A few months ago, I found myself stuck in on a plane in Detroit due to a wicked thunderstorm. The delay caused myself and basically the rest of the plane to miss our connecting flights. There was a silver lining though, while on the plane I met this incredibly interesting lady who was a podcaster and we started talking about the blogs, podcasting and all sorts of geeky subjects. Of course the conversation turned to tea and she told me about an interesting tea company that she had recently been introduced to via her podcast. Fast forward a few months, that same tea company reached out for SororiTea Sisters to review their teas. I was ecstatic!
The first tea I tried was literally the first tea I grabbed from the sample pack. Spa- a blend of green tea, mint, cucumber, and citrus vibes. This tea called to me in many different ways and I will admit, I’m a sucker for a cool crisp mint cucumber tea. Of course as soon as I parceled out my sample from the pouch and into my tea pot, I had to stick my nose right in and take a big whiff. I was instantly enamored with the gorgeous pops of citrus cucumber aromas with a minty undertone. No lie, my kettle couldn’t prep the water fast enough. Brewed with water right under boiling and allowed to brew for right around 3 minutes, I took my first sip and I’m not going to lie, my heart sank a little.
Though I could get these bright pops of citrus, cucumber, mint, green tea. . . I also tasted stevia. Unfortunately, I am not one that enjoys stevia in my tea and usually have found that stevia over takes the tea in general and I’m sad to say that is what has happened with this blend. Being one that typically doesn’t add any kind of sweetener to her tea, I went to Tea Vibes site and noticed that this blend did in fact have stevia. Not a bad thing and there are some blends that stevia does seem to work, but for me this wasn’t one of those blends.
But I will say, thru the stevia, I can taste these awesome flavors that scream relax vibes with authority. So if you are one that doesn’t mind stevia in their tea, I highly highly encourage you to check out this blend. Their site is so appealing and their packaging is different than what I have been seeing for other companies, along with the unique palm tree being built into their logo. So even tho this one go may not have been for me, I’m excited to dig thru the rest of the samples Tea Vibes sent us to see if I can find a tea that is more to my taste buds.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Tea Vibes
Description
An invigorating loose-leaf green tea infused with mint, cucumber and citrus vibes. Add one of our infuser accessories to complete your Vibe.
Ingredients: organic green tea, peppermint, green tea, cucumber, lime pieces, lemon peel, lime juice, flavors, stevia, lemon myrtle, lemon juice, sea salt, citric acid, malic acid. Blended in a facility that processes nuts (coconut). Vegan.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Black Bear from Banff Tea Company. . . .
In the winter – I’m sort of a hermit. Or I tend to want to hibernate like a bear. Regardless – that is what this tea remind me of…a nice tea to sit down and hibernate with. A nice tea to sip on when you are overly frustrated with winter, too, because one sip will having you thinking SPRING is right around the corner.
The tea I’m writing about today is Black Bear from Banff Tea Company. It’s flavored black tea with enough caffeine to light a figurative fire under your butt in the morning. “This blend is indeed black and contains enough berries and leaves to satisfy any of the Park’s locals,” according to the company website.
The origins hail from Sri Lanka and the ingredients are Black tea, blackberry leaves, elderberries, dried blackcurrants, hibiscus, mallow flowers, sunflower petals, cornflower petals, natural Flavoring.
I’m not a fan of hibiscus so when I tasted the berry and realized this flavored berry tea did NOT contain hibiscus in it I nearly jumped for joy! This is a nicely done berry flavored black tea. The flavor ratios are very pleasing.
This is great iced but very good hot, too! It’s naturally sweet on its own and a delightful cuppa!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Banff Tea Company
Description
This blend is indeed black and contains enough berries and leaves to satisfy any of the Park’s locals.
Caffeine Level: High.
Origin: Sri Lanka.
Ingredients: Black tea, blackberry leaves, elderberries, dried currents, hibiscus, mallow flowers, sunflower petals, cornflower petals, natural flavouring.
