I’ve really been looking forward to this organic Kukicha touting the same blueberry green flavor profile that got me through finals week. This kukicha style of tea includes twigs from the tea plant so it’s a bit lower in caffeine and usually a bit more woody tasting. To be honest I’m a little judgy about low caffeine teas, I have an assumption that they’ll be less flavorful but I’m more than willing to test my hypothesis, especially since this is my comfort flavors! The stars of this blend are plenty of flat greens (I’m guessing it’s Dragonwell tea / longjingcha) dotted with teensy dried blueberries.
As it brews, it smells earthy but pleasant and delicate, like walking through a forest in the summer, with teases of juicy berries begging to be eaten. Not getting as much lemongrass scent, though I see it. The different components stratify themselves by weight in my gravity strainer, producing a really neat effect in the deep caramel-colored infusion. You can blame my geology profs for that last observation 😉
The complex taste of the green tea seems to expand past my mouth! It makes a single sip seem impossibly full of flavor. It’s unexpectedly rich, and then the sweet berry aftertaste lingers for a nice long while. The lemongrass is hiding somewhere in all this, but it’s not undetectable, just subtle. My second steep included rock sugar, which eased the flavor intensity a bit and made it more my taste.
I have to say, despite my bias I’m impressed with how well this low caffeine tea passed my taste-tests. Each flavor amplified the others, but nothing is overpowered. Since I’m already committed to nerdy buzzwords here, I’m going to call this a synergy blend, where the end product is more flavorful than the sum of its parts alone. Yum!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: Frontier Co-Op
Organic and Kosher loose leaf Kukicha
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
A Gentle Hug from Nessie in Tea form! – Nessy Tea by Wendigo Tea Co.
Hello readers! I come with another review for a tea company that continues to impress me. As some of you may know that the tea blend named after the company has impressed me as far as green tea goes (the review is here). And like the tea that I had before named Wendigo, the Nessy blend also drew me in with its name. For the Loch Ness monster or Nessy has always piqued my interest for according to the legend Nessy is what you will call a gentle giant. Instead of the Chupacabras and the Nosferatus before her, she mainly keeps to herself with no intent to harm. With that being said, I believe this tea is a perfect representation of Nessy’s character.
At its base form this tea is referred to as Imperial Grade Jasmine Dragon Pearl tea and since I have not had much experience in the pearl tea family I can’t tell you much in comparison other than I enjoyed every cup I had of this tea. This tea was smooth and uplifting, it gave the feeling of the smell of clean linen. It was comforting and warm while giving your brain a nice clean jump start. This tea was also delightfully sweet, without one note of harshness. And this is without much sugar, for me personally on an average basis add 2-2 1/2 teaspoons of sugar depending on the beverage. So with this tea, I found 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar was perfect.
Now onto the numbers. Nessy, like the legend itself, is a treasure and so this blend is not an average price that I would pay for a container of tea. This tea, in my opinion, is a splurge item and every sip should be treasured for the asking price is 12.99 for 2.2 oz and $25.99 for 5.5 oz. So the 2.2 oz is not terribly expensive but it exceeds my normal purchases two-fold but then again this is Jasmine tea pearls we are talking about. Unfortunately, I have failed to find any type of samples on the site but there is a space for a Wendigo tea club in the works so I will stay tuned for that.
With all being said, I would say that I would recommend this tea to anyone who wants to try out authentic jasmine tea pearls. For if there is one thing that this company does well that is to provide its customers with the most authentic and pure taste of tea without adding weird ingredients like rice crispies or sprinkles. This tea is definitely on my list of future wants and I hope for the day where I can have Nessy with my evergrowing tea collection.
See you for the next cuppa!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Wendigo Tea Co
Description
You may know me better as the Loch Ness Monster. I am a jasmine scented tea whose leaves have been rolled into tiny pearls to release my beautiful taste and smell as I uncurl for you in the hot water. There is nothing quite like me.
Sometimes people call me an Imperial Grade Jasmine Dragon Pearl from Fuding of the Fujiang province of China and scented five times by jasmine flower buds picked just after they had bloomed. You can just call me Nessy though. All you really need to know is that I make one damn good cup of tea that will make you feel refreshed and comfy.
You love me, but just don’t know it yet.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Organic Peppermint Cinnamon from Trader Joe’s. . . .
