Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Handmade Tea
Tea Description:
Handmade Tea is a once a month tea subscription company. Each month you receive a high quality tea that is unique and fantastic!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Bananas Foster is a dessert that I just can’t pass up. I love bananas and when you add in caramel and other goodies. . .I’m in! And when tea blends are created with this idea in mind to make a Bananas Foster tea, I just get giddy.
This tea is an oolong based tea with banana slices, butterscotch chips and cinnamon, along with a few other spices. The tea smells amazing and I couldn’t wait to dive into the tea and check it out. I eagerly steeped up the tea. I couldn’t wait to try this. I’m always on the look out for an amazing banana tea.
Brewed with water at about 190 degrees and allowed the tea to steep for about 4 minutes. Once the tea was poured into my cup, I allowed the tea to cool off for a few before trying it. First sip in, I was very pleased by the flavors I was getting. Now I will say, I still haven’t experienced any banana flavor in this tea. I can see the banana chips in the blend but I just am not picking up those notes. What I do get is this amazing silky smooth vegetal flavor with a caramel sweetness that just makes you smile. Every now again I pick up a honey note and butterscotch flavors. I wish I picked up more of that butterscotch and obviously the banana but having an oolong that is sweet and vegetal all in the same, that works for me! The tea is still delicious and I will have no problem finishing it. I had recently cancelled my subscription to Handmade Tea just because of the amount of tea I currently have, but I have to say, I don’t think I can quit them! I can’t miss any of these fun flavors!
Snowflake Kenyan Earth from Williamson Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Williamson Tea
Tea Description:
Our take on the classic English Breakfast. Kenyan Earth is named after the coppery red soils that symbolize Kenya and this bright, brisk cup of tea. Grown on the high altitude slopes of Kapchorua and picked in the early morning sunshine our Kenyan Earth is an awakening, full bodied liquor that stimulates the body and mind.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Before you read my review. You have to take a look at the tea tin this tea comes in. That tin is gorgeous! Makes me want to place several orders for the tins alone. Not sure what I would do with them but who cares, they are stunning 🙂
Ok, the tea geek out is over and we can move on to the tea itself. Ha!
Williamson Tea is a tea I’ve never tried before. I’ve see and heard other reviews and pictures of their tea before but I just haven’t ever ordered from them. I have a feeling that is soon to change.
This particular Snowflake Kenyan Earth tea that I tried was tea bagged form and I have to say, you could see some pretty huge tea leaves hanging out in each tea pyramid. The tea itself has a nice sweetened aroma which I found a little difference since this is supposed to be a breakfast tea. Typically those tend to be a bit more malty and astringent.
Brewed this up with water freshly boiled and allowed the tea to sit a tad too long, totally my bad, multi-tasking failed me! But after what I’m guessing was about a 7 minute steep, I took my first sip.
For being a tea that I oversteeped, you really couldn’t tell at all! This tea was delicious at all fronts. Malty and rich with a slightly earth flavor here and there. This is the kind of tea that kicks your taste buds into gear! So rich and indulging. The tea was on the point of asking for a touch of cream or milk to really drink it proper. Towards the end while it cooled and became astringent (drink this one up hot if you don’t like astringent teas), there seemed to be a need for sweetening but wow. What a lovely tea to really give me a change of pace from the flavored teas I have been drinking. I’m not sure where that sweetness was coming from when I first checked the tea out but I have to say, this cuppa was just fantastic.
This is the kind of tea you want to greet you first thing in the morning!
Orchid Oolong from Conundrum Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Conundrum Teas
Tea Description:
This semi-balled oolong was processed with medium oxidation it has a roasted chestnut and honey flavor with a refreshing mint finish. Balled Oolong’s are best enjoyed over multiple short infusions, as the ball unfurls throughout the steeps, different flavors are released along with the leaves. The brewed tea has an intense yellow color and it smells like a bamboo forest filled with orchids.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
So far every tea that I have tried from Conundrum has been simply amazing. Their teas are high quality and take you on an tea infused adventure with every sip. Recently I tried their Orchid Oolong and I have to say, the tea delivered on the flavors promised in the description!
