White Chocolate Tiramisu from Fava Tea. . .

by SuperStarling

I accidentally left this in the steeper far too long — which you aren’t supposed to do with green — but it’s still really tasty, so that’s a sublimely positive thing for us scatterbrained tea enthusiasts.

This tea tastes like white chocolate, nuts, and caramel. It’s supposed to taste like Tiramisu, but I’m not sure I’m getting that. Tiramisu, to me, mostly has coffee notes. That said, who cares, a tasty tea is a tasty tea. This is SO creamy and delicious and sweet. It’s a slick mouth-feel (ew, the phrase “mouth-feel” is horrible) that really coats the inside of the mouth.

I feel like I’m in a French patisserie with this tea. Everything is Marie Antoinette pastel. I have a tiny purebred dog upon my lap. My pinky is up. I’m with all of my friends. We’re wearing blush and having a scintillating conversation that focuses on fine arts and gossip.

We might enjoy ourselves so much that we oversteep the tea. But that’s okay. This tea doesn’t mind.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Black/Green
Where to Buy:  Fava Tea
Description

This is a green and black tea blend with almonds, coconut, and cocoa pieces. If you like the darker, creamy, savory teas, this is one for you! A popular dessert tea. Blends well with rock sugar. Try Vanilla Rocks, Chocolate Cream Rocks, or Strawberry Rocks, for starters!

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

SuperStarling

"Hey, everybody! I'm Leah, a graphic designer from Pennsylvania, United States. I live with my husband and rescue mutt in a house with colorful walls. I love fonts, colors, animals, flowers, novels, illustration, geeking out, and -- obviously! -- tea. I've only been heavily into tea for about a year, but I've found I tend to prefer loose blended black dessert teas. I normally drink them hot western style without anything added; if I add in some vanilla almond milk or honey, I promise I'll mention it! When I'm not blogging here, I'm blogging at leahlucci.com/starling or posting to Instagram (super_starling), so come say hi!"

This post was posted in Black Tea, Fava Tea Company, Green Tea

Cranberry Mango from Socra Tea

by SuperStarling

I just realized that “Socra Tea” sounds like “Socrates”, which is why an old Greek statue is this company’s logo. I’ve had SEVERAL cups of tea from them, and THIS NEVER OCCURRED TO ME UNTIL JUST NOW. Clever. Perhaps a little TOO clever.

Anyway, this morning I hit the gym hard, and needed something refreshing afterward, so I decided to hit up Cranberry Mango green, iced.

And oh yum. The sweetness of the mango is balanced out by the tartness of the cranberry. The green base is perky, a teensy bit vegetal but mostly just spring-y.

This would be the perfect thing if you were babysitting some kids at a park on a summer morning. You’d be like, “Ahhhhhh… Easy on the slide, kids… Yum… Guys, stop hitting each other… Tasty… STOP STANDING ON THE SWINGS. SIT. BUNS ON THE SEAT.”

As you can see, I am a tea connoisseur as well as an A+ babysitter. I can do it all. And so can you, with this delicious treat.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Socra Tea
Description

Tart and tangy cranberries meet the rich sweetness of ripe mangos. Sweet, invigorating and exceptional! Green teas from China and Ceylon, mango and cranberry pieces, and natural flavor.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

SuperStarling

"Hey, everybody! I'm Leah, a graphic designer from Pennsylvania, United States. I live with my husband and rescue mutt in a house with colorful walls. I love fonts, colors, animals, flowers, novels, illustration, geeking out, and -- obviously! -- tea. I've only been heavily into tea for about a year, but I've found I tend to prefer loose blended black dessert teas. I normally drink them hot western style without anything added; if I add in some vanilla almond milk or honey, I promise I'll mention it! When I'm not blogging here, I'm blogging at leahlucci.com/starling or posting to Instagram (super_starling), so come say hi!"

This post was posted in Green Tea, Socra Tea Detroit

Pomegranate Oolong from Harney & Sons. . . .

by SuperStarling

The first word that comes to mind while drinking this tea is “zesty.” Pomegranate — aside from being a difficult word to spell — is a complex flavor. It’s sweet, but it’s also got that sassy tang. The oolong flavor — slightly vegetal, a little bit nature-y, but nothing horribly strong — makes it seem thoughtful. I’m getting a “literature” vibe from the oolong.

For some reason, this tea is reminding me of Elle Woods from Legally Blonde. At first, you’re getting all that sparkly, fruity zest. Then you sip further and you realize, hey, there’s a little bit of something “extra” here. Maybe this girl could, you know, go to Harvard Law and start winning cases. YOU NEVER KNOW.

This tea is delicious hot, but I don’t recommend it cold. The green gets a little weird. It’s a hot-tea. Don’t try to go off-book.

Of course, now that I’ve said that, you’re all going to try it cold. You’re going to try to paint me as a restrictive-rules monster. I’m not! I’m cool! Not as cool as Elle, but, you know, modestly cool.

