Apple Crisp from A Quarter To Tea. . . . .

by Sophia

Well, this blend has me curious because I can see pieces of oats! I mean, come on, we all know the best part about apple crisp is the cinnamon, sugar, and oat topping. I really love fall and I really love fall desserts. I mean don’t get me wrong, spring is great, but right now I am wishing for fall. Especially after drinking this blend. With every sip I am dying to go apple picking and then come home and make a freshly baked apple crisp!

I am dead serious when I say that steeped, this blend smells just like apple crisp. Cinnamon, oats, apples, brown sugar….its got everything! I steeped this for 4 minutes and I used just a small dash of agave to sweeten it up and bring out the flavors. I think that this is definitely fall comfort in a cup. I wish so bad that I was sitting on a front porch looking out at the pretty orange, red, and yellow leaves while drinking this! Okay fall is definitely my favorite season and it cant come back fast enough!

On taste, the Yunnan is very smooth and the apples & cloves are present. It slightly resembles apple cider. I don’t know if the oats completely translated over like I had hoped, but you can taste them if you’re looking for them at the end of the sip. Im not sure that I would say that this tastes just like apple crisp, like it smells. I think that if I didn’t know what this tea was called I would call it maybe apple cider. Either way, its very yummy and definitely screams fall and comfort!

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Black Tea
Where to Buy:  A Quarter To Tea
Description

Sweet apples with warming hints of cinnamon and clove paired with touches of caramel cream, brown sugar, and toasted oat.

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 A Quarter To Tea, Black Tea

Fresh Perspectives Green Tea from Plum Deluxe. . ..

by Sophia

The name of this tea is what caught my attention. “Pour a cup of this tea and sit in the stillness. Consider fresh possibilities.” I thought that was interesting. As a stay at home mom to an 8 month old, it is a little hard to sit in the stillness…but i’m trying. The ingredients here are green tea, apricot pieces, cinnamon chips, calendula, and vanilla essence. I was really excited once I read the ingredient list because the combination of all those ingredients just sounded really yummy.

The first thing I noticed once I steeped this tea was that it smelled like apricot cobbler, or peach cobbler. The apricot scent was so realistic that you would think I just sliced up some fresh apricots. The cinnamon and vanilla mingles with the apricot and honestly smells like cobbler. Really, really, yummy.

Of course the green tea adds that crisp, fresh, vegetal-ness that ties it all together. The taste is delicious- it tastes exactly the same way it smells- like apricot cobbler! I think that if my daughter was down for a nap right now I would definitely want to drink this while sitting “in the stillness” and relaxing. It is so yummy and definitely evokes comfort and relaxation! I will be finishing the rest of my sample and i’m now interested to see what other teas Plum Deluxe has to offer, this one has totally won me over!

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Green Tea
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!

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 Green Tea, Plum Deluxe

Peach Habenero Salsa from A Quarter To Tea. . . . .

by VariaTEA

My stepdad is the hot sauce king. The man can handle heat. I don’t do too bad but he is a beast. The rest of my family…not so great with spice. So, when my sister and I were at the One of a Kind show not too long ago and we were looking to get my step dad some hot sauces, it was put on me to try them out. Habeneros were just the tip of the iceberg…well, more like a volcano. One particularly hot concoction was made by a farmer that crossbred peaches with hot peppers and that really took me by surprise. Funny enough, the vendors all kept telling me that I had some incredibly high tolerance for spice which means I guess I kept my cool but at some point I was dying inside. Nonetheless, spice is relative and I have yet to find a “spicy tea” that truly took my back. Let’s see how this goes.

Alright so its no hybrid peach/pepper level of spice but there is a slight tingle from the heat that hits the back of your throat. It’s actually got a nice sweet heat flavor with the juicy peach that sets in just before the habenero/ginger surprises you. I think what actually is an understated player here is the cucumber. The peach melts away to the cooling cucumber which, to me, is what paves the way for the spice to pop. It’s the bridge needed to bring the peach and habenero together and it fills this role beautifully.

