Gingerbread Man from BRUU Tea. . . .

by Mary

 

Continuing with my apparent disregard for the non-holiday season (remember when I sipped on a Chanukah-themed tea in March?), I grabbed this sample out of my stash for our nightly tea lattes the other day. Skeptical as I was, as I usually am with red rooibos, both my fiancé (fellow nighttime tea lover) and I couldn’t get enough of this one.

All the goodness of red rooibos with none of the medicinal ick, this one is like a woodsy-orange, with hints of custard and pink peppercorn spice. Rather than a creamsicle-esque orange, this one is a bit more reminiscent of a holiday orange, dotted with cloves, smothered in warm custard cream. Mmm. Am I making anyone else as hungry as I’m making myself right now? No? Moving on.

Would I necessarily harken these flavors to a gingerbread man? Probably not. Would I sip this one nightly, regardless of name or closest holiday (I’m pretty sure this one isn’t meant to be sipped on the 4th of July, but I say it matters not)? Yes and yes.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Rooibos
Where to Buy:  BRUU Tea
Description

This tea was part of a monthly tea subscription box.  Click below for more info.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Mary

Hi there! I'm Mary, a 27-year-old mental health professional living with my fiancé and our quirky kitten in the Midwest! I've loved tea for as long as I can remember-- in fact, I have vivid memory of being four or five in a tea shop and being mesmerized by all the tea flavors and proclaiming that I "was going to be kind of adult who drank tea, not coffee." A stint living (and tea-drinking my way through) London and twenty-some years later, I'm still channeling that sassy four-year-old and loving my tea habit. When I'm not sipping a cuppa, you'll find me reading, doing yoga, traveling, exploring my own city, planning our wedding and experimenting with different healthful and healing foods in my kitchen.

This post was posted in BRUU, Rooibos

Lemon Blue Green from Mad Hat . . . . . .

by TeaRax

This alone got me through all my presentations for finals week.

The mix of rooibos and MeiLu green tea means a naturally sweeter cup with lower caffeine. I make it both hot and iced depending on the weather. I do have a lot more fun smashing the dehydrated berries after they’re heated though, and watching the indigo lines swirl into my peach colored brew. This tea also has a great resteep value, hot and iced, although I seemed to get more hot brews.

It looks like there is a lot of lemongrass in the dry mix, but my first impression of the infusion is the inviting berry scent. It tastes like a summer shandy, crisp and fruity. It leaves my mouth feeling refreshed with a mellow lemon aftertaste – aha that’s where it went!

Yep, now I’m seriously considering brewing this in beer later this summer.

I’m all about supporting local Pacific NorthWest businesses and This company is literally right up the street from my school, so win-win!

The Mad Hat Tea Shop is celebrating their 10th anniversary right now, as if you needed another excuse to visit.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Rooibos/Green Tea

Where to Buy:  Mad Hat Tea

Description:

We don’t know who came up with this one, but we are glad they did. Blueberry and Lemongrass taste amazing together and with the backbone of Mei Lu Green you have a terrific cup of Tea. The Rooibos gives it a richness that rounds it out nicely. Besides, how many times do you have the opportunity to taste Blueberries and Lemongrass. You’re welcome.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

 

TeaRax

My favorite tea is always changing, like a typical Gemini. When I was a teenager, my native Washington Starbucks coffee was forbidden, but I occasionally snuck in a chai latte, so black teas have been my go-to morning drink when I feel feisty. As an adult, I spent 3+ years living in China and Japan where I learned about green, white, oolong, and pu'er teas origins. I was even prescribed traditional medicinal teas while I was there and that's a taste you don't soon forget! But it didn't scare me away from herbals - I really like cold brewing rooibos and tisanes now because I can share them with my toddler. I am back in school to become a geologist, and these science textbooks can be difficult to get through without a strong cuppa. When I'm not studying, I love pairing my teas with my BFFL and salted caramel macarons, or having existential chats with my dad.

This post was posted in Mad Hat Tea, Rooibos, Uncategorized

Organic Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla from The Tea Guy. . . . .

by skysamurai
Been on a little bit of a hiatus the past month. Only drinking a few cups a week. Normally I don’t share much about my personal life but last Saturday (5/13/17 we may have time travelers reading this {har har} )at 3 am our son came into the world.  Now almost a week later I feel like my taste buds are back and little man is currently being fed by dad so I figured now would be a good time to get a post in.
This is a very unique rooibos. The flavors are subtle, almost to the point that I doubted that they were really there. Make sure to steep it for at least five minutes to truly extract all the flavors. Also, the flavors vary widely depending on the water temperature. When the water is hot – warm you will experience bourbon and vanilla. As it cools you will find the rooibos comes out more along with a strong oak flavor.
This is the first time I have tasted bourbon, let alone any alcohol, in a tea. It’s been quite awhile since I’ve had bourbon so getting acclimated to the flavor required at least half the cup.  The vanilla leaves a sweet sensation for the after taste.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: The Tea Guy

Not all vanilla extracts are created equally, nor taste the same.  Our chief tea sommelier spent a great deal of time, exploring & tasting what was available for vanilla rooibos tisanes.  The result was most always a let down.

So, when we decided to go head to head with the best vanilla rooibos’s out there, our job was clear, blow away the palates & imaginations of the huge following this infusion commands.