Steeping Suggestions: 1 teaspoon (3g) of tea per 6oz cup of water, 90°C (194°F) for 2-5 minutes.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Raspberry Jam from Perkse Tea
I’ve been on a berry kick lately. I just can’t get enough of that sweet, tangy, juicy goodness.
Today’s pick comes from Perkse Tea, a shop I found on Etsy when I typed in “tea sampler.” (Yes, this is how a LOT of our posts come to you. We tea reviewers can’t resist a sampler kit. So many new things to try and report back on!) They’re a Canadian company that encourages you to “embrace a positive mind-set and live a beautiful life.” Hard to find fault with that plan!
This tea really nails that raspberry vibe. It’s sweet and a little bit tart, just like chomping on the real thing — minus those aggravating seeds. There’s also a touch of blueberry and rose floating along to vary and deepen the flavor profile. The base is robust enough to hold up these flavors without losing itself. This reminds me of the base of a delicious cobbler. Throw some crunch and cream on there and you’d be SET. I’m currently out of my Almond Breeze, but I think that this tea would take it with aplomb.
I feel like I’ve fast-forwarded to a season of late outdoor dinners. There are citronella candles everywhere and I’m eating off a red gingham-check tablecloth on a picnic table. There are friends, and maybe even their kids, chatting and laughing. Dogs sitting at our feet. Like a country music video depicting good ol’ Amurrrica.
Oh man. This tea is SUMMER at its BEST.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Perkse Tea
Description
A deliciously hardy black tea infused with freeze dried raspberries cultivated from California.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
De-Lovely from the Tea Crew
With a name like De-Lovely, you can’t help but expect a tea that will bring a smile to your face. De-Lovely from the Tea Crew is an oolong tea with sweet almond and chocolate flavors.
Chocolate teas can be tricky, sometimes they aren’t very chocolate-like, and other times they end up like watered-down hot cocoa. However, De-Lovely smelled very promising, both in the dry leaf and in the brewed tea.
Upon my first sip, I knew this chocolate tea was a winner. The oolong base is more roasted than green, and goes very well with the marzipan almond flavors. With a rich and nutty base, the chocolate notes thrive, bringing a dark chocolate, almost-floral sweetness. When I looked at the ingredients list, I noticed that there is even a bit of coconut in the mix to help add a buttery mouthfeel and creamy richness.
The oolong tea base helps keep this from being too decadent or overpowering. The tea leaves themselves still have a strong bodied presence among all the sweet desserts. Nutty, roasty, chocolatey, this tea is just lovely!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: The Tea Crew
Description:
Somewhere between green and black tea lies Oolong tea, semi-fermented loveliness.
This blend is sweet, nutty and chocolatey. It’s delightful, it’s delicious, it’s de-lovely!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Apple & Fig from TeaLeafs. . . .
Apple & Fig Black Tea. How could you go wrong? You can’t…with Apple & Fig Black flavored tea from TeaLeafs based out of Western New York. But it’s more than just a black flavored tea. It’s also an Oolong Tea. And a Rooibos Herbal…all wrapped up into one! That’s right…were talking about a blended tea here folks…not one…not two…but three bases…meshed into what you see here!
The origins of this trio tea blended base is from both India and China. To expand on the ingredients it contains Black Tea, Oolong Tea, Organic Rooibos, Apple pieces, Flavors, Fig, Clove, and Star Anise.
The tart apples and sweet jammy figs are what bring this to life! The hints of clove and star anise draw out the natural sweetness of the tea – according to the tea company’s website and I completely agree!
I have to say that the Fig Formosa Oolong from TeaLeafs is still my favorite of their offerings but this has to be in my top 10 from them. And that says a LOT because they have LOTS and LOTS of offerings! If you haven’t checked them out yet – make sure you do!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: TeaLeafs
Description
Tart apples and sweet, jammy figs. Hints of clove and star anise draw out the natural sweetness of the tea