I’ve been hit by the mini-plague that’s been circling my world for a few weeks, you guys. I say mini-plague because truly– it’s not all that bad compared to the stomach virus/insane flu that many close to me have had lately, but still– this cold I’m rocking? I’m not a fan of it.
And to manage it as best I can, I’ve been hopped up on vitamin C, broth-y soups, and triple the amount of tea I’m usually sipping (which is… a lot). I felt it first coming on at work the other day, so I immediately dug deep into my desk tea drawer and procured this beaut. Chamomile, cinnamon, licorice? GIMME.
This isn’t my first sip from Sicilian Tea Co., and I have to say, I can definitely see a delicious thread woven between all the blends that I’ve tried. Strong herbal presence with hearty flavors and sweet lingering licorice at the end of the sip describes well all the blends I’ve tried this far, and this one is no different.
Even with the abundant chamomile in the dry leaf, I’m getting mostly licorice with a hint of cinnamon. Which isn’t a bad thing, don’t get me wrong! I loved the naturally-sweet-hint-of-spice flavors that came through, the perfect remedy for my sniffles and sore throat. I wish I would’ve been able to detect just a touch more of the lavender and chamomile, but even then, this is definitely a blend I’ll be picking up again.
Especially if this plague sticks around any longer. Drowning sniffles in endless cups of tea is a tried-and-true home remedy, right?
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Sicilian Tea Company
Description
Don’t go to bed alone. Take this cup of chamomile with you.
Naturally caffeine free, this chamomile blend won’t keep you up all night like some other sleepy time treats.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Cinnamon Apple Blossom from The Tea Can Company
In the fall and winter, I keep cinnamon sticks and whole cloves on hand for brewing hot apple cider. As much as I love the spicy, sweet fruit drink, the mulling process can be a bit slow and the cleanup, a bit sticky. When I don’t feel up to the whole hot apple cider shebang, I might just reach for a cup of Cinnamon Apple Blossom from the Tea Can Company instead.
This is a pure fruit and herb tisane, no rooibos or tea leaves included. This blend is wholly made up of apple and cinnamon pieces. Dry, this tea smells like cinnamon candies, the strong artificial cinnamon flavor like Hot Tamales. I let this blend steep long and hot, because I love my teas extra spicy, especially this time of year.
When this tea is brewed, the flaming cinnamon candy scent cools slightly, showing up strongest in the scent rather than the taste. The apple really gets a chance to shine in the hot brew, adding fresh fruit cider flavors to the tea. Despite the strong candy fragrance, this tea isn’t overly sweet, mostly filled out with natural, authentic apple flavor. Add a touch of honey if you want a sweeter experience. Mixed with cream and sweetener, this blend will taste like cinnamon apple pie and whipped cream.
It’s hard to go wrong with apple and cinnamon, and this blend is perfect for your fall festivities or to warm you up during the holidays.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: herbal
Where to Buy: Tea Can Company
Description: Crisp apple and warm cinnamon spice. This cinnamon and apple herbal blend combines the health benefits of antioxidants and anti-inflammatories into a delicious cup of tea. Naturally caffeine-free.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Limóncello Tea from The NecessiTeas
It’s been YEARS since I have Lemon Meringue Pie and because I don’t eat dairy or eggs any more this Limóncello Tea from The NecessiTeas is the closest thing to the taste I can remember without actually eating a piece of it. HOORAY! Limóncello Tea from The NecessiTeas you are a wonderful find!
Limóncello Tea from The NecessiTeas smells like Citronella once infused but prior to infusing I could pick up on the sugary notes, various nods to lemon, a slight herbal connection, and even a speck of vanilla. All that in a smell and we haven’t even gotten to the taste of this Limóncello Tea from The NecessiTeas yet!
As for the taste of Limóncello Tea from The NecessiTeas it’s just as good if not better than the aroma! I can definitely taste the lemon peel, lemongrass, and green rooibos! Then there is a sweetness and creaminess to boot! I’m chalking that up to the vanilla and brown sugar. This is really fantastic! An outstanding, flavorful surprise that is perfect for evening reflection or as a dessert tea.
