Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Fruit/Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Pluck Tea
Tea Description:
A blend of dried grape skins from Niagara’s Organic and Biodynamic Southbrook Vinyards, layered with hibiscus and berries for a delicious fruit tea. Enjoy hot or iced. Caffeine – free
Learn more about August’s Postal Teas shipment here.
Learn more about subscribing to Postal Teas here.
Taster’s Review:
Of the three teas that I received in this month’s box from Postal Teas, this is the tea that I was putting off trying. I was not looking forward to it. I can see the hibiscus! UGH! And because it’s dried grape skins, berries and hibiscus (all dark red) … it just looks like pure hibiscus!
So, needless to say, I didn’t have high hopes for this blend. To steep this, I got out my Kati tumbler and added 1 bamboo scoop of the dark, burgundy red leaves into the basket of the tumbler and poured water heated to 195°F into the tumbler and let it infuse for 4 1/2 minutes. Normally, I’d steep a fruit/berry/herbal tisane like this for 5 – 6 minutes, but because this looked like pure hibiscus to me, I went with slightly less time.
The thing about hibiscus is that the longer you let it steep, the tarter the flavor. Tarter? Tartier? More tart? In addition to a more tartness, the hibiscus turns the liquid into a thick, almost viscous syrup that is quite tart and not very enjoyable to sip. At least, not for me. I guess there are some people that dig that sort of thing.
Anyway, this tastes much better than I anticipated it would. Because of the short steep time, I don’t have a tisane with an unpleasantly thick texture. And because of the short steep time, I’m not tasting an overwhelmingly tart, hibiscus-y drink.
I can taste the berries! I can taste the grape! In fact, the grape is what I taste most. This tastes a whole lot like warm grape juice. I suspect that this tisane would taste really good iced and would go over well with children, and it’s a caffeine free alternative to all those sugary sodas.
The “berries” in this blend, because they meld in such a seamless way with the grape and the hibiscus, it’s difficult to discern what type of berry I’m tasting. It tastes like a berry/grape medley. The hibiscus is still there, of course, but it melds with the flavors of grape and berry in such a way that it doesn’t taste “hibiscus-y”. It tastes like a grape and berry juice that’s both sweet and tart. I am not one who particularly enjoys tart flavors so I added about half a teaspoon of raw sugar to the cup and this toned down the tartness to a tolerable level for my palate.
This is alright. It’s not my favorite tisane, but given how much I thought I’d dislike it, it turned out to be much better than I thought it would.
Overall, I enjoyed this month’s box from Postal Teas. And after perusing Pluck’s selection of teas, I’m finding a whole lot more that I’d love to try. Hey, Postal Teas, if you’re reading … you should feature Pluck again, soon!
Cinnamon Orange Flavored Iced Honeybush Tea from Southern Boy Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Premium organic caffeine-free honeybush with organic flavors.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Before I start this review, I wanted to update you with some news about 52Teas/Zoomdweebies/Southern Boy Teas!
Recently, they launched a whole new website and along with the new website came some exciting changes to the way they sell teas! They are now offering their teas in .5 ounce size pouches rather than the 1 – 2 ounce size pouches and what this means to those of us who subscribe is this:
- No longer will I be receiving 1 – 2 ounces of tea per week to add to my overwhelming stash. This is a good thing. I’m a taster. I like this small size because if I find a tea that I really like enough to add it to my stash, then I can buy more of the smaller size. This means the tea stays sealed and fresh until I want to use it!
- Savings! I am now able to subscribe not just to the 52Teas/Zoomdweebies “hot tea” blend but also the Southern Boy Teas weekly blend for about the same price as I was paying for just the hot tea blend from 52Teas. I am getting more flavor for a lower price. OK, sign me up! Here’s where you can subscribe!
Now … on to the review!
When I first read the name of this tea – Cinnamon Orange Iced Honeybush Tea – I thought it would be what I consider a “typical” cinnamon orange type of tea. That is, one of those red-hot, spicy-sweet cinnamon-y teas with notes of orange in the background. They are usually sold as “hot cinnamon” or “holiday” blends. But this iced tea doesn’t taste at all like I expected it to!
And that’s a good thing!
