This was a pleasantly zen tea! I tried it hot, at directed concentrations, steeped for six minutes, with no additives. I could envision this tea being enjoyable cold for those that love fruit infused water.
Unlike most lemon teas I encounter, the lemon was present, but not overpowering. It required no sweetening, and my sweet teeth are rather demanding, so that’s saying a lot! It is supplemented with stevia leaf, and unlike the dietary sweetener, was not at all off-putting. The hibiscus brings a beautiful deep blush of color to the cup, and a mild flavor addition. I honestly did not detect the clove, but perhaps my teaspoon missed it!
It is a moderately aromatic tea that could serve double duty as a calming aromatherapy. Calming, but not sedating, the aroma and taste would serve well as a morning or bedtime tea. At longer steep times (twelve minutes), the tartness and tanginess of the lemon and hibiscus are stronger, but still remains one of the most gentle and subtle lemon teas I’ve experienced, and now one of my favorites!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal/Tisane
Where to Buy: Zhi Tea
Description
Straight from customer feedback , suggestions of lemon myrtle and more sweet healthy tea, comes this crafty and refreshing herbal tisane. Great for an afternoon with a book or a friend, this inventive blend certainly has a cool personality.
A lightly sweet, quite lemony, mildly tart cup with a soothing aroma. This blend is designed to balance; it is at once calming and gently energizing.
Organic lemon grass, hibiscus, rosehips, lemon myrtle, stevia leaf, and organic lemon extract.
100% organic caffeine-free drink. Great hot or cold!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Vista Blend from Plum Deluxe. . . .
There is so much Yes going on with Plum Deluxe! I discovered them when my Sororitea sister sent me a surprise cuppa their Pomme Blossom White tea. It’s a discontinued exclusive so I won’t tease you with too much detail. This was a very colorful blend with some “furry” white leaves. What was so exceptional was that the second steep tastes even better!!! Which is usually not my experience with flavored white teas.
I ordered another, not sold out, white tea blend of theirs called Afternoon “High Tea”, which is a peach and pear blend that also held up to resteep. It was a completely different taste profile than the Pomegranate and berries that I fell in love with earlier, but it was still very posh tasting. All their teas are made with organic ingredients — no sulfites, no artificial chemicals, and non-GMO. Eco-Friendly for the Win!
I ended up subscribing to Plum Deluxe’s tea of the month club. It’s only $10 for one exclusive bag of hand crafted tea, plus access to their amazing Facebook community. And Yay for supporting local PNW businesses!
The real star from this month’s shipment was a sample of their Vista Blend Herbal Tea.
This definitely tastes like the uncaffeinated sister of the Pomme Blossom. I’m not sure what the common element is, but it could be the Love and Gratitude they blend into their creations? This company likes to send out smiles.
The infusion slowly turns the color of a summer sunset, and the beautiful sight is complemented well by the apricot flavor. A creamy lavender taste leads into a mellow citrus that lingers nicely for quite some time after drinking.
The naturally sweet Honeybush base made a scrumptious treat cold brewed, and no sweetener was needed, which for me is saying something. Double win! I don’t want this cup to end, so I will definitely be buying more of this with next month’s mystery blend.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
Description
The apricot + lavender “Vista Blend” is inspired by one of our favorite things about nature — the views. This tea reminds us that we can have a beautiful view wherever we are, if only we slow down to appreciate it.
We use a base of earthy honeybush tea, paired perfectly with Oregon lavender and apricot essence. The fruit and floral pair to create a calming influence. It’s just delightful — and especially refreshing on ice. Originally this tea was a seasonal-only blend but based on your demands, we’ve elevated it to a signature blend so you can get your Vista cuppa anytime of year.
All Plum Deluxe teas are hand-blended and infused with love in Portland, Oregon. Each 1oz packet makes 15-20 cups. All organic ingredients — no sulfites, no artificial chemicals, non-GMO
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Gingerbread Rooibos from Market Spice. . . .
