Razzleberry Rooibos from 52Teas. . . .

by VariaTEA

I am always on the lookout for good caffeine-free options. Always. It seems like my cupboard is comprised of mostly black teas but I don’t want to be drinking cup after cup of caffeinated blends just before bed. So…the search is always on and I am always open to suggestions.

Recently, I was browsing the 52 Teas site and noticed this tea, Razzleberry Rooibos, was still available in both large and taster size and since I had an unopened taster bag at home, I decided to try it out to see if it was a blend I might want to stock up on.

This tea is a blend of green and red rooibos with blackberries, raspberries, and natural flavors.

Flavorwise, I get mostly red rooibos if I am being honest. It’s a mellow rooibos flavor that is neither medicinal nor woody and melds with the slight berry flavor that is present. It is sweet, not overly so but more generic than distinctly berry, even though the berry flavor pops up every now and again.

I love 52 Teas but this blend leaves me wanting more. More berry flavor. More razzledazzle.

So this isn’t going to be a caffeine-free staple in my cupboard but 52 Teas has many offerings for me to search through so I am not discouraged.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Rooibos
Where to Buy:  52Teas
Description

Here at 52Teas, we’ve had a few different variations on the Razzleberry (Raspberry & Blackberry) flavor – and they’ve all been so delicious that I see no reason why we should stop exploring all that’s Razzleberry! This time, we’ve flavored a combination of organic green and red rooibos. The result is a slightly tart, deliciously sweet berry tea that’s naturally caffeine free! 

The base is light, slightly fruity with hints of nutty warmth. The berry flavor is bright and tempting! Tasty!

Taster size is approximately 15g

organic ingredients: green rooibos, red rooibos, blackberries, raspberries and natural flavors

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

VariaTEA

Hey there! My name is Rachel. I’m a twenty-something from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who loves dogs and has a bit of an obsession with tea. As a child I hated the stuff since all I ever knew was Red Rose (no offense to Red Rose). However, a few years ago that all changed. I was on a diet and desperate for new flavors without adding calories and that’s when I turned to tea. I started off by going to DAVIDsTEA and Teavana for all their dessert-inspired flavors, and since I didn’t know any better, I bought 100 grams each of about twenty-something different teas. This was okay for the teas I liked but for those I didn’t I needed to find some way of getting rid of them. Enter Steepster.com. This is where I met some incredible tea friends, discovered tea swaps, and learned of so many amazing tea companies. My desire to try all the teas grew and since joining three years ago I have tried over a thousand different teas. I have learned what ingredients I love and I have learned what flavors I don’t like. I determined my go-to brewing method is Western-style with no added milk or sweeteners, though I also enjoy cold brewing, iced teas, teapops, lattes, and smoothies. I have yet to brew gong-fu style but I hope to do so just as soon as I get the proper teaware to do it. About a year ago, I actually stopped drinking tea but as my stash of over 200 teas started aging I decided I needed to respark my interest. I chose to take a 365 days of tea challenge on Instagram in which I post a new tea picture every day. So far it has been rather successful as I find myself drinking (and buying) more and more tea each day. Plus it enabled CuppaGeek to find me and invite me here to SororiTea Sisters.

This post was posted in 52Teas, Rooibos

Vanilla Latte Tea from Plum Deluxe. . ..

by Sophia

There was a while there during my tea journey that I was terrified of cardamom. Sometimes it has this overwhelming flavor that can get really old, really fast. When I saw this vanilla latte tea, which was previously named Cardamom Vanilla Creme, I was a little intimidated by the cardamom. I wasn’t sure how it was going to pan out, but i’m definitely glad that I gave it a chance.

The main component here is definitely the vanilla. It smells fluffy and creamy and tastes even more so. The second component is a mixture of the cardamom and black tea. The black tea is strong but smooth. If you’ve never tried cardamom before, the best way to describe it is an herbal-y/citrus-y spice. Its not “hot” or “spicy” per se. To me it is more so herbal/grassy tasting, but it can sometimes make cinnamon and nutmeg taste spicy and it can be overwhelming depending on what it is mixed with. In the case of Vanilla Latte Tea, however, it is spot on!