Oh sure, I enjoy those red-hot, spicy-sweet, candy-like teas. They’re one of those guilty pleasures of mine. But I was not too sure about that spicy-sweet flavor for an iced tea. Iced tea should be something very refreshing and cooling for the palate, and while I do enjoy those spicy-sweet teas, they aren’t really very cooling for the palate. I think it’s because of the spicy thing.
But this isn’t spicy-sweet. The cinnamon tastes sweet and it’s gently spiced and smoothly flavored. It doesn’t impart a warm flavor on my palate. It’s sweet and a little savory, but it isn’t hot or spicy. The orange is bright and juicy tasting. And it is a very refreshing taste.
The honeybush is a little sweet and nutty, and the earthiness of the honeybush brings out the earthier, sweeter flavors of the cinnamon without emphasizing it’s spicier side. The orange is sweet and vibrant.
A really tasty iced tea. I wouldn’t call it my favorite iced tea selection from Southern Boy Teas, but, I am really enjoying it and will have no problem finishing the pitcher. I might even buy another pouch or two in the future. It’s a good one.
Organic Green Tea from Arum Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Arum Tea
Tea Description:
This gentle green tea has a sweet vegetal aroma. The mild floral flavors are smooth and refreshing.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve had limited experience with Indonesian teas. That is to say that I’ve tasted many more Chinese, Japanese and Indian teas than I have Indonesian teas. So, I’m always excited for the opportunity to try more!
The dry leaf of this Organic Green Tea looks very much like I’d expect an Oolong to appear with dark green leaves that have been wound into pellets. (Think about the pellets of a Tie Guan Yin Oolong as an example.) But this tea smells much more “green” than an Oolong typically smells. I believe that the longer oxidation process of the Oolong tea (however long or short that may be) allows other aromas to be developed. The aroma of this tea smells a bit grassy, reminiscent of a freshly cut lawn with the faintest hint of a flowery fragrance in the background.
I noticed the difference in aroma (between this Organic Green Tea from Arum Tea and a greener Oolong) to be especially apparent when the tea was finished brewing. I brewed this tea in my Breville One-Touch tea maker. I measured 2 bamboo scoops of tea into the basket of my tea maker and then poured in 500ml of freshly filtered water into the jug and set the controls for 180°F and 1 1/2 minutes.
The tea brews up light in color: a clear, very pale spring green. And it is very aromatic! I could smell the vibrant, fresh grassy tones. The fragrance reminds me of the aforementioned freshly cut lawn. Imagine the smell of the air after the first lawn cutting of the spring when the grass is new and green. Now imagine how the air would smell if after mowing the lawn you trimmed the flower hedges. There’s a slight floral element in the air along with the fresh grassy notes. That’s the aroma that filled my kitchen after this tea was brewed! What a delight to experience!
The tea is very flavorful! Sweet with notes of vegetable and a light buttery note. There is notes of flower in there too, just as the aroma would suggest. I had kind of expected all those flavors before lifting the cup to my lips but what I wasn’t prepared for was the fruit notes of this tea. I taste sweet notes of melon! A juicy honeydew melon! Nice!
I like that the flavor is sweet but there is a certain savory element that arrives on the palate toward the tail to offer some contrast and complexity to the taste. It’s not overly “kelpy” or “seaweedish” which I like, because I’m not a big seaweed fan.
This is a very light, smooth, pleasantly sweet and refreshing tea. I would highly recommend this to those who are looking for something that is somewhat familiar to the usual green tea but with some really interesting differences too. This is deliciously familiar but intriguingly different!
Buckingham Palace Garden Party Tea Blend from English Tea Store
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black & Green
Where to Buy: English Tea Store
Tea Description:
The Buckingham Palace Garden Party tea loose leaf blend from English Tea Store is a delicate medium tea with a hint of Earl Grey and Jasmine. This is a lighter afternoon tea.
