Do you ever sit around thinking “I wish Earl Grey could be… more citrus-y”? Does that bergamot alone simply not suffice?
If you do, BOY OH BOY do I have a treat for you. It’s the zestiest citrus blend around, featuring lemon, lime, sweet orange, bitter orange, grapefruit, bergamot and mandarin.
… Grapefruit?
They were just screwing around when they threw grapefruit in there.
They were like “bro, we only have 6 citrus fruits. But we all know 7 is the coolest number. Look how great it looks. It’s edgy. What else can we throw in there?”
And then the intern at the back of ye olde conference table said “I think grapefruit is technically a citrus.”
And they looked it up, and lo, it was. 7. Done.
I’ve been doing this thing where I’ve been trying to quit soda (hahaha, please help me, I am in hell), and this hits that spot that Diet Coke With Lime was hitting. I am dying to try this iced. I think it’s going to be bangin’. But even hot, it’s really good.
Get on board. I know the English are supposed to be the “tea people,” but I’ve gotta say: these Parisians at Palais des Thés have not struck out yet.
Palais, je t’aime.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Palais des Thés
Description
A Russian blend with added extracts known as a Slavic specialty. This superb blend of black teas with lemon, lime, sweet orange, bitter orange, grapefruit, bergamot and mandarin, was created by Palais des Thés during its earliest years.
Since then, the 7-citrus cocktail has been added to different base teas.
Different from the tea that grows in Georgia, Russian blends have been enjoyed in Russia since the 17th century. Although they were originally blends of black Chinese teas, they became more diverse in the late 19th century when the Russian court was introduced to Indian teas, most notably Darjeeling. Since then, the term “Russian blends” has been adopted to refer to any blend of Darjeeling and Chinese black teas, with or without natural citrus extracts added.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Let’s Kick It Up A Notch! Ginger Chili Tisane from Arbor Teas
I don’t know what’s going on with my tastebuds lately but the spicier the tea, the better it tastes to me. I used to pass over ginger teas all the time because I just wasn’t a fan. Now, I’m searching high and low for ginger and even black pepper tea blends. Just can’t get enough of them.
Which is why Ginger Chili Tisane really fit what my taste buds were craving. Plus the fact that this blend has green rooibos in it, just makes this tea that more inviting.
Ginger Chili Tisane is a mix of green rooibos, ginger, lemon peel, rosemary, cloves, and chili flakes. So interesting and unique and as a side note, a blend that is organic. I’m so happy this blend has green rooibos as its base instead of red rooibos. Red rooibos is really the only tea that I just have trouble trying or enjoying. But green rooibos and I are the best of buds!
I brewed up this tea with water prepped at 212F and allowed to steep for 5 minutes. For my first experience with this tea, I wanted to stay on the side of safe. The instructions actually call for a 5-7 minute steep. I think next time I enjoy this tea, I’ll go with the full blow 7 minutes or even a cold brew!
The first experience of this tea is one of wonderment. The green rooibos provides and lays down a heavy rich honey flavor that is quite smooth. The ginger and chili add in that spice that isn’t overwhelming by any means. I actually wish the ginger and chili were a bit stronger which is easily remedied by a stronger steep I’m thinking. The cloves bring in that familiar chai feel while the rosemary contrasts the sweet honey by a touch of a savory note. I’m left with the feeling that if I would have added in another scoop or even allowed the tea to steep a few more minutes, if that lingering spice that is described on the website wouldn’t have been more noticeable.
All in all, just delicious. Sweet and spicy for sure but more on the milder spice. But again, the spice may increase with a longer steep. I would love to add in a touch of black pepper to this tea to see if those spices don’t kick it up to the level of craving even more!
For my first experience with Arbor Teas, I’m impressed. It seems (and I know I’ve said this before) that you find yourself in a rut, drinking the same kind of tea again, and again. Ginger Chili Tisane definitely brings in flavors to shake up your tastebuds!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Arbor Teas
Description
We are extremely excited to offer this *hot* new organic herbal tea. Naturally caffeine-free, this loose leaf tisane packs a punch! With an herbaceous nose of rosemary, citrus, and ginger, its aroma reminds of a fragrant cocktail. But, once it is consumed you’ll be surprised by the warming and lingering heat! The liquor starts off mellow and sweet and then WHAM — the chili sets in to become the predominant flavor and you are not drinking a simple herbal tea, but along for a spicy, hot thrilling ride! Add a little honey to create a sweet and spicy organic tea concoction.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Strawberry Spritz Iced Tea From Teabox
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Teabox
Tea Description:
Strawberries – sweet and luscious – are the perfect summer treat and this tea blend is just as so.
Yielding a gorgeous brownish-red color liquor, this tea is complex, charming and subtle. Sweet aroma of fresh strawberries and mint makes the brew inviting. The mellow, silky-bodied liquor promises to render your palate with tangy flavors of strawberry and orange that linger on for the long haul Marked by a long, fruity finish, this medium caffeine tea is suited for a soothing sip throughout the day.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Strawberry Spritz Iced Tea just sounds amazing, doesn’t? It brings to mind relaxing thoughts of reading a good book while enjoying a bright and sunny day. So relaxing. This blend is a lovely blend of black tea, strawberries, orange peel, mint, vanilla and cinnamon. Quite an array of bright and vibrant flavors.
Brewed up per the pouch instructions-190F for 5 minutes, I happily poured the brew into my mug. I think I may have overleafed just by the aromas I’m getting from the tea. Darn!
