When you go out shopping for Christmas fruitcake and Christmas cookies, you almost HAVE to look for Christmas tea, right? How excited was I to find Peppermint Bark from The Republic of Tea? Very! Because it is an herbal that I can have anytime I want, and it is made with green rooibos which I enjoy instead of red rooibos which I…let’s just not go there.
The tin said “Cool Winter Herb Tea” and under that it said “Organic Green Rooibos with Organic Peppermint, Vanilla, and Cocoa.” All good, right? Until I get it home and get ready to make it and on the back the ingredient list adds “organic stevia leaf.” Argh! WHY?????
I don’t just dislike stevia leaf. For some reason, it makes my reflux flare and my stomach stays ticked off for days. In the interest of tea reviewing I will go ahead and try it since I am already in the midst of a flare anyway. Surely a few sips will be okay…
Six minutes, boiling water, and I have a minty smelling cup. The vanilla is not pronounced and the cocoa is almost undiscernable. This is mostly just mint, but I suppose a white peppermint bark would taste more or less like this. There must not be a lot of stevia because it isn’t particularly sweet, at least, no sweeter than mint already makes things taste to me.
If you are into mint and you don’t mind stevia, you might love this tisane. I don’t hate it, but I wouldn’t go looking for a stevia free version. Honestly, the pretty tin would make a great stocking stuffer. Since I have already opened it, I will pass it on to a friend.
Note to self: Don’t go by the blurbs on the front of tins. Check the ingredient list carefully before you buy.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Republic of Tea
Description
Cool Winter Herb Tea – Fill your home with the aromas of peppermint and chocolate with this sweet herbal tea. Green rooibos mingles perfectly with the flavors of organic cocoa and peppermint. This caffeine-free cup is best savored by a roaring fire after a holiday meal to settle the tummy and satisfy your sweet tooth.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Blue Lady from Zest Tea
With a name like Blue Lady I thought this would be like Lady Grey, a type of earl grey. But I was mistaken! Not an earl grey, but a flowery orange pekoe.
Beyond the black tea, there is hibiscus and passion fruit, fragrant even in the dry leaf. Brewed, the black tea is bright and crisp, which pairs well with the juicy hibiscus. The sour red fruit taste of the hibiscus adds a jammy, berry flavor beneath the citrus tones of the orange pekoe.
This is not too sweet or sour, still very suitable for a breakfast cup of tea. With just enough tropical flair this blend is summery and satisfying, hot or iced.
And since this blend is from Zest Tea, there is added tea extract so you know each cup packs a punch of caffeine without the coffee jitters. When you want a juicier take on classic orange pekoe, brew up a mug of Blue Lady.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Zest Tea
Description:
Our Blue Lady Black blends a sultry South Indian black tea base with an aromatic mix of orange, lemon, passion fruit, and hibiscus. A peppering of vivid blue cornflower petals and bits of orange peel make for a visual spectacle. Blue lady will excite all of your senses. No wonder this is a favorite among hot and chilled tea drinkers.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Green Tea with Pomegranate from Bigelow. . . .
This is the tea I like to call “better than it has any right to be.”
I first had this blend at a brunch place with a sad, meager tray of tea bags. I chose the one I hadn’t tried that still had caffeine (this one).
“This is going to be trash,” I told my husband.
And then I sipped it.
I’m telling you, this is a pleasant surprise every time I have it!
It is surprisingly sturdy and juicy. I am usually kind of snide about bagged tea, but this one holds up. The green vegetal flavor is light, and the pomegranate pops. I turn to this blend fairly frequently when I just don’t have the energy to gravity-steep things. (Ugh, with the water, and the rinsing, and the measuring, you know? Sometimes you just want to put a bag in a mug and call it a day.)
When people want a cheap starter-tea that they can just grab at a supermarket, this is always the first one I recommend. Give it a whirl! It’s cheap, it’s everywhere, and it’s easy!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Bigelow Tea
Description
Delicate green tea with the added touch of sweet pomegranate. If you love our green tea, we think you will really love our green tea with pomegranate…all the benefits of green tea with the added touch of sweet pomegranate.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Orange Spice from PaperBoxGoodies. . . .
