Law school has meant no time and not much spare money. That means that not only have I not had a lot of time to write reviews but I haven’t really been buying tea. So, even if I wanted to write a review, a lot of my teas are so old that I don’t think my reviews would have been fair assessments of the teas. However, like so many of you, I am stuck at home riding out this coronavirus storm which means my schedule has just opened up. Plus, a wonderful friend of mine has shared plenty of teas with me and I have splurged a little so I also have new teas in my cupboard that I can review while they are still in their prime. One such new tea is a super cute blend from DAVIDsTEA called Unicorn Dream.
First of all, while some little girls (and boys) like princesses or mermaids, I was in the unicorn camp. Literally obsessed with unicorns. And while I am older now, I am still a unicorn fan. For my 25th birthday (a few years back now), I had a unicorn-themed sweet table complete with balloon trees. When my sister placed the order for the balloons, the party store thought she made a mistake and actually said it was for a birthday for a 2 and 5 year old, not a 25 year old. Basically, I am sharing this story to make it clear that I am 100% the target audience for this tea.
DAVIDsTEA doubles down on the unicorn fantasy with one of the prettiest blends I have seen in a while. This comes complete with gold sugar pearls, mini marshmallows, pink heart sprinkles, and pink and white unicorn sprinkles, all on top of a colorful fruity/herbal base. It has butterfly pea flowers in it too which means when it brews up, it is a lovely purple color. It really is quite awesome and would probably appeal to the kid in everyone on looks alone.
Looks aren’t everything when it comes to tea though and thankfully it delivers on flavor as well. It is meant to be cotton candy flavored tea. I like to cold brew it because in addition to a berry cotton candy flavor the comes through, it has a marshmallow fluffiness. This is honestly what I imagine a cloud would taste like in a world of unicorns. It is sweet and fruity and definitely candy-like. I might be a bit bias but I genuinely believe this is the perfect tea for any kid, whether they be a young child or a 28-year-old kid at heart like myself. It’s nostalgia in a cup and certainly a ray of sunshine in these crazy times!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: DAVIDs Tea
Description
Warning: This tea will add some magic to your day. Our caffeine-free fruit infusion is filled with smile-inducing ingredients – from blue butterfly pea, yellow everlasting flowers & pretty pink hibiscus blossoms to unicorn & heart-shaped sprinkles. The result is an enchanting & addictive herbal tea that’s tart and lightly citrusy, with dreamy notes of sweet cotton candy and creamy marshmallow.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Cacao Tea/MiCacao
If you’re craving something chocolaty in the afternoon at tea time, this is the tea for you. I don’t mean chocolaty like a candy bar, either; I mean chocolaty like baker’s cocoa. It’s definitely not for the “beginner” tea drinker, in my opinion.
Made from the shells of the cacao bean and mixed with cocoa nibs, this tea has a very soothing aroma once brewed but the flavor…WOW. Imagine just dabbing your pinky finger into the tub of baking cocoa and licking it. Bitter, right?
The flavor of this tea does not match the aroma in the least, but it is an AMAZING sip. Although it does not contain caffeine, it does have some naturally occuring mood boosters and antioxidants that just might give you the push you need to get through the rest of the work day.
I always give my new teas the opportunity to impress without adding any sweetener or milk/cream. While this cuppa had an impressive flavor on it’s own, I enjoyed it much more with the smallest drop of agave and about a teaspoon of cream which smoothed out the bitterness just enough. If you like tonic water or a dry, “oaky” red wine or other bitter flavors, you will probably enjoy this tea.
I followed the recommended brewing instructions, using 2 teaspoons and steeping for 8 minutes. It probably would have been just slightly less bitter if I had gone with the lower amount of 1 teaspoon or only steeped for 6 minutes but, I’m afraid it would have been too bland.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Tisane
Where to Buy: MiCacao
Description
Our tea comes from small family-owned farms in Ecuador, known for their famous “Arriba Nacional” cacao trees. These small farms grow, harvest, and prepare the cacao at their own micro-wet mills where they naturally ferment the beans using banana leaves. The beans are then left to dry on elevated tables, using solar dryers in order to protect against the rain. We use the shells of these beans as the base for our cacao tea. It’s completely natural and without any artificial preservatives, flavors, or starches. Organic. Sugar-free. Gluten-Free. Vegan.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Holy Mate/ECOTEAS
This is only my second time having mate. The first time was about seven years ago. I was drinking a roasted mate and was not smitten with it, so I gave the rest of the box away.
