Hello to my wonderful tea friends! It is finally March and we are starting to see a bit of a reprieve from the crazy cold winter we had. This month is actually pretty special to me because, well, I turn 40 in just a few weeks. I’m really not all that wrapped up in age, it just seems like this year is going to be a pretty big year for my family. I’m turning 40 and my kiddo is becoming a freshman at high school. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve asked him to stop growing (he is taller than me). Sigh. . . .But at least I have a fun tea to chat about from my monthly subscription plan with Farmhouse Teas (aka St. Fiacres Farm).
This month it was like my friends at FarmHouse Teas just knew what I would like because it is like they flavored up a genmaicha just for me. . . .Tropical Genmaicha Green Tea is this month’s blend. I’m a sucker for a solid genmaicha and couldn’t wait to see what FarmHouse Teas had come up with.
This genmaicha flavored blend is a bit different than other flavored genmaichas I’ve had in the past. Most of the flavored genmaichas I’ve had in the past were dessert like or sweet sugary. I was excited to check out a tropical genmaicha.
Brewed up with freshly prepped water at 180F and allowed to steep for well, a bit- I sort of got distracted with a work project and forgot I had tea brewing. I am happy to report though that this blend tastes fabulous, even though the steep was a bit longer than it really should have been, especially since there is hibiscus in the blend.
This blend is delicious and a perfect tea to drink today to enjoy this warm spell hitting our Midwestern area. The tea is a bit tart but that is more than likely my fault due to the oversteep. Beyond that, the tea is fresh with all of the beloved roasted toasted flavors that only a genmaicha can deliver with fresh pops of berries and a sweetness that I’m not entirely sure where it is coming from. There is stevia in this blend but the sweetness doesn’t taste like stevia. I’m wondering if the sweetness isn’t coming from the large peach pieces in the blend.
All in all, a pretty unique take on a flavored genmaicha. As I look at the ingredients, I’m thinking this blend would be an amazing cold brew- hibiscus, lemongrass, coconut flakes, goji berries, peach pieces, and stevia. I’m a bit worried how the stevia will be in a cold brew but hopefully there is just a smidge added so it won’t be identifiable. (Not in the stevia fan club)
Each and every month I so look forward to my FarmHouse Teas package. Last month I wasn’t crazy about the blend, but the blend was completely out of the box and I appreciate the effort (plus the tea was coated in cocoa powder and I’m not a huge chocolate fan). Highly recommend their monthly tea service if you are in the market for a hand blended unique blended tea each and every month. I know I’ve been a subscriber for a while now and I don’t see myself cancelling anytime soon. Especially if they keep making blends like this one.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: FarmhouseTeas
Description
This blend is part of the month subscription plan. Click below to hear more about FarmHouse Teas plan.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Lemon Poppyseed Muffin from A Quarter To Tea. . . .
“Malty rolled Yunnan tea with sweet lemon pastry and a vanilla glaze”. With a description like that, I was drooling long before I cut open the package to get into the Lemon Poppyseed Muffin Tea in A Quarter to Tea’s teabox. Easily one of the most underrated muffins, people don’t think much about the Lemon Poppyseed flavor until its put in front of them. And yet it’s always a pleasure when you have it so I was definitely intrigued to say the least.
I opened the package and was immediately enveloped in the smell of lemon poppyseed muffins. Bright and fresh yet also a touch sweet…and that’s just the scent of the dry leaf.
Upon my first taste, I’m impressed more than anything at how this captured “muffin”. It’s not baked goods. It’s not pastry. Somehow this is 100% a distinctly muffin tea. Not just any muffin either. It’s a fresh baked lemon poppyseed muffin, just out of the oven on a Sunday morning. The black tea is the perfect bready base while the lemon is soft and sweet. Somehow even the mouthfeel is thick enough (without being overwhelming) to sell the concept of “lemon poppyseed muffin”. Plus, the touch of vanilla is the icing on top of the cake…well, muffin. Smooth and gently creamy.
