What is a crostata? Apparently, it is a type of tart or pie, or it might even include a crumble-like dessert. Either way, imagine buttery crust, sugar and spice, and plenty of fruit. This tea blend looks to capture the the essence of a peach crostata, with sweet stone fruit and warm pastry.
The tea leaves are yunnan black tea, but they were so tightly rolled I almost mistook them for oolong leaves. Brewing this blend, the tea is dark and rich and brews up quickly. Both the dry leaves and the hot tea are very fragrant with natural peach flavor.
When taking my first sip, my nose is full of fruity peach, but the brew is much more robust. The taste of the tea has more roasty, caramel notes than it does fruit, and its boldness overshadows the peach. The tea is smooth at first, finishing with a tart, mineral dryness in the aftertaste. It’s possible the boldness of the tea has to do with my brewing techniques, so I would brew this a little cooler and shorter next time. I found that adding milk helped make the brew more gentle, which brought out the best of the peach notes.
Even if this wasn’t my favorite tea lately, I’ve had other blend from a Quarter to Tea that I absolutely loved, like their Carrot Cake or Peeps Krispies genmai cha teas. Give any of their flavors a try for a quality brew.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: A Quarter to Tea
Description:
A take on a late medieval version of a peach crostata, with warming spices and a rich peach flavor.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Apple & Fig Crumble Tea from Tea Blendz
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Tea Blendz
Tea Description:
This tea is no longer available for purchase on their site.
Learn more about this company here.
Taster’s Review:
Apple & Fig Crumble Tea from Tea Blendz is no longer available for purchase on their site but I thought it was still worth a mention especially this time of year! Apples and Figs and Crumbles…oh my! I hope I am able to sample more teas from this company because they have some really interesting flavor combos and flavor names. Here at Sororitea Sisters we drink a LOT of tea and it’s always nice to come across a name and/or flavor combo we haven’t tried before. If you are from a company that has some interesting, different, or just plain crazy ones let us know!
As for this Apple & Fig Crumble Tea from Tea Blendz it’s pretty darn tasty! In the dry loose leaf itself I can SEE the black tea leaves, the dried apples, the dried figs, and perhaps some stray cinnamon and/or cacao nibs but I could be wrong. As I continued to taste the tea I can taste a bit of cinnamon so I’m thinking my assumption is correct there! The apple, fig, crumble, and spice ratios could not be more perfect! This Apple & Fig Crumble Tea from Tea Blendz is very well done!
Honeybush Haze from Amoda Tea
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush & Rooibos
Where to Buy: Amoda Tea
Tisane Description:
Apple Crumble with a hazelnut topping anyone? That’s definitely what this tea smells like. Green honeybush is the main ingredient and brings strong aromatics and a sweet apricot flavour to this blend. Combined with the dried apple this tea offers a lingering sweetness. And yes… there’s raisins in your tea.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
Not too long ago, Steepster decided to put it’s “Steepster Select” program on hiatus. For those of you who do not remember, the Steepster Select program was a monthly subscription, and once a month, subscribers would receive a box of three different teas, all three teas pertaining to a particular theme, like “Around the Clock” or “Migration”. I loved this program because not only was it about TEA but it also enabled me to try some new teas from companies I might not have tried before. Plus, it was a lot of fun to see what theme would be explored and which teas were selected for that theme. Sure, I tried several of the teas that they had sent over the course of the program (I think it lasted for about a year!) but, for the most part, I was able to try quite a few teas that I might not have otherwise tried … or even heard of!
Well, Steepster ended it’s program in August of this year, and I was sad. I wanted another program like this one! Recently, I heard about Amoda Tea, a brand new company that focuses on monthly subscriptions – very similar to what we were getting from Steepster Select! The prices are comparable too!
The one difference: Amoda is in Canada, so I was unable to get the first box as it was limited to Canadian subscribers only. But, for the second box – November’s Box! – subscriptions opened up to the United States. Yay!
The theme of the first box is “The Last Days of Autumn” and this Honeybush Haze is the first tea that I’m sampling from the box. This tisane is blend that was created by a Tea Sommelier and chosen for Amoda Tea based upon the personalities at Amoda Tea! That is exciting in itself, because it’s a chance to try a new tea from a new company.
And this is really, REALLY good. First of all, it smells amazing. It smells like freshly baked apple crumble – piping hot, right out of the oven. And that’s what it tastes like too!
The tisane base is green Honeybush blended with green rooibos. This brings a fruitier flavor with only hints of nutty tones to the cup, which allows for the hazelnut flavor to really shine through and not be masked by the nutty tones of the herbs. The fruitier tones of the herbs also enhances the apple-y flavor really nicely. The raisin notes are off in the background, but, it does add a nice sweetness to the cup.
Overall, this is very much like a fresh apple crumble in a teacup! All that’s missing is a scoop of vanilla ice cream! I’d say that this monthly subscription program from Amoda is off to a GREAT start!
Apple Crumble from Shanti Tea
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: Shanti Tea
Tisane Description:
Leaf Aroma: Apples and honey
Infusion Aroma: Baked apples
Infusion Color: Amber
Base Flavor: Apples, vanilla
Infusion Strength: Medium
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
This tisane smells so good – like my gramma’s apple pie!
The taste is a bit more like the name of the tisane suggests: Apple Crumble. This tastes quite a bit like an apple cobbler or apple crumble. There’s even a creamy vanilla flavor to this cup to make it a bit like apple crumble a la mode. YUM!
The apple flavor is strong, sweet, and it tastes true to the fruit. It doesn’t taste like a fresh apple, instead, it tastes more like a caramelized baked apple with a sprinkling of cinnamon and brown sugar.
The honeybush is the perfect base for this tisane, because it has a natural nutty flavor and sweet, honey-esque tone which plays well to the pastry aspect of the crumble.
Overall, this is a delicious, dessert-y tisane. It is naturally caffeine free, so, it makes a great late-night snack when you’re craving something sweet but don’t want to eat something heavy and calorie-laden. This tastes indulgent without the guilt!
