Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: The Jasmine Pearl Tea Company
Tea Description:
A great coffee alternative! Smooth dark and rich this blend of chicory, cacao, cinnamon and many other delicious herbs create a satisfying brew for morning or afternoon. Due to the presence of cacao nibs, which contain caffeine, don’t drink Dark Forest near bedtime.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I have loved every tea that I have tried from The Jasmine Pearl Tea Company. Their teas are delicious and just knock your socks off sort of fantastic. This particular blend I am trying is their Dark Forest Herbal Tea. Now the description from what the tea consists of online and what I have in hand is different so I think they may have changed up the formula. The blend I have consists of chamomile, ginger, eucalyptus, lemon myrtle, and peppermint.
To begin with, I am not a huge ginger fan. I do like it on occasion but it isn’t my favorite. I know ginger is great for the body so I will drink ginger teas and even enjoy it in food every once in a while, but I do not go searching for it.
So let’s talk about the journey it was to actually drink this tea. First off, I dropped the bag and half of the contents fell out. Ugh. I boiled the water and forgot about it. Boo. And I measured way too water for my new Doctor Who mug and I had tea all over my desk (I used a gravitea steeper). Yep. It seemed like this tea was doomed from the start. By the time I was able to take a drink of this tea I was ready!
The dry leaf reminded me of a sweet pumpkin spice bar. The mixture just smelled heavenly. I prepped my water and allowed the tea to steep for about 5 minutes. And I would recommend that being the time you allow the tea to steep if aren’t a fan of ginger like me. I have a feeling any long than that and the ginger would overtake the tea.
My first sip of this tea and I was surprised and how lovely it was. I was afraid the ginger would overpower and leave the rest of the flavors behind but that wasn’t the case at all. Each flavor was noticeable at different times and mingled together so nicely. The ginger was light but there to spice the tea up, the lemon myrtle provided a bit of that citrus undertone, the chamomile was giving the tea a familiar herbal feel to it and the peppermint gave the tea a fresh flavor. Really well done. Who would have thought those ingredients would make such a lovely herbal?
As delicious as this was, the new upgraded blend sounds just as good! I’m going to have to try that one soon!
Another impressive tea from The Jasmine Pearl!
The Pollenator from AstroloTea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: AstroloTea
Tea Description:
The beauty of nature’s bounty can sometimes be lost on us if we are walking around feeling like the air is full of irritants! The Pollenator is like a breath of fresh air. This deep, spicy tea reunites you with the magical natural world around you.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
AstroloTea is one of my favorite tea shops. The care and love that is put into each blend is just amazing. Pamela is beyond creative and passionate about the teas she concocts. I’ve reviewed several of her teas for both CuppaGeek and SororiTea Sisters.
This particular blend is one that is supposed to help those with sinus and allergy issues. Pamela recommended it to me on one of my blog posts and while I was going thru my tea stash I saw that I actually had some.
The Pollenator smells amazing! The dry leaf has this wonderful soothing and warming cinnamon spice note. One of those smells that you want to bottle into a candle. I brewed the tea up with fresh boiling water and allowed the blend to steep for a few minutes. I adore the Assam blends that Pamela creates and the Assam base she uses.
Once the tea was ready to steep, I sat down to enjoy my tea. First sip in and I was greeted with this soft and mellow silky like cinnamon flavor that is smoothed over by an Assam base. The next flavor I noticed was the ginger. Now I’m very hit or miss with the ginger and unfortunately, I could have done without the ginger in this mix. The rest of the flavors just blend so well, but for some reason the ginger flavoring just stood out to me like a sore thumb. Not terrible and I easily sipped on this cuppa and made myself another pot later. It was just the one flavor I noted that I could have done without, but that is normally how I feel about ginger anyway.
This blend is one of the better blends I’ve tried for fighting stubborn allergies and sinuses. One that I would recommend!
Tulsi Orange Cranberry Ginger Organic Tea from Simpson and Vail
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Simpson & Vail
Tea Description:
This Tulsi tea blend is caffeine-free and combines herbs that have vitamins and anti-oxidants. This organic herbal blend of Tulsi, orange peel, hibiscus, rosehips and ginger root brews to a reddish amber cup with a mellow minty, fruity taste and light, sweet ginger notes. A well rounded brew that’s great for afternoon or evening enjoyment.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I have been on a herbal kick as of late and loving it. Herbals are something that I think you either love or hate depending on the ingredients. I know chamomile and hibiscus blends are sometimes referred to as vile, but I love them. About the only tea I don’t care for is red rooibos blends, but beyond that I’ll try anything.
Work has been nuts lately and I wanted something to be refreshing yet soothing so I grabbed my sample of this Tulsi blend from Simpson & Vail. I was crazy impressed with their Cozy Comfort blend that I tried the other day (tasted like monkey bread!) I had high expectations but once I took in the fragrance from the dry leaf mix, I had my hesitations. The ginger smelled like it was going to be strong.
