This tea comes with a delightful “HELLO!” on the packaging. A tall thin envelope complete with a greeting from the tea itself: “Hello, I am the most delicious and energizing Green Tea Mango iced tea you will ever taste!” Well tea, if you are excited, I guess I am too!
The conversation doesn’t stop there though. This tea goes on to say “People say I am *Smooth *Sweet * Tropical. I contain caffeine. I am made of Chinese grown sencha, mango flavor and sunflower blossoms”. So that was pretty informative.
I opened the package and to my surprise, this was one large tea bag made for pitcher brewing. But how do I steep this pitcher of tea? Well, the tea had an answer to that question right on the package: “Cold Steep (Simple & Smooth) – Toss me in a quart of water and refrigerate for about 4 – 6 hours. or Hot Steep (Quick & bright) – Steep me in half a quart of hot water (170F for 3 – 4 minutes). Then add another half a quart of ice cubes.” Well thanks again, tea…you are so helpful! I went with the cold steep method and as soon as the water hit the teabag, the scent of mango filled the air. I left this for 5 and a half hours for no other reason than I forgot about it.
Sipping on it now, I will say the tea might actually live up to its promise of being the “most delicious Green Tea Mango iced tea”. This tastes just like 7D Dried Mangoes. Super sweet and deliciously fruity. The green tea base, as promised, is smooth and thus hangs out in the background, contributing the slightest bit of grassiness. It really is quite good and I doubt I will have any problems finishing off the pitcher.
So this was certainly a great introduction to Story of My Tea. The packaging was a lot of fun and the pitcher sized teabag is so simple to brew. Plus, the company delivers on flavor as well! What else can a girl ask for?
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Story of My Tea
Description
The sencha base in this tea, creates a refreshing, sweet and smooth iced tea. The aroma of fresh mangos rises from the steeped tea. It brings out tropical vibes and beach days. This tea is incredible iced and amazing hot.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Moroccan Mint Teabags from Simpson and Vail. . .
Simpson and Vail is one of those hidden gems on the internet when it comes to tea. One of my favorite tea companies online, Simpson and Vail offer amazing customer service, a fabulous line of teas, and the satisfying thought that you are supporting a mom and pop family tea shop.
What Simpson and Vail do best is offer their customers a vast array of teas and their new line of iced tea bags is no exception. Being a huge fan of mint teas, their new Moroccan Mint Iced Tea bag had my name written all over it.
Cold brewed over night, this iced tea was absolute perfection. Fresh minty goodness combined with that familiar crisp green tea flavor greeted my taste buds. And not just any mint, but spearmint. I eagerly gulped this iced tea down today.
You really can’t go wrong with a mint green tea, at least for this green tea loving gal you can’t. And add in the added convenience factor of this tea being ready to go in a convenient iced tea bag that I can add into my pitcher at night, fill with water, and in the morning I am greeted with this amazing iced green tea to keep me going through out my day. . . I am just sold and in love!
Moroccan Mint Iced Tea is just one of the new flavors Simpson and Vail has added to their awesome lineup. I’m excited to check out more of these great iced teas flavors. I wish there was a variety pack of all the different iced tea flavors but I’ll just have to try them one at a time. . .
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Simpson and Vail
Description
Transport yourself to a land of desert sands, caravans and palm tree filled oasis, with this delicious blend of organic spearmint and organic green tea. Traditionally, Moroccan Mint tea is served sweetened with sugar, although you can always substitute honey, agave, syrup or whatever sweetener you prefer. This tea brews to a golden cup with a smooth mint flavor.
Ingredients: Organic green tea and organic spearmint.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Black Cherry Berry from Celestial Seasonings. . . . .
I’ll admit it, tea-ple– I can be a bit of a tea snob. I’ll pretty much try anything once, but give me a weak English Breakfast or a watery-looking bagged tea, and I’m probably going to politely chuck it in the nearest flower-pot while no one’s looking, all the while dreaming of my cabinet of tea delights at home.
It’s gone so far that when my lovely fiancé offers to take me out for a cup of tea at our local chain coffee joint, I am purely going because he is sweet and wonderful, and usually wondering if there’s a way I could just bring *my* tea and have them hand me a cuppa hot water to brew for myself rather than choose from some ‘meh’ bagged options. I AM HORRIBLE, I KNOW.
But let’s get to the point: when I saw this sample bag of Celestial Seasoning’s black cherry herbal, I was… skeptical. Bagged tea? And not even bagged loose-leaf, bagged… tea shavings? But every-committed to my reviewing duties, I thought, hey! This sounds like it’d make a tasty iced tea, and into my big ol’ cold brew pitcher they went.
