San Francisco Blend/Coffee Tree and Tea Leaves Co. . . .

by Geek Seven of Ten

Thankfully, for the past holidays, I was gifted more tea to enjoy! I actually smelled the San Francisco Blend in my gift box before ever opening it. This has a strong, pleasant, aroma which has cinnamon notes to it. Though it is strong, it is not a negative aroma. I will admit, however, that I actually had to store the San Francisco Blend outside of my standard tea storage because I actually started smelling this blend on my other teas.

Despite the strong aroma of the tea in both dry form and while it is being brewed, it does not have a strong cinnamon taste! If you’ve had Adagio Tea’s Fiery Cinnamon Spice, this blend is lighter in cinnamon flavor than Adagio’s blend. I can drink it without any sweeteners or creams. If you wanted to, you could add some milk or almond milt to make a really nice mock-chai.

The independent tea shop is based in Chicago, Illinois, and I would recommend The San Francisco Blend if you are a fan of black teas with cinnamon. This is a great blend for your cup!

Want to Know More About This Tea?

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Coffee Tree and Tea Leaves Co

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Geek Seven of Ten

Raised on the teaching (and drinking preferences) of Jean Luc Picard, Alice called North Louisiana "Home" for most of her life. She quickly developed a love of fantasy and took this love with her to Millsaps College and Louisiana Tech University where she majored in Theatre. Her theatre studies brought to her a stronger appreciation for the power of the written word, and she spends a large portion of her time finding ways to blend her love of theatre and geek culture. Alice is a huge fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and Stephen King. You can most often find her binging on SciFi movies on Netflix, marathon reading in her favorite pjs, or working on her next CosPlay challenge.

This post was posted in Black Tea, Coffee Tree and Tea Leaves Co

Hot Mama from Tea & Tins. . . .

by TeaRax

Drinking this Hot Mama tea feels like dancing to a Beyoncé song while Ryan Gosling winks a “Hey Girl” at you. If I had to start every day the same way, it would be with this kind of delicious affirmation.

I was interested at first sight of the heart decorations and brewed this up hot and also cold because I wasn’t sure if the candy hearts would melt or not and it turned out well both ways. (They didn’t melt, surprisingly!) I generally add a good amount of honey to my tea but this was the first time EVER I didn’t add any sweetener to a tea and LOVED it. While both styles were delicious, I preferred the overnight cold brew because the warm cinnamon taste was instantly cooled by the chilled water.

I’m on their website to ordering more right now! It looks like they offer plenty of eye-catching teas to start your day lightheartedly. Mornings are hard enough to get through with a boring drink.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Black Tea
Where to Buy:   Tea & Tins
Description

Loose leaf black tea, super hot and spicy! For cinnamon lovers!

Ingredients: black tea, cinnamon, spices, peppercorns and cinnamon hearts

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

TeaRax

My favorite tea is always changing, like a typical Gemini. When I was a teenager, my native Washington Starbucks coffee was forbidden, but I occasionally snuck in a chai latte, so black teas have been my go-to morning drink when I feel feisty. As an adult, I spent 3+ years living in China and Japan where I learned about green, white, oolong, and pu'er teas origins. I was even prescribed traditional medicinal teas while I was there and that's a taste you don't soon forget! But it didn't scare me away from herbals - I really like cold brewing rooibos and tisanes now because I can share them with my toddler. I am back in school to become a geologist, and these science textbooks can be difficult to get through without a strong cuppa. When I'm not studying, I love pairing my teas with my BFFL and salted caramel macarons, or having existential chats with my dad.

This post was posted in Black Tea, Tea and Tins