A delicious blend of oolong tea with Vermont maple syrup, orange peel, and almond essence. I was immediately excited to try this! It sounds more like a fall blend because of the maple, but that’s okay. It’s funny because my favorite season are fall and winter and that rings true in the flavors I prefer.
I like pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, maple, almond flavors and those tend to come out more in the fall and winter. But because I love them so much, i’ll drink them anytime if they’re available!
I’ve really been happy with all my tea blends that I received in my Plum Deluxe order and I am going to be ordering again. This blend, in particular, exceeded my expectations. My first sip was unsweetened, but I decided to add some agave for effect and it definitely brought out all the flavors more. The oolong base here is very smooth and subtle and is the perfect stage for this myriad of comfort-flavors.
The first flavor I could taste was the maple, which was almost creamy. The nutty and sweet almond came out towards the end of the sip and left a nutty almond taste in my mouth. The orange was undetected by me, but I did not have a problem with that as I am not always fond of citrus. This blend both smelled and tasted like pancakes drizzled with maple syrup and sprinkled with almond slices. I definitely recommend it, anytime of the year!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
Description
Sometimes, we just need a pick-me-up — the kind of tea that gives us a gentle hug, a firm pat on the back and says, keep going. That’s what inspired us to create our Pick Me Up blend tea — it’ll put a spring in your step and give your creative spirit a boost.
We start with an earthy Formosa Oolong tea from Taiwan. We add a pinch of orange peel and rooibos tea as well as natural almond extract and real Vermont maple syrup (yes, really!). The result is a smooth, balanced tea that is both rich and sweet while at the same time being crisp and earthy. With the lower caffeine levels, it is wonderful any time of day you need a pick-me-up — from getting out of bed on the right foot to an afternoon emotional reset.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Casey’s .45 Gunpowder Blast from 52Teas. . .
We review a lot of 52Teas here on The SororiTea Sisters but there is a good reason for that. A good chunk of us are big fans of the blends that Anne and company creates and we just can’t get enough. I personally have over 50 different blends from 52Teas in my own tea stash.
There is just something so incredibly intimate with each of the blends that 52Teas creates. Since each blend is hand blended with love and passion, you know you are in for a treat when you take your first sip of any 52Teas blends.
This particular blend is a combination of gunpowder green tea, lemons, and raspberries-basically a play on a raspberry lemonade with a slight smoky taste. Steeped up per the parameters on the pkg- water prepped at 170F and allowed to steep for 2 1/2 minutes and cooled for 5, this tea was an incredible treat.
First you are greeted with this amazing green tea background that has a slight smoky finish. The lemon notes come next and lay the ground work for the raspberries to come into play to create this wonderful lemon berry twist of a finish. With the gunpowder tea that was used as the base, that lemon berry twist was the perfect way to finish each sip. Fresh crisp and on point with each sip as satisfying as the last.
Unfortunately for me, I only picked up a taster of this tea so when I was out of this tea, that was a sad sip down for sure. I didn’t get a chance to check this tea out cold brewed because I just loved the flavors so much brewed hot. I can only imagine how fabulous this tea would be iced with a lemon wedge and possibly even a sprig or two of fresh mint. Fortunately for me, this blend is still available. Looks like I need to make another 52Teas order soon!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This tea was crafted for one of our VIPs who requested a VIT for a friend’s birthday. She wanted to start with a base of organic gunpowder green tea – check! Then she wanted to add the flavors of raspberry and lemon – check and check!
A fairly straightforward recipe with delightful results! The flavor is a fruity: tart, a little sweet and very bright and refreshing – perfect for summer!
A very limited edition!
taster size is approximately 15g
organic ingredients: green tea, raspberries, lemons and natural flavors
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Campfire Strawberry from A Quarter To Tea. . . .
