Cocoa Mint from Steeped Tea. . . .

by Mary

Girl. Scout. Cookies. (insert hallelujah hands emoji here)

Now, listen up. I have Celiac disease. It has been MANY a year since I’ve had a legit girl scout cookie. But friends, if you’ve ever dreamed of drinking a Thin Mint (tm, I’m sure) in a cup, this tea is for you.

To be fair, I’ve had lots of great (and many so-so) chocolate mint teas over the years, and I’m not here to say that this one blows the rest of them out of the water. But it solidly stood its ground in the better-than-most category, and with a splash of coconut milk and a touch of maple syrup (ooh la la!), this was decadent, fresh and minty, with none of that imposter-chocolate flavor that is so often found in chocolate teas.

I’ll be brewing this one up to sip while I longingly eye the tables of cookies set outside of my grocery store, poised and ready for deliciousness and also destruction of my intestinal tract. Dang you, gluten! Close second, tea.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Black
Where to Buy:  Steeped Tea
Description

Ingredients: Black tea, Blackberry leaves, Peppermint leaves, Natural flavors. Naturally contains caffeine.

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 Black Tea, Steeped Tea

Arabian Nights from Fox Tea Club. . . .

by SuperStarling

It’s black. It’s green. It’s creamy. It’s buttery. It’s fruity. It’s got complete roses in its blend.

This tea sounds like an indecisive hot mess, I know. The blend’s ingredients sound like someone had a bunch of leftovers and upended them into a vat. (They include, for reference, Black Tea, Calendula, Cornflower, Green Tea, Mango, Pineapple, Rose).

But it totally works. It’s sweet and friendly and flowery. I’m not getting “Arabian Nights” from this (possibly because I’ve never had Turkish delight). I’m getting “Mother Goose.” This tea is a fairytale jumble. All of your favorite stories and flavors, blending together. It’s a dessert potluck. *

* (note: Have you ever had a dessert potluck? Probably the best party I ever threw.)

If you’re in the mood for some sweetness, throw this in your kettle. All the rabbits and sprites in the forest will be clamoring to join you.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Green/Black
Where to Buy:  Fox Tea Club
Description

Exotic seductive smoothness and delicate spice aromas float from the cup with each sip of this black and green tea blend, which includes calendula, red rose, and cornflower petals. Remarkable subtle tones of vanilla cream with rich sponge cake recall warm deserts evenings with the crescent moon rising in the starry sky.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

SuperStarling

"Hey, everybody! I'm Leah, a graphic designer from Pennsylvania, United States. I live with my husband and rescue mutt in a house with colorful walls. I love fonts, colors, animals, flowers, novels, illustration, geeking out, and -- obviously! -- tea. I've only been heavily into tea for about a year, but I've found I tend to prefer loose blended black dessert teas. I normally drink them hot western style without anything added; if I add in some vanilla almond milk or honey, I promise I'll mention it! When I'm not blogging here, I'm blogging at leahlucci.com/starling or posting to Instagram (super_starling), so come say hi!"

This post was posted in Black Tea, Fox Tea Club, Green Tea

Carrot Cupcake from The NecessiTeas. . . .

by ashmanra

This is an herbal blend of apple, carrot, almonds, walnuts, cinnamon, coconut, pineapple, crystallized ginger, cloves, and natural and organic flavors. In the packet, it smells sweet, light, and fruity, with only a little of the clove coming through – a minor miracle since clove so easily overpowers other flavors.

Steeped for about six minutes in boiling water, it is still a light but flavorful cup. I have had carrot cake and this is lighter than I would expect. Tasty, but not the taste I was expecting.

Apple and pineapple are keeping it light and fresh, the ginger and clove are remarkably well behaved and sit on the back row without demanding all the attention, although that crystallized ginger keeps trying to peek to the forefront. The nutty flavors are plainly here, with the cinnamon being a bit shy and the coconut adding a bit of body overall.

While this is a lovely fall like tisane and I am enjoying it, it does not make visions of carrot cupcake dance in my head. I would love to try this again, but mix it half and half with a good black tea base. I think that could be an awesome experience.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Tisane
Where to Buy:  The NececssiTeas
Description

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

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

ashmanra

I am a music teacher, tutor, and former homeschool mom (25 years!) who started drinking loose leaf tea about seven years ago! My daughters and I have tea every day, and we are frequently joined by my students or friends for “tea time.” Now my hubby joins us, too. His tastes have evolved from Tetley with milk and sugar to mostly unadorned greens and oolongs. We have learned so much history, geography, and culture in this journey. My avatar is a mole in a teacup! Long story…

This post was posted in Fruit/Herbal Tisane, The NecessiTeas

Glazed Lemon Loaf from Tazo Tea. . .

by SuperStarling

Every time I enter a grocery store, I find myself tossing a mixture of tea and newfangled flavored Oreos* into my cart.

*Apple pie flavor: EFFECTIVE.

For this reason, my husband prefers to grocery shop alone.

However, I have NO SHOPPING REGRETS, GUYS. This blend tastes JUST like the Starbucks lemon cake. It is lemon swimming in sugary icing sweetness. It tastes like calories. The word “divine” comes to mind.

If you want to make your own cake version of the Starbucks lemon loaf, try this recipe. Or… you can just try this tea.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Herbal
Where to Buy: Tazo Tea
Description

An enticing herbal infusion with notes of bright lemon & creamy vanilla.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

SuperStarling

"Hey, everybody! I'm Leah, a graphic designer from Pennsylvania, United States. I live with my husband and rescue mutt in a house with colorful walls. I love fonts, colors, animals, flowers, novels, illustration, geeking out, and -- obviously! -- tea. I've only been heavily into tea for about a year, but I've found I tend to prefer loose blended black dessert teas. I normally drink them hot western style without anything added; if I add in some vanilla almond milk or honey, I promise I'll mention it! When I'm not blogging here, I'm blogging at leahlucci.com/starling or posting to Instagram (super_starling), so come say hi!"

This post was posted in Fruit/Herbal Tisane, Tazo Tea

Walnut Orange Scone from DAVIDs Tea. . .

by Mary

Something’s happening to me, you guys. I think I’m becoming a white tea convert. *INSERT GASP HERE*

Now, for the white tea purists among us… maybe skip the rest of this review. I’m certainly not sipping them plain, austere and floral, out of my finest china with my pinky up. But whereas I always though white teas just weren’t for me, I’ve been especially enjoying a few fun blends from my favorite tea purveyors lately, particularly when they’ve got some fun fruity notes blended in the mix.

This walnut orange scone white from David’s Tea is totally hitting all of those marks. It’s nutty, it’s bright and fresh and floral and citrusy and fruity– it maybe doesn’t taste too much like pastry to me, but I’m willing to forgive the slightly misleading name because this one is just so dang delicious.

I also have a fondness for teas that don’t require any sweetener to accentuate their flavors, and this one is simply perfect as it. Big, bold, bright, a little sweet from the fruit– like biting into the perfect wintry treat right out of the oven on a Sunday morning.

Maybe someday, I’ll graduate to finally become a fancypants white tea drinker. In the meantime, though, I’m going to thoroughly enjoy exploring these new doors opened to my tea-lovers’-palate (though my burgenoning tea cabinet may be slightly less thrilled).

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  White
Where to Buy:  DAVIDs Tea
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 DAVIDsTEA, White Tea