Tis that time my friends! Time to enjoy all things spooky!
Being a massive horror fan and all things spooky enthusiast – I normally enjoy spooky season all year long but recently I have started to see a trend with more and more tea companies offering more spooky inspired teas. So all this month, we will be reviewing and featuring spooky and fall related tea goodness to get in the Halloween spirit.
If you aren’t familiar with Brutaliteas and enjoy scary movies, highly recommend taking a moment and checking out their website. Their tea offerings combine their love for tea and heavy metal/horror with delights like Back in Blackberry and Chaiday the 13th.
Last year, I picked up their tea advent calendar but never tried all of the teas . Thought this would be the perfect time to dive back in and brew up a few cuppas before this year’s advent is released.
Cotton Candyman- an herbal blend of butterfly pea flowers, blue raspberry flavoring and cotton candy flavor powdering is based off of one of my favorite horror franchises- Candyman. This movie terrified me as a child and still to this day, I have a healthy respect for mirrors.
This blend screamed for a cold brew so I set this blend up in my iced tea press for an afternoon treat. First taste and I was hooked! This tea has an overwhelmingly delicious cotton candy flavor. Truly is just like enjoying the delicious treat without all of the sticky mess that cotton candy can leave behind. The butterfly pea flower lends itself beautifully to the sweetness and if I would have had more of the blend, I would have added in a touch of lemon juice to create a cotton candy lemonade.
I did try for a second steeping and the cotton candy flavor lessened (which makes sense) and the butterfly pea flower stands out more- which was a different kind of lovely in itself. The blue raspberry flavor was a bit more pronounced in this second steeping.
All in all, such a lovely treat to enjoy and one I will be picking more up of soon. Is it a proper homage to Candyman? I say 100% yes! I think he would approve.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Brutaliteas
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Death’s Morning Cuppa/Call Me Sweetea – stephenia
There is just something so comforting about curling up with a good book and a hot cup of tea, especially when it starts to feel like Fall outside. It is very therapeutic for the soul, at least to me. I love when the worlds of tea and books come together. Call Me Sweetea is a new tea company to me that is doing just that, bringing tea and books together. They are creating unique blends that capture the essence of a particular book. Blends are made to coordinate with popular reads but if you are not a fan of the book that is the tea inspiration no need to worry, the blends are fantastic and can be enjoyed alongside any book.
Today I tried Death’s Morning Cuppa, a unique spin on an earl grey. Any guesses on what book inspired the blend? I am an earl grey addict so I was especially interested in this tea and it didn’t disappoint. The base is comprised of China black tea and assam along with bergamot oil, orange peel, cassia chips, cornflowers and orange extract. I absolutely loved this tea. The addiction of orange peel and orange extract along with the bergamot gives this a more complex citrus edge while the addition of cassia chips imparts a warm, earthy cinnamon flavor. I especially love the combo of orange and cinnamon in this blend, it gives the tea a holiday vibe to me. I really loved this tea and look forward to trying more teas from this small company. And, needless to say, I will be sipping on this tea the next time I curl up with a good book! Harry Potter perhaps?
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Call Me Sweetea
Description
Do you believe in the Deathly Hallows? And if so…what do you think Death likes to drink before gathering folks for the journey to the other side?
Death’s Morning Cuppa is a bright, yet earthy earl grey blend that will wake you up and soothe you at the same time.
You might enjoy this blend if you:
- Seek Hallows over Horcruxes
- Find magic in the ordinary
- Intend to greet Death as an old friend and go with him gladly when your time comes
Ingredients: earl grey (organic China black and organic assam tea, organic bergamot oil), orange peel, cassia chips, cornflowers, orange extract (alcohol, orange oil)
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
A Mellow Black Tea/Kaley Tea- CuppaGeek
This year has been something. Might I even say this might be the worse year I’ve ever experienced at least for my family. . . but I try to always look at the brighter side. Between all of the nation wide situations going on like COVID 19 and the current political climate here in the States, my family has been hit with a lot of health related hardships that has left a void in our hearts. But through all of these hardships and what felt like a never ending cycle of bad news and stressful situations, I found solace and peace each and every day within a cuppa tea that was constantly by my side during those hard weeks of September through the present day. Each day, no matter what else was going on or how I felt- I made sure that I had a cuppa tea at the ready to help soothe my soul and keep me going. One of those cuppas that I enjoyed was Kaley Teas’s black tea.
The title for this tea really says it all. No fuss, no complex this or that- this is a lovely black tea that is mellow on flavor but still quite delightful. Brewed with freshly prepped boiling water and allowed to steep for right around 3 minutes- this tea has a bright note of crisp maltiness with a touch of astringency that really keeps you going sip after sip. Every once in a while I noted a bread like flavor or a potentially raisin finish. This black tea stood up to a few steepings and I even think I oversteeped for a moment or two and still enjoyed the cuppa and wanted more. From the description I found on the tea (after doing some searching on the site), there was some comments about floral and bergamot orange flavors, I’m not so sure my palette picked up on those but I’ll be curious to see if my other SororiTea Sisters do.