We choose the bourbon varietal bean extract & pieces. We soaked our organic rooibos in it for a time and then cupped it against the competition.  We were ecstatic with our result. You really outta try this so order a bag today!

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

 

skysamurai

Tiffany Rupp is a serious teaholic. She loves to discover new teas. Companies that harvest their tea sustain-ably are her preference and as far as tea goes she loves greens and lighter oolongs.

This post was posted in Rooibos, The Tea Guy

Romancing the Beach from Beach House Teas. . . . .

by Mary

First of all, a name like this– Romancing the Beach? So fancy, you guys. Also maybe a little risqué, no?

Sassy name or not, this one had a lot of promise for me, a blend of red rooibos with strawberry and cacao, a touch of hibiscus and rose. Brewed, it’s a beautiful pink (hello, hibiscus!) and smells like a light, floral rooibos. I’ll admit– I had HIGH hopes for the flavor. Cacao? Strawberries? GIMME. But it fell a tiny bit flat on the complexity for me. It was a great rooibos blend, none of that medicinal ick that sometimes is all too present in a red rooibos. But I think I was expecting something more reminiscent of chocolate-covered-strawberries, but I mostly just got a tart, floral rooibos from this cup.

That being said– if I were to make this one again, I think it would be a STELLAR iced tea. Perfect for sipping on a beach– while romancing the beach, even? I’ll defer to Beach House’s expertise on this one.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Rooibos
Where to Buy:  Beach House Teas
Description

Romancing the Beach is 100% organic loose leaf tea blended with red rooibos tea, Oregon Hood Strawberries, hibiscus, rose petals, rose hips and cocoa nibs because love is always in the air at the beach! This blissful tea is a profusion of hibiscus, exalted by scrumptious strawberries and enveloped with delicious rose petals notes. A delight you will return to over and over again.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Mary

Hi there! I'm Mary, a 27-year-old mental health professional living with my fiancé and our quirky kitten in the Midwest! I've loved tea for as long as I can remember-- in fact, I have vivid memory of being four or five in a tea shop and being mesmerized by all the tea flavors and proclaiming that I "was going to be kind of adult who drank tea, not coffee." A stint living (and tea-drinking my way through) London and twenty-some years later, I'm still channeling that sassy four-year-old and loving my tea habit. When I'm not sipping a cuppa, you'll find me reading, doing yoga, traveling, exploring my own city, planning our wedding and experimenting with different healthful and healing foods in my kitchen.

This post was posted in Beach House Tea Co, Rooibos

Lemon Chiffon from The Love Tea Company. . . . .

by VariaTEA

I actually made this about a week ago and I was excited to try it out. In fact, I was especially excited since I recently finished a different Lemon Chiffon tea, my beloved Lemon Chiffon by Della Terra Teas. Now THAT was an awesome tea, silky and rich and ever so sweet, just like a fluffy chiffon cake with a smooth lemon buttercream frosting.

However, it didn’t exactly happen that way since a friend came to visit and stole my mug of this tea. She seemed to enjoy it because she finished all 16 ounces before I could even ask for a taste. Luckily I had just enough leaf left for another 16 ounce mug.

My Della Terra blend was made of lemon flavor, cream flavor, and lemon bits and pieces all atop a rooibos base. Alternatively, The Love Tea Company took a different approach using a blend of rooibos and honeybush, topping it with lemon myrtle, lavender flowers, marigold petals, and natural lemon and pomegranate flavors. A bit more natural. A bit more earthy. Though, not exactly a “chiffon” flavor profile.

This has a lot of lavender flavor, a bit of the floral/spice twang that only comes from true lavender. Now I am not a lavender lover though I will say that it compliments the bright lemon flavor nicely. The base also provides a solid foundation without imparting too much flavor, which allows for the lemon and lavender to stand out.

Is it the replacement I hoped it might be? No. But it is done well for what it is and for those that like these flavors, it could be a lovely nighttime treat.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Rooibos
Where to Buy:  The Love Tea Co
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.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

VariaTEA

Hey there! My name is Rachel. I’m a twenty-something from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who loves dogs and has a bit of an obsession with tea. As a child I hated the stuff since all I ever knew was Red Rose (no offense to Red Rose). However, a few years ago that all changed. I was on a diet and desperate for new flavors without adding calories and that’s when I turned to tea. I started off by going to DAVIDsTEA and Teavana for all their dessert-inspired flavors, and since I didn’t know any better, I bought 100 grams each of about twenty-something different teas. This was okay for the teas I liked but for those I didn’t I needed to find some way of getting rid of them. Enter Steepster.com. This is where I met some incredible tea friends, discovered tea swaps, and learned of so many amazing tea companies. My desire to try all the teas grew and since joining three years ago I have tried over a thousand different teas. I have learned what ingredients I love and I have learned what flavors I don’t like. I determined my go-to brewing method is Western-style with no added milk or sweeteners, though I also enjoy cold brewing, iced teas, teapops, lattes, and smoothies. I have yet to brew gong-fu style but I hope to do so just as soon as I get the proper teaware to do it. About a year ago, I actually stopped drinking tea but as my stash of over 200 teas started aging I decided I needed to respark my interest. I chose to take a 365 days of tea challenge on Instagram in which I post a new tea picture every day. So far it has been rather successful as I find myself drinking (and buying) more and more tea each day. Plus it enabled CuppaGeek to find me and invite me here to SororiTea Sisters.

This post was posted in Rooibos, The Love Tea Company