My grandmother was more of an apple crumble lady herself. My dad’s grandmother, however, could apparently make a mean apple strudel. Now I never met his grandmother but I have gone to a Hungarian restaurant, Old Country Inn, with my Dad who has told me that the strudel there taste’s just like she used to make so that’s my basis of comparison here.
In order to recreate Grandma NecessiTea’s strudel, this tisane is a blend of apples, raisins, cinnamon, chicory, almonds, vanilla, and natural flavoring. I brewed this hot, steeping about 3 teaspoons of tea in 16 ounces of 200F water for 5 minutes.
The first thing this tea brought to mind was the Forever Nuts blend by DAVIDsTEA. Both teas have that warming and sweet nutty flavor to them that takes over. At first when I tried Forever Nuts, I loved the flavor but it is strong and I was quickly turned off of it to the point that even the smell was off-putting. However, whether it be the long time I went without a tea like this or the subtle differences between this and the DAVIDsTEA version, I don’t mind this so much.
The apple is definitely the foundation flavor of this blend, coating your tongue with its sweet and fresh cinnamon-apple note. At first it is a bit of light vanilla that sits atop the apple but that quickly is taken over by the heavier and nutty almond and chicory flavors. There is a baked good vibe here and though the different components all together sound like an apple strudel, I find in actuality this tea doesn’t come together quite how it should so instead it is a jumble of flavors. In fairness, that could be due to my negative experience of Forever Nuts and the similarity to that but as I sip, I just can’t help but think that this is not the Apple Strudel tea for me.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Fruit Tisane
Where to Buy: The NecessiTeas
Description
This tea does not appear to be available but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Just A Little Tart from A Pin Tea Shop. . . .
This tisane came in a colorful, artsy package – a pin up style beauty lounging in a giant tea cup, in adorable strappy black pumps with a flower in her hair. The daring half blouse with the plunging neckline is fitting for the name of the tea…Just A Little Tart.
The blend contains apple, rosehips, hibiscus, citrus peel, flavors, and orange. Ingredient number three brought a shiver. Not the dreaded hibby! But honestly, I don’t hate it like some folks do, and while I am not a fan of strong hibby hot, I do enjoy it iced and sweetened.
Just to be thorough testing this tisane, I did taste it hot and unsweetened. It was, indeed, just a little tart but not terribly so. The apple really does stand out.
I poured the rest of that pot into a carafe with a little sugar and then resteeped. The second steep was quite pale in comparison to the first and the flavor was greatly subdued when I tasted it hot and sweetened, but it was really intended to flesh out the big iced and sweetened pitcher, which it did nicely. The edge is off of it and I wouldn’t mind drinking the resteep as it was.
Now that it has chilled thoroughly, I can honestly say that this is a very enjoyable iced drink and most welcome in the 90+ Fahrenheit weather we have been enduring. I really don’t taste JUST the hibiscus, and that’s a feat since hibiscus can be overpowering. It is a lovely, fruity summer tisane and very refreshing iced.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Fruit Tisane
Where to Buy: Pin Tea Shop
Description
This tea company may no longer be in business but can be reached below.
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Golden West from Pacific Tea Company. . . .
Golden West blend from Pacific Tea was “inspired by a golden afternoon” outdoors. This herbal blend is made up of a variety of fruits and herbs, many of them tropical like coconut and pineapple.
This tea brewed up pink and sweet with little pops of spice between the fruit. Sweet apple, tart rose hips, and juicy hibiscus are the main flavors of this blend. There is a much appreciated hint of pear at the end of each sip. With all the fruity ingredients, it is no wonder that this tea tastes to naturally sweet, but is is a miracle that the fruits are able even to counteract the sour flavors that come with brewing hibiscus.
I don’t taste much coconut or pineapple, they seem to get drowned out by the sweet apple and pink hibiscus. Likewise, there is only a hint of spice from the added ginger, adding just a mild heat and texture.
