Jim Thorpe, PA, has an old jail, a train, mansions and a lot of stores that are magic-themed. For example, there are places called the Muggle’s Mug and the Conjured Soap Boutique.
There’s also a place called Down The Rabbit Hole . As a person with an Alice in Wonderland tattoo (visible here or here ), I couldn’t resist.
Imagine my surprise AND DELIGHT when I found tea in the back. The place was custom-made for me, basically.
I bought two blends, the first of which I tried today: Brewed Awakening. It was recommended for coffee drinkers looking to transition to tea. Its ingredients include pu’erh tea, cocoa beans, green coffee beans, chamomile petals, and green tea.
David’s Tea carried a similar blend called Espresso Yourself for a while. I liked it, but it was too aggressive/bitter for me.
Down the Rabbit Hole’s Brewed Awakening is much smoother. The pu’erh and the cocoa mellow down the tartness of the coffee beans. There’s a slick mouthfeel that I really like (despite not liking the word “mouthfeel” itself). There’s a calmness about this tea. It’s not yelling at you. It’s not kicking you. It’s ushering you into the morning gently.
This promising blend has me excited to try the other one I bought. Keep your eyes peeled for that one, which I’ll write up as soon as I get a chance to try it.
If you’re ever in Jim Thorpe, PA for some reason, you should check out this shop.
And the jail. . . too. It’s allegedly haunted.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Puerh
Where to Buy: Down The Rabbit Hole
Description
Check out Down the Rabbit Hole’s FB page below.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Pistachio Orange Pu Erh from Fava Tea Company
Everyone where I work sniffed this bag and declared the scent heavenly. It smells like a tray of cookies. Nutty and sweet and a little zesty.
And it TASTES LIKE THAT, TOO. You guys. This was the Find Of The Week.
This is Mrs-Claus-in-a-tea. Imagine the prototypical grandma, with an army of tiny elf children assisting and getting the sprinkles and sugar everywhere. She is baking and listening to Jackson 5 and shimmying that caboose all around. Outside, the reindeer are watching through frosted windows. Rudolph is in the forefront, glowing like the attention-grabber he is. He knows that ol’ Mrs Claus can’t resist that round red nose. (She loves round red things! The nose reminds her of Santa!) She’ll be out with freshly-baked cookies for him as soon as they’re out of the oven and cooled.
Is there more tea like this in Fava’s workshop? I promised myself I’d stop buying tea until I wrap up the samples I have now… but I’m tempted to try a few more of Fava’s blends.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Puerh
Where to Buy: Fava Tea Company
Description
Hand blended to perfection this blend is the perfect compliment of earthy pu-erh, nutty pistachio and sweet citrus! You are my sunshine….! You’ll be singing as you enjoy this blend iced during the spring and summer months and hot during the cooler fall and winter months of the year. This blend has been described as a Pistachio Orange Cake with Buttercream…
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
White Chocolate Tiramisu from Fava Tea. . . .
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!
RYCBAR by Fandom Teas. . . .
I’m a Doctor Who fan and, even with the information that this is an “impossible girl” inspired tea, it still took me several seconds to figure out what the name of this blend meant. Maybe my brain was just really slow today? Hopefully you can figure it out faster. 😉
I steeped two teaspoons of this tea in ten ounces of 175-degree water for three minutes.
While steeping, it starts smelling fruity right away. This is a flavored tea (raspberry-pomegranate flavored) and the tea liquid is much darker than an unflavored green tea would. That might be from the raspberry, although it’s not really pink; it’s a sort of clear and handsome brown color with a reddish tinge.
First sip: It’s definitely fruity and sweet. Pomegranate and raspberry are both quite tart fruits, but the tartness isn’t coming through too strongly here, although yes, there is quite a bit of astringency. The fruity flavors complement each other well, and the green tea base sings backup; I’m hard put to it to distinguish its flavor components separately, yet I can still tell it’s there.
With sugar: Sweeter, of course. But surprisingly, I can taste the green tea base a bit more now. The sugar tames the astringency but doesn’t really bring out the fruity flavors like I hoped/assumed it would.
I bet this one would be great as iced tea too, but wouldn’t want to try milk with it because it might be too acidic for that.
All in all a fun tea, and one that I’d like to try iced (or as cold-brew) if I ever have the chance to try it again!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: Fandom Teas
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for Doctor Who teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Jasmine Pecan Shortbread from A Quarter To Tea. . . .
I know Jasmine Pecan Shortbread is one of those teas that the name just intrigues you right off the bat and if its coming from A Quarter To Tea. . well than I’m really intrigued!
A Quarter To Tea offers unique hand blended small batch flavored teas that are simply brilliant. I’ve ordered my fair share of A Quarter To Teas and have never been disappointed. So I knew when I took a gamble on this particular blend, it would deliver.
And it did!
Let’s start with the buttery smooth green tea base that has a lovely jasmine flavor that doesn’t overwhelm but is noticeable. The pecan notes are the true star of the show. That flavor really brings home the pecan shortbread in the title of this tea.
You wouldn’t think those flavors would work together but they really do. Each sip you are presented with this sweet, nutty, and slightly floral flavor that delivers a truly unique and addicting flavor. There is even a slight vanilla and almost custard flavor as well.
Just delicious and giving me that sweet flavor I need without reaching for the candy bowl. Really lovely and I can’t seem to get enough of that nutty finish. This one is still available and one that I see using some of my Christmas money to get more of.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
Lovely vanilla, butter and pecans flavors with a jasmine background. Definitely try more than one steep — the more steeps, the more the jasmine comes to play!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