Honestly, this tea so accurately captures its namesake that I am half expecting to have to pick poppyseeds out of my teeth later. While some lemon teas can border on the edge of cleaning products, this manages to keep everything so perfectly balanced. It is a blast from the past and yet it’s making for one tasty present. Yum!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
This tea is sold out but more information can be found below.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
EggNaughTea from The NecessiTeas. . . .
The holidays are fast approaching and that means eggnog. Lots of eggnog. And eggnog means eggnog lattes!!! They don’t say “it’s the most wonderful time of the year” for nothing.
I figured what better tea to make as an eggnog latte than EggNaughTea, a caffeine-free blend of honeybush, nutmeg, marigold petals, marshmallows, and flavoring? However, to be able to discern the tea from the latte, I also decided to make it as a plain tea. Both were brewed in 200F water for a little over 5 minutes.
Sipping on the hot tea, I can tell this is a high quality honeybush base, especially since it is one of the only things I am tasting. Sweet honey flavor. I wish I could say I was tasting the nutmeg, vanilla, or rum that is supposed to be here but alas they are lost on me.
Nevertheless, while I may find it a little lackluster tea plain, this is making for an ah-mazing latte! It boosts the nutmeg and vanilla in the regular eggnog, while the honey of the base makes this scream “decadent dessert”. Think sweet creamy custard deliciousness.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: The NecessiTeas
Description
This tea is a holiday blend so check out The NecessiTeas site for all of their great holiday blends!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Pumpkin Spice Latte Genmaicha from 52Teas
Genmaicha was a type of tea that I came to later in my tea-drinking life. I didn’t yet understand the toasty magic of having puffed rice brewed alongside a nutty green tea. Since then I’ve been on the genmaicha train and I don’t plan to leave. 52Teas has a great variety of genmaicha teas, like banana marshmallow or rice pudding. This time I’m trying Pumpkin Spice Latte Genmaicha from 52Teas.
In addition to the expected green tea and puffed rice, this blend contains pumpkin pieces, allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg. The peppery allspice and herbal nutmeg make this tea smell specifically like autumn and not just your everyday chai spices.
Brewed, this blend is exceptionally well-balanced. There are the sweet flavors of a pumpkin spice latte, and a little warmth and depth from the spices, but they don’t drown out the toasty comfort of the original genmaicha.
As much as I love pumpkin spice everything, this might be one of my favorite takes on the flavor. The brew is creamy without being cloying, spicy without feeling generic, and the genmaicha base makes me feel so cozy and easygoing.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ll still be ordering those PSL coffee lattes when they come back on the menu, but I’ll also be rooting for 52Teas to reblend this genmaicha beauty just in time for pumpkin season.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Pancake Breakfast from 52Teas . . . .
Oh my god, you can taste the dough, and the maple sweetness, and like maybe a little hint of spice. It’s an all-encompassing deep sweetness, not saccharine or cloying. Your teeth don’t hurt. The taste has gravitas.
This tea is really well-named. It tastes precisely like sinking your teeth into a delicious breakfast at a diner.
Imagine the scene: it’s 10 a.m. on the weekend. Maybe you’re a little tired from whatever you did yesterday, even if it was just Netflix bingeing. You and your friends/family have been waiting in line at the mom and pop diner downtown, and you finally get in, and you see waffles are on special. OBVIOUSLY you are going in on that. The food is wicked fast coming out. You are gobbling that stuff down like it’s air. The waitress is calling you “hon” and asking if you want more coffee. You are in HEAVEN. You are a member of the Clean Plate Club.
If this sounds like a blast, good news! This is part of 52Teas’ permanent collection! Most of 52Teas’ offerings are “GOOD GOD GRAB IT NOW BEFORE IT IS GONE”, but this one is here to stay. Wake up and hop over!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
Because the love for this tea is so strong, we stuck closely to the original recipe.
One difference is that we’re utilizing different teas in our black tea base. I think you’ll notice the difference and I’m confident you’ll feel this was a change for the better! We’ve made a really yummy thing even better!
