Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, a true gift to the world. My brother-in-law is deathly allergic to peanut butter but we are a peanut butter family and peanut butter cups are at the top of the list of best ways to eat peanut butter. In fact, we have had fights over which peanut butter cups are the best. My brother is a purist who goes for the original cups. I am a bit of a chocolate fiend who loves the minis. And my sister, well my sister will take her peanut butter cups anyway she can get them on the days her husband is working at the Firehall. Those are the days she gets her peanut butter fix without worrying about killing her husband. Oh and one thing we all agree on is that Reese’s Pieces just don’t measure up to a peanut butter cup.
This tea smells just like a peanut butter cup. A promising start. However, with this tea being made up of apple, cocoa, almonds, caramel pieces, and natural flavors, I am hoping the taste of this tea reflects the smell as opposed to tasting like Forever Nuts by DAVIDsTEA, which has a similar listing of ingredients.
I made this as both a hot tea and a latte, each steeped for 5 minutes in 200 degree water. I worried the caramel pieces might make for a murky brew but this is as clear as day and a rich golden brown-yellow. The hot tea is surprisingly light for the ingredients but still delivers a great deal of nutty flavor. I don’t get much in the way of chocolate despite the generous cocoa husks in the filter, so I wouldn’t go as far as to say this accurately captures the flavor of a peanut butter cup. Instead it reminds me more of all-natural peanut butter, with no sugar added. I’m not one for sweetening my teas but I could see a bit of sugar going a long way here to really pull the flavors together.
Now, I may not sweeten my teas but I’m all for lattes. With this tea, it not only adds a much needed creaminess to the blend but it also does make everything just a bit sweeter. I think it takes the cocoa husks from the earthy nuttiness they had in the hot cup and brings them closer to a milk chocolate note, though there is still a ways to go in that regard so I still don’t think we’ve hit peanut butter cup yet. This is definitely closer to its namesake though. Now instead of just natural peanut butter, this is more akin to the peanut butter found inside a Reese’s. I just wish there was more to the chocolatey coating.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Favored Tisane
Where to Buy: The NecessiTeas
Description
This blend is seriously addicting, over the top yummy and double-delicious. It’s quite amazing and tastes just like a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup! To sweeten the deal, this chocolate peanut butter bliss is completely guilt-free!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Smores from Citizen Tea. . . .
I have had this tea for quite sometime and though I had it before and enjoyed it, I kept looking over it when trying to pick something to drink. Well today I decided that it was about time I get to drinking this and I am certainly glad I did.
I had just enough leaf left to make a small latte. I steeped the tea for 3 minutes at 200F as per the recommendations on the package. I topped that with frothed milk and the end result is one tasty treat.
First and foremost is the gooey marshmallow flavor that takes over, boosted by the creaminess of the latte preparation. It could be in my head but I swear there is a wisp of smoke dancing on top of the marshmallow. Lingering at the bottom, and nearing the end of the sip is just a touch of chocolate nuttiness which brings back memories of the chocolate and graham crackers one would expect in a smores tea. If I had a complaint, it would be I want a bit more of the other smore components but as this is, it hits marshmallow right on the head.
I am not sure why I ignored this for so long. It certainly is a good tea, especially when prepared as a latte. I would call it more a marshmallow tea than a smores tea but there isn’t necessarily anything wrong with that, at least not in my books.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black/White/Oolong
Where to Buy: Citizen Tea
Description
Nothing triggers our nostalgia more than Smores! Our favourite nighttime treat and the smoky smell of campfire are sure to bring back the fondest of childhood memories (like that time you flung a flaming marshmallow at the back of Uncle Bob’s head. No? Just us?) A black tea with sweet chocolate drops and toasted marshmallow make for the perfect campfire favourite. Take a walk down memory lane with our Smores blend.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Chocolate Zucchini Bread from A Quarter To Tea. . . . .
