I got this tea as a surprise! It came in a “Tea It Forward” box, which is a program where you buy a box of 3 teas as a surprise for a friend, and the proceeds go to charity. The wonderful Cuppageek sent this to me as a gift for my general awesomeness! Here’s a pic of what I received.
Tonight’s pick is Lemon Chiffon. This rooibos/honeybush blend allegedly tastes like my grandmother’s cake. Since I didn’t have grandmothers that made this dish, I’m going to just have to wing this.
The lemon in this is strong, and a tiny bit bitter in a way that tastes “authentic.” It doesn’t have a fake sugar-lemon flavor. There’s also some lavender and pomegranate mixed in here, which lives it a little bit of a berry/flower kick.
I doubt that a grandmother would have mixed in pomegranate. But she should have; it’s a cool idea.
Overall, I think this blend is a tiny bit too tart for my tastes, but I think with a little bit of milk/honey, it’d be perfect. Give it a try!
Or help charity out and “Tea It Forward” to a friend who needs a pick-me-up!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: The Love Tea Company
Description
There’s a reason why we call this a brilliant blend. Remember that Lemon Chiffon cake that Grandma made? It’s like that, without the cleanup or pinches to your cheek. A rooibos blend that smells like you could eat it straight out of the jar. Since it has no caffeine, it’s the perfect compliment to any after dinner treat.
Caffeine Level: None
Steep 2 teaspoons @ 195° for 3 – 5 minutes
Luxury Ingredients: rooibos, rooibus tea, honeybush, lemon myrtle, lavender flowers, marigold petals, natural lemon and pomegranate flavor.
Allergens: None
**Priced for purpose means we cost-average our overall inventory and charge a single price per size for our fine quality teas. Our pricing is entirely based upon our mission to donate 25% of net profit to The Flagg Foundation for Mental Wellness. Due to the density of teas, weighted amounts vary from jar to jar. Every purchase of Love Tea is a direct donation to improving human health and happiness.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Roasted Almond Chai from Fava Tea Company . . . .
Snowy days always make me want to curl up on the couch with a cup of hot chai and a really good movie. Come to think of it, every day makes me want to do that i’m not going to lie. So even though there is a raging blizzard outside, not much has changed I suppose. Tea, Harry Potter, and Lord of the Rings is my favorite way to relax when I’m not chasing after my 7 month old daughter! So what better way to use my free time than to dig into the awesome tea swap blends that I received the other day?
I used to like chai a lot more than I do today. I used to order chai lattes like they were going out of style! Its interesting how your tastes change, especially when you are constantly trying new flavors when it comes to tea. The reason why I am no longer a huge fan of chai at this point in my tea-journey is because I don’t really like things to be spicy or hot. You know those red cinnamon candies? Yeah, I hate those. I don’t like hot cinnamon and I feel like a lot of chai’s taste this way, they just are too spiced. So in order to “wow” me by your chai blend, it cant be too overpowering.
When I received my first ever tea swap package and I saw Roasted Almond Chai by Fava Tea Company, I was intrigued. I love anything with nuts, especially almond. Ive never had a nut chai before. Ive had cinnamon chai and vanilla chai…but not almond chai. I could imagine that it is pretty delicious though, cinnamon and almond tend to go very well together. So, I opened up the sample bag and could smell the delicious sweet and nutty almond and chai spices. Yum! This stuff smells like Christmas. I brewed up a cup and took a sip. Not going to lie, the chai spices are very present. However, the sweet almond tones them down so they really aren’t overpowering. Fava did a great job with the almond flavor in this one. It isn’t artificial, it is sweet and nutty.
This is a rooibos blend, so the woodiness from the rooibos mingles well with nutty almond and chai spices. It is a delectable cup that is great for a snowy evening! I wish they made a black tea version so that I could drink it throughout the day for a caffeine boost, but it is just as good as an after-dinner dessert tea. If you like Forever Nuts by DAVIDsTEA and if you like chai, you will definitely like this blend. It honestly tastes like a chai and Forever Nuts had a baby and that baby was named Roasted Almond Chai! I definitely suggest you check this out.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Fava Tea Company
Description
This is the sweet taste of almond magically blended with rooibos and chai spices. Smooth, delightful and a perfect compliment with dessert. Or in place of dessert! Either way, enjoy! Blends well with Yoga, Toasted Caramel Rooibos, Chocolate Cream Rock Sugar.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
VariaTea’s Thoughts on Alice in Wonderland from First Edition Tea Co. . . .
I love teas inspired by pop culture and media. Fandom teas are a thing of beauty because they can take flavors that may not be otherwise appealing and make them all the more interesting by naming them for a beloved book or tv show. This tea, for instance, is not one I would ever buy myself since I don’t usually love marzipan and I am indifferent to rose, but name it after a classic book like Alice and Wonderland and you got me signed up for a taste. Perhaps I am easily sold by a gimmick but somehow connecting teas to pop culture just makes the experience more exciting.