I don’t know if this is a “golden” blend, with very little pineapple and pear. Instead of reflecting on a golden afternoon, I think this tea feels much more like a “pink sunset,” still very flavorful and outdoorsy, but more in line with the driving apple and hibiscus combination I tasted.
Golden West would be great as an iced tea when mixed in with sangria or to when mixed in with lemonade to make it fruity and pink. As long as you go into this this blend expecting a sweet and pink fruity tea, you will definitely be satisfied. This is especially as the weather gets warmer and it is time to reach for more iced teas than ever.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Pacific Tea Company
Description:
Inspired by a golden afternoon in the Solomon western province, the low-acid blend of pear, coconut and ginger, tops any day with notes of pineapple, marigold and hibiscus.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Carrot Cupcake from The NecessiTeas. . . .
This is an herbal blend of apple, carrot, almonds, walnuts, cinnamon, coconut, pineapple, crystallized ginger, cloves, and natural and organic flavors. In the packet, it smells sweet, light, and fruity, with only a little of the clove coming through – a minor miracle since clove so easily overpowers other flavors.
Steeped for about six minutes in boiling water, it is still a light but flavorful cup. I have had carrot cake and this is lighter than I would expect. Tasty, but not the taste I was expecting.
Apple and pineapple are keeping it light and fresh, the ginger and clove are remarkably well behaved and sit on the back row without demanding all the attention, although that crystallized ginger keeps trying to peek to the forefront. The nutty flavors are plainly here, with the cinnamon being a bit shy and the coconut adding a bit of body overall.
While this is a lovely fall like tisane and I am enjoying it, it does not make visions of carrot cupcake dance in my head. I would love to try this again, but mix it half and half with a good black tea base. I think that could be an awesome experience.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Tisane
Where to Buy: The NececssiTeas
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Rhubarb Cream Soda from DAVIDs Tea. . . .
I want to start off by saying that one of my favorite things about this blend, without ever having tried it, is that this blend doesn’t have stevia in it. If you want to make it sweeter, that is up to you but this is a stevia-less blend. A rare find at DAVIDsTEA these days.
When I smelled the blend, I was impressed that the scent had an effervescence to it that captured the fizz of soda. Not sure how that’s a thing but the blend had a sparkle to it and I was interested to play with that which meant a teapop was in my future. However, I also wanted to know what this tasted like on its own so I also cold brewed the tea.
I set up the cold brew and then maybe forgot about the tea so this brewed for over 24 hours. What immediately caught my interest was that this does actually taste like cream soda. It’s creamy and vanilla and also fruity. Sometimes I find DAVIDsTEA fruit blends can taste a bit like waxy dried fruits and this is no exception and I think that is a result of the candied pineapple/mango. So at times it tastes tropical and at times it tastes artificial.
The teapop, made with Strawberry Perrier, takes this to a whole new level. The fizz of the perrier mixes with the vanilla creaminess to help really sell cream soda. Also the strawberry flavoring and carbonation flavor that comes with sparkling water helps drown out the artificial wax fruit flavor while still playing off the tropical fruit vibes. So that means the good parts of the tea are highlighted while the bad components are drowned out.
One thing not really mentioned above is the rhubarb. That’s because I don’t really get rhubarb from this at all. On the plus side that means this isn’t loaded up with hibiscus like a lot of fruit teas are. On the down side, no rhubarb means this is not a rhubarb cream soda tea and that could be disappointing for some. As for me, I don’t miss it. This is one of the better DAVIDsTEA blends that have come out recently and it is one I certainly enjoyed.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Fruit Tisane
Where to Buy: DAVIDs Tea
Description
Let yourself get carried away with this totally poppin’ tea. With bright rhubarb, sweet apple and a fizzy tartness we can’t get enough of, our creamy and nostalgic blend will take you back to when things were simpler – and just a little sweeter. Add a splash of club soda and a scoop of lemon sorbet for a treat that’ll leave you feeling bubbly all day long.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!