Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Fusion Teas
Tea Description:
Transport yourself to warm, summer days with the next best thing to a slice of key lime pie. This is a pleasing and healthful black tea blend of lime leaves, lime juice, lime pieces, and sweet candied pineapple. Delicious hot or cold.
Ingredients:organic black tea, black tea, pineapple, natural flavors, lemon peel, lime leaves, stevia, lime juice, lime bits
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Normally when I have a tea with lime flavors in it I end up with an off putting after taste, but that is not the case with this tea from Fusion Teas. To be honest I had lowered expectations for this tea because of that.
Instead what we have is a bright cheery cup of cake like lime goodness. Yes I do realize it is Key Lime PIE blend but to me there is a creaminess I always associate with cake rather than pie but it does have a creamy pie flavor to it.
When you let it cool … oh the real party begins! The flavors just pop and I even detect a slight whipped cream flavor!
I feel that Fusion Teas has really done well with mastering a lime blend that does not leave that funny flavor lingering on my taste buds causing me to make the pucker ick face!
Another issue I often have with blends using stevia is that the sweetness is over done – again not in this blend! Fusion Teas also masterfully blended this so that the sweetening agent does not take over.
The added kick of pineapple may be the key to this wonderful tropical feel. It adds a delicate but not cloying sweetness that is so nice. It is truly refreshing! I will be taking what is left of my sample from my SororiTea Sister Anne, and doing a cold brew.
I plan to stock up on this for summer, while the cold winter months are incoming in my area, it is nice to have something fruity to remind us of the sweet summer sun.
That is what this tea is – sweet summer sunlight, in a cup.
Yum!
Orange and Bavarian Cream Matcha from Red Leaf Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Matcha
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
As childeren we all liked to experiment with flavors. Where do you think peanut and jelly sandwich came from? We think it’s time to try it again, but this time with Matcha flavors.
Pick any 2 flavors and we’ll make your custom Matcha for you.
Some samples:
Vanilla-Chocolate
Chocolate-Mint
Mango-Banana
For those that do not like the “grassy” taste of Sugar Destroyer Matcha, but would like to keep it’s great benefits, how about:
Mango-Sugar Destroyer
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I blended Orange with Bavarian Cream matcha and oh my goodness it is so delicious! Did you ever have orange cream soda, or orange and cream candies? Well that is what this is like! You can even make a soda drink out of it by adding some sparkling water if you want to!
I always prepare my matcha into a creamy latte with milk and sweet cream non dairy creamer but with some, like this one I do add some sparkling water to give it a bubbly burst.
I absolutely love my mixture and there are so many blends you can create on the Red Leaf Tea Site! Literally thousands of combinations and if you want to get really inventive you could even add a third flavor!
The Orange and Bavarian Cream blend harmoniously together. I had considered getting one of their two vanilla flavors instead of Bavarian Cream but I am glad I choose Bavarian Cream this time. Next time I may play with the Madagascar Vanilla or French Vanilla matcha instead.
Such a decedent treat any time of day and a real pick me up. I love how matcha gives me such a special energy boost without dropping me down low after.
All of Red Leaf Tea’s Matcha are naturally flavored. I look forward to playing around and mixing up a lot more blends!
Coconut Milky Oolong from The Tea Spot
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: The Tea Spot
Tea Description:
A decadent dessert tea, to be sipped & savored. Our Taiwanese Milky Oolong has a smooth yet fruity and creamy taste. It’s blended with shaved coconut to create a delicate and calming experience in aroma and flavor. If you love coconut milk sweets and sophisticated oolongs, this is your tea. Discover this guiltless dessert – simply extraordinary!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I am difficult to please when it comes to coconut flavored teas. For me, they are love em or hate em. I find all too often that coconut, no matter how natural, organic, or fresh it is, can be off putting. I do love coconut, don’t get me wrong, but something about how they mix into blends can make the tea taste, well, just strange.
I was apprehensive about trying yet another coconut tea, as I have been let down far too many times, even though I have found a few I adore. However, The Tea Spot has some really great teas, so I was hopeful.
First of all the aroma of this tea was excellent! Spot on and did not have the off putting aroma that usually accompanies an off putting coconut tea. So far so good!