Today I am drinking an UNroasted mate, and an organic one at that. It is ethically sourced in South America, with consideration for the biodiversity of the area where it is grown. And in my opinion, it is an awesome price for an organic tea that has so much going for it.
There are a number of blends available from this company and this one, Holy Mate, contains Tulsi, also known as Holy Basil. I enjoy Tulsi and often mix it with lavender or mint, so I was interested in trying this to see what the mate adds to the mix. This also contains peppermint.
I have been shy of mate because I don’t need and don’t drink a lot of caffeine, but reading their very informative website, I discover that mate has about the same amount of caffeine as green tea. The difference is that there are three different kinds of caffeine in mate. This is why long lasting energy is apt to result! Also, the instructions for making it are quite different from what I did long ago, which may make it less jitter inducing.
I steeped it at 170F as the site recommends and am rewarded with a surprisingly mild tasting cup. I taste the tulsi most, I think, and the peppermint very little, which suits me as I prefer spearmint to peppermint and so I like for peppermint to be milder in blends. Since I haven’t tried unroasted mate that I can recall, I am not able to tease out which parts of the flavor are the mate and which the tulsi, but the tulsi flavor is pretty mild.
All in all, this is a nice beverage that I feel good about drinking and recommending to others, especially for the nice boost of niacin and the perks of having more energy and boosting metabolism.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Mate
Where to Buy: ECOTEAS
Description
Experience the fusion of two herbal traditions with Holy Mate! Unsmoked yerba mate provides lasting stimulation. Tulsi inhibits cortisol, reducing stress. A pinch of peppermint brightens the blend.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Golden Osmanthus/Perkse Coffee & Tea
Confession…Golden Osmanthus Oolong is the first tea I have tried from Perkse Coffee and Tea…and if this tea is any indication what their other products are like…I will be looking into a purchase soon! This tea was delightful!
Golden Osmanthus (also known as Huang Jin Gui) is an Anxi oolong whose name means “Golden Flower.” A lightly roasted oolong our “Bolero” reveals an intensity with hints of honey and flowers you will find enticing and seductive.
That is straight from their website and I have to say that I agree! This tea was flowery-sweet with a gentle roast oolong flavor. The first infusion was out of this world and follow up infusions were out of this galaxy! Full of flavor, naturally!
It’s refreshingly-sweet like honey or agave, even. The leaves are vibrantly green and aromatic from start to finish! A real treat!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Perkse Tea
Description
Golden Osmanthus (also known as Huang Jin Gui) is an Anxi oolong whose name means “Golden Flower.” A lightly roasted oolong our “Bolero” reveals an intensity with hints of honey and flowers you will find enticing and seductive.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Raspberry Kissed Coconut Green Tea/52Teas
Raspberry and coconut is a tea combination I overlooked for a very long time but one that I loved when I finally tried it. My tea journey started with DAVIDsTEA and I quickly made my way through most of the teas on their wall. One that I always seemed to skip over was Fantasy Island. For whatever reason, it just never appealed to me until a friend sent a sample over in a swap. One taste was all I needed to get hooked. The combination of raspberry and coconut was magical and it left me all the more heartbroken when the blend was discontinued.
Thankfully Anne, the genius behind 52 Teas, blended up a raspberry coconut tea, Raspberry Kissed Coconut Green Tea. The tea combined fair trade single estate zomba green tea, organic coconut, organic raspberries, and organic natural flavors.
Unlike Fantasy Island which was a black tea, this has a green tea base and that green tea is imparting a vegetal flavor. This is a coconut green tea through and through. The raspberry is present but a secondary note to the coconut, adding some brightness to the drink. For a raspberry coconut tea, it is not as sweet as you might expect. It’s a rather mellow tea which makes it nice in the warmer months when you want something light.
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Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below to see the current green tea lineup.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!