You can’t go wrong with a smooth & full Sencha green tea with refreshing & invigorating peppermint…can you? I don’t think so! It’s been a while since I had a nice Sencha Minty Tea! This Sencha Mint from The Cozy Leaf is what’s in my cup as of late! And it’s putting a smile on my face!
It’s an artisan loose leaf tea that is organic and hand blended! It’s the tea trifecta, folks!
The Sencha itself is smooth yet full. It’s fresh and really stands up to any of the better and best Sencha’s I’ve tried. Pair that with a gentle mint and we have a REAL WINNER!
Because I’m a HUGE mint fan I would welcome more of a punch you in the face type of mint here but I also appreciate a more gentle mint from time to time, too! Just as people don’t always scream – sometimes they whisper…tea’s don’t always have to smack you in the face…sometimes they give you a gentle hug and are comfort in a cup, right!?
Yum! This is one for the books! And one I hope stays in my personal stash for a while because I will truly miss it when it’s gone!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: Cozy Leaf
Description
Smooth & full Sencha green tea with refreshing & invigorating peppermint.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Tomato, Basil, and Black Pepper Black Tea from 52Teas
Hello 2017! Welcome! Yes. . . I know I’m a few days late but I’m very ready to welcome this new year in.
This year I’m not going to make resolutions but I am going to make myself explore different types and flavors of tea. I thought this tea would be the perfect tea to get that ball rolling.
Yesterday I made a few homemade soups for my hubby’s and my lunches. One of those soups was a tomato bisque. I had a little veggie juice left over and enjoyed myself a glass. I don’t drink a lot of V8 or anything like that, but every once in a while I found myself craving it.
That is where this tea can absolutely come into play. There aren’t a lot of savory teas out there but everyone in awhile one will cross my path and I find myself devouring it.
Prepped up per the package recommendations- (212F-2 1/2 minutes- allowed to cool for 10 minutes) I was excited to see how this tea would taste. Smoky savory notes with a heat from the black peppercorn while the tomato and basil bring the flavor together to a solid and flavorful finish. This tea reminds me of a sweet yet savory tea but not sweet fruity like. Sweet like that familiar sweet and tangy flavor that is unique to what a tomato can deliver.
This is one of those teas that you surprisingly can’t get enough of. I found myself craving more after every sip. I think next infusion I’ll let the tea steep a bit longer and not allow the tea to cool for so long. If you have a chance to check out this tea or any savory tea, I recommend it. It definitely provides a nice change of pace from all of the teas I typically drink.
I have a feeling this will be a tea that I’ll be sad to see the end of.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This is a reblend that was crafted for one of 52Teas’ ambassadors. He didn’t actually request this reblend outright, instead, what he did is ask me to reblend my favorite tea. (Isn’t that nice?) Since I have several “favorites” from the 52Teas archives, I ultimately came to my decision by determining several factors: which tea I missed the most, which tea I wanted to try blending the most and which tea comes to mind first when I ponder the question: “what is my favorite 52Teas blend?” This tea – Tomato, Basil & Black Pepper Black Tea – won the most points overall in that decision making process.
Fortunately, the ambassador was very excited about trying the tea – so that was a bonus!
The original description of this tea went like this:
When our good friend, LiberTEAs [Yep, that’s me!] asked us to create this blend, I have to admit that I tabled the idea for a few days, thinking she would forget about it. We’ve created some unusual blends, but tomato, basil and black pepper? Really?
Well, she didn’t forget about it and though it took me a while, here we are.
We’ve blended our premium Indian black teas with just a tiny touch of lapsang souchoung, sun-dried tomatoes, black peppercorns, basil and natural flavors.
This is just a little different from the original because a) different black teas in the base, b) I crushed the black pepper with my trusty mortar and pestle and, c) I used freeze-dried tomato bits rather than sun-dried tomatoes.
For the base, I used my black tea base of organic Assam, Ceylon and Yunnan teas, plus I added a small amount of Lapsang Souchong – just enough to add a hint of smoke but not enough to overwhelm the cup. Then I added organic, natural flavors and freeze-dried tomatoes, organic basil and crushed organic black pepper. (You’ll still find some whole peppercorns in there too!)
This tastes amazing. If you liked the original blend – I’m confident you’ll enjoy this. Or, if you didn’t try the original blend and the idea of a tomato, basil and black pepper black tea sounds too interesting to pass up – please don’t! If history is any predictor, this tea will not stay around on my tea studio’s shelves.
Taster size is approximately 15g.
ingredients: organic teas, freeze-dried tomatoes, organic basil, organic black peppercorns & organic natural flavors.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Limoncello from The NecessiTeas. . .A Hand Blended Treat!