To start with we have a really nice Taiwanese Oolong base. Its quite lovely. I did not get even the slightest hint of that off putting flavor I was dreading! Score! I happen to also agree with the description about this having a coconut milk flavor. To me, there is a distinction between the flavor of coconut meat versus milk. This tea is lighter on the coconut flavor and has a creamy milky texture to the mouthfeel. I find it refreshing. Now the only thing I may differ on here is it being considered a dessert tea. I could drink this at any time of day or evening and not think of it as a dessert type tea. Then again I have a ravenous sweet tooth so when I need something sweet it had better be oozing with a dessert flavor! This however should not detract from the quality, the flavor, or the value of this tea. It is quite wonderful.
Now believe it or not, I found a Mounds mini size bar in my daughter’s Halloween candy stash, ate it with this tea, Oh YES, that is my kind of food and tea paring!
Be sure to enter The Tea Spots Free Tea for a Year Contest! Info on their facebook page here or go directly to the contest entry form here.
Toffee Apple from The Rabbit Hole Organic Tea Bar
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: The Rabbit Hole Organic Tea Bar
Tea Description:
Transport yourself back to the days when an apple on a stick, smothered in toffee was nothing to be ashamed of. Here’s a tea to remind you of times when visits to the Dentist weren’t so expensive.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I was excited to try this tea because I have heard of The Rabbit Hole Tea Bar before. I am expecting some teas from them from a trade partner in Australia! When I saw this in a box my Sororitea Sister Anne sent me I squealed!
The oolong flavor is mellow, creamy, and nutty. It is a light oolong. The toffee flavor is excellent! The apple is well done and there is absolutely not trace of a chemical flavor in this cup. Everything tastes perfectly natural and organic. The three flavors meld perfectly into a refreshing, creamy, lightly sweet, fruity cup.
The longer the tea cools the more pronounced the flavors become – a perfect tea for icing or cold brewing!
I have to say – being this is my first experience with teas from The Rabbit Hole Organic Tea Bar, I am impressed! Now I am even more so looking forward to my trade with my Australian Steepster friend! And I mean, come on, what a cool name for a tea bar!
I love it when a tea blender can not only get an amazing tea organically, but when the tea base itself is allowed to shine, yet the flavors are still very present and the tea taste like its name sake! This is a totally winning blend.
Monte Branco PF1 from Upton Tea Imports
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Upton Tea Imports
Tea Description:
This versatile tea from Mozambique is a fantastic value for a smooth and flavorful everyday tea, and can be enjoyed both hot and iced. Flavor notes of vanilla, rose and nutmeg enhance the experience.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I ordered this tea on the fly. I was making an order for a trade partner but tossed in a few samples for myself from Upton just for something new. I do love that you can grab samplers of every tea Upton Tea Imports carries for a buck or two, sometimes more, depending on the tea of course. Its a great company with a ton of excellent teas to sample.
I will admit I am not a big fan of their website. Its a little cumbersome and clunky but I manage to work it out when I want to make an order. Their physical catalogue is a sight to behold and has an honorary place in my magazine basket.
When I opened this tea and poured some leaf into my hand I was taken aback. It looked like coffee grounds, or fannings from a snipped open tea bag from the grocery store. I was confused for a moment and very skeptical that this tea would produce anything I wanted to sip. Regardless I steeped it up.
Pleasantly, I was surprised. There is a nice light malty base, with a sweet fruity flavor. It is lightly floral as well but you really have to pay attention to pick up that note, except there is this interesting after taste of fresh spring water that rose petals have been resting on. It is a cleansing quality of this tea that I highly appreciate! The rose essence in the spring water flavor is so subtle, actually the spring water flavor is more prominent than the rose.
There is a slight astringency typical of a black tea, but not to be confused with bitterness.
As the cup cools the vanilla note is more obvious and a creaminess to the mouthfeel comes out.
I just want to say this is not what I expected from these tiny tea particles! Granted its not difficult to rise to one’s expectations when those expectations are set so low, but this tea really has pulled through and made me step back and appreciate it.
I could see this becoming a morning staple. Granted maybe not my very first choice but absolutely one of those dependable, good quality morning teas for when I don’t want to try something new, and just need a tea that I know is going to satisfy! I always like to have several of those on hand!
I also think this tea would be absolutely perfect as an iced tea served to friends and family. It has enough depth and boldness to hold up to ice, and it also sports a lovely deep color.