Black Thai Tropical was very different from what I expected! Since it comes from the Energizer line I was expecting a cup of deeply colored, strong black tea with some fruit flavors, but when I opened the pouch I saw mostly dried fruit pieces – big ones! – with bits of black tea clinging to them. It was extremely aromatic and I could have sworn I smelled lime but it isn’t listed in the ingredients.
This steeped up to a medium golden color, looking more like a fruit infusion than a black tea. I tried it both hot and plain, and iced with sugar, so let’s start with hot.
I felt no need for sugar in this. It is quite “citrus fruity” with the papaya and mango giving a very different vibe than most fruit teas that seem to rely heavily on apple and hibiscus with spices like cinnamon and clove. This is a bright, refreshing change from that. I don’t feel like I am drinking a cup of black tea. The fruit is center stage. With as little black tea as I see in the pouch, I wonder how much caffeine is actually in this. I don’t mind, as I don’t seek out caffeine and if I have too much of it in the afternoon I will be up all night!
I tried it as iced sweet tea because it is ridiculously hot and humid where I live and we guzzle
tons of iced tea here. I grew up on super sweet Southern iced black tea, and I am loving icing all different kinds now. I have pulled back the amount of sugar considerably from what we made when I was growing up.
I think I liked this best as an iced tea. The aroma is amazing! The fruit flavor is really citrusy and bright, and the papaya and mango make it more unique than most of the fruit blends I run into. It was fantastically refreshing and also went very well with a meal.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tiesta Tea
Description
This tropical trio combines the power of black tea with the bursting flavors of pineapple and mango to create a force strong enough to take down any to-do list. You’ve got exotic places to go, people to see, and the world at your fingertips; this Energizer blend is the one to get you there.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Tangerine White Tea/Revolution Tea. . .
A couple of years ago my daughter and her husband treated me to dinner at a restaurant new to me – P. F. Changs. They asked me to choose the tea and since tangerines have such a bright, fresh flavor, this was my choice.
A small cast iron pot was brought to the table and there was a large bag in it steeping. We all poured a cup and more hot water was brought and we resteeped that bag and I fell for the tea. So did my daughter, who even went online and ordered the exact cast iron pot they used because we just had to.
At the time, I didn’t what company made it, but I perused the menu and recognized the names of some of the other teas on offer and assumed they would source from just one company. But when I went online to the Revolution website there was no Tangerine White listed!
I called their customer service line and got some great help. It turned out this flavor was made especially for wholesale clients but they offered to ask for special permission to sell me a case. Revolution – “Ma’am, a case is a LOT of tea.” Me – “You don’t scare me!” (The words of a hopeless tea addict on fire for the latest passion.)
A week later a case of Tangerine White is at my door and family and friends are lining up to take some home since a whole case is a little extreme even for me, especially since I already had about 150 teas on hand already.
What’s so great about it? I have a small cast iron pot and I can put the bag in and steep just ONE BAG for the whole pot PLUS resteep it. Easy peasy.
Also, it tastes great. When I was a kid, we pretty much only got tangerines at Christmas in our stockings. So they taste like happiness to me. This tea makes me smile. Fresh tangerine and hallelujah nothing else. They didn’t feel compelled to add the usual done to death spices with the citrus. It is fresh and light and wonderful. It tastes refreshing in summer and brightens a winter day. The tangerine flavor tastes natural and isn’t overwhelming or sour, it is just right. And the white base is the tiniest bit brisk…or is that the citrus?…and nicely balanced.
The happiest news is that this flavor has been added to the regular retail line up now and you, yes, you, can order JUST ONE BOX if you wish! And people won’t look at you and shake their heads as you desperately rearrange your cabinets to make room for your remaining half case.
By the way, I don’t make it by their recommendations. I go with my usual 185F for three minutes as I do most white tea. Try it both ways and see what you like best.
P.S. – It is not surprisingly sold out at the time of this writing, but will hopefully be back in stock before my stash gets too low!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Revolution Tea
Description
This healthy, light, fragrant tea bursts with the flavor of juicy, fresh-picked tangerines and provides high amounts of antioxidants.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Spa from Tea Vibes. . .
A few months ago, I found myself stuck in on a plane in Detroit due to a wicked thunderstorm. The delay caused myself and basically the rest of the plane to miss our connecting flights. There was a silver lining though, while on the plane I met this incredibly interesting lady who was a podcaster and we started talking about the blogs, podcasting and all sorts of geeky subjects. Of course the conversation turned to tea and she told me about an interesting tea company that she had recently been introduced to via her podcast. Fast forward a few months, that same tea company reached out for SororiTea Sisters to review their teas. I was ecstatic!
