We thought it would be fine to start getting multiple Sisters’ thoughts going for one tea. We hope you enjoy!
TeaEqualsBliss: My husband is a bit obsessed with Egyptology and I have to admit I had little to no knowledge of the history until I met him. Now that I have been around him and his love of everything Egypt for years I feel I can I have a fairly decent and somewhat intelligent conversation about a few of their historical figures. When I came across Nefertiti from Tay Tea I knew we had to try it!
CuppaGeek: I am right there with you. I’ve always been intrigued by the gorgeous appeal and fascinating stories that concern all things Egypt. Especially the history behind figures like Nefertiti.
TeaEqualsBliss: Nefertiti from Tay Tea contains organic black tea blends pomegranate, vanilla, blackberry leaves and calendula petals. The dry mix smells amazing! I can smell black tea, a bit of pom pep, and creamy, sweet vanilla.
CuppaGeek: The aroma notes I really feel come through is the black tea base. This has one of those black tea bases that demands attention with a sweet underlying berry aroma. Quite nice for this afternoon’s tea.
TeaEqualsBliss: I don’t know about you CuppaGeek, but once I brewed up this tea I was surprised by how dark the liquor was! The black tea base is more sturdy than I anticipated and for that I am grateful as I am a fan of strong black teas in general! Perhaps that was done on purpose because of Nefertiti being a STRONG woman figure. She has been depicted as a powerful and independent woman in history. So I guess that makes sense that this tea symbolizes her strength in the form of a sturdy tea!
CuppaGeek: Absolutely! This tea does translate into a very strong black tea with a light flavoring. I think you are more fond of those types of tea than I am, but as a “I need perked up” sort of tea, this works. The notes that come across the strongest are those malty black astringent flavors that are slightly sweetened with a light layer of vanilla. I almost wish that the tea wasn’t so heavy in the base but on the other hand, like you said, Nefertiti was a very strong female presence.
TeaEqualsBliss: Many people have said that Nefertiti was also looked at as a sensual goddess. Maybe I am reading to much into this tribute of this tea or maybe that is what Tay Tea had in mind while blending these flavors together.
CuppaGeek: I have a feeling this tea is a fitting tribute to Nefertiti! Strong with a slightly sweet twist.
TeaEqualsBliss; I can’t wait to dive into another offering by Tay Tea. This one is hitting all the right notes. Off to brew up another cuppa!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type:
Where to Buy: Tay Tea
Description
This exotic and luxurious organic black tea blends pomegranate, vanilla, blackberry leaves and calendula petals to create a mellow yet memorable tea experience fit for a Queen!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Lemon and Ginger from Harlow Tea Co.
Harlow Tea Co is one of my favorite tea companies that I discovered this year. I just love the subtle yet solid flavors their tea yields. They have a wonderful slogan for their shop.
Tea is for everyone, every time, and every place
I think I’ve tried about half of their offerings and there have only been a few that haven’t been my cuppa. Lemon and Ginger was one of those teas that I wasn’t sure I would like but have to say, this blend is hitting the spot.
Starring honeybush, crystallized ginger root, lemon balm, lemon peel, and lemongrass, this herbal unique take on a lemon and ginger blend gives you all the tea feels. Warm rich notes of ginger that sooth while the citrus from the lemon gives the tea a tartness that contrasts nicely and also helps bring down the ginger bite. There is also a subtle sweetness that the honeybush brings.
All in all this tea is simple yet on point. Lush creamy lemon, almost vanilla like honeybush notes with that subtle ginger kick. Sweet, lightly spicy, with a creamy texture. A wonderful adaption to a tea that may just become of those teas I reach for at night when I’m trying to settle down for the night. This tea definitely gives you that cozy soul soothing feeling for sure!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Harlow Tea Co.
Description
Lemon and Ginger Loose Leaf Tea
This tea was made as a special request for an important woman in my life, MY MOM!
Honeybush red tea is a perfect base for a light but lingering flavor of only lemon and ginger, pure and simple!
Ingredients: Honeybush tea, lemon balm, lemongrass, lemon peel, ginger root, and candied ginger.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Focus from BlendBee
Blendbee has some of the most amazing smelling teas! Focus from BlendBee is one of those teas! Upon opening the package I could smell lemon-orange-chocolate! The second sniff is when I noticed the gently roasted, savory, and floral notes. Usually I would think all of these conflicting aromas would be weird together but they seemed to fit here. I could get over the amazing aroma!
The original reason I reached for this tea today was because I was having a hard time focusing. I’m not going to make any claims or anything here BUT once I smelled this tea I know I couldn’t FOCUS on anything other that how awesome it smelled! I knew I had to take the next step, tho! I added the water and waited 3 or 4 minutes before sipping. Once the tea was infused it was harder to identify each of those ingredients with a single sniff but it still smelled YUMMY.