As far as the tea goes, the smell of marzipan in the dry leaf was incredibly powerful and had me worried that it would take over but in the brewed tea, it is quite balanced. Present and flavorful but not in-your-face. The rooibos imparts a bit of a medicinal taste while the black is almost smokey in flavor. It is a bit astringent but not terribly so, though I will say it gets more bitter as it cools so best to have this hot. The rose is a little more perfumey than I would like (probably since this cup has cooled quite a bit) but also candy-like in its sweetness which compliments the marzipan nicely.
All in all, this was an alright tea. Not my favorite though I did enjoy it more than I expected I would. Like I said, this is not the flavor profile I would normally pick for myself so at the end of the day I am probably not the target audience here. I will be passing this on for the other sisters to try though so hopefully this will be more to their tastes.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black/Rooibos
Where to Buy: First Edition Tea Co.
Description
It’s always tea time. Indulge with this sweet and floral blend of rooibos and black tea, filled with rose petals. A candy sweet blend that just says “Drink me!”
Ingredients: Rooibos, black tea, papaya, almond pieces, rosehip pieces, rose petals, blackberry leaves, natural flavours. CONTAINS NUTS!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Coastal Wonderland from Beach House Teas. . .
Keeping up with my birthday trend today, I thought it would be fun to share a review one of my Sisters wrote about a newer company to The SororiTea Sisters. . Beach House Teas.
Beach House Teas is a company based and founded on the love for sourcing locally and from those locally sourced items-creating amazing artisan small batch teas. To learn more about their story click here or read the review below. The love they have for the teas they create is noticeable in every delicious sip you take. ~CuppaGeek
Some teas make you want to curl up under a blanket. Some teas demand that you ice them and serve them, punch-style, at a rockin’ summer pool party. Some teas totally defy all sense of place, bucking tradition left and right. This tea is totally one of them.
When I think of a winter tea, I think cozy. I think ‘best served with milk and sugar, adding to those five extra pounds of necessary winter padding’. I think of snow, and cold. I definitely don’t think of the coast.
And yet! This tea is not only the perfect winter cuppa, what with its hearty red rooibos and spicy cinnamon– but it’s just as fresh and fruity as it is warm and comforting. Boasting bright flavors like orange peel, juniper berries, cranberries, and hibiscus, this tea’s got it all. It does taste predominantly of red rooibos to me, but that stereotypical medicinal taste is well-tempered by the additions to the point that I can’t even really tell it’s there.
This tea was naturally sweet from the stevia leaf in the dry mix, and does best served just as it is. I will say that for as unique and tasty as this tea was, I almost wished for more of those interesting and uniquely blended flavors to come through. But for a tea that defies all stereotypical seasonal tropes, it’s worthy of a sip for sure. And it’ll be in equally good company with your Santa hat as it will your beach ball!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Beach House Teas
Description
This limited edition holiday blend, Coastal Wonderland is 100% organic loose leaf artisan tea. It captures the sweet flavor and rich crimson color of local Long Beach Washington Peninsula cranberries and blended with red rooibos, juniper berries, and orange peels to bring you in the holiday spirit. With undertones of chickory and hibiscus and a kick of cinnamon, you’ll be surprised by the smooth and calming twist of chamomile.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Oh Canada from DAVIDsTea. . . .
This rooibos “taste of Canada” tastes so much like maple syrup you could probably dunk waffles in it. And if I hadn’t given up processed carbs for Lent, I would absolutely do this and get back to you with how it went. Because I think this would work.
It’s a super-rich, super-realistic flavor with lots of rooibos sweetness layered with it. There are also hilarious maple leaf sprinkles. They’re like Canadian fruity pebbles of overbearing Great White North patriotism.
You’d drink this tea in a giant flannel before going out to construct log cabins by hand. You’d shave in the morning and a have collarbone-length beard by mid-afternoon. You’d ride a moose to your neighbor’s house, eat elk-meat burgers, and come home to sleep the 10 hours necessary to maintain all that Canadian ruggedness.
However, the best part of this tea (maple syrup!!!!) is also the tea’s main drawback (maple syrup????). As much as I love maple syrup, I don’t know if I want to drink a huge mug of it, you know?
If Oh Canada were an outfit, Tim Gunn would describe it as “a lot of look.”
I think of this blend almost as a “concept album.” Like that time Christina Aguilera released her sci-fi album, “Bionic“: Or The Flaming Lips’ “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots.” Or that time Garth Brooks was Chris Gaines for a while.
David’s Tea wanted to explore what Peak Canada could possibly be. This is their result.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: DAVIDsTea
Description
This super patriotic rooibos blend tastes just like maple syrup. Sweet!