My birthday just recently passed and with that came a lot of people asking “what do you want for your birthday?” This seems like a simple question yet I have a bit of an impulse control problem so I tend to buy the things I want as soon as I see them, which makes it surprisingly difficult to request reasonable gifts. However, this year I knew just what to ask for…the monthly subscription to A Quarter to Tea! Every time I read about their new teas of the month, my mouth waters and now that they deliver to Canada, I knew it would be the perfect gift.
My first box arrived days ago and everything sounded awesome so today I just grabbed one tea and got brewing. I ended up pulling out the Chocolate Stout Brownies tea, a Temi black tea. The smell of the dry leaf was so fragrant with notes of mouthwatering chocolate while the flowery hops were speckled about. Amazingly, the smell of the dry leaf transfers over to the taste. There is a great does of honey from the base (so much so that I had to double check that I didn’t accidentally grab another tea from the box, Boxty with honey) that quickly melds with the silky chocolate undertones. I can pick up notes of the hops in the scent and it lingers underneath everything in, a bit citrusy, a bit savory, and certainly a seamless transition to the slightly bitter base tea which remains only noticeable in so far that it’s contrast to the other flavors highlights the sweeter and creamier notes present in the mug. The flavors come together perfectly to be both reminiscent of a stout (well the idea of a stout, with less coffee notes and bitterness) and a fudgey brownie, though leaning more towards to brownie side of things.
I am not sure how Lauren at A Quarter to Tea masters these flavors but this is one unique blend. I am quite pleased with this introduction to her monthly subscription boxes and if the teas in the box are anything like this one, I know I will continue to be pleased. This is certainly a birthday gift I will not regret asking for and I look forward to the next few months of boxes that are in store for me.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
Rich chocolate pastry flavored Temi rounded with a touch of dryness from German hops and raspberry leaf.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Jasmine Pecan Shortbread from A Quarter To Tea. . . .
Jasmine Pecan Shortbread by A Quarter to Tea- Doesn’t this sound so interesting? I love pecans. I put pecans in my shortbread. Yes, I make shortbread and yes it is absolutely incredible shortbread. I put pecans in it to add that crunch and my other half and I go nuts (no pun intended) over it. But, my shortbread is laden with butter. A Quarter to Tea’s “shortbread”, though? Not so much. What better way to get my cravings in than with this? I have been so excited to try this blend and I think today is the perfect day to do so.
I steeped this blend for four minutes with hot water. I used half of a sample bag in my 12oz mug. Once steeped I could smell sweet jasmine, the vegetal green tea, cookies, and the nutty pecans. The smell was very realistic! My first thought when I tasted it is that I could taste the green tea, which I love. I love green tea so I don’t mind when it’s flavor is strong. I think that the second part I tasted was the floral jasmine followed by nutty pecans and finished with slight sweet cookie and vanilla flavor just at the very end. I’m actually really digging this blend, wow. It is good! I’m sipping on it as I write this and the more I drink the more I can taste pecan shortbread freckled with jasmine. The aroma of sweet vanilla and jasmine is definitely there as well, and that, coupled with the taste of pecan cookies, makes for a very happy “me”.
You got to try this one, people! Yeah, i’m probably going to be ordering more. YUM! I’ve said it before and i’ll say it again, A Quarter to Tea is just plain winning.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
Lovely vanilla, butter and pecans flavors with a jasmine background. Definitely try more than one steep — the more steeps, the more the jasmine comes to play!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Boxty With Honey Soom Darjeeling from A Quarter To Tea. . . .
Dag nabbit! I tried this Irish-themed tea too late for Saint Patrick’s day! That is so disappointing! I love a theme!
Unlike my timing, this tea is NOT a disappointment. It’s a potato pancake flavored Darjeeling with vanilla and honey. Sounds cool, right?
In my home, we call potato pancakes “latkes,” but I doubt that’s what the Irish call it. My brother dumps cheese and salt into his latkes — but it appears that the Irish take a sweeter route.
This flavor tends more toward butter and cream. It’s very sweet, smooth on the tongue. It also has a robust Irish darjeeling base keeping it on track.
