Day 21 and I’m not going to lie, I was crazy excited about the tea blend just by the name alone. . .Banana Bread Dessert Tea! I mean seriously, does it get any better? I couldn’t wait to check this blend out so I prepped up freshly boiled water, allowed the tea to steep for five minutes and cool for an additional two. I poured myself a huge cuppa and sat down to enjoy what I thought would be banana goodness.
Upon first sip, it seemed I didn’t really get much in the way of banana but more chocolate. I noticed that while the tea was steeping I was getting some pretty heavy notes and didn’t really get much in the way of banana there either. Though I was bummed I didn’t get the banana love I was hoping for, this tea is still rock solid and delicious. The chocolate, honeybush, and cinnamon mingle together in a wonderful way providing this delicious flavor.
There is a subtle nutty flavor here and there and I think that is possibly where the chestnut essence is coming to play but with the bold flavors going on, I think the banana just isn’t there for me. Now I do have to say, I’m a banana freak so I was hoping for a blast in your face banana flavor.
Even though this tea didn’t quite deliver the flavor on the label, I’m still devouring this tea down and have had several more cuppas. I’m going to say that Day 21 was a successful blend indeed!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
Description
This tea is part of the tea advent calendar.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Strawberry Shortcake from The NecessiTeas . . . .
There’s something about strawberry shortcake that makes me think of summer, or at least makes me think of flowery tea parties. Maybe it’s just the fact that strawberries are at their height in the summer, or the fact that strawberry shortcake is often served with everyone getting their own little cake on a doily or saucer. Either way, drinking Strawberry Shortcake tea from the Necessiteas felt like the right thing to do on a beautiful summer day.
This tea smells decadent even in the dry leaf, with lots of strawberry and vanilla fragrance. The scent is supremely sweet, almost like strawberry Starburst candies. The blend brews up gold in color, and continues to be berry-sweet and incredibly fragrant.
In taste, the most forward tastes are strawberries and cream, with a bit of the earthy white tea to balance all the dessert-flavors. There are yellow cake notes at the back of each sip, reminding me of birthday cake ice cream. These cake flavors combine with the white tea, bringing an almost buttery, savory feel to the tea that gets creamier as the brew cools.
Three things go into strawberry shortcake: berries, cake, and cream, and this blend has all three essential elements in tea form. This is a must-try blend for any dessert-tea fans, or for any fun summery, strawberry occasions in your schedule.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: The NecessiTeas
Description: Angel food cake perfectly combines with a light layer of sweet cream and juicy strawberries to create this guilt-free dessert. Enjoy hot or poured over ice.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Birthday from Adagio Teas. . . .
Do you enjoy creamy molasses/caramel flavors against a deep black base? If you do, well, I’ve got just the thing for you (INCLUDING SPRINKLES): Adagio’s Birthday Tea.
If I were to liken it to something — and you guys know I BASICALLY ALWAYS DO — I’d say this is a caramel fudge treat you buy yourself on your way out of an amusement park. You’re sunburned. Your stomach is jumpy from soda and roller coasters. You are holding a prize you’ve won that’s made of oddly slick polyester and crumbly stuffing. Your clothing is still damp from that splash ride. Your hair is fluffing out from your head in a dizzy halo. This treat melts in your mouth and your hand as you try to remember where you parked the car. You wipe your hand off on your shorts and stride off in what you think is the right direction, friends in tow.
It wasn’t the right direction. Where on earth did you put that car, already?
You’ll find it eventually. In the meantime, you’re enjoying the sweetness in your mouth and the streaky, saturated sunset.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Description
A treat for any day of the year! A tasty blend of vanilla, cream, and a touch of caramel. The inclusion of rainbow sugar sprinkles adds a festive note and makes this tea perfect for celebrating your special day.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Strawberry Champagne Cupcake from A Quarter To Tea. . .
If you’ve been around here for a minute, you know that I have a pretty high bar for white teas (as in, I don’t really like most of them, I’M SORRY, please don’t hate me). But when this little beauty showed up in one of my AQTT monthly tea boxes, I couldn’t wait to dive in. Having just come out of my own wedding season, a strawberry champagne cupcake sounds just like the kind of treat I would’ve been enjoying over some sort of bridal celebration, but now that I don’t have the celebratory caloric excuse to eat whatever treats I want at these amazing parties thrown for my dude + me, it’s probably best drank rather than eaten.
The dry leaf on this one is unusual, but absolutely tantalizing. Not necessarily filled with the candy-sweet strawberry scent that other berry-flavored teas have, but this one is decidedly fruity, with wisps of vanilla marshmallowy notes not far behind. And while those traditional, floral white tea notes are certain present in the brewed cup, they’re balanced well by the fruitiness of the berry, and the pillow-y marshmallow root. If you’re a fence-sitting white tea drinker like I am, give this one a try– it might be just the thing to convince you! And bonus: you can drink as many cups as you’d like (whether it’s at a bridal shower or in your backyard), and all those cute clothes you bought for your honeymoon will still fit in the morning!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White Tea
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
This tea is not available bu click below for white teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
George Daddy from A Quarter To Tea. . . .
If you know that there’s always money in the banana stand, you’ll likely understand this tea.
If you don’t? I mean, it’s still a delicious chocolate-banana-graham tea, but you’re probably gonna be a little weirded out by the name.
I’ll be honest: though so many of my fellow Sororitea Sister have proclaimed their love for banana teas, I’ve been skeptical. I like bananas. I don’t OMG LOVE them. I really like frozen, chocolate dipped bananas– does that count? But I am decidedly NOT a fan of fake banana flavor– banana runts? No thanks. Banana gum? Gag.
So you can bet I was a skoosh skeptical when I sniffed this tea right in the bag– it is pretty powerfully banana-flavor-scented. But the lingering background chocolate notes intrigued me, and the large chunks of chocolate graham cracker was enough to set me over the edge. Brewed, this one is a bit murky-golden, with a little visible oily-film on the top. The scent is still pretty strongly faux-banana, but I was pleased to find the taste to be more authentic. This needed no sweetness added, it was the perfect balance of flavors without any bitterness. I wish I had enough of this one to try it iced just to see how Bluth-family-banana-stand authentic the flavors actually were, but I still slurped up the whole hot cup, regardless. Would I repurchase? Maybe not– as human who’s fairly meh about bananas, I don’t know that I need it in my cabinet. But for a banana lover– or a Bluth? This one needs to live in your banana stand (er… tea cabinet).
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for the limited teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!