There is something about vanilla and cardamom together that truly makes me wonder why there aren’t more teas that utilize this brilliant combination. The vanilla is sweet and creamy, and the cardamom is herbal with a slight hint of citrus. It doesn’t need anything else and I love how the blender let the vanilla and cardamom shine on top of the black tea and honeybush. This blend is truly dreamy and is highly recommended by yours truly.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Black Tea/Honeybush
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
Description

Vanilla tea lattes are the comfort food of tea lovers. It’s one of our personal favorites, so we’ve created a tea that is a delightful balance of sweet and spice, perfect for latte time. The base is a fresh black Ceylon tea paired with our favorite nutty honeybush tea, and topped with the lightest touch of creamy, dreamy vanilla extract.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Sophia

Hi, my name is Sophia. I am a first time mother to a beautiful little girl who will be 1 in July 2017. I spend my days at home with her and when I get a minute to myself, I usually spend that time making, drinking, or researching tea! My love for loose leaf tea is relatively new. When I was pregnant with my daughter, my mother (a tea addict herself) brought me to DAVIDsTEA. I enjoyed a cup of their Coconut Cream Pie Oolong and was instantly hooked! Since then, my addiction has grown to fill entire cabinets, and shows no sign of stopping. I am the creator of the Facebook group CommuniTEA where we have one big tea discussion. It is a great group for those new to the tea-world. I feel strongly about spreading the joy of loose leaf tea. I like making instructional videos and helping those that are new to the art of tea-making so that they, too, can share in the happiness that tea brings. I am excited to see where this hobby takes me and I will continue to spread the joy!

This post was posted in Black Tea, Honeybush, Plum Deluxe

Banana Pancakes from 52Teas. . . . .

by Sophia

Whenever I hear the phrase “banana pancakes” I always think of Jack Johnson’s song- “we’ll make banana pancakes pretend like its the weekend…” My parents used to like him when I was little and I remember sitting in the car listening to his music, I remember it as very relaxing! Now that I think of it, it would have accompanied this cuppa very well! Anyways, the fact that I just love banana is a new thing for me. Before this year I never would have really picked up anything banana, except maybe a chocolate banana smoothie. Lately I’ve been really loving banana teas, though.

So when I saw that 52 Teas’ new blend was Banana Pancakes, I was really excited.

Opening up my sample bag the smell of maple was very present as well a hint of banana. Naturally, this tea was already right up my ally- another flavor that I get excited over is maple. I steeped this properly, you have to follow the steeping instructions on 52 Teas’ packaging with their teas, I feel like the black tea is very bold and strong from 52 Teas and if you overstep it’s going to be bitter. Since I steeped this properly, it was dang good. Smooth, sweet, and very pancake-y. The maple and banana mingled really nicely and definitely reminded me of banana pancakes.

I have tried two teas that were dubbed the name “banana pancakes”. Both were delicious, but I really enjoyed this one just a tad more. I would love to continue trying banana teas! So, if you like banana stay tuned….and give this blend a try!

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Black Teaa
Where to Buy:  52Teas
Description

This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Sophia

Hi, my name is Sophia. I am a first time mother to a beautiful little girl who will be 1 in July 2017. I spend my days at home with her and when I get a minute to myself, I usually spend that time making, drinking, or researching tea! My love for loose leaf tea is relatively new. When I was pregnant with my daughter, my mother (a tea addict herself) brought me to DAVIDsTEA. I enjoyed a cup of their Coconut Cream Pie Oolong and was instantly hooked! Since then, my addiction has grown to fill entire cabinets, and shows no sign of stopping. I am the creator of the Facebook group CommuniTEA where we have one big tea discussion. It is a great group for those new to the tea-world. I feel strongly about spreading the joy of loose leaf tea. I like making instructional videos and helping those that are new to the art of tea-making so that they, too, can share in the happiness that tea brings. I am excited to see where this hobby takes me and I will continue to spread the joy!

This post was posted in 52Teas, Black Tea

Ooh Peppermint! – Harlow Tea Co.

by Karatics

When I received the Oo’ Peppermint Tea from Harlow Tea Co I first thought, “Oh man, this is going to be another one of those teas that extremely overpowered.” For any kind of peppermint tea the creator of said tea uses the oil from the peppermint plant and you can easily overpower any creation with just a tad over the amount of oil that was intended. But Harlow Tea didn’t depend on oil but instead the peppermint plant itself! Which, in fact, makes for a delightful flavor.