Of the spicy teas I have tried,this has more of a kick than others. In fact, I even got my stepdad to try it out who said he liked the habenero flavor. However, the spice is kept in check by the other components in the tea making for a well-rounded and tasty beverage. If you want to burn your face, this won’t do that for you but if you want a delicious tea, well you’ll find that here.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description

This tea is SPICY!

Sweet peach, with cooling cucumber, a touch of tart hibiscus and ginger and habenero pepper flakes make a tea that is excellent both hot and chilled. Guaranteed to warm your tastebuds up this winter.

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 A Quarter To Tea, Black Tea

A Honeybush Cookie Dessert Tea. . . #52Teas

by Sophia

Being honest, i’m scared of molasses. I use it when i’m baking gingerbread, but I just refuse to eat it on its own. I don’t know how some people just pour it over their pancakes, I feel like it smells salty and weird and it really just freaks me out. So when I saw the name of this blend I totally held off on trying it. Although, the blend did smell like spice cookies….so I decided to give it a try anyways.

I could really smell the honeybush once this tea was steeped. I absolutely love honeybush and I actually tend to favor it over rooibos. I feel like it is so much sweeter and less woodsy tasting. Its a bit hard to describe but once you’ve tried it a few times, you’ll be able to point it out without even knowing that its in the tea. The sweet/honey/nutty flavor of the honeybush really blended well with the spices and cookie flavor in this tea. I can’t really speak on how accurate the molasses flavor in here is because I’ve never actually tasted molasses on its own, only in cookies or gingerbread.

I do know, however, that the flavor of honeybush was very strong here, and the spices and cookie/vanilla flavor (and the molasses) was very much in the background. That’s not to say that this wasn’t still enjoyable, because it was. I just think that the honeybush was the most dominant flavor here. I added a little agave, and then a little more, and I definitely think that that helped bring out the cookie flavor and spices flavor a bit.

Either way, if you like honeybush I think that you would find it difficult to not enjoy this blend. I do wish the spice cookie flavor was a little stronger but this was still a yummy blend.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy:  52Teas
Description

This blend is no longer available but click below for blends 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, Honeybush

Peanut Butter Cup from The NecessiTeas. . . .

by Sophia

Anyone who knows me knows I love peanut butter, especially Reese’s cups. The best ones are the ones for the Holidays, the eggs for Easter or the pumpkins for Halloween or the trees for Christmas. They seem to have more peanut butter! I have kind of always stayed clear of teas that attempted to replicate the delicious Reese’s candies though because I always figured they would end up tasting like stale hot chocolate mixed with goopy peanut butter. I don’t know why I thought this, but I did, up until now.

I spotted Peanut Butter Cup by The NecessiTEAs and I took a whiff of it- wow. Cue the mouth watering! It smells so peanut buttery and as if I just opened up a package of Reese’s. I brewed this one with near boiling water for the full 7 minutes- I wanted flavor! Well, flavor is what I got! Boy was I wrong about this blend, though.

I could totally taste both chocolate and peanut butter, but neither was overpowering. The liquid wasn’t thick and goopy either. Quite the opposite, actually. This blend was very light but still packed with flavor. Not only could I taste peanut butter but I could taste a simple nuttiness from the almonds. I could detect a bit of the apple pieces too, and this just added a nice sweetness to the overall cup. The chocolate, while present, was not overpowering and there was just enough to give the illusion of a true Reese’s cup, but not too much as to make me feel like this was a chocolate beverage. There are also caramel pieces included in this blend, and I have to say I just LOVE that! The caramel added a very small touch, just the right amount to give the drink a creamy mouth feel and some extra sweetness.

I’m telling you this was really well done. I literally drank it down in less than 5 minutes and then I was sad because that’s all I had! I can not wait to order my own tin of this. I really recommend you try it. It is a totally guilt free version of Reese’s cups and perfect for an after dinner delight! Total win. Thanks, NecessiTEAs.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Herbal/Tisane
Where to Buy: The NecessiTeas
Description

This blend is seriously addicting, over the top yummy and double-delicious. It’s quite amazing and tastes just like a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup! To sweeten the deal, this chocolate peanut butter bliss is completely guilt-free!

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 Fruit/Herbal Tisane, The NecessiTeas