They almost immediately turned the water a lovely, saturated pink (hello, hibiscus!), and after a chill 12 hours in the fridge, it was ready to sip! While I’m impressed with the ingredients in this blend (rosehips, roasted chicory, blackberry leaves, and of course: hibiscus, first and foremost), there’s that “natural cherry flavor” that I wish would’ve come from cherries itself. And while it’s a tasty, fruity, obviously-berry brew, I can’t say that I’d have immediately recognized the flavor as “cherry” so much as “general berry-ish” without the cue from the name. Does it make a delicious iced tea? Yup. Is it even yummier with a splash of lemonade or plain seltzer? Heck yes. Am I going to become a bagged tea convert and spurn my beloved loose leaf anytime soon? Probably not. But let me be the first to admit my snobbish ways would’ve made me miss out on a yummy summer treat if I hadn’t given this one a try– I’m glad I did!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Celestial Seasonings
Description
Reminiscent of nostalgic fruit punch, this tea combines a burst of cherry and berry flavors with tart, ruby-red hibiscus and other herbs. Delicious hot or iced.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
White Peach Iced Tea from Story of My Tea. . . .
Story of My Tea has been one company that has peaked my interest several times. Between their social campaigns and reading the thoughts of fellow tea bloggers, Story of My Tea appears to be one that we should take note of.
Especially with their new iced tea offerings.
I’m one of those tea drinkers who is extremely picky about their peach tea flavorings. It seems that artificial peach flavors are a dime a dozen, but teas that have that fresh crisp peach tea are ones that you have to search for. So to say I was skeptical of Story of My Tea’s White Peach Iced Tea is a fair statement.
Since there are a few of us at the office who adore iced tea, I thought I’d share and brew up a pitcher for all to enjoy. Story of My Tea’s White Peach Iced Tea is already in a convenient tea bag that is perfect for just throwing in a pitcher, fill the pitcher with cold water, and you are all set. Refrigerate for a few hours and you are greeted with iced tea.
I poured a few glasses full and delivered the tea to my co-workers. The feedback I received was pretty unanimous. This was the best peach tea that had ever had. Smooth, sweet, with a delicious peach undertone that was fresh and perfect for the upcoming summer months. I took my first sip and I have to agree with them.
This iced tea is one of the better ones I’ve had. Overall, the flavors were crisp, fresh, and full of peachy goodness. Lush, silky, juicy peach notes swirl and mingle in every sip. White Peach Iced Tea is one that demands attention in a very subtle way. And since this tea is packed in an iced tea bag that you can keep adding in fresh cold water to keep the brew going all day.
If you are looking for a great tea to share, I highly recommend this one. It is a crowd pleaser for sure! In just a few days, the Kickstarter Campaign for this iced tea and the rest of the iced tea collection will be going live. I have a feeling I’ll be supporting this one!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Story of My Tea
Description
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All natural specialty iced teas.
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Picked to taste great when cold brewed.
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Pre-packed into filter pouches using a special algorithm to deliver a spot on flavor.
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Makes 1 quart of cold steeped iced tea.
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No Equipment or hot water necessary.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Fairy Dust from Tealish. . . . .
I really love this tea. It is one of my favorite rooibos offerings and I was heartbroken when I ran out, especially because I accidentally forgot to boil the water and wasted the remainder of the leaf by steeping it in cold water. Granted this tea is sold by a Toronto company with a website and a storefront so I had access but I never made it to the store and didn’t have interest in enough teas to hit free shipping. I lucked out though because I came across the Tealish booth at the One of a Kind show which meant I got to replenish my stash of this blend.
At the booth, I noticed this was being marketed as an iced tea. I have only had it as a hot tea, which has a crisp strawberry flavored that is tamed by smooth kiwi flavor. The green rooibos is so mellow that the fruity flavors just shine. It is a great caffeine free option for all seasons when hot but if Tealish recommends icing it, who am I to say no? Plus, it is a summery tea that I imagine would be nice for icing when the weather heats up.
Drinking it now, I would say the iced cup is still refreshing and fruity, but I think I still prefer this tea hot. The flavors are flatter iced, with the strawberry not being as sharp and the kiwi fading into the background. The base is more present which isn’t necessarily bad but the true stars here are the fruit flavors and the overpowering presence of the base is dampening their fruity contribution.
Ultimately I still love this tea and I might ice it if I really want something to cool down with in the summertime but at the end of the day, this excels as a hot cup and I will probably continue to prep it that way in the future.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Tealish
Description
Drink this tea and you’ll feel like you’ve just been sprinkled with fairy dust, it’s so good. With notes of strawberry and kiwi, this blend of green rooibos, apple, strawberry, kiwi, orange blossoms, elderflower, and mistletoe, is our favourite way to escape to never never land once (or twice) a day.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!