Not too long ago I received an envelop from Canada! Yay! My friends from the north! I’ve always adored Canada! Inside the package was Earl on the Prairie from SimpliciTea.
Upon opening this tea – I have to say – first and foremost – I was smacked in the face with an out of this world aroma! It was a cross between perfume and potpourri. It was pretty intense but oh-so-memorable!
This look leaf contains medium length black tea Ceylon leaves, Bergamot, and Saskatoon Berries! If you aren’t familiar with Saskatoon Berries they are much like blueberries but actually closer to the apple family and have a sweet almond-like flavor.
Saskatoon bushes are a deciduous shrub or small tree that can reach 16 ft in height. The mature bushes sport white flowers each spring. Saskatoons are native to North America, growing wild from Alaska to Maine. In the northern lower peninsula of Michigan there are currently over 20 commercial growers that have 50 to 10,000 plants each. We are currently working on a survey of operations in several other states and the Canadian provinces.
The flavor of the tea is pretty incredible. I have never tasted anything quite like it. It’s very memorable, fruity, semi-tart, and tasty! For a tea tasting experience you won’t forget – try Earl on the Prairie from SimpliciTea.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: SimpliciTea
Description
A Decadent Saskatoon Berry Earl Grey
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Please Not Tonight from Oh You Tease
I have a soft spot for a nice cup of peppermint tea so I was more than happy to try Please Not Tonight from Oh You Tease. Mint tea is said to provide all kinds of health benefits like help with digestion and mental focus. I reach for a cup of mint tea when I want something crisp and refreshing and decaf.
Please Not Tonight is a perfectly named minty brew. Anytime you’re not up to whatever the night throws at you, brew a cup of this tea to soothe what ails you. Feel a migraine coming on? Let the creamy peppermint cool your head. Have an unsettled stomach? Drink a mug of crisp freshness. And this blend has chamomile to boot, to help encourage relaxation and sleep.
The real treat is the Oh You Tease shop itself. Their teas come in cheery, patterned envelopes with sweet or cheeky names. You also get the satisfaction of supporting a small business, a small business that brings more tea into the world. If that doesn’t make you feel better, maybe you need to brew another cup!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Oh You Tease
Description:
Naturally caffeine-free tea blend of peppermint leaves and chamomile flowers – natural stomach soothers
A fascinating and refreshing herbal infusion with an amazing minty peppermint and uplifting aroma of chamomile extracts. The whole aromatherapy in a teapot. Naturally caffeine free
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Cauldron Cake Genmaicha from 52Teas
52Teas recently did a whimsical and tasty set of Harry Potter inspired tea flavors. One of these blends is Cauldron Cake Genmaicha. I love the toasty puffed rice and warming green tea of genmaicha and 52Teas is the master of fun genmaicha flavors. Throw in a Wizarding World twist and I couldn’t wait to try this tea.
Cauldron Cake Genmaicha is inspired by a chocolatey, frosted cupcake. Alongside the familiar starchy rice flavors there are smooth cacao nibs, nutty cacao shells, and creamy white chocolate chips. A dash of sprinkles makes the loose leaf look even cuter. This tea looks very festive prior to brewing, with a wide variety of shapes and colors, and smelling like a sweet cake dessert.
This blend reminds me a bit of the honeybush-based blend Rocky Road. Both blends have cacao nibs, cacao shells, and white chocolate chips. However, 52Teas has been able to fit even more vanilla frosting flavors into the Cauldron Cake Genmaicha blend. The extra creaminess comes off as marshmallowy when paired with the puffed rice and roasty green tea.
I tend to drink my genmaicha teas without any milk or sugar, but this might be a fun latte to try in the future. Just be sure to top it off with a little whipped cream and sprinkles for the full effect.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: green genmaicha
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description:
Our fifth and final new tea for Harry Potter Month 2018! When I was going through my ideas for Harry Potter inspired teas, this one was at the top of the list because CAKE! Originally, I had considered doing this one as a black tea, however, I already had two black teas planned for the month so I decided to rethink the blend and create this as a Genmaicha blend instead.
Now, I haven’t ever had a Cauldron Cake, but the Harry Potter Wiki describes them as a mass-produced cake from Qizilbash Quality Confectionery in Pakistan. I confess that I’m not at all familiar with confections from Pakistan either. So when I went about creating this tea, I decided that a cauldron cake is probably a lot like a cupcake – only probably a bit more rounded at the bottom like a cauldron.
So I did my best to go with that kind of inspiration: a chocolate cupcake … err … cauldron cake with a cream filling and perhaps a light coating of chocolate ganache over it and then garnished with colorful sprinkles. And here we have our organic, Matcha infused Genmaicha blended with cake essence, cacao nibs, cacao shells, vanilla bean, white chocolate chips (vegan, of course) and sprinkles (also vegan, nut-free & gluten-free!)
