Even though I am a huge tea drinker, I do love my coffee as well. I actually start each day with coffee. Being not a morning person, I’ve bumbled tea steepings one too many times and it seems like coffee is just an easier choice for me- plus coffee is just an alluring smell for thing in the morning.
Recently I tried a coffee tea blend where there was actual coffee in the tea blend itself (not coffee flavorings) and I fell in love with this unique blend. Around the same time, Rave Coffee reached out to the SororiTea Sisters to see if we would be interested in checking out their coffee and it was like it was meant to be. When the coffee arrived- I was floored. The coffee smelled amazing, fresh, and vibrant. Along with the coffee was this really lovely education pack. I’ve never seen such a cool education guide to help you learn and explore your coffee. There is so much info on how to brew your coffee, how to taste it, they even included a coffee tea tasting log. Very very cool and slick in style.
Before I started experimenting with the tea and coffee blend, I decided I wanted to try the coffee on its own and it was amazing. My particular palette I feel is more set up to tastes the unique properties of tea more than coffee but what I can say is that this tea was divine. Rich, smooth, without any bitterness and addicting! I found myself eagerly drinking cup after cup as regular coffee, lattes, cold brews, you name it- I tried it- and always with success. Just plain delicious and highly recommended.
When it was time to start brewing the coffee up with tea- I decided to go with an blend of Assam to get that right taste. I also added a few cocoa nibs just to give the coffee and tea a bit more flavor to play off of. Brewed up the tea with 212F prepped water for right around 2 minutes. The result- Delicious mix of the two worlds that I adore- coffee and tea. Each flavor is allowed its own time in the spotlight- you can literally tell the familiar notes of coffee with the familiar notes of tea. I was assuming there might be a mixing of flavors but there really isn’t. Which sounds a bit odd, but I’m actually enjoying this and my own little experiment tastes a lot like the coffee tea blend I had not too long ago. I’m excited to really explore this idea more with different coffee and tea blends.
I’ve had several different coffee subscriptions from a lot of different places but Rave is one I’m really excited to get going to really take a deeper dive into all things coffee and possibly even blend up a puerh coffee blend on my own. Rave Coffee has so much to learn on their website just in general but it will be fun to really take the time to enjoy their coffee like I do some of my favorite teas and to take the time to really learn about that cup of joe I enjoy so much in the mornings.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Where to Buy: Rave
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Bold Breakfast from Dunkin Donuts
I love getting donuts at Dunkin Donuts, I’d be hard-pressed to tell you a flavor of donut that I didn’t like. On occasion, I’ll get an iced coffee or an iced tea, but usually my focus is solely on the donuts. But this is a tea blog not a donut blog! This time, I tried Dunkin Donuts’ Bold Breakfast black tea at home.
Like the best tea companies, this sample came in a silk pyramid tea bag, and there were visibly whole leaves of tea in the bag- no crushed tea powder here. I brewed it following their instructions to use boiling water and steep for 3 minutes.
The resulting brew was dark and gently fragrant. It looked like tea, smelled like tea, and guess what? It was a completely serviceable breakfast tea. It had the traditional black tea tartness and crisp mouthfeel, with plenty of flavor and caffeine to wake you up. The flavor was a bit one-note though, missing the malt or complexity of other loose leaf breakfast blends, but its one flavor is perfectly capable on its own.
Like many breakfast teas out there, when brewed black, this tea could be a tad bitter. If served iced with slices of lemon and sugar, or served hot with milk or honey, it would easily turn this tea into a more refreshing or comforting brew.
Serve this tea in a teapot on a tray, and your guests won’t suspect your tea purveyor is Dunkin Donuts. Sweeten the tea tray with some donuts and it might just be the best way to serve this tea yet. Hmm, maybe I just need a frosted donut to dunk into my mug and then this brew will be perfect!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Dunkin Donuts
Description: A blend of full-leaf black tea for a full bodied flavor
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Chocolate Hustle from Wise Ape Tea Company. . . . . .
Chocolate Hustle from Wise Ape wants to be your replacement for coffee or that afternoon energy drink, or any high caffeine beverage that you reach for when the going gets tough. The yerba mate in this blend certainly gives you some much-needed energy to fuel your day-to-day hustle.
Beyond the yerba mate, this tea has chocolate flavors to indulge your sweet tooth. The cacao notes also help edge the tea into a more coffee-inspired robustness. There is also mint included for some crispness, a perfectly brisk accent to help make this brew feel more uplifting. The mint offers cooling and calming sensations to help you with mental clarity and focus.
