I bought this on a recommendation. The person who recommended it did not say it was delicious. She said it had turmeric in it and she liked that for health reasons. Also, you can steep it for fifteen minutes with no harm done, and she forgets that she is steeping tea a lot. So win/win. Ha ha!
So I bought it! I saw the three main ingredients listed on the front and figured there was only a little turmeric (maybe) and surely the lemon covered up the turmeric. Then I looked at the full ingredient list, the proportions, and the instructions. Boiling water on green tea? Fifteen minutes? Okay, I am going to trust you, Pukka! Don’t let me down!
My eyes grew wide at the full list. Silly me, thinking it was just turmeric (40%), lemon, and green tea (20%). There is cardamom, lemon verbena, and licorice root as well. I made a small pot using three teabags. I didn’t go for a full fifteen minute steep, but having tried this tea, I think you definitely can. When I poured my first cup, the color was already a rich gold. Howdy, turmeric!
My eyes grew wide at the full list. Silly me, thinking it was just turmeric (40%), lemon, and green tea (20%). There is cardamom, lemon verbena, and licorice root as well. I made a small pot using three teabags. I didn’t go for a full fifteen minute steep, but having tried this tea, I think you definitely can. When I poured my first cup, the color was already a rich gold. Howdy, turmeric!
My youngest daughter is drinking this with me. She doesn’t get the broth comparison. She says it just tastes savory to her and she likes it. And I suppose I like it, too. But I feel a strong compulsion to add rice and carrots and onions.
Bottom line – 1. I can drink this easily to see if the turmeric will do me as much good as friends tell me it does for them. 2. I will almost certainly try using it in cooking. I think it would be awesome for a small pot of soup. And 3. it will be fantastic when you are sick because it has a rich and savory satisfying flavor for when you don’t really feel like eating.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Pukka
Description
Golden turmeric – the queen of protective herbs whose nourishing yellow sustains life’s majestic glow. This is a tea to celebrate life – lemon fruit, aromatic cardamom and whole leaf green tea expertly blended with one of nature’s most powerful herbs. The elegance will leave you feeling renewed as each cup lets you don turmeric’s shield.
A golden tea that will colour your life but not your teeth. Good news for bringing a golden glow to your day.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
DelightPho/Millie’s Savory Teas. . . .
I’ve had this little packet of savory, broth-esque tea sitting on my desk at work for MONTHS, friends. Months, just waiting, with the knowledge that someday, I’d be feeling under the weather, and someday, this is exactly what I’d want.
Well– it came. I’m coughing and sneezy and feeling generally woozy, but good enough (and not-contagious enough) to be at work. As soon as I sat down at my desk, I knew I’d be brewing up a cuppa this beauty for a little mid-morning pick-me-up. I’ve tried a few Millie’s savory teas before, and have always been impressed by the amount of flavor in those tiny tea bags. This play on pho was no exception!
My tea brewed up dark and deliciously, with tons of incredible umami flavor, almost like I was slurping down a delicious cup of pho at my favorite Vietnamese restaurant. And those sniffles? Maybe they’re not completely eradicated, but the hot water was soothing on my throat, and I swear my sinuses opened up some. When it’s not feasible to drink a cup of soup during your morning meeting on a sick-y day, THIS is where it’s at.
My desk stash is now sadly depleted of any Millie’s flavors, but I’ll absolutely be stocking up for future icky-sicky days. Delight-pho, indeed!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Millie’s Savory Teas
Description
This Delight Pho is a hearty blend of onions, basil, spicy red peppers, spices & decaf green tea. Steep one broth bag in 6 to 8 ounces of hot water for two minutes. Winner Fancy Food Show Outstanding Hot Beverage of the Year.
INGREDIENTS VEGETABLE BLEND (CARROTS, CELERY, ONION, TOMATO, SPINACH, BELL PEPPER), YEAST EXTRACT, SEA SALT, RICE HULL FIBER, BASIL, GARLIC, LIME, DECAF GREEN TEA, VINEGAR
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Local Hideaway/Pacific Tea. . . . .
Local Hideaway from Pacific Tea. I have to admit…I was sipping on this because of the name. That and because it was a flavored green tea and I was craving a green!
