It’s confession time again, tea-friends. I love iced tea. I ADORE it. It’s pretty much 95% of what I brew as soon as temps creep past the 60s all the way through the first frost in the fall. But while I’ll happily sip my oolongs, greens and herbals (even white teas!) plain and pure, I usually need a little something extra in my black iced tea to jazz it up. And *usually* this is either a squeeze of citrus fruit, or a dash of lemonade.
Now, don’t get me wrong– there is nothing negative about a delicious Arnold-Palmer-style tea. But I’d like to be able to sip a black tea straight from time to time, as I hold some silly tea-purist-standard up in my mind. Not many teas make that possible, but oh, this one makes up for them all. This bright Ceylon black is fresh and vibrant, and the ginger and grapefruit notes literally sing– this blend is fresh, fruity, with a hint of warm and spice from the ginger that translates surprisingly well to the iced cup. There’s something almost fizzy (I think it’s that ginger again) in this brew that is so incredibly refreshing.
For those of you whose iced tea habits have lent themselves more towards the kiddie-cocktail-side (ahem, moi) in the past, give this one a shot with no added goodies. It’ll made an un-sullied iced tea convert out of you yet!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
This blend is sold out but click below for more information about this and other A Quarter To Tea Blends
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Strawberry Grapefruit White Tea from Socra Tea Detroit. . . . .
Even with the summer months coming to an end and the fall months beginning, I’m still finding myself drawn to my spring and summer white teas. White teas were my “jam” this summer. I couldn’t get enough. I just found myself craving the crisp floral notes that white teas provide.
Strawberry Grapefruit White Tea from Scora Tea Detroit had me from the start. Start with a gorgeous blend of white and green teas, huge gooseberries, and beautiful pomegranate blossoms. The aromas that swirl you while you steep this tea and bright and so uplifting.
Prepared with fresh water right around 190F , allowed to steep for 3 minutes, and cooled for another 2-Strawberry Grapefruit White Tea is a brilliant blend of sweet floral notes with a tang of citrus. Being a huge fan of grapefruit, I’m always searching for that grapefruit tea that actually tastes like grapefruit. I need look no further!
This tea has this wonderfully fresh grapefruit flavor that mingles perfectly with the strawberry flavors. The white tea gives those familiar floral hints while the green tea gives off a much needed vegetal touch.
I absolutely adored this tea and exhausted the tea leaves. The tea would no sooner be ready than I was turning around and prepping my next session. I just couldn’t get over the fresh crisp flavors this tea was yielding.
Highly recommend this tea, especially with all the heavier spiced teas of fall and winter just around the corner. This tea is a great way to remember the sparkling flavors f spring and summer!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White/Green
Where to Buy: Socra Tea Detroit
Description
High quality green and white leaf and fine Jasmine tea, with its typically unique flower note, form the fine base for this fruity-fresh tea indulgence. Whole freeze dried cape gooseberries enhance the fresh optic of this blend.
Ingredients: green (50%) and white (40%) tea, freeze dried whole cape gooseberries, pomegranate blossoms.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Perfectly Pink #LadyMendl blend from #SunshineCottage
Another lovely tea from the crafty world of Etsy, this time it’s Lady Mendl blend from Sunshine Cottage. The Lady Mendl tea blend is based on a cocktail of the same name. The alcoholic beverage was all pink pizzazz, served in a martini with grapefruit juice, cointreau, and gin.
With so much pink citrus in the mix, this tea is surprisingly creamy, with delicious, juicy grapefruit at the forefront, and sweet, candied orange in the undertone. There are even passion fruit pieces in the dry leaf, adding to the popping, tropical flair of these flavors.
The black tea base is nutty and rich, nicely balancing the strong citrus tones. There’s even a hint of black pepper in the smell of the leaf, and it comes through in the brew the longer it is steeped. I find the hint of something savory and spicy to be an appealing counterpoint to the luscious fruit.
This would be a great blend for fans of earl grey who want to get outside their usual bergamot flavor but still want a citrus-inspired drink, fit for a lady. Look no further than Lady Mendl from Sunshine Cottage and start brewing up something perfectly pink.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Sunshine Cottage (Etsy Shop)
Description:
This blend is based on my mother’s favorite cocktail – the Lady Mendl. A delightful blend of orange and grapefruit, this black tea is perfect for an afternoon tea while listening to the legendary Cole Porter – who sang the praises of Lady Mendl in ‘Anything Goes’.
Just as an aside, Lady Mendl (or Elsie DeWolfe) was a fascinating woman and well worth reading about – perhaps while sipping a cuppa of this blend. I enjoy mine with milk (it smooths out the citrus) and a dash of maple syrup (another of my mother’s favorites).
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!