Focus from BlendBee ‘brewed’ dark brown and I could taste a combo of Yerba Mate, Black Tea, Lemon, and Orange, mostly. In follow up sips I could taste the chicory and it was done perfectly! It was hanging out in the background and wasn’t over powering! The rose and chocolaty notes were more on the end sip and aftertaste and were lovely, too! This is a Yerba Mate/Black Tea blend I could see myself drinking often! YUM!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black/Yerba Mate
Where to Buy: BlendBee
Description
Sharpen your mind & stay focused.
This invigorating black tea & yerba mate blend was specifically designed for a tea lover whose favorite tea was discontinued. We recreated it for her, and to our delight, we loved this blend and decided to whole world should have it. It definitely helps you to stay focused and has a great energy. Enjoy!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Applecart Blossom from Piper & Leaf
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Piper & Leaf
Tea Description:
Reminiscent of strolling through an apple orchard on a fine spring day and catching its light, enchanting scent in the wind. This lovely green tea with local apples is porch swing approved.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Today has been a very humid and rainy day. The sun has tried to peek out here and there but for the most part it has been just a “meh” kind of day. Until the mail showed up. . .and my shared order from Piper & Leaf showed up. Yay! New tea to try! Day isn’t so meh now.
Opened the box and immediately grabbed the Applecart Blossom sample. I was super excited to see that they offered flavored green teas and this one went in the cart right away.
The boyfriend and I are in the middle of a Northern Exposure binge. I had never seen the show before and it is one of his favorites. Thought this would be a great time to sample up these teas. So I threw the sample in the Breville, set the parameters to green, and set up two mason jars with ice.
This is delicious. There are huge pieces of apple in this and that comes thru in each sip. Fresh crisp apples. The green tea just adds to the perky flavor. Each time I take a sip of this iced beauty the word bright comes to mind. This is just a simple great fantastic apple flavored green tea. No artificial flavor here. I brewed up a second infusion and I am still picking up the fresh crisp flavor.
I am very pleased with the teas I’ve had from Piper & Leaf so far and I’m looking forward to trying more!
Camellia Rose Black Flowering Tea from McQuarrie’s Tea & Coffee Merchants
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black/Flowering
Where to Buy: McQuarrie’s Tea & Coffee Merchants
Tea Description:
An exquisite medium body taste profile. A smooth cup with hints of fruit and soft rose notes.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Picked up a single bloom of this one at McQuarrie’s (my local, privately owned loose leaf store) when I was there earlier in the month. It cost about $1.50 if I remember correctly – $2 tops. It’s been a little while since I had a bloom tea, and when I was skimming the selection they offers this was the only one I noticed with a black base, so I figured I’d give it a shot since blooms with black bases don’t seem to be a super common thing. Like I usually do with bloom/flowering teas, I made it in my 25 oz. mason jar from DT so I could see it clearly. I apologize that the pictures I took are pretty crude; my options were webcam or cell phone, and neither are the highest quality…
Aesthetically speaking this was pretty; the black tea when fully spread out did look a little frayed and tattered, but the flower in the center was really pretty. It’s hard to see in the pictures, but it was a little pinker than they’d lead you to believe. A lot of the lavender ‘woven’ in place also got loose as well and ended up as floaty bits at the top of the mason jar.
This was actually pretty decent as far as bloom teas go though; since a lot of the lavendar broke off and was drank by me early on it didn’t get a chance to get super strong/perfumey and instead just imparted a nice light, but still present flavour. Other strong flavours were malt, stewed fruit and raisin from the black base and then quite a bit of rose from the actual rose in the blend. It tied in together pretty well. If I was a fan of raisins I think I’d have personally liked it a little bit better. There was a nice mix between flavours contributed by the tea itself and the additional floral ingredients. Given most bloom teas are just a pretty aesthetic this had some solid flavour to match.
It was a bit bitter by the end; but given that I drank it during an hour and a half movie and it was essentially steeping the entire duration of the movie I think it held up incredibly well. I know McQuarrie’s sources almost all of their teas from different companies, but this one isn’t listed like they usually do – so maybe it is one of the few teas they carry that are actually their own blends.
If that’s true, than it’d definitely be harder for most people to get a hold of since it’s a local store (with pretty steep shipping prices for delivery outside of Saskatoon) – but I do think it’s worth a try! However, if I had to guess where they probably sourced it from I’d wager Metropolitan Tea Company, since that’s where most of the flowering blends they carry seem to be from.