Lets take a look at the ingredients in this one, shall we? Contains green tea*, licorice root*, coconut pieces*, natural coconut flavoring, carob*, vanilla pieces*
The * indicates ingredients are certified organic. I have to say the green tea base was of medium strength and somewhat of muted flavor on the tongue. I could smell and taste the licorice but it wasn’t overdone, thankfully. I couldn’t really taste or individually point out the coconut, carob, or vanilla…but…I knew there was another flavor in there to make it more than ‘just licorice’.
The overall taste on the tongue was fairly good. I wouldn’t place it in my personal top ten but I wouldn’t cringe at a cup either. It was pretty middle of the road for me…and that is NOT a bad thing, REALLY!
Sometimes you just NEED a mellower cup. One that you can sip on and not really put too much thought into trying to figure out. It’s a much appreciated cuppa and I’m so glad I was able to try it. Which reminds me…if you do one thing today…why not share a cup of tea with a friend!?
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Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Pacific Tea
Description
Take me back to the summer of enveloping coconut trees on roads less travelled. Lingering notes of coconut, carob, liquorice and vanilla remind of days better spent.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Cucumber Melon/Culinary Teas. . . . .
Fellow sisters of the 90s, two words: cucumber. melon. Now, if you’re anything like me, you were just insta-transported to your bathroom cabinet stocked with matching body lotions, shower gels, and body sprays all smelling identically of summery melon cucumber goodness. And gosh darn it if this tea isn’t a dead ringer for that super-nostalgic scent. Full green tea leaves are perfectly paired with big slices of dehydrated cucumber pieces of this dry leaf, brewing up to a light and fresh, golden-y green. If you like your teas a little more savory, as-is leaves a perfectly fresh and delightful drink that is reminiscent of spa water, with more of an emphasis on the cucumber than the melon. With just a splash of lemonade, the melon is beautifully highlighted– and friends, this is like Bath & Body Works in a cup. It’s fresh and fruity and cucumber-y, with perfectly light and sweet honeydew melon undertones.
Who would I recommend this tea for? Frankly, if at any point you’ve had: a Lisa Frank binder, kept all your nail polish in a caboodle, or have squealed your way through a Bath & Body Works 75% off sale at least once in your life, add this one to your cart for summertime sipping. You won’t be disappointed!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Culinary Teas
Description
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Candied Apple/Pinky Up. . . .
A recent tea swap introduced me to a new company, Pinky Up. Pinky Up has a great selection of unique sounding loose leaf teas such as Confetti Cake, Matcha Ice Cream, Green Gummy, Rosewater Basil, etc. In addition to their loose leaf variety, Pinky Up also has a bunch of different blooming teas to try including Honeydew Gelato, Pina Colada, Peaches and Cream, Creme Brulee and this tea, Candied Apple.
I find blooming teas are never amazing tastewise but they are always fun to watch bloom. They are the teas you want when you want a tea experience instead of just a quick cup to go. This Candied Apple blooming tea by Pinky Up is no exception. It’s really a fun tea to watch bloom.
One thing I will note is that a fair amount of the leaves were still bound up in the string after I steeped the tea for just under 4 minutes. I think my error was using water that was too cool. I used 175F water, my usual temperature for green teas, and I think it was not hot enough to force the leaves out of their binding which meant I don’t think this tea fully bloomed.
I was worried that the longer than usual steep might have made the tea bitter and once I realized the still bound leaves, I was worried the tea wouldn’t be that flavorful. I am happy to report both these concerns were not warranted as the tea is quite nice.
This tea has a bright red apple flavor. It is actually interesting because apple teas tend to have a generic sort of apple flavor but this is distinctively red apple. Actually more than just red apple, it has a pretty strong apple juice vibe to it. Sweeter than a typical apple but I don’t know if it is quite candied-level sweetness. I think that is where I am getting the idea of juice from since apple juice is always sweeter than the fruit itself. However, unlike juice, this still has the lightness of a green tea.
This tea actually tasted better than expected, even if it didn’t actually taste like a candied apple as the name would suggest. Despite my concerns about brewing mentioned above, my experience has been blooming teas have been more aesthetically oriented than taste focused. This is a nice combination of both looks and flavor and has me browsing the Pinky Up site looking for more!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Blooming Tea/Green
Where to Buy: Pinky Up
Description
This tea is no longer on the website but click below for blends that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
