Working downtown Toronto is amazing for the foodie in me. Not so amazing for my wallet. However, it is a cornucopia of good eats with new restaurants opening all the time. Most recently, a vegan Mexican restaurant opened around the corner from my office. Like literally around the corner. So when lunching with my vegetarian friend, I figured why not check it out…
Lunch consisted of vegan tacos and flautas and fritters but what really stood out were the churros. Warm and crispy on the outside with the right amount of doughiness on the inside. Plus a chocolate banana dip that complimented the cinnamon flavor perfectly.
With those tasty treats in mind, this Churros with Dulce le Leche tea by A Quarter to Tea got my mouth watering, especially when I cracked open the bag and got a big whiff of caramel icing deliciousness. I brewed this for three minutes in 180F water and left it to cool for a little while.
Drinking the tea, it is certainly an A Quarter to Tea blend. Some companies have distinct flavors and A Quarter to Tea is no exception. Something in the teas has a tendency to lean towards a honey flavor. Though not entirely out of place in a churro tea, it does overshadow some other flavors that should be present instead. For instance, there really isn’t much cinnamon and the touch of cocoa suggested in the description is completely MIA. There is a pastry quality, though not distinctly fried dough. As a whole this is sweet and could be construed as churros but it could also be perceived as other baked goods.
All in all, the tea is nice enough but not exactly what I expected or hoped for. It is sure to satisfy a sweet tooth but that could be said of many other teas and this doesn’t really stand out from that bunch in my opinion. Perhaps my point of comparison is too fresh or too different in my mind but this just didn’t measure up to the real deal.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
Sweet fried dough dusted with cinnamon, paired with caramel and a touch of cocoa.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Coconut Cream Puffs from A Quarter To Tea. . . .
In my home state (cheeseheads, unite!) cream puffs are A Big Thing. Every year, people line the streets to get to the state fair for their fix. There’s actually a WINDOW PICKUP you can drive through without entering fair grounds just to get your half-to-a-dozen packs to bring to work in those magical ten days where the fair is running full-stop. Frankly, if we could name an official state pastry, I’d be hard pressed to pick something more indicative of Wisconsin than a good old cream puff.
So when this little beauty arrived on my doorstep from A Quarter To Tea, I thought two things– first, that this flavor has a lot to live up to. But second– if anyone could do it justice, it’d be my favorite tea blender from Wisconsin. And AQTT didn’t disappoint! This blend came in rolled balls– which, maybe it’s just the novelty factor, but this is one of my favorite ways to try loose leaf tea. (It helps that they were vaguely cream-puff-shaped, that’s for sure.) The black tea was strong and detectable, but not overly astringent or bitter. Perfectly balanced in the cup were notes of creamy, dreamy coconut, and a dash of that thick, whipped cream goodness that I’ve come to associate so strongly with cream puffs. Yum! I wish I would’ve tasted a liiiittle bit more pastry notes (what is the ‘puff’ part of a cream puff if not the perfect, slightly-savory balance to all that sugary cream?) in this blend, but it was still so delightful that I can’t complain.
I daresay you could set up a shop serving up this decadent blend right next to that cream-puff-drive-through line and give it a run for its money. Okay– maybe not. But it’d be a perfect pairing for an iconic dessert!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
This tea is not currently available on the site but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Cranberry Betty from A Quarter To Tea. . . .
I’m not exactly sure who Cranberry Betty is, you guys. But here’s how I imagine her: wild, curly white hair. A very sensible cardigan. Fan-TASTIC red shoes. Spitfire wit. A big old mug of this tea, named after her, of course– piping hot in her hand.
(Okay, fine, Google tells me it’s some sort of baked good. My fictitious Betty is a pretty great baker too, Google.)
This white tea from A Quarter to Tea is pretty much everything I imagine my Betty to be– bold, flavorful, sweet (that brown sugar note, though) and just a touch sour (hello, cranberry and tiny twist of lemon!). I have vehemently proclaimed myself a white tea hater in the past (or at least, white tea apathetic), but I think AQTT is turning that boat around. Every single white tea blend I’ve had from our friends at AQTT has been knocking it out of the park lately, and I’ve been demolishing every single sample bag I’ve got.
This is another one that won’t sit languishing in my tea cabinet for very long– Betty’s got places to be, friends. (My teacup, for example.)
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for white teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Tamarind Orange Pop from A Quarter To Tea. . .
This is like a tangy orange creamsicle! Not the sweet kind, but the kind with a little bit of zesty bite. I suspect that this comes from the tamarind, a substance I’d never heard of until this tea.
According to this site , tamarind a tree-growing legume that is: “Sweet but tart, and sometimes very sour, tamarind is potent. A little goes a long way. While tamarind pulp can be eaten alone, it is most often mixed with sugar and/or diluted to mellow the strong flavor.”
Isn’t it kind of amazing that the world is so vast and full of things you’ve never tried (or perhaps even heard of)? Biodiversity. OH MY GOSH. It’s so cool, guys. Trying teas has turned into Planet Earth for me. Soapberries, tamarind, bergamot: who knew? (Don’t you DARE tell me you knew. Shush.)
ANYTHING can be put into a tea. And A Quarter to Tea has done it! Thank you, friends!
This tea is not available at present, but a Google search for “tamarind tea” yields plenty of results! GO FORTH, MY PRETTIES! TRY IT TODAY!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Strawberry Champagne Cupcakes from A Quarter To Tea. . . .
Strawberry? Yum. Champagne? Yum. Cupcake? YUUMM! So when A Quarter to Tea put those all together and made it basically calorie-free, you can bet your Aunt Fanny I was all over it.
The dry leaf is interesting because somehow the smell, though mostly smelling of strawberry candy, also manages to capture the sparkling effervescence of champagne. Don’t ask me how you can smell effervescence because I honestly have no idea but trust me, you can.
Because of the scent of the dry leaf, I was all the more excited to try the tea itself. At first sip, I was in love as the bright strawberry flavor burst in my mouth. However, my excitement might have led me to be a bit hasty with my affections because as I continue to drink, I have to admit that I am actually underwhelmed. Turns out the strawberry, though slightly present in the flavor of the tea, is far more noticeable in smell. The white tea is a little buttery but also floral and other than that, the only hint of “cupcake” I can detect is a fluffiness from the marshmallow root. Unfortunately, no champagne to be found.
The nice thing about this tea is that it manages to only be slightly sweet for a tea with a name like “Strawberry Champagne Cupcake”. However, that is also it’s downfall as it doesn’t exactly deliver on what’s promised.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
This tea is not currently available but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!