Peach Crostata from a Quarter to Tea

What is a crostata?  Apparently, it is a type of tart or pie, or it might even include a crumble-like dessert.  Either way, imagine buttery crust, sugar and spice, and plenty of fruit.  This tea blend looks to capture the the essence of a peach crostata, with sweet stone fruit and warm pastry.

The tea leaves are yunnan black tea, but they were so tightly rolled I almost mistook them for oolong leaves.  Brewing this blend, the tea is dark and rich and brews up quickly.  Both the dry leaves and the hot tea are very fragrant with natural peach flavor.

When taking my first sip, my nose is full of fruity peach, but the brew is much more robust.  The taste of the tea has more roasty, caramel notes than it does fruit, and its boldness overshadows the peach.  The tea is smooth at first, finishing with a tart, mineral dryness in the aftertaste.  It’s possible the boldness of the tea has to do with my brewing techniques, so I would brew this a little cooler and shorter next time.  I found that adding milk helped make the brew more gentle, which brought out the best of the peach notes.

Even if this wasn’t my favorite tea lately, I’ve had other blend from a Quarter to Tea that I absolutely loved, like their Carrot Cake or Peeps Krispies genmai cha teas.  Give any of their flavors a try for a quality brew.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: A Quarter to Tea
Description:

A take on a late medieval version of a peach crostata, with warming spices and a rich peach flavor.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Cucumber Berry Lemonade from A Quarter To Tea. . . .

I can pretty much always count on A Quarter to Tea for incredible blends. For real– I belong to another tea of the month club that I just adore, but AQTT’s is the one that I pick up when I REALLY want to treat myself and have some super quirky and fun blends that I wouldn’t normally try out– enter this Cucumber Berry Lemonade white tea blend!

First things first: this blend came with REAL, DRIED CUCUMBER in it. You guys. I just can’t get over how cool it was to see a legit slice of cuke in my tea. The freeze-dried berries were slightly less plentiful, but the lemongrass was abundant. And was it ever noticeable in this blend! Of course I iced this one, and it was absolutely delightful. The brew was reminiscent of that ubiquitous “spa water”– you know, served in fancy glass dispensers with slices of lemon and cucumber floating around like they own the place– that stuff. It’s crisp and clean and fresh, from the cucumber. It’s lemony and bright, from the lemongrass. It’s tart and fruity, from the berries. It’s everything I dreamed it’d be by name alone, and more! It’s delicious enough cold-brewed with nothing added, but a tiny splash of lemonade to finish takes it over the top.

Again, AQTT knocks it out of the park!


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description

Tart lemonade with sweet berries and cooling cucumber. Definitely one to try iced!

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Red Wine Apple Cake from A Quarter To Tea. . . .

Friends, there’s no question that we here at SororiTea Sisters love us some A Quarter to Tea. (I feel like I can speak for us all. I may be speaking out of turn, but… have you *seen* our AQTT archives? I rest my case.) I’ve recently renewed my AQTT subscription box to be a monthly thing, and not just a “whenever I feel like it”, because I have to say– I don’t think I’ve ever gotten a bad blend from the brilliant minds in AQTT’s blending room.

Now– when this particular blend (red wine apple cake? Who’d even heard of such a thing?!) showed up at my doorstep last month, I wavered a little bit. Would this be the blend that steered me wrong? I’m not typically a white tea drinker, and it takes a LOT for me to be impressed by a white blend. I shouldn’t have worried, though, you guys. Even on sniff alone, this tea is impressive. Big chunks of apple are strewn throughout the bountiful white leaves, boasting deep apple-and-grape-y notes that translate just beautifully to the brewed cup. This one is heartier than most white teas, and that’s probably why I love it so. The only thing I can’t quite pick out are the “cake” notes– which, let’s be real: when someone tells me there’s cake (in my tea, at work, on my birthday/any random tuesday), I want CAKE. This one’s a bit lighter, and lacking on the pastry notes I’ve usually come to know well from AQTT’s blends. That said, I don’t necessarily think it’s a bad thing– in fact, I think cakey, pastry flavors may have overwhelmed the beautifully fruity notes otherwise present in this blend.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  White
Where to Buy:  A Quarter To Tea
Description

This tea is currently not available but click below for teas that are.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Hummingbird from A Quarter To Tea. . . .

Sometimes when you try a tea for the first time you love it but part of the love comes from excitement over a tea being new and when you try it again, its just not as good. That is not the case with this tea. This tea is my latest obsession. Seriously, I think I am in love. I own over 350 teas and I keep reaching for this one, Hummingbird by A Quarter to Tea. I just can’t get enough of the banana, vanilla, and pecan praline awesomeness.

I have had this a few times hot and I swear each cup is better than the last. However today I decided to mix things up and see how this works as an iced tea. I steeped this per the recommended steeping parameters for 3 minutes in 200F water.

The iced cup still has that awesome banana smell but the banana falls to the background when prepared this way. Instead the smooth yunnan base combined with the nutty praline and vanilla is highlighted. It’s the slightest bit dry and yet it has notes of chocolate and honey that compliment the other flavors. Do I want more banana? Yes, but this tea prepared as an iced tea sort of reminds me of a chunky monkey ice cream/milkshake and that’s still pretty great

Iced or hot, this tea is just so good. Though my preference is the hot tea because it reminds me of a delicious bananas foster-like dessert, the iced tea still delivers on the mmmmmmmm factor. I honestly cannot recommend this one enough!


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy:  A Quarter To Tea 
Description

A malty Yunnan black tea with banana, vanilla, and pecan praline. Add a splash of pineapple juice for a more traditional twist.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Scarborough Fair from A Quarter To Tea. . . .

Every single time I am on the A Quarter to Tea website, the name “Scarborough Fair” catches my eye. Every. Single. Time. I have no idea why or what I am always expecting but the name always pulls me in. I keep thinking it is like a berry tea or something like that and I want it but then I click on the page and read the description which calls it “fruity” and “herbaceous”. Though fruity I like, herbaceous makes me hesitant and in the end my hesitation wins out and this tea gets left behind. However, I guess fate decided to intervene because a sample of this Scarborough Fair tea arrived in A Quarter to Tea’s monthly subscription box for August.

I steeped the entire sample in a 16 oz mug according to the recommended steeping parameters of 3 minutes in 190F water.

The description “fruity” and “herbaceous” hit the nail right on the head, to be honest. The fruity raspberry flavor hits your tongue first but the sage quickly comes up from underneath. Somehow the two components intertwine seamlessly while still being distinctive in their own rights. The rosemary also blends with the sage and the two flavors linger on your tongue after the sip is done, all the while the sweet raspberry note still floats on top. This tea is unique to say the least and certainly very interesting but I can’t decide if that is good or bad.

I am enjoying this cup well enough but if I am being honest, “herbaceous” is just not what I want from my teas. I’m more of the dessert tea kind of girl and though this has a nice sweetness, the herbs are throwing me off. Nevertheless, I am glad I got to try it and for those who like a more herbal element or even just anyone wanting to try something new, I wholeheartedly suggest giving this a taste.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Black Tea
Where to Buy:  A Quarter To Tea
Description

Raspberry, sage and rosemary come together to create a fruity and herbaceous cup worthy of Scarborough Fair itself.

Sikkim is located just north of Darjeeling in India. The only garden there, Temi, does its teas in a Darjeeling style. The base tea here is comparable to a second flush Darjeeling tea

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!