Farmhouse Teas aka St Fiacre’s Farm Teas are among some of my favorites. These teas are hand crafted and created with such love that you can literally taste the care in each sip. I have been a fan of their teas for some time and belong to their monthly tea club.
Last month I received a sample of Farmer’s Market Strawberry along with my other goodies. So far I have devoured the majority of the teas I’ve received from the Farmhouse Teas lineup and I couldn’t wait to try this one.
Brewed up my water at 180 and allowed the tea to steep for about three minutes. The moment this tea started brewing you can smell the strawberries and a few of the other inclusions. This tea blend consists of sencha green tea, strawberry leaf, rosehips, hibiscus, licorice root, lemon peel, rose petals and strawberries. The look of this tea is just stunning and I was hoping the tea would taste as amazing as it looks.
Unfortunately for me, I think this tea has a bit more licorice root than I care for. The rest of the tea is simply divine- green tea, strawberry, hibiscus, rose petals, etc but there is this bite that I keep getting and I have a feeling it is coming from the licorice root. Normally licorice root doesn’t bother me too much but I think in this instant since the other flavors are delicate and tart, the licorice root is just shining.
If the licorice root wasn’t so dominant, this tea would be out of this world amazing. The sweet and tart flavors play very well and provide this happy brew that just leaves you smiling. I’m wondering if the licorice root was replaced with marshmallow root if I would like the blend more.
Regardless, I’m super happy I was able to try this blend and hope to try more Farmhouse Teas soon. I’m eagerly awaiting my March package of tea goodies!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Farmhouse Teas
Description
Welcome to our FarmHouse Teas line! Earthy Sencha Green Tea paired with Oregon Strawberries straight from the local farmer’s market! This is the tastiest way to enjoy Oregon strawberries year around. This tea offers light strawberry notes followed by a hint of citrus. Great brewed hot but perfect for summer time iced tea brewing as well.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Strawberry Shortcake from The NecessiTeas. . . .
I want to start by saying that CuppaGeek sent me this sample a long time ago and I stupidly let it get lost in my stash. Though my teas are kept away from Sunlight in a cool and dry place, this was only stored in a single ziploc bag and might have had some flavor deterioration due to improper storage. As a result, my review should be considered with that in mind…
When I looked up the NecessiTeas’ Strawberry Shortcake on their website, it was suggested to try it hot or poured over ice. I decided to try it both ways since the sample I was sent was quite generous. I brewed both the hot and iced tea for 3 minutes in 185F degree water, my standard temperature for brewing white teas.
The hot tea is very subtly flavored but pleasantly so. Again the subtlety of the flavoring could be due to flavor deterioration from age and improper storage but then again a Strawberry Shortcake is a lighter and more gently flavored cake so that could also be intentional. Subtle as it is, there is still all the components of its namesake in the flavor. The white tea makes this buttery, like an angel food cake, while there is a smooth creaminess to the tea as a whole. The strawberry sneaks up on you but really fills out the aftertaste. It is good and now I am kicking myself for not trying it sooner because I want more strawberry and more cream but perhaps there was more when the tea first arrived. I guess I will never know.
The iced tea I don’t like as much. That creaminess that is portrayed in the hot cup is entirely lost here. Instead it is a whole lot of white tea flavors with a touch of strawberry tucked in. No cream. No cake. More sweet hay notes and that little bit of fruit. It is also just the slightest bit soapy from the base.
All in all, this tea is middle of the pack for me. Granted I might have felt differently if I’d try this sooner but I also might not have. There are other teas that have been stored in a similar fashion for an equal amount of time that still pack a flavor punch. This is just too subtle and since I don’t love white teas, I find myself seeking more flavor. It is pleasant enough but one I feel I might forget as I continue on my tea journey.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: The NecessiTeas
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for white tea blends that are!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Maple Vanilla Earl Grey from A Quarter To Tea. . . .
Today I got to thinking about fun ways to make teas. Lately I have been experimenting. Cold brewing in chocolate milk. Topping iced teas with lemonade. I have been having fun playing with my teas. So when I had a Vanilla Frosty in my freezer from Wendy’s that seemed daunting to eat on its own, I thought to myself, “what can I do with this?” Well, an affogato came to mind.
For those of you that don’t know what I am talking about, an affogato is an Italian dessert that typically takes the form of a scoop of vanilla gelato or ice cream topped with a shot of hot espresso. Mine, on the other hand, took the form of two scoops of Vanilla Frosty topped with tea. Maple Vanilla Earl Grey tea by A Quarter to Tea to be specific. Why that tea? Well all recipes I looked at online suggested using strong flavored teas like chais or earl greys. I went with what I had readily available and the Maple Vanilla Earl Grey Affogato was born.
Since I have never had an affogato made by someone who knows what they’re doing I am not sure if this is right but I am sure it is good. It’s more a drink than a dessert you could eat with a spoon but there is a little ball of frosty still present. The liquid is so rich and creamy. Obviously it has a ton of silky vanilla flavor given both the frosty and the tea have vanilla flavoring. More than just the vanilla, there is a distinct maple sweetness that is a little more earthy than the vanilla but still very sweet as well as a little bit of a honeyed quality coming from the rooibos. The bergamot, for those that don’t like it very much, is actually really lovely here because it just adds a bit of brightness to counteract the other sweeter elements while the black tea base and cinnamon work to do the same thing in their own ways by adding some spice and some softer tea flavors. It’s really quite delightful because you get both the flavor of the frosty and the tea distinctly but at the same time they work together so nicely making for a delectably creamy and flavorful treat.