Most summers growing up were spent helping my mom tend to our vegetable garden. Beaming proudly at my over-run chives, measuring my height by the sunflowers, plucking tomatoes from the vine and popping them into bowls with a hefty sprinkle of salt, warm from the sun. But nothing was more ubiquitous than our zucchini plants. Come late summer, we were literally swimming in zucchini. Try as she might, my mom could hardly keep up with our producing plants, and was finding every possible way to work them into our daily repertoire. Who knew all she needed to do was turn them into tea??
This chocolate zucchini bread tea from A Quarter to Tea perfectly captures the flavors of one of my favorite iterations of our garden spoils– a warm, gooey, chocolatey loaf that was just as healthy as it was tasty (okay, maybe not the abundant chocolate chips sprinkled on top. But you gotta live a little, right?). Somehow, this blend manages to make the zucchini flavors prominent while keeping them from being gross– balanced with the cocoa, it’s almost reminiscent of a hot chocolate (and with a splash of maple syrup and coconut milk, it’s nearly a dead ringer). The walnuts bring a warmth and roundness of flavor that are simply delightful, and the malty, bread-y-ness impressively captures the pasty-like quality of such a dessert without feeling heavy or overwrought. If you have nostalgic garden dreams from childhood like I do, this is a great blend to pick up for your afternoon cuppa. Particularly when paired with a snack of some zucchini bread.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
This tea was part of the limited monthly subscription. Click below to learn more.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Dirty Girl Scout from The NecessiTeas. . . .
I was a Girl Scout for a long time. I’m not 100% certain how long, but it was all throughout middle school. I actually really enjoyed it, but of course my favorite part of the whole experience was the cookies. How could it not be? This fabulous blend by The NecessiTEAs was made with a certain cookie in mind- Thin Mints….but with a twist: irish cream! And as we speak, I am eating some Thin Mints and sipping on my Dirty Girl Scout tea! What a combo. Y’all I am in chocolate mint heaven right now! I also think that at this moment I am the best judge of whether this tea embodied a twist on these cookies properly, and the answer to that is absolutely! The best part? It is a black tea blend, which means that not only are my taste buds happy but i’m getting caffeinated at the same time! Win/win situation for me!
This tea was not overly minty or overly chocolate. I appreciated that. The mint to chocolate ratio was definitely balanced. The flavors of cookies and irish cream really set this tea apart to other chocolate mint teas. I feel like sometimes teas that include mint end up tasting medicinal, but that was not the case with Dirty Girl Scout. Another aspect I really enjoyed about this tea was that although it was blended with a dessert cookie in mind, it was light enough on taste that it can be drunk anytime of the day and not just as a dessert. So you can technically have cookies for breakfast without the guilt! I really enjoyed this blend and I totally recommend grabbing a pack of Thin Mints to go along with it! Yum!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: The NecessiTeas
Description
We want to commemorate the solemn and depressing end of Girl Scout Cookie season with a tribute tea, the Dirty Girl Scout! We have put a twist on this treat by flavoring black tea with natural flavors of white chocolate and Irish cream then sprinkled a generous amount of organic peppermint into the blend and topped it off with real Andes mint pieces. If you want to get real dirty, add sweetener of choice and a splash of milk.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Chocolate Bon-Bon from Tin Roof Teas.. . . .
I didn’t know what a bon-bon was before tossing this tea into my travel bag on a trip. I sort of had an idea that it was something that pregnant people and lazy people ate. The phrase “sitting around eating bon-bons” was in my head.
Turns out bon-bons refer to chocolate-covered confections, or sweets in general. You’re welcome.
If I were pregnant, I would have to down bon-bons because I couldn’t drink black tea, this one specifically. This is a really yummy blend. It has a sweetness that stays in your mouth after you’ve swallowed. It’s got moxie. I might even describe it as “sassy.”
While I was drinking it, I drew a picture of a Cheshire Cat teacup. . . .
I think this tea would be a great accompaniment to a novel about tricky, morally ambiguous talking animals, etc. An adult sort of Alice in Wonderland meets Harry Potter, maybe like the Magicians, but with more mayhem. You should read the Magicians series, by the way. I’m not being paid by them to say that. It’d be a great reading pairing with this tea.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tin Roof Teas
Description
Our Bon Bon black tea, is a decadent, creamy sensation morning, noon or night.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
