Picture this: you’re sitting on the banks of the Seine, sipping a hot beverage and eating a buttery, flaky croissant. Gentle French music is playing in the background (from where? who knows!) and cute dudes in berets are slowly strolling past. Oh, and the world is also lightly sepia-toned and everything is in bloom, 24/7, 365.
This is what I picture breakfast in France to be like, friends. SO REALISTIC, I know.
Now, though my delusions are certainly of grandeur, this tea certainly isn’t very far off. Gently maple-y with subtle pastry notes and a beautiful sprinkling of cornflowers, this tea is hearty and bold while still being the tiniest bit floral and unassuming. Kind of like what I picture the French to be, in my most stereotype-y imagination. This brew is a nice counterbalance to its heartier European friends, English and Irish Breakfast respectively. And while I generally find teas from Fava to be a bit on the weaker side (unfortunately– I want to love this local-to-me company, but much of their offerings leave something to be desired), this brew is a bit stronger than others of theirs I’ve tried, and thus, it made it an easy choice to reach for in my morning-sip-down.
Now, if anyone wants to fund my ACTUAL, hypothetical trip to Paris, I’ll be over here in my daydreaming, sipping away.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Fava Tea
Description
A superior blend of vanilla, and sweet, smooth black tea. This blend is accompanied by tiny bits of pineapple and cherry to add a distinct flavorful sweetness and burst of character! An excellent choice anytime of the day that takes cream and sweetener well. French Breakfast Superior has been described as a cup of relaxation in a world of chaos. We hope you enjoy as much as we all do.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Black Cherries in Sweet Cream from A Quarter To Tea. . . .
This Darjeeling, cherry, and cream tea is profoundly decadent. This blend tastes like a dessert that’s melty and gooey. The cream is so creamy that I feel like a farm where it came straight off the cow. Like, a fancy French cow.
A Quarter To Tea has a good grasp on cherries. I never liked cherries until their Chocolate Cherry Oolong showed up in one of my sample packs. It was a game-changer. So much so that my hopes were high for this one — and it succeeded.
When I went to this tea’s site, I discovered that this tea was inspired by Game of Thrones:
“Illyrio smiled as his serving men spooned out bowls of black cherries in sweet cream for them both.” (Dance with Dragons)
In case you forgot Illyrio (I did), he was the one that took care of the Targaryens while they were in hiding. If this is what he was serving people, well, I might hide out there, too. Does he have any space available?
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
“Illyrio smiled as his serving men spooned out bowls of black cherries in sweet cream for them both.” (Dance with Dragons)
Luscious black cherries with a medium body darjeeling base, paired with heavy notes of cream and vanilla. Decadent enough to make a magister proud.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Chocolate Cherry Latte Oolong by A Quarter to Tea
The high-quality oolong leaves swell and uncurl while steeping–something I always find fascinating (in addition to comforting because I know it means I’m about to drink some excellent tea!)
Once the steeping gets going it smells strongly of chocolate and cherry, which I take as a good sign! Actually it smells almost overwhelmingly of cherry while steeping, but after steeping that abates somewhat. The cherry flavor still hits your nose first but as you keep inhaling you can dig down and find the grounding, comforting chocolate smell too. It’s rounder and creamier. and the oolong lends butteriness and a floral note to the scent.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
Roasty enough to appease the coffee lover in you! The blend of hojicha and oolong makes a robust, coffee like base without the jitters. Mellowed out with chicory, chocolate, and cherries.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Black Cherry Berry from Celestial Seasonings. . . . .
I’ll admit it, tea-ple– I can be a bit of a tea snob. I’ll pretty much try anything once, but give me a weak English Breakfast or a watery-looking bagged tea, and I’m probably going to politely chuck it in the nearest flower-pot while no one’s looking, all the while dreaming of my cabinet of tea delights at home.
It’s gone so far that when my lovely fiancé offers to take me out for a cup of tea at our local chain coffee joint, I am purely going because he is sweet and wonderful, and usually wondering if there’s a way I could just bring *my* tea and have them hand me a cuppa hot water to brew for myself rather than choose from some ‘meh’ bagged options. I AM HORRIBLE, I KNOW.
But let’s get to the point: when I saw this sample bag of Celestial Seasoning’s black cherry herbal, I was… skeptical. Bagged tea? And not even bagged loose-leaf, bagged… tea shavings? But every-committed to my reviewing duties, I thought, hey! This sounds like it’d make a tasty iced tea, and into my big ol’ cold brew pitcher they went.
They almost immediately turned the water a lovely, saturated pink (hello, hibiscus!), and after a chill 12 hours in the fridge, it was ready to sip! While I’m impressed with the ingredients in this blend (rosehips, roasted chicory, blackberry leaves, and of course: hibiscus, first and foremost), there’s that “natural cherry flavor” that I wish would’ve come from cherries itself. And while it’s a tasty, fruity, obviously-berry brew, I can’t say that I’d have immediately recognized the flavor as “cherry” so much as “general berry-ish” without the cue from the name. Does it make a delicious iced tea? Yup. Is it even yummier with a splash of lemonade or plain seltzer? Heck yes. Am I going to become a bagged tea convert and spurn my beloved loose leaf anytime soon? Probably not. But let me be the first to admit my snobbish ways would’ve made me miss out on a yummy summer treat if I hadn’t given this one a try– I’m glad I did!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Celestial Seasonings
Description
Reminiscent of nostalgic fruit punch, this tea combines a burst of cherry and berry flavors with tart, ruby-red hibiscus and other herbs. Delicious hot or iced.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Easy as Pie: Black Cherries and Sweet Cream from A Quarter to Tea
It’s getting to be summertime and cherries are in season. You can see them in a glorious, burgundy bundle at the grocery store or the farmer’s market. With summertime cherries on my mind, it seemed like the perfect time to try Black Cherries and Sweet Cream tea from A Quarter to Tea.
The dry tea leaves and the first minute of steeping was all about the cream, wafting sweet waves of vanilla out of my mug. As the tea cooled and I got my first taste, the cherries started to shine. This tea is named for black cherries specifically, and you can taste the dark, full, fruit flavor in the tea. This is certainly not the red cherry flavor of chewy candy or medicine, nor the syrupy maraschino cherry that goes on top of your sundae. This blend truly tastes like fresh black cherries and a dollop of cream. Even without milk and sugar, this blend is smooth and decadent, though it never gets too sweet.
There is a distinct tartness in this brew, both from the natural fruit notes and from a tanginess to the cream. This tartness goes well with the astringent black tea base, matching the bright and sharp tone of the tea leaves. This blend reminds me of the taste of fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt, with vanilla yogurt and burst of black cherries. The vanilla is creamy, but has enough complexity to remind me of true frozen yogurt, or even a slice of cherry cheesecake.
This is a great dessert blend to go with a cherry pie at that summer barbecue!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: A Quarter to Tea
Description:
Luscious black cherries with a medium body darjeeling base, paired with heavy notes of cream and vanilla. Decadent enough to make a magister proud.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