Calling all fans of citrus, vanilla, and sugar! Come on, come all, to this lemon-meringue delight! So sweet that if it weren’t a tea, your teeth would fall out and your waistline would be DESTROYED!
Of COURSE the kids are invited to this tea! It’s DECAF! They won’t be springing around on their beds while you’re trying to sleep, ma’m. No, SIREE.
You! You back there! You say you don’t have a sweet tooth? Keep going, you monster. I can’t imagine what your life is like.
Don’t know what lemon-meringue is? How about lemonade, the sugary kind they make by hand at county fairs? Or how about those lemon lollipops they hand out at the doctor’s office? Lemon Starburst? You know you like that!
Even Starling’s picky dad likes this tea! He even went so far as to add sugar to it, which I don’t recommend doing at first, folks. Try before you sugar. You will probably find that the tea suffices on its own. Gotta hang onto those chompers. You never know when you’ll need ’em!
Thanks for coming to the tea circus, ladies and gentlemen! Enjoy your day.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal/Green Rooibos
Where to Buy: The NecessiTeas
Description
The Italian dessert drink has made its way into a tea. Imagine lemon meringue teasing your taste buds, while sweetly melting in your mouth with a blend of vanilla and brown sugars. The lemony brightness shines through with lemongrass and a sprinkling of golden marigold petals, all topping a green rooibos tea.
Your tea is hand packaged in an airtight tin at no additional charge.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
White Coconut from BlendBee- Calling All Coconut Lovers!!
I’m a fan of coconut any time of year. Whether it’s the hottest days of summer or the dark, snowy depths of winter I find myself in a better mood when I can taste a bit of the tropics. Throw in some lemon – another favorite of mine – and I’m a happy girl. BlendBee took both flavors and mixed them with a delicate white to create White Coconut. Just thinking about the mix of flavors made me want to do a happy dance.
The dry leaves are lovely to look at. There is a mix of tea leaves, coconut flakes, lemon peel, and lemon balm. The smell of the tea is coconut and sweetness. Smelling this made me smile because, honestly, this tea smells like candy.
As I said, I am a fan of both coconut and lemon, so I was looking forward to what this tea had to offer. While I found the scent of the tea delicious and charming I didn’t find the tea itself as impressive. I was thrown off by the sweetness of the stevia leaf while still searching for the combination of coconut and lemon I could smell but not taste. As the tea cooled I noticed more of the coconut flavor, and what I could taste was good. I just wanted a little more. The lemony flavors from the lemon balm and lemon peel eluded me altogether.
I can’t say this is a go-to tea for me, but I can see how tea lovers looking for a flavored tea with softer notes could appreciate it. It also has a good amount of sweetness without added sugar. It might be just the thing satiate a sweet tooth before it gets out of control. So, if you’re looking for a sweet, lightly flavored white tea and you’re a coconut lover then this might be the tea for you!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: BlendBee
Description
White Tea is by far one of the finest teas in the world. Paired with Coconut, Lemon Peel, Lemon Balm and Stevia leaf, it is a dream. Sit back, relax and linger with this beautiful mix.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
North from Metolius Artisan Tea
If you would have told me a few weeks ago that North from Metolius Artisan Tea would be an herbal tisane that I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about I would have called you CRAZY.
I mean…I’m pretty finicky when it comes to herbal tisanes. Let’s face it…they’re NOT really tea. I’m not saying that as a slam it’s the technicality of it, folks! North from Metolius Artisan Tea is a REALLY AMAZING Herbal Tisane. One that blew me away and I will not be able to say enough about.
North from Metolius Artisan Tea is Fresh, organic, vibrant, and hand-blended. It’s a sweet and spicy blend of coconut, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, licorice, and pink peppercorns.
I have a confession to make. I was terrified of the licorice in this. I know – I need to get over that. I have now sipped on many wonderful licorice flavored teas and tisanes since a few I tried years ago and couldn’t stand. But I have to say that North from Metolius Artisan Tea is in a class of its own!
The coconut and licorice pairing is something of an enlightening outer body experience of sorts. Call me dramatic if you will but I’m trying to express my surprise and delight with this blend of flavors! Its licorice and cinnamon ‘stave off sugar cravings and tone down energy-bonking’ according to Metolius so it’s perfect for evenings or after dinner when you don’t have anything for dessert or later on in the night when you have that sweet tooth going. The spices are present at the ideal ratio, too!
I wouldn’t change one thing about this herbal. It’s truly amazing! I LOVE it! I find myself revisiting it time and time again!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal/Tisane
Where to Buy: Metolius Artisan Tea
Description
A sweet and spicy blend of coconut, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, licorice and pink peppercorns.
Beyond North tea’s warmth and flavor, its licorice and cinnamon stave off sugar cravings and tone down energy-bonking.
Fresh, organic, vibrant, and hand-blended.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
