There’s something supremely fun about unusual seasonal blends that only come out at the most festive times of year. When I heard about the blend, Candied Yams from Bluebird Tea, I had to get a taste.
So, Candied Yams? I’ve had my fair share of mashed sweet potatoes (yams) and squash with butter and brown sugar, and the sweet, earthy, orange mash is a delicious side to any holiday dinner. (We’ve even forgotten to put the sweet potatoes out during dinner one year, and ate it with spice cookies during dessert, and they were still a winner). No wonder I like the cinnamon and nutmeg alongside the yams in this tea blend.
This tea blend is going for an even sweeter version of sweet potatoes; the kind that were baked in a casserole and topped with marshmallows. Cooking with marshmallows seems like the most nostalgic, American ideal, like putting marshmallows in ambrosia salad. All you need to know is that this tea also has mini marshmallows, and plenty of them to make the tea leaves look festive and the blend taste sugary-sweet.
Beyond the carrot-like yam sweetness, this brew also has a fair bit of tartness, like red cranberry, which comes from the small dash of hibiscus in the blend. This red-berry flavor adds a touch of mulled wine flavor alongside the sweet earthiness and light spice. I figure that if my family can put orange flavored dried cranberries in their Thanksgiving stuffing then this flavor profile makes some sense in this tea.
Don’t worry if you’re more excited about the yams than the cranberries, the yams are the driving force of this blend, most noticeable in the scent and aftertaste. After each sip, I get the sweet and starchy potato flavors, reminding me a bit of carrot cake with walnuts. As the initial sweetness fades on my tongue, the brew has a great, mellow, nutty, taste.
If you’re a fan of weird holiday brews, I’d recommend you pick up a sample of Candied Yams before the sweet-potato-yam season passes. And if you get super inspired, you can even bake a marshmallow-yam casserole to accompany your cup of tea.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Bluebird Tea Co.
Description:
Always looking forward to those sweet candied yams at Thanksgiving? Wish you had an excuse to enjoy ’em all year round? We hear you! Now you can get into the festive spirit with this Limited Edition holiday tea – it’s Thanksgiving in a cup!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
#FanaticFriday: Roasted Pumpkin Carrot Cake Houjicha from A Quarter To Tea
We at SororiTea Sisters love all things fall! So today we are fanatic about fall!
Tis the season for all things pumpkin to start coming out. And I love it. I’ve always been a pumpkin fiend to the point where my mom would have to make me pumpkins pies for my birthday cakes back in the day. . .and my birthday is in March! So this tea was a no brainer for me to order.
If you haven’t checked out A Quarter To Tea yet and enjoy fun and unique flavored teas, I highly recommend you take a moment and see if anything trips your trigger. Their teas are unique and flavorful. And this tea is a perfect example of the teas they offer.
Roasted Pumpkin Carrot Cake Houjicha is as fall as you can get. The tea itself pops with dark browns and bleeps of orange and yellow. I wanted to try this tea as a hot brew and cold brew so I had myself a little experiment today.
But first, let’s chat about the smell of the dry leaf. This tea screams fall and is one of those teas I want to bottle up into a candle.
For the hot brew, I was really expecting myself to die over this tea and be completely in love and I have to say. I did! This tea tastes just like the title. You have your baked good flavor, the roasted pumpkin notes, and even the carrot cake familiarity. The spices were a bit stronger than I had hoped for and the more I drank the tea and it cooled, I feel like the tea would have benefited from a dab of honey because those spiced notes just kept growing. For me-I needed that added sweetness to calm the spices down, but regardless- this tea is still incredibly delicious.
For the cold brew, now I was expecting to really not enjoy this tea as a cold brew. With the flavors, I really thought this tea would be better hot. But that isn’t the case. I did really enjoy the tea prepped traditionally but where this tea becomes the “bee’s knees” is a sturdy cold brew. Before I left for work this morning I took my trusty tumbler and filled it with ice, water, and an infuser full of this tea. I allowed the tea to brew all day and just took my first sip. Here is where this tea shines.
As a cold brew, the pumpkin flavor is incredibly rich and present with the carrot cake baked good flavor right along side. here is also a sweetness that is starting to pop that is adding in that sweetness I was craving earlier. While the heavier spices are still there and noticeable, I’m not as bothered by them because of that rich pumpkin carrot cake baked goodness that is incredible.
With all of this being said, I do believe I forgot to mention. . .this tea has sprinkles in it! (though not an overwhelming amount)
One of the better pumpkin teas I’ve had in a long time. So glad I picked up a good amount of this tea because I’m going to be devouring it over the next few weeks.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
Roasted Pumpkin Carrot Cake Houjicha
Limited Tea for September 2016
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Roasted houjicha tea with autumn spices and the creaminess of pumpkin blended together with hints of vanilla cream, extra ginger and carrot for a pumpkin carrot cake experience sure to delight.
This tea is limited run once again, so once it is gone, it’s gone for the season. It is sold only in 0.5oz quantities.
All orders come in resealable packaging and include a reusable muslin cotton tea bag.
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Ingredients:
roasted green tea, dried carrot, ceylon cinnamon, mini sprinkles, natural flavors
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Carrot Cake Rooibos from Fusion Tea Company
Tea Type: Rooibos
Where To Buy: Fusion Tea Room
Product Description:
We start with organic rooibos as perfect base and add cinnamon, walnuts and finish it off with real carrot bits. Add cream and sugar to cure your craving with hints of this prennial favorite. Packed with healthful antioxidants and naturally caffeine free you don’t have to feel guilty enjoying this wonderful herbal blend.
Ingredients: Organic rooibos, real carrot bits, cinnamon, and walnuts.
Tasters Review:
What a creative blend of flavors this is! The aroma and taste are what you would expect for a Carrot Cake Flavored ANYTHING which I have found other companies attempts lacking…but NOT Fusion Tea Room! They NAILED it!
The Maple Brittle seems to enhance all of the other flavors. This is very sweet and I really don’t think any additional sweetener is required…but again, this is coming from someone who NEVER adds anything to their teas/tisanes.
The Ginger, Cinnamon, Cloves aren’t prominent flavors but certainly contribute to the overall taste. The Walnut, Carrots, Raisins, Coconut, and Maple Brittle flavors are more in the fore-front. The Rooibos and Honeybush are well covered from their stereotypical taste for those who tend to shy away from it – they may want to give this one a whirl.
This is very aromatic and very flavorful! Very well done Fusion Tea Room! It’s a winner!
