Everything about Tea Break blend from Plum Deluxe feels like a spring or summertime brew. The white tea base has a gentle caffeine level and flavor strength, well-suited for a for a light afternoon break, and holds up when brewed both hot or cold. I always associate white teas with classy tea cups or brightly colored iced tea travel mugs. There is just something both classical and whimsical about white tea blends.
This Tea Break blend is very fragrant in the dry leaf, with lush tangerine and sweet melon in equal parts. The leaves smell like a fresh bowl of fruit salad, or a fruity sorbet. Brewed, the tea carries much of the same flavors. There are notes of bright citrus, but the predominant flavor is honeydew melon. The buttery, earthy white tea matches well with the creamy and juicy melon. The melon provides a smooth mouthfeel, and keeps the tangerine from being too sour or biting. The tangerine adds some much-needed liveliness to the laid-back melon, the two flavors working in harmony.
If brewing hot, keep your water temperatures a little lower to be gentle on the white tea leaves. Also try this as a cold brew, where the melon flavors make the blend extra refreshing on a warm day. Versatile and naturally sweet, Tea Break blend makes it easy to take a moment to yourself and relax with a cup of tea.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
Description:
Sometimes you just need a break. And whether it’s 5 minutes or 5 hours, our Tea Break white tea is the perfect companion. A fresh, flavorful Fujian white tea base is paired with tangerine and honeydew melon flavors that create not just a heavenly aroma, but a truly relaxing, calming, nourishing, thoughtful cup of tea.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Carrot Cupcake from The NecessiTeas. . . .
This is an herbal blend of apple, carrot, almonds, walnuts, cinnamon, coconut, pineapple, crystallized ginger, cloves, and natural and organic flavors. In the packet, it smells sweet, light, and fruity, with only a little of the clove coming through – a minor miracle since clove so easily overpowers other flavors.
Steeped for about six minutes in boiling water, it is still a light but flavorful cup. I have had carrot cake and this is lighter than I would expect. Tasty, but not the taste I was expecting.
Apple and pineapple are keeping it light and fresh, the ginger and clove are remarkably well behaved and sit on the back row without demanding all the attention, although that crystallized ginger keeps trying to peek to the forefront. The nutty flavors are plainly here, with the cinnamon being a bit shy and the coconut adding a bit of body overall.
While this is a lovely fall like tisane and I am enjoying it, it does not make visions of carrot cupcake dance in my head. I would love to try this again, but mix it half and half with a good black tea base. I think that could be an awesome experience.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Tisane
Where to Buy: The NececssiTeas
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
No Obligations Decaf from Plum Deluxe. . .
My brother described the smell of this as “the inside of Bed Bath and Beyond… no, the other one. Bath and Body Works. That one. WITH THE SMELLS.”
The strong and enthusiastic odor of this blend is definitely one of its defining characteristics. It smells sweet, nutty, vanilla-like — which is, as it turns out, precisely what it is. It tastes like the illustrations from the original Candyland look: rounded and bright and lip-smacking.
Kids like playing Candyland. It’s easy to learn, it takes a while, and anyone can win. Everyone has a chance.
Like Candyland, this tea doesn’t live in the land of adults. Due to its sweetness and decaffeinated status, it is accessible to children, too! Share it with yours today.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black (Decaf)
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
Description
Given the state of world affairs, we thought you could use a good cup of something with no expectations attached — hence the aptly named No Obligations blend. We use a fresh, vibrant decaf Ceylon black tea for the base and add both hazelnut and almond extracts with some spiced cinnamon, a pinch of cocoa nibs, and a creamy vanilla.
The result is a cup that will wrap around you tighter than your granny’s arms. Sip and relax, knowing that you’re doing the best that you can and that taking a moment for yourself is always a great idea.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Country Chai Spice from The Cozy Leaf. . . .
Country Chai Spice from The Cozy Leaf already made me feel warm and relaxed just from the name. Makes me think of being under a quilt out at a cabin, maybe beside a warm fire. Beyond the name, this tea had a surprisingly pleasant long list of spices in its ingredients list. Cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom, I expect, but not all chai teas comes with cloves and anise, and the never seem to come with fennel. What a lovely change of pace.
Brewed, this is a sweeter chai, thanks to a hearty serving of anise and cinnamon. The anise isn’t strong enough to make this a black jelly bean chai, but it does add its token throat-soothing, candy-like properties.
Much to my surprise, the ginger and clove take a back seat in this tea, subtle enough that you might miss them if you’re not paying attention. The fennel and cardamom are gentle and earthy, and add a much needed almost-savory pairing to the anise and cinnamon.
Just when I’ve thought that I’ve tried every chai tea I can think of, I find something new. I look forward to getting cozy with another cup of Country Chai Spice from the Cozy Leaf sometime soon.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: The Cozy Leaf
Description:
Full-bodied black tea chai made with real chai spices of rich cinnamon, cardamon, ginger, and sweet anise and clove for a healthy and delicious treat.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Chai Houjicha / 52 Teas
This tea is no longer on the 52 Teas website.
For those of you unfamiliar with 52 Teas they specialize in doing weekly unique teas. Like Kumquat Cucumber Chutney Black Tea.
Very unique flavors. Chai and hojicha aren’t really unique but combined they are.
This is the first I’ve seen of this type.
Also for those curious, even though the leaf doesn’t look like it, Hojicha is considered a green tea because of how it is processed. It ends up being a little nutty with some flavors you won’t find in other green teas.
Which makes it perfect for chai! This would make a great chai latte.
While I generally prefer a spicy chai the nutty and barley notes of this tea combined with the spices of the chai are a perfect fit that doesn’t need the spicy.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.