It’s quite yummy and I believe that Honeyduke’s would be happy to serve this tea to their patrons!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Green Cinnamon Spice from Fava Tea
Holy hot tamale, Green Cinnamon Spice from Fava Tea is a sweet and fiery brew! The description of the tea says there are three different types of cinnamon in this blend and you can feel the heat and herbal intensity from all three.
I believe Fava Tea also has a version of this blend with a black tea base. I find the green tea base appealing. The cinnamon is so powerful on its own, you don’t need the astringency of a black tea to compete with it. The green tea provides a suitable, subtle background to let the herbs and spices dance center stage.
Beyond the cinnamon, this tea features orange peels and cloves which pair seamlessly with the cinnamon and make the brew naturally full and sweet. This tea is perfect for lovers of cinnamon candies, or for those who like an extra sensory experience with their tea. Drank hot, the cinnamon spice feels hot and tingly all the way down your throat, providing a comforting warming feeling from within.
I know there are lots of specialty tea brews that come out in the fall and winter, but this delicious brew is available year round. It is the perfect heat to help with a stuffy nose or sore throat. It is the most intense cinnamon brew to accompany your season dessert, like apple pie. Feel festive, berry, and bright with a cup of Green Cinnamon Spice.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Fava Tea
Description:
This green tea contains THREE types of cinnamon, sweet cloves, and orange peel. There’s no added sweetener in this tea, but you’d swear there is! The natural sweetness of the cinnamon really shines through!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Layla Teapot and Jasmine Flowering Tea from Primula
I was lucky to receive a Primula Layla Teapot and flowering tea set from a friend The Primula teapot features all-glass construction, even the brewing basket is clear. It has an impressive capacity, making it perfect for sharing a blooming tea session with a few friends.
The flowering tea set came with blooming tea balls, which make good use of the transparent, glass-bodied teapot. I’m not sure which flavor of blooming tea was included, as it lacked a label, but I suspect it is their house blend jasmine bloom.
This is the first blooming tea I’ve actually conducted myself. Previously I’ve always been viewing at someone else’s tea party. Now that I have a teapot so suited for blooming teas, I’ll have to try this type of tea more often.
On an afternoon where I needed some zen, I brewed up a pot of hot water and dropped in the tea ball. As the water soaked into the leaves, they slowly peeled back, like a hand opening its fingers. The process did take a few minutes and I found myself impatient at first. As I relaxed, I found I was surprised how much the bloom was changing in each moment, until we finally reached the unfurling of the pink, center blossoms.
I poured a small cup of the tea to sip on while the bloom continued to relax its leaves. The tea brewed up a golden color, clear and bright, making the blossom look sunlit from every angle. The tea tasted mainly of jasmine, but had a surprisingly earthy undertone almost like the sweet-floral notes of cacao or dark chocolate. I like jasmine pearls, but it was nice to have a deeper flavor balance to the light, flowery notes.
I sipped on the tea all afternoon and watched the leaves continue to soak until they were saturated with tea. It was a lovely experience and the Primula flowering tea set would make a great gift. I can’t wait to brew more tea in this lovely teapot!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green tea/TeaPot
Where to Buy: Primula
Description:
Create an unforgettable and extraordinary tea experience with this crystal clear glass teapot and accompanying flowering tea blossoms. The Layla glass teapot and tea set offers a generous 36 oz capacity. Serve up to 9 cups of tea in this stunning clear glass tea set, which offers the perfect window from which to watch the included tea flowers begin to bloom in colorful profusion as they steep. After tea, cleanup is easy because this BPA free borosilicate glass teapot is both microwave and dishwasher safe.
Each tea flower has been exceptionally crafted by artisans in China to create the hand-sewn green tea with all natural tea flowers. The green tea is blended five times with jasmine to emanate an ambrosial floral fragrance. Each package contains 12 different flowering teas along with an illustrated picture and health benefit guide. Choose a pot of Floral Passion, Noble Madam, Oriental Beauty or Camellia Joy. Or watch your cup erupt with Wild Flowers, Gilded Lotus, Lover’s Blossom or Juliet’s Kiss. Other popular flavors like London Fog, Butterfly Floret, Fairy Lily and Summer Bouquet complete your choices in the taste sensation. Try all twelve green tea blends and be amazed at how each bud delivers a delectable cup of tea and an optical sensation. Each tea blend is packed with healthy anti-oxidants and can be steeped three times giving you over 250 cups in each canister. These tea flowers make an excellent gift for special occasions and are something any tea lover would enjoy.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!