If your discerning palette is in search of organic teas, I’ve got a new company for you to consider: Cozy Leaf! They focus on organic ingredients, and have a bunch of teas, including one for lactating mothers, and two specifically for pregnant women: baby blessings and pregnancy.
I have neither had children nor, accordingly, lactated, so today we’re sticking with my favorite: a nice black chai!
This is a yummy, deep mix. It has malty assam instead of the funky darjeeling that’s typically found in chai, which makes it richer and mellower. The cloves and other spices participate in giving it that chill vibe.
This tea is like a good pair of thick wool socks on a lazy Sunday. Maybe you’ll walk outside through crispy fallen leaves with your dog, sipping tea from an insulated travel mug. Maybe you’ll sit on your deck with a blanket, peacefully reading some light fiction. You’ll rent a movie and nuzzle with a buddy, laughing at all the perfectly-timed jokes. You will own a wind chime and it will only tinkle peacefully when you feel like hearing it.
Ahhhh. A chill chai. Throw it in your travel mug today — if you absolutely must leave the couch.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Cozy Leaf Tea
Description
Full-bodied black tea chai made with real chai spices of rich cinnamon, cardamon, ginger, and sweet anise and clove for a healthy and delicious treat.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Cozy Comfort from Simpson & Vail. . . . .
Cozy Comfort? Yes, please! Whether you are looking for COZY COMFORT because it’s chilly outside or stressful in daily life I think you find something comforting in this tea! It’s called Cozy Comfort from Simpson & Vail.
Black teas, organic cinnamon pieces, orange blossoms, and Black Walnut flavor makes up this flavored black tea. The loose leaf ingredients are hefty and very visible. The aroma and taste on the tongue are very satisfying, too!
The black walnut flavor was totally in check. Prominent but not overdone. The cinnamon was the perfect accomplice. The orange blossoms give it a citrus slide of flavor, too! The black tea base is a nice solid black tea in every way.
I can’t find anything wrong with this tea – nor would I change anything about it.
It lives up to its name…cozy comfort! It gives you the warm and fuzzies while still providing a nutty bitter-sweet and citrus zing to your tongue! Certainly a flavored black tea I would revisit often! Two thumbs up!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Simpson & Vail
Description
This tea blend has been difficult for all of us to name. The fact is, the flavor is called American Black Walnut. But that doesn’t seem like the name of a tea that people might try. We sampled it in our store. Everyone who tried it instantly loved it and wanted to purchase it. When I told them it was Black Walnut they looked puzzled. So we asked people to name it and no one could accurately sum up the flavor profile. Until Pam tried it.
Pam works in the office & store here at Simpson & Vail. Perhaps you’ve spoken to her on the phone. She perfectly summed up the essence of this blend. “It is delicious! It’s like a “throw-back” tea….brings up thoughts of snuggling in a cozy comforter by a fireplace, or being a little kid snuggled in a comforter sitting on your Grammie’s lap, wrapped in the comforter and her hugs. It’s like watching cookies bake in the oven and drifting off to peaceful places on the aroma wafting from the oven. I would call it “cozy comfort tea”… It brings you to that safe, childhood place where you think all is right with the world… I love this tea! Hope you all can find a name for it!”
We did Pam. We called it Cozy Comfort Tea because you’re right; it’s all those things you mentioned … and more!
Ingredients: black teas, organic cinnamon pieces, orange blossoms and Black Walnut flavor.
Brew tea at 212º – steep for 3 minutes.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Waterfall Mist Honeybush Tea from Plum Deluxe
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
Tea Description:
A blend for refreshing body, mind, and soul. All Organic: Honeybush Tea, Orange Peel, and Peppermint. No Caffeine.
Learn more about tea’s available from Plum Deluxe here.
Learn more about Plum Deluxe’s monthly tea club here.
Taster’s Review:
Waterfall Mist Honeybush Tea is a lovely simple blend of honeybush, orange peels and peppermint. Plum Deluxe knows how to create the most wonderful flavors out of a simple concoction. Sometimes the most simple blends are the ones we hold dearest to our hearts.
So let’s chat about the tea! Waterfall Mist Honeybush brewed up with water at 212F and allowed to steep for 5 minutes is soul soothing and as comforting as tea gets. I added in a few fresh slices of lemon to complete the tea.
First notes you really pick up on are the rich lush silky honeybush, followed by an orange sweetness, and to finish each sip, the peppermint provides a touch of that familiar minty flavor. With the lemon wedges in the brew, the citrus notes are even more amplified.
All in all, this tea is exactly what I was needing today. Simple, sweet, and cozy. Doesn’t get much better than that!
Tulsi Orange Cranberry Ginger Organic Tea from Simpson and Vail
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Simpson & Vail
Tea Description:
This Tulsi tea blend is caffeine-free and combines herbs that have vitamins and anti-oxidants. This organic herbal blend of Tulsi, orange peel, hibiscus, rosehips and ginger root brews to a reddish amber cup with a mellow minty, fruity taste and light, sweet ginger notes. A well rounded brew that’s great for afternoon or evening enjoyment.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I have been on a herbal kick as of late and loving it. Herbals are something that I think you either love or hate depending on the ingredients. I know chamomile and hibiscus blends are sometimes referred to as vile, but I love them. About the only tea I don’t care for is red rooibos blends, but beyond that I’ll try anything.
Work has been nuts lately and I wanted something to be refreshing yet soothing so I grabbed my sample of this Tulsi blend from Simpson & Vail. I was crazy impressed with their Cozy Comfort blend that I tried the other day (tasted like monkey bread!) I had high expectations but once I took in the fragrance from the dry leaf mix, I had my hesitations. The ginger smelled like it was going to be strong.
Brewed this up in my Sei Sei Tumbler and allowed it to steep for about 5 minutes in boiling water. Poured the brew into my cuppa and sat down to go over what I needed to to for the day. As I took my first sip, I literally thought, nope, I will not be reviewing what I need to do today. I am going to sit right here with my feet propped up on my desk and enjoy my tea. And that is exactly what I did!
This tea hit the spot in so many ways. I wanted a soothing blend that touched the soul, so to speak. Once that would refresh and calm me but also be vibrant enough to deliver that kick I would need to keep going. This tea did all of that. No, I’m not going to say it will cure what will ail you, but in that moment of time, this tea delivered everything I needed.
What I loved the most was the citrus flavor that had a tart twist at the end of the sip with the ginger floating in and out. The ginger wasn’t overwhelming like I was worried about and actually became the flavor I was seeking each sip I took. Which is very surprising to me. I am not a huge ginger fan. This tea had such a cozy charming feel to it with the tart and sweet contrast that I found myself wanting more of this tea right after the cuppa was gone. I ended up drinking this tea for the remainder of the day, letting the flavors really give me that cozy feeling I was wanting with that kick I desperately needed.
Tea #2 that I have tried from Simpson & Vail and another tea I am adoring!