I needed a tea experience tonight. My husband wanted to know what I meant when I asked if he wanted to join me for a tea experience, and I told him, “You, me, the kid, on the floor with the tea tray and NO ELECTRONICS!”
But I had to choose a special tea to gong fu, and I really wanted to try something new. This one looked interesting, with its thin, twisted leaves that are such a dark green.
The first steep was really smokey. The company calls it toasted chestnuts and I’ll buy that. I don’t think I have ever had toasted chestnuts so I can’t say for sure. But definitely woody, nutty, toasty, and earthy come to mind. There is a long lasting aftertaste reminding me of the liquor from cooking mustard greens or turnip greens, a Southern favorite in the USA.
The second steep changes pretty remarkably. As the stronger flavors step back, a light floral taste comes forward – very light, with Southern greens still in play. My husband liked the second steep much better, and the kid did, as well. We plowed through four or five steeps and still wanted more tea, so I got fresh leaves and a new kettle of water and we started all over again.
This time I gave the leaves a ten second rinse to try to duplicate the taste of the second steep in the first. But even with the rinse the first steep had a lot of smokey flavor, which my husband noticed right away. After my “I told you so” we moved on to the resteeps again.
Again, these are earthy green and lighter. Husband and the kid say they enjoyed it, and preferred the later steeps over the first. I have to say that I enjoyed wending our way through all the flavors this tea had to offer.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: The Spice and Tea Exchange
Description
Special grade of green tea produced in high-elevation gardens of Hubei, China. A smooth and mellow cup, with a sweet aroma and the slight flavor of toasted chestnuts.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Earl Grey Creme from The Spice & Tea Exchange . . . .
Based out of Savannah, GA, The Spice & Tea Exchange has this little number…Earl Grey Creme. Sure…lots of companies feature an Earl Grey Creme but this one I’ve had time and time again and it never disappoints.
It could be that I have already written about Earl Grey Creme from The Spice & Tea Exchange before here at SororiTea Sisters but if I did it was a LONG time ago!
I decided to make a strong cuppa with approximately 2 teaspoons of loose leaf and infuse for about 3 minutes. By doing so the comforting flavors meshed together well. It was creamy, citrusy, soft, warm, and comforting.
I did try to do a 2nd steep and it is possible if you don’t mind a more muted flavor and really want to stretch your tea stash but the 1st cup is where it’s at!
Thumbs up from me on Earl Grey Creme from The Spice & Tea Exchange!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: The Spice & Tea Exchange
Description
The comforting flavors of vanilla and cream combine to lighten the citrus notes of a traditional Earl Grey. With its soft, warm flavors, this is a great tea to start off your day.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Pumpkin Chai Latte from the Spice and Tea Exchange
I love all the pumpkin spiced things that come with it. When I saw the first few samples of Pumpkin Chai Latte hit the shelves at the Spice and Tea Exchange, I had to give it a try.
This is a great pumpkin tea to keep in your fall roundup. Where most pumpkin spice teas have lots of caramel, this tea features cacao shells and maple crystals. Pumpkin Chai Latte is still plenty sweet and perfectly spiced with warm cinnamon, but the more robust and earthy flavors of raw chocolate and molasses give richness and body to the brew.
There is also a surprising amount of a bright produce-like flavor, which I can only assume comes from the many chunks of dried pumpkin in the dry leaf. I almost thought there was something like orange peel in the blend, the tart pop of freshness was so noticeable, but there are no orange peels listed in the blend. Perhaps an ingredient like the dandelion root is adding a nice vegetal tartness against the sweet flavors.
In case all of these tasty autumn flavors weren’t enough, there is added whipped cream flavoring included as well to add to the decadent dessert feeling one wants with a good pumpkin spice tea.
If you love pumpkin spice and feel like you’ve tried everything, don’t miss the chance to try a creamy and chocolatey take on the classic fall tradition. From one pumpkin-spice-head to another, I know you’ll love Pumpkin Chai Latte from the Spice and Tea Exchange in your mug.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Chai
Where to Buy: Spice and Tea Exchange
Description:
Whispers of spice merge with the flavors of a mid-autumn harvest. A steaming glass of this chai tea is the perfect companion for crisp mornings and cool nights.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Bonita Peach Rooibos Herbal Tea from The Spice & Tea Exchange. . . .
I bought this tea because it allegedly contained strawberry flavoring in addition to peach. Strawberry peach? OH MY GAWD RIGHT? Unfortunately, I can’t really taste strawberry. The peach flavor is Batman, with orange/citrus notes as Robin.* The strawberry is, I guess, Alfred, back at the mansion? Poor Alfred never goes anywhere.
* (Robin is not as large or important as Batman, but still factors in the plot.)
Despite strawberry’s mysterious absence, I still tend to reach for this as an iced choice on days I’m trying to avoid soda/caffeine. It’s very sweet. The peach/orange, as previously mentioned, are the main players. The green rooibos adds a light, woodsy, sweet background. There’s something slightly astringent about the mix, but I don’t mind that.
There’s nothing about this blend that I’d clamor for you to try. I probably won’t re-buy it. However, it’s a solid, dependable workhorse for decaf iced tea, and I appreciate its presence in my cupboard.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos/Herbal
Where to Buy: The Spice & Tea Exchange
Description
Green rooibos redbush plant is flavored with summer fruits and flowers, to produce a refreshing caffeine-free blend. Delicious served either hot or iced.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Coconut Peach Turmeric from Spice and Tea Exchange. . . .
Count me in with the legions of humans who have been recently flocking to turmeric in everything, friends– I love its slightly bitter spiciness, I love how well it translates in everything from sweet to savory, I love its inherent anti-inflammatory goodness… I love it all. I recently participated in a tea swap with a fellow Sororitea Sister, and when she asked what kinds of teas I’d like to try, I requested anything that would be tasty iced. (that IS my summer tea drinking M.O., clearly.) While I usually reach for a very specific few kinds of teas to ice (greens, fruity herbals, fruity blacks, nothing nutty/savory/decadent), it was fun to see someone else’s choices of ice-able teas and push myself outside of my comfort zone!
Now, while this tea TOTALLY fits within those guidelines, I think the ‘turmeric’ in there would have typically swayed me away from trying this one iced, and that would have been a shame. Hot, this tea is tasty– but iced is totally where it shines. The bitterness of the turmeric is perfectly offset by the sweet peach and creamy coconut, and where these flavors could potentially veer into saccharine or dull territory, they’re perfectly accented by the spice of the turmeric. I’m so glad I gave this one a try, and I’m now totally motivated to expand my ice-able comfort zone to teas I normally wouldn’t try. Thanks, fellow sister!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Spice and Tea Exchange
Description
This tea is not currently on the website but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