The dry grass or earthy-hay flavors of the yerba mate are still very much present in the brew, so it may not taste exactly like a coffee replacement. This is probably a great caffeine-replacer for someone who already likes mate teas.
This tea is flavorful on its own or the perfect partner for a latte or even a butter-filled bulletproof brew. Don’t let low-energy get you down, listen to the Wise Ape and brew up a cup of Chocolate Hustle to keep you going.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Mate
Where to Buy: Wise Ape Tea Co.
Description: A powerful blend of roasted yerba mate tea with hints of chocolate and mint, combined with adaptogenic super-herbs to support your brain naturally. This unique elixir is designed to heighten your focus, energy, and clarity.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Get that Wild West feel with Wild Chicory Joe from The Tea Spot
When I think of chicory, I think of my favorite western TV shows and movies. Why? Well there wasn’t always a good supply of coffee out on the dusty trail, so chicory would be brewed as a substitute. Chicory and coffee have a long history together, with chicory stretching or replacing coffee when the latter is hard to come by, from Napoleonic France to the American Civil War. After these coffee-sparse times, some cultures developed a taste for chicory and still brew it alongside or with their coffee today.
I got a chance to try a cup of Wild Chicory Joe from the Tea Spot. I’m both a coffee fan and a tea lover, so I can appreciate both sides of this story.
Wild Chicory Joe brewed up super fast, as quick and dark as coffee. The brew was immediately full and fragrant, smelling like savory toasted grains or roasted nuts, over an undertone of more bitter, dirt-road earthiness. The first sip was a bit daunting: it’s not coffee, it’s not tea, and my taste buds were not sure what to expect. As I moved onto a second and third and fourth sip, the flavor grew on me. Beyond the roasted notes, there were flavors like caramel and malt, and a touch of true coffee on the aftertaste.
I could understand how chicory got its start as a coffee replacement. This brew is dark and bitter, but with a touch of the bright, citrus notes you find in a blond coffee roast. Unlike coffee, the chicory isn’t oily, instead it brews up with a smooth mouthfeel and a more herbal flavor.
Maybe I’m channeling my favorite westerns, but this cup is distinctly masculine, with nothing floral or astringent, just deep, bold, bitter – pow! All that said, the chicory does mellow out with some milk and sweetener so you can mix it like your favorite coffee or tea. And since the chicory is decaf, you can make a latte at any time of day or night.
If you’re looking to switch from coffee to chicory, this won’t be an easy transition, the chicory isn’t a perfect coffee replacement (not to mention, you’ll be craving the caffeine). But if you’re bored with your tea or need a break from your coffee, Wild Chicory Joe will be a fascinating cup to try. A cup of chicory might just be the perfect accessory to have on hand when watching your favorite western or reading your favorite wild west novel. Happy trails!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: The Tea Spot
Description:
Hold onto your hats, coffee lovers! This natural coffee replacement is so darn delicious, you won’t believe your taste buds. Our Wild Chicory Joe brews into a boldly deep herbal tea that masquerades as a strong-brewed cowboy coffee, without any acidity. The roasted chicory root creates a dark espresso base while the chocolate barley malt adds cocoa notes and the fennel adds a little sweetness. Drink it straight or as the bold caffeine-free base for a latte. You might even trick some coffee fanatics into enjoying this cup of herbal tea. Giddy-up and grab some Joe!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
I Dream of Macchiato Dream from Steeped Tea
I don’t discriminate when it comes to tea and coffee, I like them both, hot and iced, and I often find myself drinking one or the other depending on my mood. I was very intrigued to try a rooibos tea with real coffee beans mixed in the dry leaf. Visually, this blend is intriguing, with the fine red grains of rooibos mixed in with dark, roasted coffee beans and chunky cocoa shells.
The smell of this tea is amazing right from the start: there is the sharp, earthy, depth of roasted coffee beans, the sweet decadence of cocoa, and the bright vanilla nuttiness of the red rooibos. Without even brewing a cup, this tea smells like a mocha dessert or java ice cream.
Brewed hot, the cocoa and coffee take over, completely masking the rooibos. This can be a benefit– I’m not always in the mood for the particular taste of red rooibos, though its caffeine-free status is hard to beat. The brewed tea has a smooth mouthfeel, warming and coating my throat, and the sweet flavors almost trick my tongue into thinking we’re having dessert instead of tea.
Even with the coffee beans, there’s not as much caffeine in this blend as other black teas or full-on coffee, so there is more flexibility as to when you can indulge in Macchiato Dream. I’m not as ambitious as some SororiTea Sisters when it comes to building lattes, but I can already tell that this tea will be a winner when mixed with milk and sweetener.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Steeped Tea
Description:
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!