Winter Pine from Tea & Tins. . .

by VariaTEA

Holy marzipan, Batman! The scent of sweet almond just takes over here. Normally, I don’t enjoy that but in this hot cup, I am really liking it. In taste, it is not as potent but instead underlies a comforting citrusy orange burst, providing a silky sweet undertone to provide balance. The whole tea reminds me of Christmas and yet feels new and exciting.

I made this iced as well and I don’t enjoy it as much as the hot tea. The orange flavoring starts off just as nice as it is in the hot cup but becomes bitter. That combines with the marzipan and causes it to taste more processed and stale. It makes the whole drink astringent.

This tea took me by surprise. The strong almond scent had me anticipating the worst but this tea is comforting and homey while also being sweet and desserty. It is a delightful treat that is definitely worth a try.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Green
Where to Buy:  Tea & Tins
Description

Loose leaf green tea: a festive combination of sweet almond and refreshing orange invokes the warm times of holiday season.

Ingredients: green tea, orange slices, planed almonds, flavoring, pink peppercorns, safflower.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

VariaTEA

Hey there! My name is Rachel. I’m a twenty-something from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who loves dogs and has a bit of an obsession with tea. As a child I hated the stuff since all I ever knew was Red Rose (no offense to Red Rose). However, a few years ago that all changed. I was on a diet and desperate for new flavors without adding calories and that’s when I turned to tea. I started off by going to DAVIDsTEA and Teavana for all their dessert-inspired flavors, and since I didn’t know any better, I bought 100 grams each of about twenty-something different teas. This was okay for the teas I liked but for those I didn’t I needed to find some way of getting rid of them. Enter Steepster.com. This is where I met some incredible tea friends, discovered tea swaps, and learned of so many amazing tea companies. My desire to try all the teas grew and since joining three years ago I have tried over a thousand different teas. I have learned what ingredients I love and I have learned what flavors I don’t like. I determined my go-to brewing method is Western-style with no added milk or sweeteners, though I also enjoy cold brewing, iced teas, teapops, lattes, and smoothies. I have yet to brew gong-fu style but I hope to do so just as soon as I get the proper teaware to do it. About a year ago, I actually stopped drinking tea but as my stash of over 200 teas started aging I decided I needed to respark my interest. I chose to take a 365 days of tea challenge on Instagram in which I post a new tea picture every day. So far it has been rather successful as I find myself drinking (and buying) more and more tea each day. Plus it enabled CuppaGeek to find me and invite me here to SororiTea Sisters.

This post was posted in Green Tea, Tea and Tins

Almond Cookie from Tea & Tins. . . .

by Sophia

Lately I have had a serious obsession with pistachio ice cream. Like, I have eaten almost 3 quarts of it in the past 2 weeks. Well, pistachios themselves have a very mild flavor. Subsequently, the ice cream itself is actually flavored with almond. Have you ever noticed that pistachio ice cream kind of smells like biscottis? Well, that’s because of the almond flavoring.

Unfortunately, I haven’t seen many pistachio ice cream teas circulating around in our little “tea-world” as of late. So, when I saw Almond Cookie by Tea & Tins I figured that it may help curb my craving for pistachio ice cream because of the almond flavor.

Upon opening the bag, the sweet smell of almond and coconut filled my nose. Yum! I could see coconut shreds and almond pieces scattered about the green tea. Once steeped the smell of cookie was much more prevalent, but the almond and coconut was still very much there. I steeped this tea with hot water for about 3 minutes. It was very smooth and light, with a prominent taste of green tea. I added agave to add some sweetness, but it was also sweet on it’s own. I could taste the coconut and almond flavor, but unfortunately the flavor of “cookie” did not translate from smell to taste.

Nonetheless, this tea was still very well done and tasty. I don’t think I could say that it will be replacing my love for pistachio ice cream, but it is something that I will continue to enjoy and would purchase again. Another “win” for Tea & Tins!

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Green Tea
Where to Buy:  Tea & Tins
Description

Loose leaf green tea with almond and coconut.
Ingredients: green tea, almond coconut taste with grated coconut and almond flakes, and flavoring.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Sophia

Hi, my name is Sophia. I am a first time mother to a beautiful little girl who will be 1 in July 2017. I spend my days at home with her and when I get a minute to myself, I usually spend that time making, drinking, or researching tea! My love for loose leaf tea is relatively new. When I was pregnant with my daughter, my mother (a tea addict herself) brought me to DAVIDsTEA. I enjoyed a cup of their Coconut Cream Pie Oolong and was instantly hooked! Since then, my addiction has grown to fill entire cabinets, and shows no sign of stopping. I am the creator of the Facebook group CommuniTEA where we have one big tea discussion. It is a great group for those new to the tea-world. I feel strongly about spreading the joy of loose leaf tea. I like making instructional videos and helping those that are new to the art of tea-making so that they, too, can share in the happiness that tea brings. I am excited to see where this hobby takes me and I will continue to spread the joy!

This post was posted in Green Tea, Tea and Tins