Now, ladies, Bend. Snap. Brew. Enjoy.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Oolong
Where to Buy:  Harney and Sons
Description

Deliciously silky and full of complex flavors, our Pomegranate Oolong tea blends large Ti Quan Yin leaves—also known as Iron Goddess of Mercy—with the tangy, sparkling flavor of pomegranate. The result is a luscious and fruit-forward brew with a toasty aroma and ample flavors of bright pomegranate. Brew hot to enjoy its smooth, silky texture and sweet aroma at its finest.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

SuperStarling

"Hey, everybody! I'm Leah, a graphic designer from Pennsylvania, United States. I live with my husband and rescue mutt in a house with colorful walls. I love fonts, colors, animals, flowers, novels, illustration, geeking out, and -- obviously! -- tea. I've only been heavily into tea for about a year, but I've found I tend to prefer loose blended black dessert teas. I normally drink them hot western style without anything added; if I add in some vanilla almond milk or honey, I promise I'll mention it! When I'm not blogging here, I'm blogging at leahlucci.com/starling or posting to Instagram (super_starling), so come say hi!"

This post was posted in Harney & Sons, Oolong

Spiced Cucumber Melon Green Tea from 52Teas. . . .

by VariaTEA

Usually I am right on top of 52 Teas’ offerings as they make some of the best and most unique flavored blends out there. However, with a new flavor each week, sometimes some slip by before I get a chance to find them. This is one of those teas but luckily for me a tea friend was kind enough to share.

I had enough to brew it up both hot and cold, both steeping for 2 minutes in 175 F water.

I started with the hot tea which is a nice smooth drink. Nothing jumps out at me but that makes sense given both cucumber and melon are softer flavors. I was surprised it’s not more distinctively “spiced” but between the spices and the fuller flavor of the green tea base, this is more robust than a plain cucumber melon tea would be. Those fresh and cooling flavors I usually identify with summer but this tea would work year round because it is a full flavor that would be nice in the colder weather but is still gentle and refreshing enough to not be overwhelming in the summer heat.

As an iced tea, the melon comes out more. The flavors are a bit more conflicted when iced as the sweet cucumber melon stands separately from the more roasty base. The spice definitely kicks in at the tailend of the sip, lingering above the green tea while a bubble-gum like melon starts things off. It is not bad perse but the contrast between the two makes for a startling flavor change midsip that you do not get with the hot tea.

Though this is a nice tea overall, I definitely preferred the more harmoniously blended hot tea. It is one I think I would explore more should it be reblended in the future as it is not currently available on the 52 Teas website as of now.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Green
Where to Buy:  52Teas
Description

This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

VariaTEA

Hey there! My name is Rachel. I’m a twenty-something from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who loves dogs and has a bit of an obsession with tea. As a child I hated the stuff since all I ever knew was Red Rose (no offense to Red Rose). However, a few years ago that all changed. I was on a diet and desperate for new flavors without adding calories and that’s when I turned to tea. I started off by going to DAVIDsTEA and Teavana for all their dessert-inspired flavors, and since I didn’t know any better, I bought 100 grams each of about twenty-something different teas. This was okay for the teas I liked but for those I didn’t I needed to find some way of getting rid of them. Enter Steepster.com. This is where I met some incredible tea friends, discovered tea swaps, and learned of so many amazing tea companies. My desire to try all the teas grew and since joining three years ago I have tried over a thousand different teas. I have learned what ingredients I love and I have learned what flavors I don’t like. I determined my go-to brewing method is Western-style with no added milk or sweeteners, though I also enjoy cold brewing, iced teas, teapops, lattes, and smoothies. I have yet to brew gong-fu style but I hope to do so just as soon as I get the proper teaware to do it. About a year ago, I actually stopped drinking tea but as my stash of over 200 teas started aging I decided I needed to respark my interest. I chose to take a 365 days of tea challenge on Instagram in which I post a new tea picture every day. So far it has been rather successful as I find myself drinking (and buying) more and more tea each day. Plus it enabled CuppaGeek to find me and invite me here to SororiTea Sisters.

This post was posted in 52Teas, Green Tea

Black Cherries in Sweet Cream from A Quarter To Tea. . . .

by SuperStarling

This Darjeeling, cherry, and cream tea is profoundly decadent. This blend tastes like a dessert that’s melty and gooey. The cream is so creamy that I feel like a farm where it came straight off the cow. Like, a fancy French cow.

A Quarter To Tea has a good grasp on cherries. I never liked cherries until their Chocolate Cherry Oolong showed up in one of my sample packs. It was a game-changer. So much so that my hopes were high for this one — and it succeeded.

When I went to this tea’s site, I discovered that this tea was inspired by Game of Thrones:

“Illyrio smiled as his serving men spooned out bowls of black cherries in sweet cream for them both.” (Dance with Dragons)

In case you forgot Illyrio (I did), he was the one that took care of the Targaryens while they were in hiding. If this is what he was serving people, well, I might hide out there, too. Does he have any space available?

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:   Black
Where to Buy:  A Quarter To Tea
Description

“Illyrio smiled as his serving men spooned out bowls of black cherries in sweet cream for them both.” (Dance with Dragons)

Luscious black cherries with a medium body darjeeling base, paired with heavy notes of cream and vanilla. Decadent enough to make a magister proud.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

SuperStarling

"Hey, everybody! I'm Leah, a graphic designer from Pennsylvania, United States. I live with my husband and rescue mutt in a house with colorful walls. I love fonts, colors, animals, flowers, novels, illustration, geeking out, and -- obviously! -- tea. I've only been heavily into tea for about a year, but I've found I tend to prefer loose blended black dessert teas. I normally drink them hot western style without anything added; if I add in some vanilla almond milk or honey, I promise I'll mention it! When I'm not blogging here, I'm blogging at leahlucci.com/starling or posting to Instagram (super_starling), so come say hi!"

This post was posted in A Quarter To Tea, Black Tea, Darjeeling