One of my favorite things with the cold weather is being able to add spice to everything: cinnamon, cloves, ginger, the more the merrier! One of the best partners to all this spice, is juicy orange and citrus flavors. I love the idea of decorating my home with clove-studded oranges for the holidays to release their sweet and spicy aromas throughout the house. Not to mention, a nice slice of orange is the perfect garnish for a chai-based hot-toddy, with honey and lemon.
These are all the delicious orange and spice combinations I think of when brewing a cup of Orange Spice from PaperBoxGoodies. I’m not entirely sure what all is in this brew, since it’s not currently active on the PBG Etsy shop, but I believe it is an herbal blend from its amber color and sweet taste.
The best part of this blend is that the dry leaf does not contain hibiscus, so the tangy, pink herb can’t take over the blend. The orange is the main ingredient, adding plenty of sweet and tart flavor. This fruity, juiciness is balanced by a large helping of cinnamon, adding its warm, herbal tones. I think I see bits of ginger in the dry leaf, but the flavor is very gentle in the actual brew.
Juicy orange is the main flavor, closely followed by warm cinnamon. Neither ingredient gets too tart or too spicy, and they don’t overpower each other. It’s hard to go wrong with a classic taste combination like orange and cinnamon, so support a special tea Etsy shop and give one of the PaperBoxGoodies teas a try today.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: PaperBoxGoodies Etsy shop
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Rebel from Wild Leaf Active Teas. . . .
My friends at Wild Leaf Active Teas have done a stellar job at creating bagged teas that have gorgeous tea leaves in them. No crushed up leaves in their offerings!
I’ve tried almost all of their teas and a few of them have a permanent spot in my tea stash. My two favorites right now are Slim and Smart. Slim (flavored puerh) has become a huge part of my daily routine. Smart– green tea, peppermint, and Ginkgo Bilbao- is slowing becoming my tea of choice right after lunch. I have yet to be disappointed by any of the flavors and am thinking I may need to place other order shortly.
Not to long ago, my lovely friends at Wild Leaf told me they next time I ordered, they would include a sample of their latest creation they are working on- Rebel. So I quickly put together an order and a few days later, an incredibly generous sample of Rebel was at my door.
Rebel is a unique blend of Black Tea, Organic Black Currant, Organic Banana, Organic Orange Peel, Organic Coffee Bean, Organic Rooibos and Natural Flavorings. Yes, this tea has red rooibos in it, my arch enemy. The dreaded ingredient that I find in so many gorgeous blends that my heart hurts when I see the name. My taste buds just have a problem with red rooibos and so does my sense of smell. I can instantly pick up on this herb when I find it in blends and decide- I should just give it a try one more time. . . . then I smell that familiar off smell, and nope. My brain shuts that idea down in a heart beat.
So when I saw Rebel had red rooibos, my heart sank. But the list of other ingredients, kept me going. Not only does this tea have coffee beans, but it has banana, and orange peel. I had to check this tea out no matter the outcome. First whiff of this tea and even though I can pick up that familiar red rooibos smell, what I’m really picking up is a banana coffee note. Which makes my heart soar! I’m a huge banana fan and once was a huge coffee drinker.
Brewed this tea up with freshly prepped boiled water and allowed the tea to steep for 4 minutes. Allowed the tea to cool for another 2 minutes or so after that. Brought the mug up to my face to take one more whiff of the aromas and again, that same banana coffee aroma was present but this time there was also this wonderful black tea tone I was picking up.
First sip in and I was able to pick up all of the flavors in this blend. The three strongest are the black tea, banana, and coffee, which are not much of a surprise, and deliver an amazing albeit unique (in a good way!) taste.
What did surprise me was the addition of this rich earthy tone that worked so well and had me greedily drinking sip after sip. There was also a lovely citrus hint now that added a unique twist to the end of each sip. I will say that I could pick up the red rooibos flavor, but it was slight and my tastebuds loved all of the other flavors and how they mingled together so well, that looking past that odd taste wasn’t hard.
My final thoughts: I do wish the red rooibos wasn’t in this blend at all, but I’m sure there is a reason why the herb is in the blend. And to be honest, that could be where that earthy tone is coming from that I’m digging. All in all, such an amazing array of flavors. When Wild Leaf first told me about this blend, I was stoked. Now that I’ve had it, I will be stalking their site until I can get my own. Though incredibly appreciated, my sample size just isn’t big enough. I needs more!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black/Rooibos
Where to Buy: Wild Leaf
Description
This tea is not available but will be soon. Click below for blends that are available.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
