Pina Colada Honeybush from 52Teas. . . .

by Sophia

When I was a kid I had an obsession with pina coladas. As an adult, I still do. I actually have a funny story about them. I was at a restaurant with my parents and I was probably 6 years old. I ordered a pina colada. My parents used to always try it first, just in case the bartender put alcohol in it by accident. Well, that one particular time they didn’t taste it because we actually knew the owner of the restaurant and I guess they trusted that his bartenders were competent. Well, I was drinking my pina colada and I told my parents that it tasted yucky. Low and behold, there was alcohol in it! Go figure. As a 6 year old I was very freaked out and upset. Anyways, I got a new pina colada and all was forgiven!

Back to tea- I have never had a pina colada tea blend and was excited to try this one. I’ve said it before, but I really enjoy honeybush much more than rooibos. It is definitely a tea I gravitate towards when I am looking for caffeine free. Upon smelling the steeped liquid I could detect the honeybush and pineapple. I couldn’t really smell the coconut. Upon tasting this cup I could sort of detect pina colada flavor, but it was really light. I’m not sure if I would have screamed “pina colada” if you didn’t tell me the name of this tea. But when I think about it and try to detect it, I can.

Unfortunately, I did not get something that screamed creamy pina coladas from this blend. It was very light and I could mostly taste the honeybush. That said, it was still enjoyable. I think if someone is new to flavored teas and wants something light but yummy, this would be the tea for them!

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Honeybush
Where to Buy:  52Teas
Description

This tea is no longer available but below are the teas that are.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Sophia

Hi, my name is Sophia. I am a first time mother to a beautiful little girl who will be 1 in July 2017. I spend my days at home with her and when I get a minute to myself, I usually spend that time making, drinking, or researching tea! My love for loose leaf tea is relatively new. When I was pregnant with my daughter, my mother (a tea addict herself) brought me to DAVIDsTEA. I enjoyed a cup of their Coconut Cream Pie Oolong and was instantly hooked! Since then, my addiction has grown to fill entire cabinets, and shows no sign of stopping. I am the creator of the Facebook group CommuniTEA where we have one big tea discussion. It is a great group for those new to the tea-world. I feel strongly about spreading the joy of loose leaf tea. I like making instructional videos and helping those that are new to the art of tea-making so that they, too, can share in the happiness that tea brings. I am excited to see where this hobby takes me and I will continue to spread the joy!

This post was posted in 52Teas, Honeybush

Limoncello from The NecessiTeas. . . .

by Sophia

Lemon is not my favorite flavor. I find that it is very overpowering and oftentimes all lemon teas end up tasting the same because of it. But when I read the description on the package of this Limoncello green rooibos blend by The NecessiTEAs, I was instantly interested. Lemon meringue mingled with vanilla and brown sugar…I mean, that sounds really good! So I put my opinions of lemon flavored teas aside and decided to try it out!

The smell of the loose leaf was definite lemon cream. It actually smelled like it would taste really good. I steeped this for about 7 minutes and added a little agave even though it probably didn’t quite need it. The taste was pretty spot on in relation to the smell of the dry leaf. Very creamy, which was in part due to lemongrass which tends to lend a creamy flavor to teas. The lemon and vanilla/brown sugar flavors were definitely reminiscent of a lemon meringue pie. I think the green rooibos was in the background and did not lend the usual woody flavor to the tea, which I was thankful for.

Overall this was a really nice dessert blend. I enjoyed this one much more than lemon teas I have tried in the past. So, whether you are a fan of lemon or not, this would be a fabulous blend to try out. Especially if you enjoy lemon meringue pie! Next time I probably would have skipped the agave, because it over-sweetened the cup just a bit. So make sure you try a sip before adding a sweetener. This is definitely a perfect after-dinner tea to enjoy.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Green Rooibos
Where to Buy:  The NecessiTeas
Description

The Italian dessert drink has made its way into a tea. Imagine lemon meringue teasing your taste buds, while sweetly melting in your mouth with a blend of vanilla and brown sugars. The lemony brightness shines through with lemongrass and a sprinkling of golden marigold petals, all topping a green rooibos tea.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Sophia