Kaley Tea is a company that I’m not 100% familiar with and their website looks like they are still working on bring their story to market. I’m quite excited to check out their other teas and I just adore how they label each tea with a reassuring title like a mellow black tea or a graceful green tea. For someone like me who has been finding themseleves looking more for straight tea blends instead of flavored ones, this one is a keeper.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Kaley Teas
Description
Black twiggy twisted tea leaves turn into a light shimmering copper golden liquor with every steep. Floral notes mixed with rice paddy hay provides a distinct base. A finale of bergamot orange and chocolate gives way to bee’s honey, making up a colorful bouquet of delicate & sublimely refined flavours. Bright coppery infused leaves emanate floral perfumes, enmeshed with sugary, citrusy notes.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Relaxation Herbal Tea/Culinary Teas -Just Tea-Zen-
I have to admit: I had to test this one two nights in a row. The first night, I literally guzzled it. Kind of hard to get the flavor details when you chug your tea! So, night two: I sipped slowly and carefully to enjoy and get the full scoop on this tea.
There is something so soothing about lemon at bed time. On occasion I sometimes just drink warm lemon water; it’s calming and it’s great for digestion (especially if you eat late).
This blend by Culinary Teas brings soothing and calming to a whole new level. Lemon verbena, lemongrass, and lemon peel offer an intoxicating aroma; it’s relaxing just inhaling the steam off of your cup. With this combination of lemon notes, you’re getting some of the best components you could ask for in an herbal tea: bitter-tart from lemon peel, bright herbal from lemon verbena, and a hearty and earthy herbal note from lemon grass. Lemon grass is packed with a ton of health benefits on top of being relaxing.
Finishing it off with my favorite fruit to mix with lemon: raspberry! There’s also apple pieces which are helpful in bringing a good balance to the flavors when you have a lot of ingredients. I’ve heard rumors of cornflowers tasting a little spicy like clove but, I’m not getting that with this tea. However, cornflower mixed with the hibiscus give this liqueur a pretty hue. Pretty tea is more fun to drink!
Altogether, this tea is a good one to keep around. It’s relaxing, it has an amazing aroma, and the flavor is smooth and delicious. I followed the steeping directions the first time with one teaspoon for 3-4 minutes. The second tasting, I did a full tablespoon in a bigger mug and gave it about 5 minutes. It was perfect both times, but I much preferred the longer steep.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Culinary Teas
Description
This House Blend will relax and comfort you at any moment.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
**this tea was gifted in exchange for review**
Beauty Tip: Sage Tea for Grey Hair
When it comes to hair upkeep – I’m not the best or consistent – far from it – actually. On a personal note I have been battling some anxiety issues which have caused me to have scalp issues and I haven’t wanted to color treat my hair the last 8 months. While doing some light research on ‘Grey Hair’ I came across a lot of information about Sage and Tea helping with it. The more I searched it the more I realized there were more and more benefits to combining sage and black tea leaves and using it on your hair and scalp.
To make the basic sage tea all you need is sage leaves and water. But you can personalize the tea rinse by adding other optional ingredients given below.
3-4 sprigs of fresh sage (or 1 tablespoon dried sage leaves)
2 cups water
Optional add-ins:
A handful of fresh rosemary or 1 tablespoon dried rosemary (it works with sage to provide richer color)
1 teaspoon black tea (it darkens grey hair as well as improves shine)
1 clove (strengthens hair and enriches the color)
1 teaspoon henna powder (adds reddish tones)
1 tablespoon vinegar (helps fix the color)
How to make:
Place the herbs and water in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes (keeping covered). Remove from the heat and allow it to steep until cool (2-3 hours). Strain the spent herbs.
You can use the sage tea two ways:
Apply it to freshly washed hair. Work it in from roots to ends. Do Not Rinse. Next, squeeze out the excess liquid and towel dry your hair. Do it 2-3 times a week.
You can also massage sage tonic into your scalp and hair every other night.
It takes 2-3 weeks to get rid of the majority of your grey hair.
Once the hair is sufficiently dark, use the rinse weekly to maintain your color.
I haven’t put this to the long term test as of yet but I hope to soon! It seems easy enough and oh-so-NATURAL! No nasty chemicals!
Sage tea is a great rinse for grey hair, but you can also use it as a hair refresher or moisturizer. If you work out a lot, consider using sage tea to replace your shampoo. Being an astringent, it prevents clogged hair follicles as well as revitalizes your hair.
As you may already know – Sage is a common spice used in kitchens all over the world. The Latin name, Salvia officinalis, means “to save,” reflecting the curative properties the herb was believed to possess. Sage is a traditional topical treatment for graying hair, and the herb may promote new hair growth, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Sage has antibiotic, anti-allergic and antiseptic properties and is a source of magnesium, zinc, potassium, and vitamins B and C. Before using sage as a beauty treatment, consult your doctor to diagnose the cause of your thinning hair, as it could be the result of a health condition.
If you have already tried this – let us know about your experiences in comments!