Orchid Oolong is described as having a yellow color and a fragrance similar to a bamboo forest filled with orchids. I can’t say I know exactly what that smells like but it sounds amazing! The fragrance I was getting from this gorgeous dry leaf was one that I would compare to as being a roasted vegetal aroma with a twist of sweetness.
Brewed this up in my GROSCHE steeper (I just love that steeper!) and prepped my water at 190 degrees or so. I allowed the tea to steep for about 4 minutes before placing the steeper on my mug for the tea to be released. I loved watching the tea leaves uncurl and unfurl while dancing around in the water and steeping. Such a fun sight!
I allowed the tea to cool for a moment and took a huge sip. Oh my! This tea is just delicious. Gorgeous and romantic while being a bit mysterious as well. You have the lovely roasted tones as your backdrop for this tea while there is a sweetness towards the middle of the sip. Towards the end you almost get a buttery note that reminded me of a green tea and a simply to die for floral note. I could sit here and drink this all day and I think I will. This is just the first session with this tea. I can’t imagine what the flavor will transform into after a few more sittings.
Festive Garden from Palais des thes
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Palais des thes
Tea Description:
A delicious herbal tea of fruits and plants, Festive garden blends cocoa, orange, and grapes and tastes like a candy store at Christmas.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I have to say, steeping- this tea has a unique aroma coming from it. The description fits it perfectly. It smells like a candy store where there are a bunch of sweet treats all mixed together. Just from the dry leaf alone I can pick up what smells like bubble gum, cotton candy, and suckers with a grape and orange twist. Very unique indeed!
This is my first experience with Palais des thes. I’ve always wanted to try tea from them in the past but have never really come across it or think about the company when I’m looking for my next tea fix. I was excited to see this offering in my last set of teas to review.
This unique blend consists of 7 different fruits and plants and is just so much fun to look at. This is one of those teas that just put you in a happy mood while you are steeping it. I brewed this up with water prepped at boiling and allowed the herbal tea to brew for about 5 minutes. The tea was a lovely light pink or rose color. This tea just screamed for an afternoon tea time with proper biscuits and cookies. Or even to be served at a little girl’s tea party.
I allowed the tea to cool for a few moments and took a sip. What I am greeted with is a flavor that really reminded me of the aroma I was getting from the dry leaf. I swear this tea tastes like a bubblegum cotton candy mix with a slight hint of a chocolate undertone. A very unique herbal tea. That taste tho doesn’t seem like one that fits a hot tea very well so I tossed in a few iced cubes to see how this tea would play out as iced and also a lemon wedge.
The iced cubes seemed to really intensify the chocolate flavors. Those seem to be the first ones I’m now greeted with instead of the bubblegum cotton candy mix. That being said, the iced tea with lemon didn’t work out so well so I took the lemon wedge out and just enjoyed the unique cuppa I had. I wish this would be a great iced bubble gum cotton candy flavor like I was getting from the hot tea but that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Regardless, this is one unique cuppa tea that takes you on a tasting adventure for sure!
Equestea from Geeky Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Geeky Teas
Tea Description:
Black tea, apple pieces, natural caramel apple flavor and cinnamon bark.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Who doesn’t love My Little Pony. I mean c’mon! They even have bronies! I have loved My Little Pony forever. I remember playing with my ponies and doing their hair for hours straight as a kiddo. So when I saw that Geeky Teas had a fandom tea based off of My Little Pony- I said yes please!
This particular tea is a take on a caramel apple tea with cinnamon and a black tea base. Geeky Teas black tea base is very hit or miss with me and seems to be a bit more on the finicky side sometimes. But when it is good, it is good!
Brewed this up like a black tea with water prepped at 212F, allowed it to steep for about 3 minutes. The whole time the tea was steeping you could smell this wonderful aroma. Reminded me of a bakery. Sweet and almost nutty.
The waiting time was finally over and I took my first sip. Oh my goodness! This may be the best tea I’ve tried from Geeky Teas yet! This tea is amazing. I really wasn’t in the mood for a black tea but oh my goodness!! This tea really does taste like a caramel apple. The black tea provides a lush smooth silky like background while the apple brings a tartness, the cinnamon gives the tea a bit of a spiced feel, while the caramel apple flavoring gives you that sweet nutty flavor. Seriously good tea here! I’m in love!
I’ve said it before but if you haven’t checked out Geeky Teas, you need to!