From what I’m getting, this tea has amazing promise and may deserve a cold brew session. There are strong sweet strawberry and orange notes in each sip. The astringent factor of the black tea base seems to be a bit stronger (again, probably due to overleafing!) than I would have liked. The rest of the flavors are mellow and give a nice background for the other flavors to pop. I wish the mint or vanilla was a tad stronger to give the tea a bit more of a complex feel and flavor.
This tea is pretty good. Even with my overleaf issue. I wish the strawberry notes or orange notes were a bit stronger, but all in all, very decent. I truly believe this is a blend that needs to be enjoyed as a cold brew. Can’t say I would want a ton of this one but I’m very glad I was able to try the blend.
I didn’t realize Teabox offered flavored blends like this. I’m off to see what other fun blends they have to offer!
Lemon Cakes from The Forest Witch
Lemon Cakes Loose Tea a GoT (Game of Thrones) inspired tea for Sansa’s love for buttery lemon cakes. Being a huge fan of GoT, I had to try it out. Plus green teas are my favorite. So this was a win win!
I was extremely excited to share this tea with my family so the last together we had family dinner, I brewed up a huge pot of this tea. The tea smelled amazing. Rich smooth lemony goodness. But unfortunately, I oversteeped the tea. Shame on me for not setting a timer. So I took the tea leaves, put them into a stick infuser, grabbed a glass of ice and proceeded to make cold brew tea.
This tea was simply decadent! Rich lush creamy lemon notes with a underlying green tea hint here and there. I couldn’t believe how very close to a lemon cake this actually tasted like. There was even a sugary feel that gave way to an icing note completing the sip. It doesn’t really get better than a tall refreshing glass of tea that reminds you of an iced lemon cake. I’m over the moon about this tea! Even if this blend wasn’t GoT inspired, I would still absolutely adore it. Just a wonderful refreshing way to pick up anyone’s day. This tea just screams sunshine and happiness!
I’m hoping this tea is still around when GoT returns next year. Especially since this next season is supposed to come out during the summer. The perfect companion to enjoy one of my favorite shows!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: The Forest Witch
Description
Enjoy Sansa’s favourite dessert in this lovely cup of green tea, filled to the brim with buttery lemon cakes.
Green tea blended with lemon pieces, calendula and essence of buttery cake. Enjoy on tense afternoons when you don’t know who to trust, and are perhaps plotting revenge on your captors.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Lemon-Lime Meringue Kukicha Green Tea from 52Teas (plus an experiment!)
Our Sister’s Thoughts:
Lemon-Lime Meringue Kukicha Green Tea from 52Teas. Just thinking about this tea makes your mouth water. I loved the original blend from 52Teas and honestly still have some. So I thought it was time to revisit the re-blend that was created earlier in the year.
First impressions-this tea has crisp tangy citrus notes that are crying to be a shaken iced tea. So that is exactly what I did.
I actually experimented a bit with this blend and tried cold brewing the tea a different way. I have a Grosche Smart Tea Maker and I love it. (Actually I have two!) They work really well.
So, I threw a few scoops of this blend into the tea maker, added cold water, and a few ice cubes and let the tea do its thing. At home I have very little free fridge space with having 5 boys with ranging ages in the house. So if this works, this could be a great shortcut to making cold brew tea.
Allowed the tea to cold brew for a few moments and took my first sip. Of course the tea wasn’t 100% ready but I was curious what the flavor would be like.
At 10 minutes: Brew came across as a subtle limeade. What flavors I could note where soft and gentle.
At 30 minutes: Tea was coming around. Lime flavors were stronger and there was a hint of lemon. Green Tea notes are starting to become pronounced.
At 1 hour: Lemon-Lime Green Tea at its finest! Ice cold and refreshing! The lime notes are the most prominent with a lemon citrus tang following. I can’t really pick up the kukicha green tea like I could when the tea was brewed hot but I love the rich smoothness the base tea adds to the iced tea. Absolutely delicious and refreshing.
I did try this blend brewed hot and I didn’t like it as much as I did as a cold brew. This is the way this tea should be enjoyed!
All in all, I think this experiment was a great success. This is going to be a great way to make cold brew tea while I’m at work.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description:
I was very excited when this tea won the vote for this Retro Monday, mostly because it was my first opportunity to blend with Kukicha! And after this very positive experience, I think I’ll be working with it again in the future!
I don’t think I’ve ever eaten a lemon-lime meringue pie. My gramma used to make lemon meringue pies quite often, though and when I first smelled this tea, it brought me back to one of her delicious pies. The citrus is bright and I find that as I continue to sip, I pick up on more of the meringue flavors and even just a hint of buttery pastry.
The original description went like this:
This is a Kukicha green tea blended with lemon myrtle and natural flavors.
We’ve managed to capture the essence of a slice of lemon-lime meringue pie, with a light touch of pastry-like crust, lemon and lime and of course, the meringue. Those of you who have the opportunity to try this are going to be blown away by it. Don’t delay, it’s not going to last long.
This was one of my favorites from Frank’s teas and it’s especially awesome iced. I realize that it’s not quite iced tea weather just yet – depending upon where you are in the world – but you really should try some of this iced before your pouch is empty!
Taster size is approximately 1/2 ounce.
ingredients: kukicha green tea, dried lemon & lime segments, lemon grass*, lemon balm*, lemon myrtle*, lemon peel*, lime leaves, vanilla bean* and natural flavors*. *denotes organic
Learn more about this tea here.