I was a little nervous about this one. Like I’ve said before, I don’t usually like ginger. So I definitely approached this blend with trepidation. I wasn’t sure if it would be too spicy, like ginger sometimes is. I also don’t usually like rooibos, it sometimes has too much of a woodsy taste, too earthy. My hopes for this tea was more of a gingerbread cookie with icing.
My wish was granted! Once steeped, this blend smells like I am baking gingerbread cookies and mixing vanilla icing in my kitchen! I was so happy because the rooibos is basically undetectable. Its super smooth and sweet with a hint of cookie. The ginger is less spicy and more sweet, like the kind of ginger you taste in gingerbread cookies. I did add agave which definitely cut the spiciness and added some sweetness, but this blend definitely was reminiscent of cookies regardless.
I finished my cup in less than 5 minutes that’s how delicious this was. It was smooth and reminded me of those little gingerbread man cookies covered in vanilla icing. I actually love this blend so much that I wish it was caffeinated so that I could have it in the mornings. If it had caffeine I think it would be one of my favorites, especially in the fall/winter. I would really recommend trying this even if you don’t generally like rooibos because it definitely wasn’t a typical rooibos tea. Very yummy! This was the first blend I tried from Market Spice, but I will definitely be trying more in the future!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Market Spice
Description
This tea doesn’t appear to be available now but click below for rooibos blends that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
For Lemon-Lovers – #Limoncello from #TheNecessiTeas
Heads up for you lemon-lovers out there, this tea is definitely for you!
The namesake of this tea, Limoncello, is an Italian liqueur made from the zest of lemons. It’s known to be a sweet drink, despite the yellow citrus fruit’s sour reputation. This tea definitely tastes like distilled lemons and keeps the perfect sweet-tart flavor balance of citrus and cream, very much like tart lemon dessert bars with powdered sugar.
In the dry leaf, this tea smells strongly of citrus, but the lemon myrtle in the blend keeps the flavors natural and herbal, rather than smelling too much like lemon cleaning products. Along with all the zesty fruit flavors, there is something creamy and dessert-like in blend as well. Sweetness comes in the form of almost-caramel, brown sugar notes. This tea reminds me of the classic lemon drop candies or even luscious lemon meringue pie.
Despite being a green rooibos tea, this blend still brews up potent and flavorful. This would be a great iced tea lemonade companion, or a great surprise sweetness in an unconventional cocktail. I had to pucker up and kiss this tea goodbye after I blew through my sample size. Order a good size package of this sweet tea, you won’t regret it!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: 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.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Hillary Enjoys A Cuppa Chocolate Chai From California Tea House. . . .
I’ve mentioned at least a million times that I love Chai tea. It’s one of my favorite teas ever. When I saw the words chocolate and chai together, my heart skipped a beat. Chocolate is really the only thing that can make chai better in my opinion.
I could smell the chocolate and spices through the bag and it just made me want a cup right away.
This is an herbal chai, so no caffeine which makes me super happy, and makes this a suitable tea for any time of the day or night. I brewed myself a cup, and the first thing I noticed when the hot water hit the tea is that it smelled like spicy hot chocolate. Yum.
I added a little coconut milk and a little coconut sugar and it was perfect. It tastes rich and chocolate-y with a definite spicy kick. I could really taste the peppercorns and ginger. It’s got both cocoa nibs and white chocolate pieces, so it’s double the chocolate flavor!
Since this is caffeine free, it would be a delicious dessert tea for all the chocolate lovers out there. It’s a great warming tea with all the wonderful spices. This is a really decadent chai and I really love it. It’s like if chai and hot chocolate met, fell in love and had a delicious baby
When you see the tea itself, it’s beautiful, full of chocolate pieces and cardamom pieces that you can actually see. I say it all the time, but this tea is definitely added to my list of favorite Chai teas!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: California Tea House
Description
Do you like Chocolate Tea? This is hot, spicy Chocolate Chai herbal tea… need we say more? Here’s the more: We used USDA Organic cocoa nibs, white chocolate pieces, orange peels, chicory root pieces, cardamom blooms, fresh-cut ginger root, whole cloves and peppercorns. Perfect as is or if you’re really getting frisky, add some milk and sugar. Buy Chocolate Tea with our 100% satisfaction guarantee
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
