn something new everyday, right? I really enjoy the mix of peach flavor and green tea. Theres something really crisp and refreshing about them together that reminds me of springtime air. This tea in particular tastes just like spring, to me.
There are two peach teas that are my favorite right now, both of them come from Anne’s brilliant blends over at 52 Teas- Peach Cardamom Green Tea and Peach Cheesecake Honeybush. Both of them are just sensational. Unfortunately all of 52 Teas’ are limited edition and you have to act fast before they are gone (re-blend! re-blend! re-blend!). So, I have been on the hunt for a good peach flavored replacement. This August Peach Green Tea sounded like it had potential. According to Simpson and Vail, in Vietnam peaches are an indicator of the coming of spring and symbolize peace and happiness. Apparently, peaches that are grown later in the season have a sweeter and more delicate flavor.
My first recognition when I examined the dry leaf was that it didn’t include chunks of peaches. While I realize that most flavor actually comes from flavoring opposed to dried fruits, I still like to see them in my blends. Anyways, I moved forward and brewed myself a cup. I wasn’t getting an overwhelming peach scent. I mostly could just smell the green tea with maybe a hint of peach if you’re looking for it. I’m not sure if I would say that the taste was overwhelmingly peachy either…but that’s not to say that this isn’t good. The first flavor I noticed was the green tea- buttery, grassy, and crisp. Next was the agave I added to the cup. Last was the peach. Even though peach was the last flavor I detected, it was so spot on! The aftertaste of this tea left me feeling as if I had just taken a bite out of a fresh peach! The flavor was so realistic and fresh, I really enjoyed it. This is a light tea and it would be fantastic iced in the middle of summer. I enjoyed the flavors of the green tea mingling with the fresh August peach flavor. Although I don’t think that this beat my other favorite peach teas, it definitely is at the top of my list! A total must try if you like peach and definitely if you like green tea.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: Simpson and Vail
Description
Peaches are from a deciduous tree that is native to China. Cultivation spread throughout the world and today major supplies of peaches come from America, China, Italy and Greece. Peaches and peach trees have long histories of symbolism in Asia; in China, peaches are considered a symbol of long life, in Korea they are considered symbols for happiness, wealth and longevity and in Vietnam peaches herald Spring and symbolize peace and happiness.
Peaches have a delicate, intoxicating aroma and a heavenly taste. The peaches grown later in the season, in August and September, have a sweeter more delicate peach taste. This green tea blend has the underlying taste of a sweet, Chinese green with the refreshing taste of sweet peaches. Summer tastes all in one cup!
Ingredients: Green tea, marigold petals and sweet august peach flavoring.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!