One of the things I love about Adagio Teas is their creativity. If you are familiar with their tea site, you know they have certain teas that the offer only during certain times of the year. Bella Luna Blue, sadly, is one of those. Let me explain.
Bella Luna Blue is a gorgeous blend of butterfly pea flowers, lemongrass, and blueberry flavors. If you haven’t experienced butterfly pea flower tea, you are in for a treat. This lovely blue flower creates stunning blue colored tea. When you add in lemon juice, your dark blue tea turns into purple. A sight for the eyes for sure but also a treat for your taste buds as well.
Brewed hot, this herbal blend hits all the right notes. Sweet with a berry citrus twist and a slight herbaceous feels. Add in a touch of lemon, and the citrus notes are enhanced and you are treated with an herbal tea lemonade. There is a solid but not overwhelming floral feel that really elevates the sip.
Pour this brew over ice, and you have an amazingly delicious herbal iced tea that will appeal to any taste bud. The floral notes are not as strong but are still there. You are still greeted with this wonderful combination of citrus and berry.
This tea blend is absolutely fantastic and one that I wish could be a staple in my stash all year long. Wish is where the sad part of this review comes to play, this tea is only available during a blue moon which happily is coming soon- March 31st.
So set your reminders my tea drinking friends, because on March 31st, you’ll want to be grabbing some of this tea to enjoy while we experience those spring months because if there was ever a tea that screamed spring, it would be this blend.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Description
Experience the elusive mystery that is the phenomenon known as our Bella Luna Blue. Available only when there is a second full moon in a calendar month, our rare Bella Luna Blue blends the zesty freshness of lemongrass and the flavor of blueberries with the exotic Butterfly Pea Flower, which when brewed, turns this mystifying herbal tea indigo! For an even more exciting treat, add a few drops of lemon juice to the mix and watch as the real magic unfolds right before your eyes!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Purple Snozberry from Paper Box Goodies. . . .
Anyone who has ever read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or watched the famous film has heard of a Snozberry. I mean “The snozberries tastes like snozberries” line is one of the more popular since it left people wondering, “what the heck is a Snozberry?!” Here’s the thing…DO NOT GOOGLE WHAT A SNOZBERRY IS unless you are willing to have your childhood ruined. The internet gave the term all sorts of disgusting meanings that make that line a little dirty for a PG-rated film. So, what I recommend instead is to either (a) come up with your own meaning for the word, or (b) accept the flavor of this Purple Snozberry tisane by Paper Box Goodies as an accurate interpretation of what a Snozberry is and move on with your life.
Just looking at this steep, you can see it is rather whimsical as the Butterfly Pea Flower slowly releases its purple coloring into the water. The end result is a color that I wish I could accurately describe because it is beautiful. I went searching for the right name and came up with the following descriptions: A dark plum, a deep red wine but with blue undertones as opposed to red, and Pantone 2449 but a little more purple added to it.
Tastewise, I would say that snozberries have a hibiscus tartness upfront. That tartness melts away to a sweeter berry flavor at first. Alas, the more you have, the more the tartness builds on your tongue. Underlying the hibiscus, is a slightly vegetal flavor, as if there were a bit of green tea here, yet I know this to not be the case. Perhaps that is the pea flowers contribution? Personally I do not have much experience with this ingredient so it is something I would like to explore more.
Anyways, while I enjoyed the nostalgic quality of this fun little teabag, beautifully packaged with a lovely little tea tag, I find the tart hibiscus to be too overbearing. I used 200F and steeped for the recommended 5 minutes though I imagine if this were steeped for less time, that may tame the tart or perhaps a larger mug would help in that respect? I think there is potential here but when not brewed properly, it is like a berry that’s still too sour to enjoy.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Paper Box Goodies
Description
Weird name, right? Well, it is a magical blend of Wonka-esque proportions. This blend is made of Butterfly Pea Flower, strawberry, and hibiscus, and it brews up(you guessed it) PURPLE!! The prettiest tea you’ve ever sipped.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