All in all, I would say this was one successful experiment if for no other reason than the affogato was gone in under five minutes. Seriously, i just kept drinking and actually finished the affogato before I finished the review. Oops.
Ultimately I am not sure how successful this tea would be on its own as I used the whole sample I had for the affogato but used the way it was here, this tea was certainly a home run.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
A brisk cup of Earl Grey, mellowed with the sweetness of maple and the smoothness of vanilla with still giving you that satisfying bergamot punch that makes Earl Grey so special
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Lime Jello from 52Teas. . . .
A friend of mine won a giveaway hosted by 52 Teas awhile ago. The perk of my friend winning the giveaway is that I still got to try the teas she won without adding too much to my ever growing stash of teas. Among her winnings was this Lime Jello Green Tea.
Lime Jello Green Tea is made up of a blend of green teas, lime leaves, limes, pineapples, marshmallow root and natural flavors. It smells like…well, lime jello. Now I have never been the biggest jello fan but the smell of jello powder, with its artificial and candy-like fruit scents, has always appealed to me so this tea captured my nose and with that, my attention.
As I drink the tea, I definitely get lime candy though it is not as in-your-face pungent as the smell of the dry leaf would suggest. Then again, the taste of jello is never as strong as the smell of the powder so I can’t be too upset about that. In addition to the lime, I get a touch of bitterness from the green tea base that I feel keeps this grounded while the marshmallow root makes this come off light, like any jello-inspired tea should be.
One thing that surprised me about this blend is that there is a creaminess here that I wasn’t expecting. Even more surprising is how this tea manages to stay light even with the creamy element, which is much more commonly found in heavier/richer dessert teas.
Lime Jello is not something I would have ever thought I wanted made into a tea but now that I have had it, I will say that I approve. It is bright and fun and a great treat for warmer days.
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.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
12 Teas of Christmas 1-6 from 52Teas. . . .
52 Teas 12 Teas of Christmas 1-6 (SPOILERS) While I’m a huge fan of 52 Teas and their creative blends, I’ve never before ordered their ever-so-popular 12 Teas of Christmas countdown sampler. This year, I decided to treat myself! After a shipping snafu (anyone else find themselves ordering online goodies six months after moving and not until you’ve hit purchase do you go– “DANGIT, that’s being sent to my old address!” Just me? Cool.) that Anne and her team went above and beyond to fix for me, I was EXTRA pumped for these goodies to come my way. I’m going to break these mini-reviews into two, so you’ll get a 1-6 and then a 7-12 installment as I drink these tasty treats in real time! Now: let’s get sipping!
Day One: Foggy Coconut Black – Let’s just say I am… a less-than-enthusiastic earl grey drinker. I’ve recently been introduced to the concept of “blergamot” (i.e. bergamot in tea makes you go “blerg!”), which hit the nail on the head for me. But while I was skeptical when I opened this package, its delightful creaminess was intriguing. I’m so pleased to say that this is one Earl Grey I’ll be enthusiastically sipping! Like my favorite London Fog lattes, the creamy coconut and vanilla balance out the floral and blerg-y undertones of traditional earl greys, making this one a winner– especially as a latte!
Day Two: Candy Cane Marshmallow Green – Ever since becoming pregnant (baby tea lover, due June 2019!), I’ve been… off my tea drinking game. Most teas just haven’t been sounding good to me! But peppermint has totally been the one element that ALWAYS sounds good to me in this pregnancy, so I was thrilled to see this one in the mix. It’s a delightful, creamy Genmaicha, with light minty notes in the background. This preggy peppermint-lover would have adored the peppermint flavor to be more of a POW, but if you’re looking for a gentle, creamy mint holiday tea, this one is a winner.
Day Three: Raspberry Almond Cookie Honeybush – I opened this package, and was immediately sold by those tart, mouthwatering raspberry notes. Brewed, the raspberry loses some tartness, but is balanced really wonderfully by some beautiful, creamy marizipan-esque undertones. Delightful with cream!
Day Four: Ginger Cola Black – I was Skeptical-with-a-capital-S of this one (cola?! In my TEA?) but friends, it is KILLER on ice. I’ll admit I haven’t tried it hot yet (warm cola is not sounding great to this mama-to-be), but it’s spicy and cola-esque without all that syrupy sweetness. I can see why this one is a popular blend!
Day Five: BlackBerry Custard Tart Green – While some teas haven’t sounded great to me this pregnancy, berry teas have sounded delightful across the board. This one hit all its promised notes– fresh and fruity berries, creamy custard and flaky pastry. I (gasp!) served it with some milk and found it brought out ALL the flavors even further, while muting some of the green grassiness. Yum!
Day Six: Banana Pancake Black – I have shocked myself in recent months with a love for banana flavored teas. I’m pretty neutral on bananas themselves, and even more negatively-skewed on banana flavoring, but for whatever reason, I cannot get ENOUGH of them in tea lately. This blend delivers on the banana and bready, malty, maple-y pancake goodness of a breakfast treat, all whilst not being overtly banana-in-your-face (think banana bread, rather than banana candy). I served this one with a touch of maple syrup and cream, and had to stop myself from chugging the whole cup. Delightful!
Here’s the scoop!
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
The majority of these 12 Teas of Christmas are sold out but some of them are still available below.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!