If you know that there’s always money in the banana stand, you’ll likely understand this tea.
If you don’t? I mean, it’s still a delicious chocolate-banana-graham tea, but you’re probably gonna be a little weirded out by the name.
I’ll be honest: though so many of my fellow Sororitea Sister have proclaimed their love for banana teas, I’ve been skeptical. I like bananas. I don’t OMG LOVE them. I really like frozen, chocolate dipped bananas– does that count? But I am decidedly NOT a fan of fake banana flavor– banana runts? No thanks. Banana gum? Gag.
So you can bet I was a skoosh skeptical when I sniffed this tea right in the bag– it is pretty powerfully banana-flavor-scented. But the lingering background chocolate notes intrigued me, and the large chunks of chocolate graham cracker was enough to set me over the edge. Brewed, this one is a bit murky-golden, with a little visible oily-film on the top. The scent is still pretty strongly faux-banana, but I was pleased to find the taste to be more authentic. This needed no sweetness added, it was the perfect balance of flavors without any bitterness. I wish I had enough of this one to try it iced just to see how Bluth-family-banana-stand authentic the flavors actually were, but I still slurped up the whole hot cup, regardless. Would I repurchase? Maybe not– as human who’s fairly meh about bananas, I don’t know that I need it in my cabinet. But for a banana lover– or a Bluth? This one needs to live in your banana stand (er… tea cabinet).
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 the limited teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Cranberry Basil Spritz from A Quarter To Tea. . . .
There’s something magical about unusually flavored teas– my brain has no concept for what they *should* taste like, so each sip (especially the first) is like an awakening. A little party in my mouth, if you will.
This blend came with a recent summer tea of the month club order, and let me say– I was a little dubious at first. Not necessarily of the cranberry/basil blend, which sounds, frankly, like a tasty sangria treat, if anything. No, but of the tiny note at the end of the description: flavored with cream. Cream? Here I was, going down the route of fruity-herbal-sangria blend. Back it up for a sec, shall we?
Skeptically, I threw this one in a jar with some cold water and brewed iced overnight. In the morning, I had the most delightful jar waiting for me– fresh and fruity, with some interesting herb-y notes, but yup, there it is: that fascinating cream flavor, right at the end! Like a chocolate egg cream with a twist (minus the chocolate… obviously)– this one was effervescent, fruity and bright, but just a hint of sweetness-and-cream, with that almost-velvety mouthfeel that so often comes with creamy iced teas.
Yet again, AQTT succeeds in pulling together fascinating flavors that are truly unmatched anywhere else in the tea world. Add this one to your cabinet, friends!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
A refreshing blend perfect for the season! Sikkim tea from the Temi estate with cranberry, basil, and cream.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Chocolate Zucchini Bread from A Quarter To Tea. . . . .
Most summers growing up were spent helping my mom tend to our vegetable garden. Beaming proudly at my over-run chives, measuring my height by the sunflowers, plucking tomatoes from the vine and popping them into bowls with a hefty sprinkle of salt, warm from the sun. But nothing was more ubiquitous than our zucchini plants. Come late summer, we were literally swimming in zucchini. Try as she might, my mom could hardly keep up with our producing plants, and was finding every possible way to work them into our daily repertoire. Who knew all she needed to do was turn them into tea??
This chocolate zucchini bread tea from A Quarter to Tea perfectly captures the flavors of one of my favorite iterations of our garden spoils– a warm, gooey, chocolatey loaf that was just as healthy as it was tasty (okay, maybe not the abundant chocolate chips sprinkled on top. But you gotta live a little, right?). Somehow, this blend manages to make the zucchini flavors prominent while keeping them from being gross– balanced with the cocoa, it’s almost reminiscent of a hot chocolate (and with a splash of maple syrup and coconut milk, it’s nearly a dead ringer). The walnuts bring a warmth and roundness of flavor that are simply delightful, and the malty, bread-y-ness impressively captures the pasty-like quality of such a dessert without feeling heavy or overwrought. If you have nostalgic garden dreams from childhood like I do, this is a great blend to pick up for your afternoon cuppa. Particularly when paired with a snack of some zucchini bread.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
This tea was part of the limited monthly subscription. Click below to learn more.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Roasted Pumpkin Carrot Cake Houjicha from A Quarter To Tea. . .
So many pumpkin spice teas appear around this time of year, but most of them are just pumpkin spices and make no attempt to taste like pumpkin.
Here is a tea that offers the creaminess of pumpkin and carrot cake as well as the spices.
May I just begin by saying how happy I am that this has houjicha as the base instead of rooibos? So many of the fall spiced teas are built on rooibos that they are beginning to fall into the “avoid” category for me.
I made two steeps of this tea and drank the first plain. I thought I tasted clove at first, but it was actually ginger adding the kick beside the cinnamon. It is somewhat creamy but I don’t know that I taste anything I would identify as pumpkin or carrot. This is an older sample, though, so it may have been there when fresh. I am delighted to taste these spices without rooibos, though!
The second steep proved to be as colorful and as flavorful as the first. A friend who was drinking it with me said she couldn’t tell a difference between the two.
I decided to add milk and sugar to the second cup from the second steep (something I rarely do) because I think most people add them when they are using a flavored tea as a dessert replacement. I expected the milk to take the ginger down a notch but it really didn’t. Most teas could not handle milk on a second steep and still taste like the original.
So far, everything I have tried from A Quarter To Tea re-steeps brilliantly. This was no exception, and may be worth checking out if you are a ginger lover.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
Roasted houjicha tea with autumn spices and the creaminess of pumpkin blended together with hints of vanilla cream, extra ginger and carrot for a pumpkin carrot cake experience sure to delight.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Blueberry Vanilla Peach from A Quarter To Tea. . . . .
A Quarter To Tea. . . a tea company we feature quite often on The SororiTea Sisters. This tea company proves time and time again that they have some of the best flavored teas . . .bar none. Each tea is lovingly crafted and created with high quality ingredients that always leave you wanting more. And this tea is no exception.
Picture this, a bowl full of blueberries and peaches with this heavenly cream that has been mixed with touch of bourbon. That is exactly what this tea tastes like. This gorgeous flavored green tea has such a lovely fruity flavor with those warm rich vanilla tones and just a hint of a bourbon flavor through out each sip.
What is quite lovely about this tea is how the green tea base does come through in just about the middle of the sip and you get this brilliant contrasting tone that gives the sweet fruit and vanilla flavors the perfect contrast.
As far as dessert teas go, this may just be one of the best I’ve ever had from A Quarter To Tea. Smooth, well balanced, and on point. My husband and I shared several tea pots of this tea and I don’t know who drank more of this tea. We almost create a little mini competition of who would get that last cuppa out of each session with this tea.
If you are in the market for some amazingly hand blended dessert teas, look no further. I am hoping that we will see some amazing fall teas come out of A Quarter To Tea soon. I’m so looking forward to what pumpkin creations they come up with this year!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
Kukicha green tea from Japan with fruity blueberry and peach, with a touch of bourbon vanilla.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
