Co-Coconut Almond/A Quarter To Tea. . . .

by VariaTEA

Co-Coconut Almond is a tea by A Quarter to Tea that was featured in the  monthly subscription box. It is comprised of black tea, coconut flakes, raw almonds, cocoa nibs/shells, and mini sprinkles.

Steeping the tea using the recommended steeping parameters, I brewed it up as a latte and topped it with coconut whipped cream. Since the whipped cream was being rather uncooperative, I ended up with a fair bit more whipped cream than I wanted, though thankfully it complimented the tea quite nicely contributing a deliciously sweet and creamy coconut.

As for the tea itself, the main flavor for me is the almond which is smooth throughout the sip and then really pops at the end. I don’t usually love almond in tea as it tends to come off like marzipan as opposed to the actual nut. This tea does get a bit of a marzipan quality to it at the end of this sip when there is a pop of flavor but until that point, it is much more true to the nut itself and it blends nicely with the creamy coconut of the tea, another strong flavor. What I don’t get at all is the chocolate.

This tea did make for a nice latte and I think those who enjoy marzipan would love this, especially if they are coconut fans as well. As someone who doesn’t love marzipan, this was not my favorite but it was still quite nice.

Want to Know More About This Tea?

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  A Quarter To Tea

Description

This blend was part of the monthly tea subscription box.  Click below to learn more!

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

Turm It Up!/BlendBee. . . .

by Mary

Right off the bat, this tea has two things that I love: 1. a punny name (I mean, come on.) 2. powerhouse ingredients that boast all sorts of good-for-you claims!

Now, to be fair– this isn’t a tea in its traditional sense. There are no leaves, there’s not even your typical dried herbs found in most tisanes. This is a bright orange powder chock-filled with all sorts of health-assisting goodies (so the internet claims– remember, I’m no doctor!) designed to make it easy-peasy for you to whip up all sorts of healthy morning tonics. Now, while I am as much a fan of a golden milk latte (a traditional milk-based spicy turmeric drink), this blend leans a little more fruity thanks to its hibiscus, ginger, and lemon peel blended in, among other things– so maybe save your milk for another mix, this one is best with water.

After trying this concoction straight a few times, I had a moment of revelation the other day when I saw some lemonade hanging out in my fridge (what is summer if not prime Arnold-Palmer time?)– why not make this tonic lemonade-based? I added 1.5 tsp to about 10 oz. liquid and shook it like, well, you know how the song goes. While I don’t think the powder ever 100% dissolved into my liquid, a few shakes before every few sips worked perfectly to keep things blended. This was tart and spicy, but also fruity and delicious– a fantastic afternoon pick-me-up that’s good for you, to boot! I will absolutely be trying this mix in other blends to come– maybe a smoothie or two? As usual, Blend Bee knocks it out of the park!

Want to Know More About This Tea?

Leaf Type:  Herbal

Where to Buy:  BlendBee

Description

Get your daily dose of turmeric with this bright, fruity & spicy blend. Perfect for iced turmeric drinks & tonics. Turmeric is an incredible superfood packed full of benefits. Enjoy Turm It Up Tonic for an killer boost!

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Mary

Hi there! I'm Mary, a 27-year-old mental health professional living with my fiancé and our quirky kitten in the Midwest! I've loved tea for as long as I can remember-- in fact, I have vivid memory of being four or five in a tea shop and being mesmerized by all the tea flavors and proclaiming that I "was going to be kind of adult who drank tea, not coffee." A stint living (and tea-drinking my way through) London and twenty-some years later, I'm still channeling that sassy four-year-old and loving my tea habit. When I'm not sipping a cuppa, you'll find me reading, doing yoga, traveling, exploring my own city, planning our wedding and experimenting with different healthful and healing foods in my kitchen.

This post was posted in BlendBee, Fruit/Herbal Tisane

Lychee Daisy/A Quarter To Tea. . . . Sip Down!

by CuppaGeek

Sip Downs. . . They always make me feel like I’m being productive with my tea stash.  It seems like all of a sudden I turn around and my tea has doubled in size.  For some time now I’ve been on a buying hiatus but it seems like my stash just doesn’t seem to be dwindling.  I have a lot of really great teas in my stash but I just haven’t been paying much attention to them unfortunately.  Something I’m about to change.

So today, I said goodbye to one of my all time favorite A Quarter To Tea blends. . .Lychee Daisy!