But this tea is not just peppermint leaf, its base is actually oolong tea (which gives meaning to the “Oo” in Oo’ Peppermint) with the accompanying flavors of tulsi leaf, almond, and vanilla bean. And I believe that this tea is blended to perfection for its splendid flavor is smooth and comforting. And that means a lot coming from a tea drinker such as myself for I usually try to stay away from vanilla. Paired with the almond makes the two most powerful flavors, the vanilla and the peppermint leaf, agree with each other to a point where you can have a cup that is too strong or too sweet.

Now on to the details about this tea. Harlow Tea Co. is an Etsy run shop and their prices are pretty fair indeed. For this particular cup it is $4 for 1 oz, $6.49 for 2 oz, and $10 for 3 oz. They also offer samples of all of their teas for a mere 50 cents. So if you are curious I would take advantage of their fair pricing.

All in all this will be a tea that I will keep stocked in my pantry. It will be a perfect tea to accompany me in illness or in health. I can’t wait to try more teas from this company for they have already won me over. And just as a side note, to all of you that are aware of/love Twinings Buttermint I would say to try this on for size.

See you for the next cuppa!

Kara

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Oolong
Where to Buy:  Harlow Tea Co
Description

Do you love peppermint, well I hope so! This tea gives a kick of peppermint that lingers long after that last sip is taken! Oolong has long, pun intended, been known as an all around pleasing tea for those who may find green tea too bitter and black tea too strong. Love both, then oolong is a perfect combination of the two!

Oo’ Peppermint offers hints of almond and is balanced with pieces of vanilla bean. You may even see some vanilla bean seeds in your tea!

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Karatics

I am an old soul and a tea lover and my days are even better when I have a nice cuppa and a piece of classic literature. I have an appreciation for most teas but my most favored ones are of the Earl Grey variety, especially Lady Grey. Even though my tea tastes are more of the classical range, I would not turn down something different. P.S. I am also a lover of video games especially ones of the RPG genre.

This post was posted in Harlow Tea Co, Oolong

Chocolate Marshmallow Spicier Chai from 52Teas. . .

by VariaTEA

I’ve had this before and enjoyed it well enough but wasn’t blown away. Today I decided to try something different in the manner of prep by making this stovetop style. My hope was this would bring out the flavors.

I will say this may have clogged my filter so I might have lost some tea but what I did get is quite lovely. The backnote is all spice, like actual spice with a large dose of clove and a gingery kick.

Until the spice hits your throat, however, it’s all sweet vanilla marshmallow flavor and silky white chocolate creaminess. This blend didn’t have as many chocolate chips as my last did so in this case it makes sense it is not overly chocolate in flavor. Nonetheless, for a tea called CHOCOLATE Marshmallow Spicier Chai, I do think that component should play a bigger role.

Nonetheless, the stovetop method is definitely the way to go with this tea. It’s richer, creamier, and a heck of a lot spicier. Yum!

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Black
Where to Buy:  52Teas
Description

This tea is no longer available but click below to see what blends are.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

VariaTEA

Hey there! My name is Rachel. I’m a twenty-something from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who loves dogs and has a bit of an obsession with tea. As a child I hated the stuff since all I ever knew was Red Rose (no offense to Red Rose). However, a few years ago that all changed. I was on a diet and desperate for new flavors without adding calories and that’s when I turned to tea. I started off by going to DAVIDsTEA and Teavana for all their dessert-inspired flavors, and since I didn’t know any better, I bought 100 grams each of about twenty-something different teas. This was okay for the teas I liked but for those I didn’t I needed to find some way of getting rid of them. Enter Steepster.com. This is where I met some incredible tea friends, discovered tea swaps, and learned of so many amazing tea companies. My desire to try all the teas grew and since joining three years ago I have tried over a thousand different teas. I have learned what ingredients I love and I have learned what flavors I don’t like. I determined my go-to brewing method is Western-style with no added milk or sweeteners, though I also enjoy cold brewing, iced teas, teapops, lattes, and smoothies. I have yet to brew gong-fu style but I hope to do so just as soon as I get the proper teaware to do it. About a year ago, I actually stopped drinking tea but as my stash of over 200 teas started aging I decided I needed to respark my interest. I chose to take a 365 days of tea challenge on Instagram in which I post a new tea picture every day. So far it has been rather successful as I find myself drinking (and buying) more and more tea each day. Plus it enabled CuppaGeek to find me and invite me here to SororiTea Sisters.

This post was posted in 52Teas, Black Tea