Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Beacon Hill Tea Company
Tea Description:
This myriad of autumn flavors simply smolders. Grab a blanket and warm your soul with this spiced blend. Ingredients: honeybush tea, apple pieces, aniseed, lapsang souchong tea, cocoa nibs, rose hips, cinnamon, red peppercorn, orange peels, cloves, natural cinnamon flavor, natural orange flavor, safflower, natural hazelnut flavor.
Learn more about Beacon Hill’s Monthly Subscription Plan here.
Taster’s Review:
I’m running a little behind in my reviews lately, but I’m glad I’m seeing a light at the end of the tunnel in regards to my November teas. Crackling Fire was an offering the Beacon Hill Tea Company’s November box. The tea itself has such a lovely description. I took one whiff of it tho and I knew this tea and I were not going to be the best of friends.
This tea has a rather rich smoky flavor. One that I just couldn’t get behind, but I wanted to give it a try anyway. The rest of the tea sounded amazing. I brewed the tea up per the packaging instructions (212F-5 min) and took a sip.
If you are one of those that love that campfire smokey flavor. . .this tea is for you! The honeybush and apple pieces bring a sweet and tanginess to the tea while the hazelnut and cocoa nibs give this tea real definition. I wanted to like this tea so much but the smoky flavor just kept hitting me wrong. If that smokey flavor was just a bit less, I can see this being an insanely amazing tea. But for me, it just doesn’t work. All of the other flavors are fanastic, tho and for a flavored smokey tea I would have to say this is one of the better ones I’ve had. But-that’s ok that I didn’t like it. This is the first tea from Beacon Hill Company that I haven’t really liked. You can’t like them all and to each his or her own cuppa!
Tsugaru Green from Lupicia
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Lupicia
Tea Description:
Japanese green tea flavored with “San-Tsugaru” apples from Aomori prefecture in Japan.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Green tea is one of my favorite kinds of tea. I love the soothing and refreshing flavor you can get out of green tea. This tea was no exception.
Never having this tea before I wasn’t sure what to expect. I didn’t even know what kind of tea this was since this was a sample from a tea friend. I wanted to be surprised so I didn’t check online either.
Brewed this up with my Breville One Touch on the medium green tea setting. A few minutes later, I had a lovely cuppa awaiting me. I took a sip after the brew cooled for a few minutes and this tea was light and refreshing as you could ask for!
Crisp and almost apple juice like was what I would guess. So after I finished my cuppa, I looked online and was pleased to see that I was correct. An apple flavored green tea. This tea is spot on with flavor and I like the fact that there are any spices included and this is a simple yet well done apple tea. Most apple teas include cinnamon or some kind of a chai spice. This tea let the juiciness of the apples shine thru with the backing of a slightly hay like and slightly buttery undertone.
I brewed up another infusion of this tea and experienced it as an iced tea. It was magnificent. This is definitely one that I’m taking note of and am loving! This would be a perfect alternative to the fall inspired teas that will soon be available.
In other news, this was sipdown #20! Woohoo!
Yogi Berry from Yellowstone Tea Co
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Yellowstone Tea Co
Tea Description:
This Berry tea is great iced and full of antioxidants for flu season.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I have been neglecting my herbal teas as of late. I’m sorry herbals! I’ll try to keep you more in sight ;).
This tea is from Yellowstone Tea Co, an Etsy Store. I have tried a few of their teas in the past so when I saw this poor neglected fellow in my tea basket, I knew it was time to try him.
Into my tea pot the sample went along with 1 cup of water at 212F to steep for 5 minutes. The tea produced a gorgeous dark red liquid. So very pretty!
What is so nice with this herbal is the different and unique flavors that have been added in. There are apples, orange peel, elderberries, hibiscus, rosehips, carrot flavors, orange slices, lemongrass, beet powder, raspberry fruit powder, and freeze dried grapes. I can’t say that I’ve ever had a tea with carrots or beet powder. I was excited to see what these flavors would produce.
The first flavor that hits me is the tartness from the hibiscus but it is nicely contrasted with the lemon from the lemongrass and the sweet flavor from the grapes. The other lovely flavor is what I’m assuming is the beet powder. There is a really nice sweet yet I swear there are hints of an earthy flavor there, maybe I should describe it more like a tangy note. Last but not least are the orange peels. They are probably my favorite part. The citrus flavor that is added in really kicks this tea up a couple notches and really balances out the flavor.
This tea iced is even just amazing. So many flavors going on. Each sip is different from the next. An explosion of flavor with each taste.
Such a fun herbal to end my day with.
Turkish Green Apple from Red Leaf Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
This Turkish version of green tea, though delicate, features cured apple pieces and safflowers into a delicious tea blend. Our growers are able to customize the curing of their harvests and add a wide variety of flavors to their stronger blends. For tea lovers, blends such as Turkish Green Apple Tea is full of great tea taste from the first sip to the very last.
Green tea, apple pieces, and safflowers with apple flavor.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Turkish Green Apple from Red Leaf Tea is a very light flavored tea with apples being only a slight flavor in the overall profile. It tastes more of buttered spinach and has a slight salty taste as well. The apples taste to be semi fermented in a sense, as they taste in a hard apple cider yet in this blend very delicate and only a slight bit tart.
This is a soothing tea that is very delicate in its nature, calming and relaxing. I would not want this in the morning but is a wonderful tea to sip while laying in bed decompressing and reading a favorite novel.
If you want that more robust flavor be sure to wait and allow the tea to cool more before sipping as this tea tends to take on its stronger characteristics as it becomes more room temperature, even the mouthfeel becomes heavier as it cools a bit.
There is a creaminess to the mouthfeel, and even a slight cream flavor. Buttery, creamed, spinach with an apple appeal. Haha, get it?