It feels like a liquefied hangover-breakfast. You’ve got the tough tea with your fried carbs to re-fuel your body. (The fried carbs, in this story, are obviously made by someone else. Someone who made better decisions than you did last night.)
Judging by how sweet and yummy this tea is, if it were me (and I’ve been there), I’d dive right in to such a meal. I’d eat it until there was nothing left and whine for more.
Maybe THIS is what’s at the end of a leprechaun’s rainbow!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
All the flavors of a creamy potato pancake with a malty base, with a heaping helping of vanilla and honey.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Banana Nut Pancakes from A Quarter To Tea. . . .
I love banana nut anything. I actually just made banana nut muffins a few weeks ago and they were delectable. Thanks, Martha Stewart.
One of my favorite teas from DAVIDsTEA is their Banana Nut Bread fruit infusion. But, because it is an infusion, its caffeine free. This is fine for evenings, but I need caffeine during the day. When I saw that A Quarter to Tea had a caffeinated banana nut flavored black tea, I was so excited and ordered a few samples right away.
Every tea I have tried from this company thus far has been a complete dream. I have not disliked a single one. I actually have nothing bad to say about this company as a whole. They have an array of flavor options and super fast shipping.
Anyways, back to banana nut pancakes. This tea was very mellow. DAVIDsTEA’s Banana Nut bread is much more in your face with flavor. This was very mellow and i’m not sure if I would know immediately that it was impersonating banana nut pancakes. However, after a few sips that nuttiness, sweetness from the “pancake” part, and the banana flavor do start to come forward. I think that overall it is a good blend. I can’t say that it compares much to Banana Nut Bread from DAVIDs, for I feel that they are two very different teas. Banana Nut Pancakes is very mellow and good for a treat with breakfast or lunch. Banana Nut Bread is more so a dessert tea that you would have after dinner in place of something fat and calorie laden, as it more so satisfies my sweet tooth than Banana Nut Pancakes.
I still think that A Quarter to Tea is an amazing company and I still have nothing bad to say. I did enjoy this blend and would reorder. It is just not in-your-face with banana and nut flavor, and that is okay. Sometimes you don’t want something dripping with flavoring and sugary sweetness. Sometimes you just want something light and smooth, and that is exactly what Banana Nut Pancakes from A Quarter to Tea will deliver to you with this one!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
What could possibly be better than having pancakes for breakfast?
Drinking them of course. Ceylon is used as the base here and is paired with the flavors of banana nut pancakes drizzled in vanilla butter.
Makes an excellent latte.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Frosted Carrot Cake Genmaicha from A Quarter To Tea. . . .
I really like carrot cake and I really like carrots in tea. I think they lend a natural sweetness and a bit of a vegetal flair that compliments a lot of blends very nicely. I have had a lot of luck with A Quarter to Tea’s blends lately. I am really in love with this company. They ship fast and they just do a fantastic job with the teas. You can tell a lot of care has been given to the blends and it really shows in the bright and rich flavors.
I only recently found out about genmaicha green tea. It is (usually) sencha green tea along with rice/popped rice. It gives the green tea a starchy and toasted taste. On its own its plain, in my opinion. However, flavored genmaicha is where it’s at. The toasted flavor of the popped rice accents a lot of different flavor combinations really, really well.
I was excited for the frosted carrot cake genmaicha. A little hesitant, though. Some companies tend to over-spice carrot cake blends. Sometimes its just too spicy for me. If you’ve read my other reviews you will know that I really don’t like stuff that’s spicy. Anyways, back to frosted carrot cake. Um, YUM! Yes, yes, I am in love with yet another tea from A Quarter to Tea. I swear I am drinking liquid carrot cake with a vanilla buttercream. The spices are not too strong and do not overpower that sweet and vegetal taste of the carrots, but they actually accent it well along with a subtle cake flavor. Then the flavor of a yummy vanilla frosting comes in at the end. Another win, people.
A Quarter to Tea is rocking this whole “tea blending” thing.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
A cup of well-spiced carrot cake accented with raisins and pineapple for sweetness and a sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!