Every May, the Queen holds a garden party at Buckingham Palace, a lovely English springtime tradition. The tea that is served is a long time favorite, a delicious Palace medley specially selected for this occasion. Intriguing hints of high-grown pure Ceylon Earl Grey blend effortlessly with the soft jasmine from Fujian Province. Couple this with malty Assam (from the estate of Borengajuli) flavory Dimbula Ceylon (from Hatton), brisk and golden cup East of Rift Kenya (from Kambaa and Kagwe) and you have one of the most flavorful teas to come from the British Isles. Each cup is a cup of mystery – the flavors all come to the fore at separate times – one minute you taste the Earl Grey, the next second you can almost feel the soft floral notes of jasmine and finally you get the satisfying fullness of the Assam Ceylon and Kenya blend. Enjoy this tea and be a part of the annual tradition in the west gardens of Buckingham Palace, without having to dress up.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Buckingham Palace Garden Party Tea is an example of a tea that I should have read the description of before I brewed it, because by simply looking at the loose leaf, it is difficult to tell that it’s a blend of black and green teas. I should have used a slightly lower temperature to steep this tea! And there is some bitterness as a result. I steeped this for 3 minutes using boiling water, and I think I should have used water that was closer to 180°F. Even with the bitterness, it isn’t a bad tasting tea, but I think it could be better. Unfortunately, I don’t have more of this tea to experiment with it.
The aroma is lovely! I can smell the bergamot and the jasmine, but neither offers an overpowering fragrance. This seems to be nicely balanced between the two classic ingredients of jasmine and bergamot.
The black tea is rich and flavorful. I can taste the malty notes of Assam and the aforementioned bitterness may be a result of the Assam’s presence in the blend. The bitterness is not something that I find off-putting as it’s not an intrusive flavor. It doesn’t get in the way of me tasting the other flavors of the tea nor does it get in the way of the enjoyment of the overall cup. I’d rather the bitterness not be there, of course, and if I had a little more of this tea, I’d experiment with it a little to figure out a better way to brew it so that the bitterness wasn’t present.
The green tea is a little less discernible than the black tea. This isn’t surprising, as green tea tends to have a lighter flavor than black tea. However, that isn’t to say that the green tea can’t be tasted because I definitely taste it’s softer, somewhat vegetal taste and a silky texture that is unmistakably green tea-ish.
The jasmine is a sweet, exotic note that compliments the tangy bergamot. The bergamot it not as strong as I typically like a bergamot in an Earl Grey blend, however, since this is a “garden party” blend (for Buckingham Palace, no less), I can let the softer bergamot slide because a stronger bergamot essence may very well overpower the delicate notes of jasmine and a good balance between the two has been achieved here. It’s a pleasantly floral, tangy cup that is very satisfying.
Overall, an enjoyable cup that I’d suggest as an afternoon cuppa. It’s not quite robust enough – in my opinion – to serve as a breakfast blend or that first cup of the day when you need that jump start. This is ideal to serve to guests though, and makes a lovely cup of tea to enjoy in the afternoon, even if your garden party is a party of one.
Peach Cobbler a la Mode Flavored Iced Tea from Southern Boy Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Learn more about Southern Boy Teas here.
Taster’s Review:
This is delicious and refreshing. I don’t know if I’m tasting peach cobbler a la mode or not … but I definitely am tasting the peach cobbler. And it’s really yummy.
Peach cobbler is one of my favorite desserts. There are few desserts out there that say “summer” quite as clearly as peach cobbler! Sweet, fluffy, golden-browned biscuit atop sweet, juicy peaches and their juices. Mmm!
To brew this tea, I went with the hot-brew method. I brought 1 quart of freshly filtered water to a boil and then tossed in the tea bag and let it steep for 90 seconds, removed the bag and then poured the tea into my favorite tea pitcher. I repeated this process – bringing another quart of water to a boil, this time steeping the same tea bag for 2 full minutes, removing the bag and pouring the hot tea into the tea pitcher to combine both infusions.
Then I let the pitcher cool down a while before stashing the tea into the chillbox and refrigerating for a few hours. Mmm! Frosty, delicious iced tea!
The peach notes are sweet and I can taste notes of buttery, biscuit-y pastry that’s been caramelized. These flavors are evenly matched with the brisk-tasting black tea. It’s sweet and fruity, but not too much. The black tea balances out these flavors. The black tea isn’t bitter, and I like that it’s a rich, solid tasting black tea.
This is SO MUCH better than one of those ready-to-drink iced teas that you can buy in the grocery store that are mostly sugar. I can taste the black tea here. This isn’t an overly sweetened, overly flavored tea. It’s just a really refreshing, smooth-tasting, flavorful drink that tastes more like tea than a bunch of flavors and sugar … and it quenches my thirst on this hot summer day. I like it.