Peach Melba from Traillodge Tea. . . .

by VariaTEA

Caffeine doesn’t bother me as much as it does for some people but now that I have to go to sleep at a decent hour most nights to get up early for work, I try to make sure I have a selection of caffeine-free teas for the evenings. So now I am always on the lookout for good caffeine-free options. That is why when I saw this Peach Melba tea by Traillodge Tea in a traveling teabox, I had to give it a try.

This tea is made of organic rooibos, organic honeybush, organic apple bits, organic raspberry bits, organic marigold, and natural flavor. I decided to cold brew it overnight because more often than not, cold brewing tames the base flavors and allows the other ingredients to shine. That was my hope for this tea.

That doesn’t necessarily seem to be the case because there is a lot of honey notes from the rooibos and honeybush. The flavorings are subtle so they are taking back seat to the base which luckily is not medicinal or woody. I do get some raspberry but honestly I am just left wanting more. More raspberry. More peach. Just more flavor overall. If I had blindly tasted this tea, I don’t think I would have determined it was Peach Melba.

As far as rooibos and honeybush teas go, this is not bad but the flavors leave something to be desired. It was an okay drink but by no means Peach Melba. I don’t think this will be added to my line up of caffeine-free teas but it was fun to try.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Rooibos/Honeybush
Where to Buy:  Traillodge Tea
Description

This is a Trail Lodge Exclusive tea. The inspiration for this herbal tisane came from eating a peach melba sundae, and just like the desert, this tisane is a refreshing treat. The sweet taste of fresh peaches combines perfectly with the tartness of raspberries. It’s as if summer has been captured in a cup of tea. This tisane is great hot or iced. Ingredients: organic rooibos, organic honeybush, organic apple bits, organic raspberry bits, organic marigold, and natural flavor.

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 Rooibos, Trail Lodge Tea

Pomegranate from CHASH The Fine Tea Co. . . . .

by VariaTEA

“If ‘Tea Makes Everything Better’ shouldn’t we ​be drinking better tea?” This is what CHASH is all about. This tagline is found on their packaging and prominently displayed when you go to their site. When I first saw this quote on my tea sample packet, all I could think is “I don’t know if their tea is better yet, but I will say their packaging is a step above the rest”. Without even trying the tea and with one mere tea sample in my hand, I was impressed with the high quality material, the beautiful green color of the package, and the lovely golden teacup with a small cutout so you can see the tea. Call me shallow but I was immediately intrigued. I guess I figured if they put that much effort into displaying the tea, they were bound to care about the tea quality itself, right?

I was even more excited when I realized (thanks to the little teacup window), that this tea, Pomegranate, was on a base of bamboo leaves. I have not had many bamboo teas, but the ones I have had, I have always enjoyed. This gave me a chance to revisit this uncommon ingredient, presented in a new way. This time bamboo leaves were combined with pomegranate bits, pomegranate blossom, papaya bits, rose blossom and redcurrants, to make this tea.

Since there was no steeping instructions other than 95C, I steeped this for 4 minutes, which may have been on the lighter side as it brewed up a very light color. Nevertheless, this tea has a definite fruity flavor to it, even if it is on the lighter side. Think the sweetness of pomegranate without all the work of having to break all the seeds out of the fruit – that is what starts your sip. The pomegranate then morphs into a red currant flavor, a little less sweet, and a little more intense. There is also a sugary sweetness here that lingers around the top of each taste which could be from the mild sweet flavor of the bamboo leaf or from the various fruit pieces.

All in all, this tea captures the fruity pomegranate flavor nicely, while adding some depth to the drink overall with the addition of other components. Like I said, it is on the lighter side so if you are looking for a flavor punch, you won’t find it here.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Tisane
Where to Buy:  Chash Tea
Description

This tea is not currently on the site 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 Chash Tea, Fruit/Herbal Tisane

Maracuja Orange from Gypsy Soul Teas. . . . .

by Mary

Something happens to my tea cabinet in the spring.   All of the hearty, heavier black teas get pushed to the back, and the light, fresh, vegetal greens and fruit herbals seem to float like cream to the top. I’ve just spent a winter sipping on the tea-equivalent of a warm blanket and wool socks– give me sandals and sunglasses in my cup instead, please and thanks!

And once the calendar flips to summer, its even unlikelier that I’ll be sipping on ANYTHING hot. In my A/C-less apartment with my German ancestry, not made for heat waves– iced tea reigns supreme. When I pulled this sample out of my stash, bright and bold, with big orange chunks and bright red bits of…something? I knew it would make a great iced choice for the start of the warmer season.

Cold-brewed overnight, this tea turns delightfully pink– I’m guessing, as a result of the beetroot pieces in the blend. I expected more orange-juice-orange flavors, but what I’m getting instead is a blend of juicy fruits, with just a hint of bitterness at the end. Maybe it’s the hibiscus? Maybe it’s the interesting addition of pumpkin and carrot in this dry mix? Either way, it’s not unpleasant, but it isn’t quiet what I was expecting either.

My recommendation? Go into this sip without the expectations of fresh oranges, but rather, a big ol’ party-o-fruits, and you’ll be super pleased with your iced cup. Unusual? Sure. But great as the temps start to rise and you’re looking for something refreshing to fill your cup?