Hi, my name is Sophia. I am a first time mother to a beautiful little girl who will be 1 in July 2017. I spend my days at home with her and when I get a minute to myself, I usually spend that time making, drinking, or researching tea! My love for loose leaf tea is relatively new. When I was pregnant with my daughter, my mother (a tea addict herself) brought me to DAVIDsTEA. I enjoyed a cup of their Coconut Cream Pie Oolong and was instantly hooked! Since then, my addiction has grown to fill entire cabinets, and shows no sign of stopping. I am the creator of the Facebook group CommuniTEA where we have one big tea discussion. It is a great group for those new to the tea-world. I feel strongly about spreading the joy of loose leaf tea. I like making instructional videos and helping those that are new to the art of tea-making so that they, too, can share in the happiness that tea brings. I am excited to see where this hobby takes me and I will continue to spread the joy!

This post was posted in Rooibos, The NecessiTeas

Jumpin’ Jelly Beans from The NecessiTeas. . . . .

by Mary

Picture this: it’s Easter. You’re eight years old. You see a big ol’ bowl of jellybeans sitting on the kitchen table, waiting for family members to arrive to celebrate and nosh on.

Now picture this: you’re uncomfortable in your Easter dress. You’ve been at church all day. Your kitchen smells delightful, but you have to wait until everyone comes before you can eat anything. You just want A FEW JELLYBEANS, dangit. So you fish out as many of the green beans as you can find, toss them in your Easter hat and sneak away to have a little pre-dinner aperitif.

And then everyone comes for dinner and no one even questions the lack of green jellybeans in the bowl. If there aren’t any at all, did they ever exist in the bowl in the first place? Mwahaha.

You guys– this tea is a perfect recreation of those sugar-filled springtime holiday memories of yore. I iced my sample of this one, because hello– and that was the right decision. It’s a sweet, fresh, fruity candy-Cherry flavor, and makes for a delightful chilled treat anytime of the day, given its lack of caffeine. I could see this one being a great tea for little ones to sip on, as well. This one reads more like a treat tea than an everyday tea for me, but it was especially delightful and spot-on to the flavors noted. And would probably be a great sipping companion to an Easter-hat filled with green jellybeans. Not like I would know.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Green Rooibos
Where to Buy:  The NecessiTeas
Description

This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Mary

Hi there! I'm Mary, a 27-year-old mental health professional living with my fiancé and our quirky kitten in the Midwest! I've loved tea for as long as I can remember-- in fact, I have vivid memory of being four or five in a tea shop and being mesmerized by all the tea flavors and proclaiming that I "was going to be kind of adult who drank tea, not coffee." A stint living (and tea-drinking my way through) London and twenty-some years later, I'm still channeling that sassy four-year-old and loving my tea habit. When I'm not sipping a cuppa, you'll find me reading, doing yoga, traveling, exploring my own city, planning our wedding and experimenting with different healthful and healing foods in my kitchen.

This post was posted in Green Rooibos, The NecessiTeas

Rose Water Shortbread from A Quarter To Tea. . . .

by VariaTEA

If I am being honest, this is probably the tea in April’s tea box that I was least excited about. I blame the Rose Water for that. When I think Rose Water, I think of sickly sweet desserts like baklava and gulab jamun. I don’t mean any offense as I know these are loved by many but they just aren’t for me and I thought the same might be said for this tea. Add to that the fact that I don’t really love white teas and you might get my hesitation here.

However, this tea came in the monthly box which means someone took the time to carefully craft this tea, testing it and perfecting it until they felt it was worthy enough to be sold. When a friend once commented at a restaurant how weird a dish on the menu sounded and questioned why anyone would eat it, my father said that chefs don’t just put things on their menus willy nilly but rather they partake in trial and error until they think they came up with something that is worth serving in their restaurant and if nothing else, it is worth a try. That stuck with me and I think about it whenever I’m at a restaurant but also I think that applies here. So even though these aren’t flavors I love, I know that Lauren at A Quarter to Tea would not be sending a tea she didn’t think was awesomely delicious so the least I could do is give it a taste.

Lucky for me I had enough sense not to try and pass this along without sampling it because as soon as I cut open the package I knew I was in for a treat. The smell of the dry leaf just filled the air!

