A box of samples from the Sisters is a lot like Christmas! It is so exciting to paw through the teas and see new blends to try and companies you have never heard of. What a surprise to look up this company and find that they are fairly close to me, just a couple of hours away.
We are having a little cold spell so I tried this hot first while sitting by a warm fire. The sencha base is not too grassy, and while you definitely taste the green tea the overall impression from this tea is a light and lovely fruitiness. I don’t know that I have ever had gojiberry by itself, but what this reminds me most of are pomegranate blends I have tried. There ARE pomegranate seeds in this, so I may be tasting those plus some natural flavoring or it could be that gojiberry tastes a lot like pomegranate.
This is SO light and fruity that I could almost feel a spring breeze caressing my face and I knew I needed to make a pitcher of iced tea with it as well. Here in the South we drink iced sweet tea all year. The golden tea is so pretty as is, but in summer I would serve this with a few frozen berries swirling in each glass. This would be a wonderful picnic tea, or refreshment for an afternoon tea party!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Tea Barr Company
Description
This is a fine, pure combination of fresh Sencha tea, masterfully infused with juicy goji berries, and decorated with bright cornflowers. This tasty combination creates a unique and healthy treat.
Ingredients: green tea, goji berries, lemongrass, pomegranate seeds, cornflower blossoms, and natural flavoring.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Smart Tea from Wild Leaf Active Teas. . . .
I am a sucker for a tea with a magical claim, friends.
This one is a delightful green, with hints of berry and mint at the forefront. Now, I’ll be honest– I may have brewed this one up a bit too hot, as I hadn’t realized it was a green until after my water went a’boilin’. (Not my– wait for it– *smart*est moment, but I digress.)
But regardless, it was everything I love greens to be– fruity, light, grassy– and nothing I dislike– bitter, or vegetal.
Did it make me any smarter?
I can’t say for sure (and my flub on the boiling temp would surely suggest otherwise), but it was great afternoon sipping, and gave me just enough pep to make it through til the end of the day.
If I’m smart enough to know what’s good for me, I’ll be brewing this one again!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Wild Leaf
Description
Channel your inner Einstein with mental stimulating Ginkgo Biloba, Peppermint and Gotu Kola. Whether you need to tackle a job interview, a test or just figure out what’s for dinner, drink this minty flavored tea to bring out the most brilliant you!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Briar Patch from 52Teas . . . . .
What is tulsi? Apparently, it is another word for “Holy Basil”. Apparently its a very powerful and multi-functional herb. The other ingredients in this blend were interesting as well- green tea, a myriad of berries, black pepper, and long pepper. I’ve never had a blend that was more on the savory side like this one seems to be. Try something new everyday, right?
The dry mixture smelled mostly like berries, but the steeped liquid smelled very herb-y. I could smell the pepper and I do believe that I could smell a hint of basil.
My first taste was very herb-y as well. I mean this takes herbal to another level, but the base was green tea and I could taste that. There’s a refreshing quality to any tea that has a green tea base, they’re always thirst quenchers. The berries were there, but the main star was definitely the tulsi followed by a hint of pepper and berries. I cant sit here and say that this is my favorite blend ever, I also cant sit here and say that I disliked it.
In truth, I don’t really know how I feel about this. It is so different and unique. It’s not my usual and it’s definitely not in line with my preferences, but there was something intriguing about it that kept me sipping more. I came out of my comfort zone to try this blend, and I am really glad I did! A must try…but all 52 Teas’ blends are!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green/Herbal
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
Earlier this year, I played around with some Tulsi when I blended the RandyCandy and the Hot & Unbothered blends. I enjoyed the result of both those teas, so I decided that I wanted to further explore the joy of Tulsi! This time, I decided to try blending it with some berry flavors!
This is really tasty! I started with a blend of organic Tulsi (Green, Purple & Wild Leaf Tulsi) and added some organic Chinese Sencha. Then I added a blend of berries (strawberry, blackberry, raspberry, blueberry & juniper berries) – ok, ok, so juniper berries aren’t actually berries but because I added juniper berries to this blend, it just seemed like the appropriate time to mention that. Then I added some crushed black peppercorns as well as some long pepper.
The result? A really tasty beverage that tastes a little bit herb-y/vegetative, a little bit warm and spicy, a little bit sweet and a little bit tart. The berry is really nice in this and I like the contrast in flavors between the cool, herbaceous basil/mint notes from the tulsi and the hint of zesty heat from the pepper.
It tastes a little bit like what taking a hike into the woods and foraging for berries might feel like. Or at least what I imagine that might feel like (as I’ve never actually foraged for berries before and I would no doubt end up picking the wrong berry). It has a rustic, woodsy kind of flavor to it, somewhat earthy and nicely spiced!
organic ingredients: green tea, tulsi (green, purple & wild leaf varieties), strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, juniper berries, black peppercorns, long pepper and natural flavors.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Gathering Berries from 52Teas. . . .
52 Teas has done a few houjicha/white tea blends, all of which I have enjoyed. I was particularly interested in this one because of the mulberries. If you have never seen mulberries, google them. They are cool looking. I have never eaten them or elderberries before. So I was definitely interested in trying this.
I always enjoy houjicha. It adds a warmth and toasty-ness to the cup. The white tea that Anne (mad tea artist at 52 Teas) adds usually rounds out the toasty-ness and gives it a fuzzy sweetness and maybe even a tad bit of floral flavor. Once steeped, this blend smelled fruity but I could also smell the toasty houjicha. Just like all the other houjicha/white tea blends from 52 teas, I really enjoyed this one. I can not speak to the specifics of how realistic the flavors of the berries were because aside from drinking this tea, I have never had them! What I can say, though, is that this tea was so good. I really like the fact that these berries are actually really sweet, and not tart (like raspberries or blackberries can be). I am actually now wanting to try elderberries and golden mulberries on their own to see if I like eating them. These ingredients are so different, and they really blend well with the tea leaves. I like that the houjicha/white tea brings this toasty warmth and the berries bring a sweet warmth.
Together they make a very enjoyable cup of tea!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green/White Tea
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
Tea Description: One of my fellow tea blenders gave me the idea of blending Shou Mei (white tea) with Houjicha (roasted green tea) to create a base that’s mildly toasty. And I gotta tell you, I really like the result! The Shou Mei softens the rich toasty flavor of the Houjicha a little bit and creates a flavor that evokes thoughts of walking through the forest when the autumn leaves have fallen. (You’ll just have to try this to understand what I mean!)
The idea of walking through a forest after the autumn leaves have fallen brought thoughts of gathering berries to mind so I decided to turn that imagery into a tea! To the base of Shou Mei and Houjicha, I added some dried ‘wild’ berries: black currants, elderberries, blueberries and golden mulberries.
This is the kind of tea you want to brew a great big mug of and curl up in a warm, cozy blanket with a good book and that great big mug of this tea. It’s delightfully sweet and tart with a really lovely toasty tone. Deliciously different!
organic ingredients: white tea, roasted green tea, black currants, elderberries, blueberries, golden mulberries and natural flavors.