I am trying this tea in front of an audience. I’m currently in the middle of a cabin with 15+ friends/kids, and everyone got excited when they sniffed this. I made several cups for everyone; I kept the last for myself.
Before I had a chance to even sip my cup, one of my friends slid up to me. “The tea you gave me is delicious,” he whispered.
“What did your kids think?” I asked. His three-year-old had sniffed the tea and kept following me around whispering “tea.”
“I haven’t given them any,” he said. “I’m keeping it all for myself.”
“That’s COLD,” I replied.
When I finally had a cup, I saw what he meant. This is a carrot/apple/spice mix with a bit of a cream/marzipan sweetness (as opposed to a powdery, shrill, hyper-sweet flavor). As I sipped, the spiciness increased. (Possibly the spices are heavier and sit further down in the mug?) I liked the flavor better back when it was sweeter at the beginning of the cup. I think that this would be sweeter and more consistent iced, and I think that’s what I’m going to try next.
Unlike my friend, I’d let my kids try this. I’d spread the joy.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: David’s Tea
Description
This decadently creamy rooibos blend tastes just like your favourite carrot dessert. You’ll love its natural carrot sweetness and the extra zing of warmth from cinnamon and ginger. Plus it’s caffeine and calorie-free, so you can sip it all day every day. Still not convinced? The rich cocoa shells and whipped cream will change your mind. Yeah, we knew you couldn’t resist…
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Paris Evening from Fava Tea. . . .
When you think of Paris, do cherries and pineapple come to mind?
If your answer is, “no, don’t pineapples come from Hawaii, on the literal other side of the planet?”, you’re thinking TOO LITERALLY.
If the answer is, “Paris has lots of classy pastries with fruits inside them, I guess,” you’re ON TRACK.
This blend, Paris Evening Rooibos, is a blend that leans heavily on pineapples. The effusive sweetness creates a gentle, sugary-tasting nest for a light, spunky cherry-and-slightly-citrus taste. It’s a wonderful after-dinner treat. It’s sweet, low-to-no-calorie, AND naturally un-caffeinated.
I’m sure the Hunchback of Notre Dame would approve.
Probably.
… I’m sorry. I have no idea why this tea was named after Paris.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Fava Tea
Description
The caffeine-free version of our famous French Breakfast black tea. This rooibos-based tea has cherries, pineapple, and no caffeine. Fragrant, sweet, and delicious!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
52Teas’ the 12 Teas of Christmas – Day 11-Spoilers!
Day 11!
Christmas Eve already: are you excited? The penultimate tea of the 12 Teas of Christmas is Caramel Monkey Bread Rooibos. Monkey Bread is known for its cinnamon sugar and bouncy yeast bread base. This tea has plenty of cinnamon scent as soon as you open the bag. But the cinnamon is sweet, not too hot or spicy, just the comforting warmth of a kitchen spice cabinet.
Brewed, the caramel notes come forward, enhanced by the natural toasted-sweet flavor of the rooibos. If I were blind folded, I might guess that this tea flavor was snickerdoodle, with all the cinnamon sugar goodness that I taste. There is that hint of caramel or caramelized sugar among all the spice. Is there such a thing as caramel- drizzled-snickerdoodles? If not, this tea is making me think that maybe there should be.
The great part about this blend is that it is a decaf rooibos base, so you can drink it before bed (or as you are setting out the cookies for Santa), and still get some sleep before Christmas morning. Well, as much sleep as you can with all the excitement and sugar plums dancing in your head!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Red Rooibos
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description:
This is one of the final teas (tisanes) that Frank crafted during his time with 52Teas and I have a wee confession – I hadn’t tried it until a day or two before I blended this batch. I had the tea in my stash – but it was still sealed … never opened! At the time when I received this tea in my subscription package, I was preparing to take over 52Teas: testing samples from my wholesale sources, setting up the website and blending teas. I was so busy back then I was running around like a crazy woman with her hair on fire and to be honest, I really didn’t have time to sit back and enjoy a cuppa. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I certainly enjoyed most of the samples that I was sent by my wholesale sources, and I definitely was enjoying the teas that I was blending and then taste testing – but I didn’t have any time left to sit back and enjoy a cuppa that wasn’t directly related to taking over the operations of 52Teas.