This is one tasty, TASTY tea!! It’s like a rich and buttery graham cracker or maybe a shortbread with a slight cinnamon sugar glaze. Sweet but no where near sickly. Just smooth. Sugary. Baked goods. Deliciousness. It took me by surprise but now that I have tried it, I can say with confidence I will be having this again.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  White
Where to Buy:  A Quarter To Tea
Description

Sweetly floral white tea with vanilla, butter and a touch of cinnamon.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

VariaTEA

Hey there! My name is Rachel. I’m a twenty-something from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who loves dogs and has a bit of an obsession with tea. As a child I hated the stuff since all I ever knew was Red Rose (no offense to Red Rose). However, a few years ago that all changed. I was on a diet and desperate for new flavors without adding calories and that’s when I turned to tea. I started off by going to DAVIDsTEA and Teavana for all their dessert-inspired flavors, and since I didn’t know any better, I bought 100 grams each of about twenty-something different teas. This was okay for the teas I liked but for those I didn’t I needed to find some way of getting rid of them. Enter Steepster.com. This is where I met some incredible tea friends, discovered tea swaps, and learned of so many amazing tea companies. My desire to try all the teas grew and since joining three years ago I have tried over a thousand different teas. I have learned what ingredients I love and I have learned what flavors I don’t like. I determined my go-to brewing method is Western-style with no added milk or sweeteners, though I also enjoy cold brewing, iced teas, teapops, lattes, and smoothies. I have yet to brew gong-fu style but I hope to do so just as soon as I get the proper teaware to do it. About a year ago, I actually stopped drinking tea but as my stash of over 200 teas started aging I decided I needed to respark my interest. I chose to take a 365 days of tea challenge on Instagram in which I post a new tea picture every day. So far it has been rather successful as I find myself drinking (and buying) more and more tea each day. Plus it enabled CuppaGeek to find me and invite me here to SororiTea Sisters.

This post was posted in A Quarter To Tea, White Tea

Blueberry Cream Cheese Danish from 52Teas. . . .

by Sophia

This blend was one of 52 Teas’ monthly blends for May. I was excited when I saw it because I find it really unique and intriguing. I unfortunately steeped this cup a little too long because I was steeping some other teas at the same time and forgot to un-steep this one first. So, I took a tentative sip because I was thinking that it would be pretty bitter. Thankfully it wasn’t! Phew.

Guys and gals…let me tell you what this tea tasted like. Are you ready? You sure? It tasted like….A blueberry cream cheese danish. Shocking! No, i’m just being silly.

But really it does taste exactly like a blueberry danish with cream cheese. Both the dry leaf and steeped liquid smells like blueberry, but once I taste it I swear I can taste the cream cheese and sweet pastry bread. How they liquidized a blueberry danish, I have no idea. All I can say is that it tasted like Willy Wonka transformed a blueberry cream cheese danish into a mug of tea (instead of a stick of gum!) It is so creamy and tangy from the blueberries and cream cheese, but sweet from that classic danish icing and the sweet pastry bread.

This is a winner, hands down, one of my favorites of all time. I highly recommend you try it!

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Black
Where to Buy:   52Teas
Description

This blend is no longer available but click below for blends that are.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Sophia

Hi, my name is Sophia. I am a first time mother to a beautiful little girl who will be 1 in July 2017. I spend my days at home with her and when I get a minute to myself, I usually spend that time making, drinking, or researching tea! My love for loose leaf tea is relatively new. When I was pregnant with my daughter, my mother (a tea addict herself) brought me to DAVIDsTEA. I enjoyed a cup of their Coconut Cream Pie Oolong and was instantly hooked! Since then, my addiction has grown to fill entire cabinets, and shows no sign of stopping. I am the creator of the Facebook group CommuniTEA where we have one big tea discussion. It is a great group for those new to the tea-world. I feel strongly about spreading the joy of loose leaf tea. I like making instructional videos and helping those that are new to the art of tea-making so that they, too, can share in the happiness that tea brings. I am excited to see where this hobby takes me and I will continue to spread the joy!

This post was posted in 52Teas, Black Tea