The first tea I tried was literally the first tea I grabbed from the sample pack. Spa- a blend of green tea, mint, cucumber, and citrus vibes. This tea called to me in many different ways and I will admit, I’m a sucker for a cool crisp mint cucumber tea. Of course as soon as I parceled out my sample from the pouch and into my tea pot, I had to stick my nose right in and take a big whiff. I was instantly enamored with the gorgeous pops of citrus cucumber aromas with a minty undertone. No lie, my kettle couldn’t prep the water fast enough. Brewed with water right under boiling and allowed to brew for right around 3 minutes, I took my first sip and I’m not going to lie, my heart sank a little.
Though I could get these bright pops of citrus, cucumber, mint, green tea. . . I also tasted stevia. Unfortunately, I am not one that enjoys stevia in my tea and usually have found that stevia over takes the tea in general and I’m sad to say that is what has happened with this blend. Being one that typically doesn’t add any kind of sweetener to her tea, I went to Tea Vibes site and noticed that this blend did in fact have stevia. Not a bad thing and there are some blends that stevia does seem to work, but for me this wasn’t one of those blends.
But I will say, thru the stevia, I can taste these awesome flavors that scream relax vibes with authority. So if you are one that doesn’t mind stevia in their tea, I highly highly encourage you to check out this blend. Their site is so appealing and their packaging is different than what I have been seeing for other companies, along with the unique palm tree being built into their logo. So even tho this one go may not have been for me, I’m excited to dig thru the rest of the samples Tea Vibes sent us to see if I can find a tea that is more to my taste buds.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Tea Vibes
Description
An invigorating loose-leaf green tea infused with mint, cucumber and citrus vibes. Add one of our infuser accessories to complete your Vibe.
Ingredients: organic green tea, peppermint, green tea, cucumber, lime pieces, lemon peel, lime juice, flavors, stevia, lemon myrtle, lemon juice, sea salt, citric acid, malic acid. Blended in a facility that processes nuts (coconut). Vegan.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Close Encounters of the Tea Kind from The Goat Tea. . .
We now have that summer time weather in the Midwest and right now it is time to break out all of those teas I’ve been storing away to make cold brew tea. Today, I could think of no better way to end my work week than to enjoy huge mason jar glasses full of The Goat Tea cold brew styled.
Today’s tea of choice came down to literally one word in the ingredient list- rhubarb. I had never had rhubarb until a few weeks ago and I may be slightly obsessed. I have made several rhubarb crisps and bread puddings since. When I saw rhubarb was part of the Close Encounters of the Tea Kind tea blend, I knew that this was the tea for me today.
Today I went a different way with my cold brew today. I filled a mason jar with ice, a few scoops of loose leaf, and then filled with water. I broke out my bombilla filter straw and happily waited a bit until I could see the water was starting to turn a fun purple color. Took my first sip and seriously was this ever a tasty simple no fuss way to brew up some tea!
Pops of brilliant tart, marvelous berry, and sweet citrus notes fill each and every sip. You can tell there is hibiscus in this blend but the hibiscus mingles so well with the berry and citrus inclusions-not to mention the light notes of the honey added. This tea is literally this amazing burst of flavor each and every time you take a sip. I really don’t pick up the green tea or the black tea in the tea I’m currently drinking but I also didn’t leave the tea to really steep and develop how it properly should.
Regardless, I’m insanely in love with the results of this tea and this will be a tea that I’ll be ordering more of in the future. You can’t go wrong with having this delight in your tea stash for some amazing cold brew with the warmer months ahead. This tea was literally made for summer months with the bright flavors. Maybe one day I’ll try the tea hot, but for now. . .excuse me while I add more water to my glass to enjoy more tea!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green/Black
Where to Buy: The Goat Tea
Description
Encounter this delicious blend of green and black teas, capturing the tastes of rhubarb, raspberry and honey. Great hot or cold!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
An Afternoon in Paris from Fauchon. . . . . .
This is one of the teas my sister brought back from Paris when she stopped there on her honeymoon. If I am being honest, I would have never picked it for myself because I see citrus and think to myself “meh”. Luckily I wasn’t choosing because I would have missed out.
This is a smooth tea. The vanilla is a lot more prominent than I anticipated and has a creamy vanilla bean quality to it. The base is maybe a little thicker than I would normally like but it helps add depth to the vanilla. The citrus is bright but not strong. It has an orange zest quality at the tail end of the sip that is just bordering on pithy but without the bitterness.
I am not convinced this captures an afternoon in Paris, though it’s been almost two years since I’ve been, but it is a pretty solid cup of tea.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Fauchon
Description
A fruity tea with zesty citrus fruit and sensual vanilla flavours.