I’ve been feeling the need to cull my tea collection lately, friends. Now, before you gasp and exile me from Sororitea-Sisterhood, let me clarify. I have SO MUCH TEA. And frankly, lots of my “backlog” teas are ones that have sat there for a very, very, very long time. Rather than letting them languish, I’ve been packing them up (or tossing them out, if they’re really *that* old) and passing onto friends, and keeping my core collection full of teas that I really, really love. (this way, when new samples come in, I can happily sip a cup or two and then move along to the next without a giant back-stash of guilt staring at me from my tea cabinet.)
Now, you’d think in all this freshening-up of my tea cabinet, I’d be staying away from picking up anything new. Ah, friends, but you would be wrong. While I’ve been trying to stay away from restocking the empty spaces in my cabinets, the siren song of new blends has been a little tricky to resist. I’ve mostly persisted, but when I saw this cute little box of pyramid sachets for only a handful of dollars at Trader Joe’s, I knew it was coming to work with me for easy brewing.
This blend is simple, as the name implies– only peppermint leaves and cinnamon stick chunks, perfectly visible in the bag. It’s autumnal (thanks, cinnamon!) without being in-your-face, it’s herby and fresh (oh hey, peppermint) without being toothpaste-y. I can say with all honesty that it’s unlike any herbal I’ve ever had before– and frankly, when it comes to herbals, I’m learning that the simpler/fewer ingredients, the better. I’m finding this the perfect little bridge to get me through my mid-morning/pre-lunch slump during the workday, and it hits those festive fall notes, to boot. Well done, TJ’s! This is worthy of a space in my forever-cabinet.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Trader Joe’s
Sencha Pina Colada from Souvia Tea. . .
I pulled this Sencha Pina Colada tea out of a traveling teabox and the sample had just enough to try a cold brew and a hot tea. The cold brew sat overnight in the fridge while the hot tea was steeped for two minutes in 175F water.
The hot tea looks quite murky so I was surprised when the taste was rather crisp. The base is only slightly vegetal on the tail-end of the sip but in this case I think it compliments the overall tropical vibe, balancing the other ingredients. The coconut makes this smooth, though not lotiony, which is nice, and the pineapple makes for a touch of bright, juicy flavor.
The cold brew is less murky but has a bit more flavor from the base. It is less vegetal and more of an underlying bitterness. On top of that though is a nutty/coconut flavor that is silky. Pineapple is less distinctive here than in the hot tea but it does contribute fruitiness that I am liking.
Both cups are quite good and definitely tropical. I don’t know if these are truly accurate representations of pina coladas per se but the coconut and pineapple make for a vacation in a cup.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Souvia Tea
Description
This tea store is no longer open but click below to get contact information.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Chai Latte Milk Chocolate Bar from Chocolats Favoris. . . .
Just outside of Toronto is a chocolate shop called Chocolats Favoris. With a name like that, you know it has French origins and that’s because it actually comes from Quebec. They are a chocolate shop through and through and though they offer everything from chocolate bars to truffles to fondue cans, they are actually known for their chocolate dipped ice cream cones, which are ah. may. zing! So, having indulged in their chocolate dipped ice cream cones a few times and loving them, I knew I wanted some of their awesome chocolate to take home. I picked out a few and this Chai Latte bar certainly caught my eye.
This is a milk chocolate bar made with black tea, spices, and natural flavor. They do not specify which spices exactly in the ingredients list but some flavors clearly shine through the creamy milk chocolate base. Cinnamon blends with the chocolate beautifully to give more flavor without creating competition. The ginger, on the other hand, stands out in each bite. Cardamom coats the tongue slowly but surely the more you eat which makes for a fuller chai flavor while clove pops up every now and again. All the while, the black tea provides a nice texture variant by giving a bit of crunch to the otherwise smooth bar.
This is one flavorful chocolate bar. Like everything else offered at Chocolats Favoris, the chocolate is sweet but delicious. The spices create a welcome contrast to the base and as a whole, this treat is certainly reminiscent of its namesake. If you’re looking for a tea treat to satisfy your sweet tooth, look no further than this Chai Latte milk chocolate bar.
Here’s the scoop!
Where to Buy: Chocolats Favoris
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!