Definitely.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Herbal
Where to Buy:  Gypsy Soul Teas
Description

Fresh & Fruity! Exotic Passion fruit orange fruit tea. Caffeine free. Great hot or iced.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Mary

Hi there! I'm Mary, a 27-year-old mental health professional living with my fiancé and our quirky kitten in the Midwest! I've loved tea for as long as I can remember-- in fact, I have vivid memory of being four or five in a tea shop and being mesmerized by all the tea flavors and proclaiming that I "was going to be kind of adult who drank tea, not coffee." A stint living (and tea-drinking my way through) London and twenty-some years later, I'm still channeling that sassy four-year-old and loving my tea habit. When I'm not sipping a cuppa, you'll find me reading, doing yoga, traveling, exploring my own city, planning our wedding and experimenting with different healthful and healing foods in my kitchen.

This post was posted in Fruit/Herbal Tisane, Gypsy Soul Tea

Malibu by Bruu Tea

by kittylovestea

Hello tea friends!

This comes straight from the Bruu Tea Club box from February. It isn’t available to buy on the website but it may in the near future.

The information card from the box mentioned this blend has a Pina Colada charm to it.

Ingredients: Apple, Rosehip, Pineapple, Coconut and Hibiscus.

Opening the packet I am met with a sweet fruit melody that screamed tropical punch as it filled my nostrils. It also had a creamy scent among the sweet and juicy fruit. In terms of blend the pieces are mostly medium sized.

Steeping Instructions: 1tsp – 100C – 6 minutes

Once steeped the tea is red in colour and bares a super tropical fruity scent with a touch of sourness.

The first few sips reveal an insanely sweet and fruity drink with a sour aftertaste. Pineapple and coconut were the dominant fruit flavours and the hibiscus lingered in the after taste with a touch of dryness.

It’s only a fruit blend but it’s very tasty, much stronger than I expected. Though sour, the hibiscus is acceptable and it dies down quickly. I think this would be nice mixed with a mild green tea.

It may not be Pina Colada but it’s tropical and tasty!

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Bruu Tea
(This is not currently for sale)
Description: A dreamy fruit tea with lashings of coconut. Works great on its own, blended or as an ice tea.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

kittylovestea

My name is Kayleigh Jade and I was born in Leicester, England, UK. I have always had a love for herbal and fruit tea (even as a child) but my curiosity got the best of me in my teen years and I started to look into other teas. I eventually found some companies in the UK that offered different teas and eBay was an easy source for international (particularly Chinese) teas. I found myself liking specific teas more than others such as Pu Erh and jasmine green pearls (which are two of my favourites still to date) and my obsession kept growing. Now I am in tea clubs and regularly order new products to try and though I have tried a good variety of different teas I still consider myself to be a beginner student. My goal in life is to keep tasting and steeping and learning and hopefully by having this blog I will pass on what I learn and feel. My name is kittylovestea because it combined my two favourite things in the world. Those being cats and tea (of course!). My cats are also interested in some of my teas (especially dessert or sweet teas) and always seem to become excited once they smell what I’m brewing. I have arrived home before to find a few tea packets on the floor with suspicious looking holes which any cat owner know are made from biting. I now have to be careful with the storing of my tea but it’s nice to know my 4 angels have the same interests as me. =^_^=

This post was posted in Bruu Tea, Fruit/Herbal Tisane

Orange Date Cake from Steeped Tea. . . .

by teaequalsbliss

Orange Date Cake from Steeped Tea. Whit a name like that I knew I HAD to try it! Best part was it’s dairy and guilt free! It contains Date Bits which are made up of Dates and Rice Flour, Currants, Sunflower Oil, Orange Wedges, Cinnamon Bits, Fig Bits which are made up of Figs and Rice Flour, and flavors.

I was super excited that they used the Rice Flour as the ingredient for the cake likeness and not actual cake chunks that could contain dairy and/or eggs! And I was also stoked that they used Sunflower Oil for the anti-caking agent and clearly noted that on the bag!

Orange Date Cake from Steeped Tea was pretty fantastic! I have to admit I was completely blown away with the flavor of these natural ingredients! The Dates and Figs were so wonderfully sweet! The Orange was juicy-citrus at it’s best! The Cinnamon played an important part, too, and was hefty on it’s own. YUM!

This is a VERY LARGE and CHUNKY blend of ingredients. You can see everything without looking real close.

It has sweet and almost caramel-like notes to it in addition to a brown sugar flavor without it actually having any added sugars! Only the natural sugars from the dried fruits here, folks!

Yeah! Totally LOVING this Fruit Tea/Tisane. I don’t know if I have ever said that about a fruit based tea. This was a beautiful surprise!

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Tisane
Where to Buy:  Steeped Tea
Description
You’ll be on a sunny cloud nine with swirling hints of orange and cinnamon.
Ingredients: Date bits (dates, rice flour), currants (currants, sunflower oil [anti-caking agent]), orange wedges, cinnamon bits, cardamom, fig bits (figs, rice flour), natural flavors.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

teaequalsbliss

Co-Founder/Co-Creator of Sororitea Sisters at Sororitea Sisters Jennifer (TeaEqualsBliss) is in her upper 30s and lives in the eastern snowbelt area of the US with her husband, 3 dogs, and cat (however the number of furkids can change at anytime as she LOVES providing a forever home for many shelter animals. Her several interests include music, movies, veganism, sports, traveling, collecting Baseball Cards and Unicorns, Radio, Computers, Crafting, and of course…TEA. She started drinking tea at the tender age of 3 thanks to her Grandmother and her love for tea has gotten stronger with each year! In addition to being a co-founder/co-creator of Sororitea Sisters - her main site is MyBlissfulJourney.com. Find out more about Jennifer on MyBlissfulJourney.com.

This post was posted in Fruit/Herbal Tisane, Steeped Tea