Basically all of the A Quarter to Tea offerings sound awesome and I have yet to come across a Monthly Subscription Box that didn’t have at least one tea that got my mouth watering. However, June’s Box is a true winner. Each tea is like a dream mixture of my favorite flavors. There is Blueberry Vanilla Peach, Raspberry Coconut Cheesecake, and Hummingbird which is a black tea with banana, vanilla and pecan praline. In addition to those and the sample of Watermelon Agua Fresca, there is also this tea, Campfire Strawberry, a genmaicha and lapsang blend with strawberries, graham crackers and marshmallow. Take that in for a second. STRAWBERRIES…MARSHMALLOWS…GENMAICHA…CAMPFIRE.
Okay, now that we got that out of our system….on to the tea! The smell is a whole lotta smoke and though that definitely comes through in the flavor, the strawberry provides the perfect fruity/jammy contrast. The green tea base of the genmaicha also counters the smoke with a more vegetal note to keep things natural while contributing a roastiness that bridges the gap between the two bases. I will say, despite a slight sweetness, the marshmallow component is not as prevalent as I would hope, though with so much else going on, I suppose something’s gotta give. Also, my filter had a giant piece of graham cracker in it but I am not getting much from that either.
If you like smoke, this is a nice take on a lapsang. It has a lot going on so it is interesting and yet the flavors all compliment each other beautifully. I would never have thought to pair strawberries, lapsang and genmaicha but it works. This is a unique flavor and though it is not one I will be drinking daily, it is certainly one I am happy to have around.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
Toasty genmaicha and lapsang make the base for this tasty treat that conjures up images of campfires and s’mores.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Honey Gingerbread Pancake Yunnan Tea from A Quarter To Tea. . . .
Even the name of this tea is downright exciting! It is beautiful to look at, with pearly Yunnan snail black tea as the base. And with pancake in the name, I had to have it for Sunday breakfast with the family!
The dominant aroma is ginger. I also found it to be the dominant flavor. (It really reminds me of fall and Christmas because that is the only time we use much ginger. Note to self – get more near the holidays!) The black tea base is strong enough to come through and not be masked by the added flavors, though. They didn’t skimp there.
I took mine sans additions and found it to be awesome as a breakfast tea, but it would also be very good with afternoon sweets.
My husband sniffed it and said, “It is okay, but you know I don’t care for ginger much and I don’t prefer flavored teas.” He then proceeded to empty the pot by drinking three cups in a row. So I guess that is a thumbs up for this flavored tea. He always adds milk and sugar to black tea and this tea can handle it.
I resteeped and I must say the Yunnan snail base performed beautifully. Of course the added flavors are diminished, but this still has nice, rich color and as much flavor as many teas have on their first steep, making it a wonderful follow-up to sip on through the morning.
Looking at their website to learn more about this tea, I saw and just had to order some Badger Breakfast Tea, too! I can’t wait to get that one and review it! German hops in tea? Yes, please!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
A malty, high quality yunnan tea offers a platform for this sweet breakfast treat of cinnamon, ginger, spices, and honey.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Pomme Blossom White Tea from Plum Deluxe. . .
Do yourself a favor and visit the website for this company. I betcha you’ll be drooling before you read half of the descriptions. Have someone hide your credit card first and change your Paypal account password if you are weak or you’ll be broke tomorrow.
Plum Deluxe has a monthly tea subscription available, a blender’s choice special so you can try a surprise tea at a special price, and of course, teas to order as you wish.
Today I tried their Pomme Blossom White Tea, a delightful and flavorful blend featuring white tea, rose hips, jasmine, apple pieces, hibiscus, safflower, ginger, cinnamon, orange peel, rose petals, and pomegranate essence. CALM DOWN HIBISCUS HATERS. There isn’t enough hibiscus to change the color of this tea to pink, so you know there is hardly any here. I could smell the rose hips and hibiscus but the tea was not tart. It WAS full of delicious, fresh flavor and was fantastic both hot and iced. Even the cinnamon is quite muted, just adding a sparkle to the cup.
What impressed me about this tea blend is that there is SO MUCH in it, but it is very well balanced and the end result is a really refreshing tea.
Sadly, this blend is not available at present, but no matter. Looking at their site, I’d say there a number of teas to fall in love with here.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!