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!
Lavender Dream from Dave and Solomons Tea
Dave and Solomons are a mother and son tea blending company, currently selling their indie creations on their Etsy store. I hadn’t come across them before this sample arrived with me, but it’s always nice to discover a new tea company, if a little dangerous for the bank account!
Lavender Dream is a fruit and herbal blend, combining the sweet fruitiness of peach with the light floral of lavender. It sounds a little odd to begin with, but I was pleased to discover that they’re actually two flavours which work incredibly well together. The dry leaf itself is incredibly pretty, with dark pink rose petals, bright blue cornflowers, and purple lavender buds, plus large (1-2cm square) chunks of dried papaya.
I used 1 tsp of leaf for my cup, and gave it 5 minutes in boiling water. The result is a medium orange-brown liquor, which smells wonderful and which filled the entire kitchen with the scent of fuzzy peach. To taste, it’s very much as you might expect. The peach isn’t particularly natural-tasting, hence “fuzzy” peach, but it’s strong and incredibly juicy, and I’m more than happy with that. The lavender is definitely playing second fiddle here, not really making itself known until very much the end of the sip. When it does, it’s a pleasant counterpoint to the sweetness of the peach, adding a delicate floral flavour, and just a hint of perfume.
I expected this one to be a lot heavier on the lavender, given that it’s called Lavender Dream. Having tasted it, I feel Peach Dream 
would be a much more appropriate name, because it is primarily a peach flavoured tea. I’m not the biggest fan of floral teas, particularly when they’re herbal blends, but in this case it shouldn’t put you off. The lavender really isn’t very prominent, but the contribution it makes is balancing one, and pleasant to boot.
As this is a caffeine free blend, it’ll likely be making a regular appearance in my evening rotation for a good long while to come. I love the juicy peach notes, and I’d actually like to try this one iced (although I might have to wait until summer, or a rare warm day, for that now.) I’ll definitely be trying more blends from Dave and Solomons Tea in the future on the strength of this experience. There’s certainly some skilled blending going on!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Fruit/Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Dave and Solomons Tea
Description
Yummy peach cubes with organic lavender, rose petals, marigold & cornflower petals. MMMM Soooo good!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Snickerdoodle from Simpson & Vail
I have never been a fan of red rooibos, although I tried one or two flavored ones that I liked simply because the flavoring covered up the base. I have been eager to try green rooibos to see if I would like it because I would love to find some caffeine-free options for evenings, but it has to be something I really enjoy, or why bother?
I was pretty excited to see that my first ever green rooibos was going to be in a flavored tea that celebrates and imitates one of my favorite cookies – Snickerdoodles.
Wow! Simpson and Vail knocked it out of the ballpark on this one! This is sweet, I guess from the blackberry leaves, and the cinnamon is forefront but not “cinnamon red hot candy” strong. It really tastes like you have just had a bite of a cookie with that cinnamon sugar dusting on the outside.
My daughter immediately said, “This tastes like Christmas!” And I am happy because I have found my evening cup of indulgence for this winter.
Way to go, Simpson and Vail!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Simpson & Vail
Description
When we were kids Jim came home from elementary school with some recipes his teacher had given him (perhaps for an upcoming bake sale). I’ll never forget the day our Mom made a batch of Snickerdoodle cookies. They were an instant favorite in our house! The recipe was lost for awhile and we would continually ask Mom for “those lovely cinnamon cookies”. You never saw four happier kids than when she found the recipe again.
If you are a cinnamon lover then this Rooibos blend is for you! When you open the bag, the aroma of cinnamon cookie happily greets you. The brewed cup is amber colored with the taste of fresh baked snickerdoodle cookies. The sweet cinnamon taste lingers deliciously on the tongue.
Ingredients: Organic Green Rooibos, organic cinnamon pieces, sweet blackberry leaf and flavoring.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
