It’s been a rough year. I won’t go into that here but I have to say it’s good to be back! I’ve missed blogging the last 6 months or more. I have been sipping on teas here and there but I really have to get back into the swing of things.
I thought an interesting way to do that was to get thru some of my really old teas that I didn’t have the heart to throw away but really need to do the old ‘sip down’ with if you know what I mean.
I thought I would share some of my BLEND AT HOME Tea Recipes with you all.
Today I have combined two of my old Teavana tarts with a random black tea. What I did is take 3 teaspoons of Raspberry Riot Lemon Mate, 1 teaspoon of Pineapple Kona Pop, and 1 teaspoon of a straight-up black tea and threw the loose leaves into a tin and shook it ‘real good’. From that, I then took about a tablespoon and cold brewed a cup.
With what little black tea I did use (and with all of the other ingredients involved) you could barely tell the black tea was present. Other ingredients included: Apple, Marigold, Orange, Pineapple, Rose, Raspberry, Lemongrass, Yerba Mate, Hibiscus, and rose hip peels.
Since you can see most of the other ingredients are sweet, fruity, and citrusy – I found this BLEND AT HOME to be pretty yummy iced. I haven’t tried it hot, to be honest, but it ‘hit the stop’ this late summer and early fall.
It smelled more like a mellow raspberry followed by pineapple.
The post-infusion color was a light brown with hibiscus-type hue. The flavor combo upfront seemed to follow suit with the raspberry and pineapple combo. But in the middle of the sip you could taste the lemon and orange and shortly after that the apple came into play. There was a fruity yet gentle floral flavor to round it all out at the end.
For one of my first official attempts I thought this was a goody!
Kick Back and Relax with Hammock Blend from Plum Deluxe
Brewed hot, this tea is smooth and bright, with the fullness of black tea and crisp orange, and just enough vanilla to smooth out any astringency. The tea is creamy even without milk and sugar, but not so sweet or over-flavored to come off as artificial orange-creamsicle. In many ways this is definitely still a classic black tea.
With a name like Hammock Blend, this tea is meant to be a cold summer beverage, so I brewed a batch hot with sugar and let it chill. Iced and sweetened, I will say that the sugar complements the orange and cream flavors, though they weren’t any bolder after the iced brewing style. Maybe I’m just a bit out of season for this tea and I’ll have to give it another go when I’m sweltering in July.
Overall the flavors of this tea were a little subtle for my tastes, but would be a great choice for someone looking for a traditional black tea with just a little non-traditional twist. It’s hard to go wrong with a splash of orange and cream.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
Description:
When we set out to make the perfect loose leaf iced tea blend, we knew one of our favorite flavors was orange. With a hint of “creme” vanilla flavor, it makes the most delicious iced tea, the perfect thirst quencher on a sunny day. As the name implies, grab a cool glass of this tea and relax. Reminds you of an orangesicle without all the calories!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Handcrafted Organic Green Tea Blended For Sweet Tea from Sweet Tea Junkie
Okay…full disclosure here…I’m far from being a Sweet Tea Guru so when I receive Handcrafted Organic Green Tea Blended For Sweet Tea from Sweet Tea Junkie I’ve been carefully planning on how to tackle this review.
I would like to explain that a bit more. I grew up on PLAIN tea. No matter what kind of tea it is I drink it PLAIN. Even Chai. I’m sure it’s because I was raised about as much of a Yankee as one could grow up! My husband – on the other hand – LOVES Sweet Tea and grew up on that as a child.
Having said that I thought I would share with you my experiences with Handcrafted Organic Green Tea Blended For Sweet Tea from Sweet Tea Junkie. First I would like to come clean and tell you that I sampled this tea straight-up, as-is, and with nothing added – because that is how I roll.
Plain and with NOTHING added this was a solid Gunpowder Green Tea. I’m careful NOT to over infuse green teas – especially Gunpowders because they tend to get bitter. This one worked out nicely and didn’t have the stale bitterness that others tend to have. My plain taste test with Handcrafted Organic Green Tea Blended For Sweet Tea from Sweet Tea Junkie was a success!
I then broke out of my comfort zone and tried Handcrafted Organic Green Tea Blended For Sweet Tea from Sweet Tea Junkie ICED the way the company intended it! I followed the instructions and decided to use NATURAL Sugar Crystals. I first tried it with about 5 of them and it was gently sweetened. I then added about 7 more and it really kicked it up a notch. According to these Sugar Crystals they are in its purest form and will not take away from the flavor of the tea. I found that to be true.
I decided to try a second infusion of this Handcrafted Organic Green Tea Blended For Sweet Tea from Sweet Tea Junkie and added just a few more crystals and I think I enjoyed the second infusion even better than the first.
When it comes to hot brewed – iced sweet tea – from loose leaf…Handcrafted Organic Green Tea Blended For Sweet Tea from Sweet Tea Junkie is a game changer! I was blown away at how much I enjoyed this cuppa – especially for NOT being into Sweet Tea to begin with! Excellent product!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: Sweet Tea Junkie
Description:
Introducing the first Organic Tea from your friends at Sweet Tea Junkie. This Handcrafted Organic Green Tea is known as a Gunpowder Green, and was named such by British Soldiers hundreds of years ago due to the way that the leaves are “rolled” into balls that resembled the small pouches they would grind into gunpowder.
Hey, we know that looks and a good story are great but we’re tea drinkers here at Sweet Tea Junkie and can say with certainty that whether you want to stay traditional and drink this tea hot with no sugar, or go all southern on it and brew a gallon of Sweet Green Tea this will be the best tasting organic green tea you’ll find!
While black tea is the most popular type of tea in the United States, worldwide Green tea takes the crown due largely in part to it’s widely known health benefits and it’s popularity in Asian Countries.
The amazing thing about a loose leaf tea is that you can actually watch the leaves as they unfurl (open) during the steeping process. Our Handcrafted Organic Green Tea is no different, the fact that the leaves are tightly rolled makes for an interesting experience that you just won’t get from the big National tea brands who largely use teas that have been ground into a dust like form (ie. tea dust).
Learn even more about this tea here.