So I stashed this tea away in my tea cupboard and – forgot about it! Yes, I forgot about this blend completely until someone mentioned that they’d like this tea to be reblended as part of this year’s 12 Teas of Christmas box. So a few weeks ago, I dug out that pouch and tried it out before I attempted to reblend it – so that I could get a fairly good idea of what I was going to do with this blend.
And as I sit here now, sipping on the results of that blending session, I must say that I’m a little bit impressed with myself. I often worry that I’m just not good enough to be a tea blender – but it’s times like now that I realize that I AM good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, I’m worthy of my self-appointed title of “Mad Tea Artist” because this is REALLY GOOD. It’s sweet, caramel-y, with a nice cinnamon note and a bread-y note that tastes a lot like … well, it tastes like freshly-baked monkey bread!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Limoncello from The NecessiTeas. . . .
When I started up the kettle I had a plan. I was going to brew up Magic Potion by DAVIDsTEA, get a cool timelapse video for my #365daysoftea challenge, and write a kickass review about the tea and its magical color changing effects. Although I can say that it was pretty to see the rich blue of the butterfly pea flower give way to a deep purple when mixed with lemon juice, I have to say everything else was a bit of a mess. The timelapse wasn’t all that interesting and the tea was undrinkable as a result of my distaste for stevia. I scrapped my first tea plan and went for something else I thought I might enjoy more…Limoncello by the NecessiTeas.
I steeped two perfect teaspoons of the dry leaf in a 16 ounce mug. I brewed the tea for 5 minutes in 200F water, per the recommended steeping parameters.
I have to say, after the disaster that was Magic Potion, this tea felt like making a new friend after being stood up on a first date. My first attempt at a tasty evening tea may have been a bit of a disaster but this tea was there to pick up the pieces.
The lemon is front and center – crisp and true to the fruit without being bitter or overly sour. I think that is due to the combination of lemongrass, which is a bit more savory than lemon, and lemon peels which bring the bright lemon zest flavor. What surprised me as I drank is that this tea has a lot more body than just a typical lemon tea. I think the addition of the brown sugar gives this an almost baked good vibe and that is where the body and richness is coming from. Moreover, the tea has a bit of a vanilla creaminess. I should say that in light of my description, this tea that has body and cream is not at all heavy and in that sense “lemon meringue” feels like an accurate description.
All in all, I quite enjoyed this tea. It is both new and different from teas I’ve had and yet at the same time it feels very familiar. I would most definitely classify this as a dessert tea but not one that is overly sweet, which is surprising given there is sugar right in the leaf.
Ultimately, this tea might have been the second tea I grabbed but it is by no means anyone’s second choice.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Rooibos
Where to Buy: The NecessiTeas
Description
The Italian dessert drink has made its way into a tea. Imagine lemon meringue teasing your taste buds, while sweetly melting in your mouth with a blend of vanilla and brown sugars. The lemony brightness shines through with lemongrass and a sprinkling of golden marigold petals, all topping a green rooibos tea.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Cottage Cozy Earl Grey from A Quarter To Tea. . .
TODAY SIMPLY ISN’T HAPPENING, GUYS. THE PARTS ARE NOT COMING TOGETHER TO CAUSE A PLEASING WHOLE.
You know what that calls for? A pleasing new flavor. It’s time to BREAK OUT A NEWBIE.
I’ve opted for “Cottage Cozy Earl Grey” due to its name. “Cozy” is exactly where I’d like to be right now, spiritually. I want that mellow, hygge lifestyle. I want thick socks and a novel.
This blend is a very sweet earl grey, leaning heavily on lavender, which jingles lightly on a smoky assam base. It’s a playful duo.
I’m not getting a lot of the bargamot or the rooibos flavor here, but that might just be the Luck Of The Scoop. (It’s like the luck of the Irish, but for loose leaf tea enthusiasts. Not every scoop has every ingredient in a faithful representation of the whole. This keeps things exciting.)
That said, the lavender and the base are a good duo. They remind me of any classic comedy, with one goof and one straight man. If this were Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, the assam would be our straightforward Steve Martin and the lavender would be the loose cannon John Candy. (Am I old? Is this a hip reference?)
And honestly, I do feel better now. Even a little bit cozy.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black/Rooibos blend
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
Sweeter and more floral than a normal Earl Grey, this is the perfect companion to rainy days and long books. Mellow but brisk.
Like all Earl Grey, takes milk and sugar well.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!