Lychee Daisy is a vibrant green tea blend that gives you all the candied floral feels you could ask for. . . and then a bit more.  This green tea blend is sweet with a romantic floral tone that really doesn’t steer you wrong.  Brewed up as a hot tea or a cold brew, the flavor always stays on point and never lets you down.

The tea starts off with this touch of astringency from the green tea and the sweet kick from the sprinkles. Then as the sip develops, you get more of the floral flavors taking over (from the jasmine buds and rosebuds) which translates marvelously into a candied floral finish.

What really elevated the tea was taking a touch of a sparkling flavored peach water and topping my cold brew off. Really delicious, refreshing, and the perfect way to welcome in the spring like weather we currently have coming in.

For me being a green tea and floral fan, this tea is where its all about. Simple yet oh so lovely and tasty.  I’m sad that I’m savoring the last little bits of this tea.  I will be sad to see it go but A Quarter To Tea always has fun and unique blends to try.  Once I’ve drank down more of my stash, I’ll be placing a good size order to see what new blends A Quarter To Tea has made lately.

Want to Know More About This Tea?

Leaf Type:  Green

Where to Buy:  A Quarter To Tea

Description

This tea is no longer available but click below to learn more about A Quarter To Tea.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

CuppaGeek

I am a late 30s something mom who loves her family, will be getting married to a wonderful guy and has 4 kids (2 mine-2 his). We have a beautiful life together and I wouldn't change a thing. Tea is a passion that quickly turned into an obsession, very similar to my love for polka dots, the horror genre, and anything that is geeky and fun. I drink all kinds of tea and will try a tea twice to make sure I didn't bumble the first infusion. Besides SororiTea Sisters, I'm also the blogger and genius (I use that word very loosely) behind CuppaGeek, where I review tea, books, and the horror genre.

This post was posted in A Quarter To Tea, Green Tea

Beards Hollow from Beach House Teas. . . .

by VariaTEA

Every time I saw this tea in my stash I would think of Gilmore Girls. I don’t know why because Gilmore Girls takes place in Stars Hollow and this is Beards Hollow. So out of curiosity I looked up Beards Hollow and it seems to be a national park which fits much better with the flavors of this tea than the little town of Stars Hollow does.

Comprised of organic lapsang souchong tea, organic blackberry leaf, wild forged hemlock needles, organic juniper berries and organic pure extract the tea has a very earthy quality. It is a touch sweet from the berries and a lot smokey from the lapsang. Like memories of a campfire in the woods. Plus, the hemlock needles give it a really woodsiness to help sell that concept.

This is not the type of tea I usually reach for since I more go for fruity or sweet or dessert-like teas. This is not that and though it is nice to change it up every now and then, I don’t think I personally will reach for this. With that said, for those that enjoy the more herbaceous/woody teas, this has a great balance of flavors and could be a good choice.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Black
Where to Buy:  Beach House Teas
Description

This tea appears to no longer be available from Beach House Teas but click below for other black tea blends that 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 Beach House Tea Co, Black Tea

Bananas! from 52Teas. . . .

by VariaTEA

Banana is a flavor that 52 Teas does well. Very well. So when I saw they had a new banana tea, Bananas!, I was itching to buy it. Lucky for me I did not have to since I won a Steepster giveaway and got this tasty sounding tea in a subscription box. Thank you, 52 Teas!

I brewed up this black tea per the recommended steeping parameters, 3 minutes at 200F. I let it cool as I read the ingredients and wrote a yelp review about a burger joint I tried the other day. The ingredient list is short and simple: single estate black tea, banana, and natural flavors.

Just like the list of ingredients, the flavor is simple too. Black tea with banana flavors. Neither in-your-face and both nicely balanced. This has a fresh banana flavor that is not too sweet and pairs nicely with the gentle malt of the black base. It is a flavored tea that is not so flavored you could grow tired of it quickly. A nice everyday sort of tea you can skip on while doing other things since it does not demand much attention.

Some of my favorite banana blends from 52 Teas have been Banana Pudding, Anne’s Gone Bananas…and a Little (Coco)Nuts, Buttered Banana Bread, Banana Marshmallow Treat Genmaicha….this list goes one. However, what this list has in common is that they are banana blends with a little something else. This tea is just bananas and while I definitely recommend it for purists who might want more simplicity, I think personally I prefer some of the other blends more.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Black
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!

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