These are incredibly busy days for me and my family. Besides a family situations we have going on, my 9-5 job is in the political arena so I’m pretty much working from the minute I wake up until the minute I’m heading to bed with emails still coming in. I do very much love my job but because of the craziness. . . .my tea drinking has fallen to the way side a bit and I’m missing my tea time so very much.
So after lunch the other day, I made it a priority to enjoy tea time (with snacks even) and grabbed a tea we recently relieved from Joseph’s Tea- Peach & Apricot Green Tea. This particular tea was in a tea bag so I knew that even if I had to quickly start working again, I would be able to easily keep drinking this delight.
Brewed with water at 170F and allowed to steep right around 3 minutes, this tea was a delightful surprise. Really sweet peachy notes with a subtle smoky flavor. I don’t get the apricot notes as much as I get the peachy notes, but I’ll be honest, I’m ok with that because of how lovely the peach flavor was.
This tea was really simple yet really lovely tea to enjoy and enjoy I did. This tea was my companion all afternoon. I found myself really digging the contrast of the sweet peach notes with the gunpowder green tea.
I did try for a few more resteeps and I was again pleasantly surprised. I can see this tea being a dynamite iced tea and something I will be trying in the future.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Joseph’s Tea
Description
Temple of heaven Gunpowder green tea with peach and Apricot flavoring. One of our best sellers!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
**gifted for review**
Organic Gunpowder / Bare Leaves
Your zest is but that of a fresh summer rain. The astringent label, given to you by sailors, is to be ‘savored’ only in the after taste. Liquid clear and cunning with golden hues so vibrant you would think they dipped the tea in gold.
Your fresh dry leaves, tightly rolled balls of love and affection, show the care your makers had in your processing. Wet leaves dance in the water and open up with beautiful hues of green. With a few over oxidized here and there that make them appear black. Aroma of wet leaves; a bitter scent with hints of earth.
If your nostalgia for summer has peaked to a depressive state, grab a cup of this tea and savor the thoughts of a sunny day with light rain showers.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Bare Leaves
Description:
Organic green tea from China. The leaves of this famous Chinese green tea are hand-rolled into pellets that resemble gunpowder. It produces a bolder flavor than most green teas.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Moroccan Mint from Swallowtail Teas. . . .
Today I was in the mood for more of a classic tea. And then I remembered. Moroccan Mint from Swallowtail Teas was one of the teas I was hoping to review this week.
Being a huge fan of green teas and mint blends, Moroccan Mint was one of the teas that I became obsessed with when I first started drinking teas. To the point that I completely burnt myself out of drinking the classic blend. But time has passed and I will admit- it is past time for me to go back to the classics.
I brewed up this delight with the recommended parameters and sat myself down to do some work. After I while, I realized that I was no longer working but both hands were hugging my mug and I had totally started to reflect on the weekend coming up. I started thinking about what fun activities I could do with my kiddos and hubby. I wasn’t thinking about the stressful requests coming into my inbox but wondering where we could go out to eat and when we could visit my parents.
That is the sign you have a fabulous tea on your hands. A tea that transports you, your mind, your soul, just your everything into a state of calm and happy without you even realizing it. The tea itself is everything you could ask for. Crisp, fresh, minty, slightly smoky, with a subtle vegetal hint here and there. The mint and the crisp factor of the tea are really the stars and keep me coming back for more. A classic done in a classic way. No frills, just delicious spot on flavor. Oh how I love my gunpowder green teas!
Beside the teas amazing flavor, the tea is presented in a really unique way. I’m used to teas being sent in pouches and tins, but never in an old fashion type tin. The lid reminds me of an lid from days past where you have to pry it off with a butter knife. The label is old school and just adds to the classic overall feel of the tea.
For being my first venture with Swallowtail Teas, I’m already hooked. The prices are right and so far this first tea is exactly what a tea should be. Can’t wait to explore more of their offerings.
And just for our readers, enter Soroiteasisters at check out for 20% off your order. Trust me. You are going to want to pick up some of these teas!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: Swallowtail Teas
Description:
Swallowtail’s take on a classic tea blend, Certified organic spearmint and Pinhead Gunpowder. Vegetal, smokey, and balanced.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Gunpowder Green Tea from Frontier Co-Op. . . .
I buy almost all of my spices in bulk. It’s so much cheaper. I never realized how much spice companies charge for the jars until I started buying in bulk. Almost every store I’ve ever bought my bulk spices in sells Frontier spices, and I’ve always been happy with the quality.
Last week when I was picking up some curry powder, I noticed that the store I was at also had a few Frontier teas in bulk. I figured I should give them a try and see if they are as good as the spices. I decided to try Gunpowder Green Tea first. It comes in little pellets that loosen up in your strainer once the water hits. I’ve had gunpowder green tea a few times, but not in awhile so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I brewed myself a cup and was very pleasantly surprised. It’s nice and mellow, with a very faint bitter aftertaste.
But it’s a pleasant, kind of smoky bitterness that I’ve come to enjoy with green teas. It’s pleasant both hot and cold. I had a hot cup this morning when I first woke up, and now that it’s warmer I’m enjoying a glass iced and it’s very refreshing. Something that I really like about the pellets is that it stays in my strainer. Sometimes with loose leaf some of the tea comes out of the holes and although I don’t really mind drinking the loose herbs I prefer a nice smooth clean cup or glass of tea and the pellet form allows me that simple pleasure. If you happen to see a bulk spice section at your grocery store, check and see if they have tea.
It’s a great inexpensive way to try new things and see if you like it. And of course it’s an excellent choice for the earth because less packaging is always better! I give Frontier spices and now teas a huge thumbs up for quality and price!!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: Frontier Co-Op
Description
This tea has a very rich flavor, with a hint of sweet smokiness. The leaves are rolled into little pellets that unfurl and ‘bloom’ in the cup.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Nightingale from Grimoire Tea & Herbal Alchemy. . . .
I must say the amount of great tea offerings on Etsy is a little insane. I get lost for hours on that site so often. All I have to do is type in anything tea related and then poof 2 hours later I forgot what I was originally looking for. But in doing so you find awesome companies like this one.
I swear Nichole aka Cuppageek knows me a little too well it is kinda beginning to freak me out. I have wanted to try a tea from this company for a while now but when I finally would remember to look at their site they would be sold out of everything. Then low and behold there was this little package in my box of teas to review and it was from this company!
I love green tea and honestly I don’t order it enough. I tend to lean more towards black and oolong most of the time when I am purchasing tea. But I love green tea. This is a gunpowder blend with lemon balm, spearmint and lavender. Opening up the little gold package I was immediately hit with the smell of lavender which is one of my favorite smells. Then there is a faint smell of the spearmint and lemon balm which I am happy with since spearmint can sometimes overpower a blend.
Brewed the spearmint smells a little stronger but the lavender is still the strongest scent. The flavor is surprisingly light I was expecting it to be more herbal since the lavender smelled so strong but it wasn’t. The spearmint was the stronger flavor and the lemon balm gave it a light lemon aftertaste. This is a very tasty gunpowder blend I wish I had more than just a sample but oh well. I will make sure I pay attention to their Etsy site more so I can get a full size of the next blend that catches my interest.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Grimoire Tea
Description
The essence of Lady Nocturnal herself, a refreshing green tea blend with the cooling effects of spearmint.
Ingredients:
Gunpowder Green Tea
Lemon Balm
Spearmint
Lavender
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