Brewed this up in my Sei Sei Tumbler and allowed it to steep for about 5 minutes in boiling water. Poured the brew into my cuppa and sat down to go over what I needed to to for the day. As I took my first sip, I literally thought, nope, I will not be reviewing what I need to do today. I am going to sit right here with my feet propped up on my desk and enjoy my tea. And that is exactly what I did!
This tea hit the spot in so many ways. I wanted a soothing blend that touched the soul, so to speak. Once that would refresh and calm me but also be vibrant enough to deliver that kick I would need to keep going. This tea did all of that. No, I’m not going to say it will cure what will ail you, but in that moment of time, this tea delivered everything I needed.
What I loved the most was the citrus flavor that had a tart twist at the end of the sip with the ginger floating in and out. The ginger wasn’t overwhelming like I was worried about and actually became the flavor I was seeking each sip I took. Which is very surprising to me. I am not a huge ginger fan. This tea had such a cozy charming feel to it with the tart and sweet contrast that I found myself wanting more of this tea right after the cuppa was gone. I ended up drinking this tea for the remainder of the day, letting the flavors really give me that cozy feeling I was wanting with that kick I desperately needed.
Tea #2 that I have tried from Simpson & Vail and another tea I am adoring!
Hello Sweet-Tea A Doctor Who Fandom Tea from Fandom Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Fandom Teas
Tea Description:
Spoilers!
Our Hello Sweet-tea blend is a ginger peach black tea with notes of spearmint, hibiscus, and cinnamon. It can be enjoyed hot or iced and it’s perfect as a little afternoon pick me up, or at any other time of the day. This blend is inspired by River Song from Doctor Who!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I will admit this and probably sound like a poser but I do not watch Doctor Who. I have nothing against the show and do have an interest in one day watching it, but really it comes down to time. With our schedule being so hectic, I’m going to bed basically as soon as my 10 year old is to catch up on a few games I play on my Kindle and to read. My TV watching really happens more on the weekends or when I’m yelling at the screen during America Ninja Warrior. I’m kinda obsessed with that show right now. (Ryan Stratis- I’m looking at you to win this year!).
Ok, that is out of the way I have to say I’m very intrigued with the combinations in this black flavored tea. Peach, ginger, cinnamon, spearmint, and hibiscus. And you can smell each ingredient as the tea steeps. The color is a beautiful amber and so far I’m enjoying just sitting here indulging in the fragrance this tea is emitting.
Now it is time for the taste test. I brewed this tea up like a black tea and made an effort not to allowing this tea to oversteep and become bitter. So how does it taste?
Unique. Very unique. The flavor that hits you first is the combination of spearmint, peach, and cinnamon. Very different. Not bad, just different. As the taste starts to end you come away with the hibiscus aftertaste. In the very next sip I came away with peach and ginger notes with malty hints. It seems like each sip you are presented with a different flavor combination. As the tea cools, I am definitely getting that astringency but it really isn’t adding anything to the tea. I’m wishing that the tea was either more of a peach, sweet cinnamon, black tea without the ginger but I could see where some tea drinkers may want that hint of spice in the tea to give it a kick.
Being not much of a ginger tea fan, I can see where this one isn’t right up my alley. I do enjoy how different the tea is and if a tea is part of a fandom, I’m all over it being the geeky gal I am. I’m just not sure if this particular tea is for me. But they have several more fandoms I’m excited to try including a Game of Thrones tea and a Walking Dead tea.
Sipdown #34!
Skinny Minnie’s Ginger Hibiscus Herbal Tea from Mountain Witch Tea Co.
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Mountain Witch Tea Company
Tea Description:
This special herbal tea combines the powerful goodness of ginger and hibiscus flowers for a potent herbal brew with a tart, spicy flavor. Made with hibiscus petals, chopped ginger root.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I am not a huge fan of hibiscus but it also doesn’t scare me away from blends like it does other tea drinkers. I sometimes enjoy the tart taste that it gives a blend but I do not care for the unsweetened kool-aid like flavor it can give others.
I was a bit hesitant when I saw this blend on Mountain Witch Tea Company’s site but just about everything I have had from Kelly has been dynamite. So if anybody can do a hibiscus blend right, it would be her. I was also nervous with the ginger that was in the blend. There were some pretty large chunks of ginger in the sample bag she sent me. I’ve never had a blend where these two elements are together. Wasn’t sure how this was going to play out.
Steeped this one up like a traditional herbal and starting getting nervous when the water started to turn that deep red color. I took in a whiff and was shocked when I wasn’t over taken with the smell of ginger. Took my first sip, and I am impressed. This is really tasty. The two ingredients actually compliment each other and give this blend a tart semi sweet spicy profile. I can’t really describe this any other way. This is a unique blend for sure.
I know how that flavor profile sounds, but I really like this. So much so that I plan to pick up a 4 oz bag of it the next time I’m making an order with Mountain Witch Tea. I didn’t try this iced but I can’t wait to. I want more of this one and am rating this one pretty high.
Mountain Witch tea Co has done it again. Kudos Kelly!