Typically I am not the first one to grab a black tea-especially a black flavored tea that could possibly be on the spicier side but I’m trying hard to stay out of my comfort zone with teas lately.
Biron Herbal Teas, based out of Georgia, offers a variety of herbal blends and teas with an adorable tea fairy as their logo. They mainly carry herbal blends but there are a few flavored and unflavored tea options as well in both tea sachet and loose leaf form.
For some reason, Pink Pepper Citron Black Tea caught my eye and before I knew it I had prepared freshly boiled water, grabbed my favorite mug, and I was steeping this tea. The citrus aroma wasn’t super strong but I could definitely tell there was ginger in the blend. I could also occasionally sniff a cinnamon note here and there. Because I’m super nuts about my black teas, I was very conservative with my steeping time. The first infusion I only steeped the tea for 3 minutes before I took my first sip.
Sip, I should probably say gulp. Once this tea hit my taste buds, I was in for an adventure. This tea is unique but in a uniquely delicious way. Not being a fan of chai I was surprised how much I enjoyed the peppery flavor this tea omits. Generous spicy notes of pepper and ginger mingle lovingly with this smooth malty black tea base. I was worried that the cardamom might overpower the blend but that isn’t the case at all. To compliment the spiced flavors there is also this subtle sweet citrus flavor. Really lovely and exactly what I needed to get my day started.
For being my first go with Biron Herbal Teas, I’m pretty happy with this selection and am thinking that I might even need to get more of this blend and try it as a cold brew. Especially with spring right around the corner. The flavors are just a fun creative mix that I think know I need more of.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Biron Herbal Teas
Description
With just enough spice provided by ginger, cardamom, and pink pepper, this black tea explodes with flavor. Lemongrass and orange peel even out the blend nicely, leaving a refreshing aftertaste on the palate.
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!
Goût Rousse 7 Agrumes from Palais des Thés. . . . .
Do you ever sit around thinking “I wish Earl Grey could be… more citrus-y”? Does that bergamot alone simply not suffice?
If you do, BOY OH BOY do I have a treat for you. It’s the zestiest citrus blend around, featuring lemon, lime, sweet orange, bitter orange, grapefruit, bergamot and mandarin.
… Grapefruit?
They were just screwing around when they threw grapefruit in there.
They were like “bro, we only have 6 citrus fruits. But we all know 7 is the coolest number. Look how great it looks. It’s edgy. What else can we throw in there?”
And then the intern at the back of ye olde conference table said “I think grapefruit is technically a citrus.”
And they looked it up, and lo, it was. 7. Done.
I’ve been doing this thing where I’ve been trying to quit soda (hahaha, please help me, I am in hell), and this hits that spot that Diet Coke With Lime was hitting. I am dying to try this iced. I think it’s going to be bangin’. But even hot, it’s really good.
Get on board. I know the English are supposed to be the “tea people,” but I’ve gotta say: these Parisians at Palais des Thés have not struck out yet.
Palais, je t’aime.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Palais des Thés
Description
A Russian blend with added extracts known as a Slavic specialty. This superb blend of black teas with lemon, lime, sweet orange, bitter orange, grapefruit, bergamot and mandarin, was created by Palais des Thés during its earliest years.
Since then, the 7-citrus cocktail has been added to different base teas.
Different from the tea that grows in Georgia, Russian blends have been enjoyed in Russia since the 17th century. Although they were originally blends of black Chinese teas, they became more diverse in the late 19th century when the Russian court was introduced to Indian teas, most notably Darjeeling. Since then, the term “Russian blends” has been adopted to refer to any blend of Darjeeling and Chinese black teas, with or without natural citrus extracts added.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
