I’m going to get all ‘Harry Potter on your arses” today and to do that I would like to introduce you to Hufflepuff House Blend from The Forest Witch. It’s the tea I’m featuring during #FanaticFriday here at Sororitea Sisters!
In our home we currently have 4 furkids…3 dogs and a cat. Hubby and I have jokingly said in the past that Paco our full Chihuahua would probably resided in Hufflepuff while Charlie our feral cat would set up shop in Slytherin. Riley – our Corgi/Lab mix would most likely fit in with Griffindor. Finally, Cricket, our Chihuahua/Toy Rat Terrier would side with those in Ravenclaw. Yes…I’m really that nerdy, folks! I’m glad I’m not the only one and I’m glad there are fan teas out there including Hufflepuff House Blend from The Forest Witch.
What I’m not completely clear on are the ingredients in this honeybush tea. While I am to eat vegan I am sure there are things that slip through the cracks. If I know something is not vegan I will not consume it. I saw on the Etsy Shop that the ingredients of this offering were: Honeybush, Lemon and orange pieces, calendula petals, essences of cake and warm icing which I assume are flavorings because I didn’t see actual cake/bread/icing in the loose mix. Fingers crossed and if it was my error I’m truly sorry! What I can tell you is that Hufflepuff House Blend from The Forest Witch was pretty tasty and I think House Hufflepuff would be proud! I could see myself sitting in the basement near the fire sipping on this for sure!
The flavors of orange, lemon, and honeybush are first and foremost in this flavor on the tongue. There is a sweet yet smooth consistency to the sip. I’m sipping on Hufflepuff House Blend from The Forest Witch hot but also letting it cool at room temperature as I sip and I can already tell that it would be outstanding as an iced tea, as well!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: The Forest Witch
Description:
A perfect, sunny tea to cheer you up! Enjoy by a warm fireplace in the Hufflepuff common room as birds flit by outside the windows and open door to the school grounds.
Three citrus fruits flavour delicious, spongy cake with a delectable, buttery icing.
Honeybush tea mixed with lemon and orange pieces, calendula petals for a pop of sunny colour. Essences of cake and warm icing swirl in this tasty cup to bring you a lovely cup of dessert.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
On The Third Day of Christmas, Southern Boy Teas Edition!
This countdown is a bit more difficult for a couple of reasons. First, it’s iced tea. I don’t drink a lot of iced tea, especially in the winter, although I certainly do drink some. But, drinking a whole half a gallon in a day? No, I don’t usually drink that much each day.
It’s also a little more difficult because it takes a little longer to produce a cold-brewed pitcher of iced tea. It needs to sit and brew for at least a few hours to get full flavor out of the tea when it’s cold-brewed, and I usually leave the tea in the fridge overnight. So, the difficulty becomes … waiting for the tea to brew.
Butter Beer Iced Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Learn more about Southern Boy Teas here.
Taster’s Review:
When 52Teas/Southern Boy Teas first introduced this tea as an iced tea, I got very excited, because the original Butter Beer Tea from 52Teas is one of my FAVES from 52Teas. Partly because I asked Frank from 52Teas to create a butter beer-ish sort of tea (yeah, I’m a Harry Potter nerd), and part because it’s just so dang good. So, I was very happy that he decided to add this to his iced tea line.
Cold-brewed, the flavor is a little underwhelming with this tea. Perhaps the issue is that I loved the original Butter Beer Tea so much that maybe this just isn’t living up to that. But I remember that tea being so much more … Butter Beer-ish.
It’s still good, but, it’s a little less than what I envisioned. The black tea base tastes nicely round, and I can taste a butter-scotch-y sort of taste with the flavoring. I’m not getting a whole lot of the chicory notes that were in the original, and I don’t taste a lot of licorice either. I taste hints of root beer, but this tastes more like a cream soda flavored tea than the Butter Beer Tea that I remember.
The hot-brewed, re-steeped tea pouch produces a much more flavorful pitcher of iced tea than the cold-brewed first steep. This tells me that this particular flavor (just like the pink lemonade flavor) should be hot-brewed instead of cold-brewed. But, based on this re-steep, I would say that it’s certainly worth it. This is more of the Butter Beer flavor that I was looking for. I still don’t taste much of the chicory, but, I do get a lot of the butter-scotch-y notes and hints of root beer-ish notes. I find myself still looking for some licorice and the chicory.
When I get around to hot-brewing my second pouch of this tea, I’ll be sure to update you on how well that comes out. In the meantime, this one is good, but, I think that the original was better.
Butterbeer from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas (there’s still a few of these in stock, as Frank recently reblended it!)
Tea Description:
I got my recipe directly from The Three Broomsticks: Premium black teas blended with a bit of essence of rootbeer, a bit of butter vapors, some licorice root, chichory root and a touch of magic. Our Butterbeer tea is the beverage of choice for wizards of all ages, and if you have no idea what I’m referring to, please go on about your muggle life, this blend is for Harry Potter fans only. Well, okay, I guess muggles could enjoy it too. It is truly unique and delicious. A blend worthy of the 52teas brand of creative flavored teas. Enjoy!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
My friends, I have a confession to make. I am a Harry Potter fanatic. I read all seven books (several times each), and own each of the movies and am slowly developing my “ultimate” blu ray dvd collection of them. When the books first came out, I would keep reading and wouldn’t put the book down until I finished it – taking only those types of breaks that would not wait (aka bathroom breaks).
Yeah, I guess I’m a nerd.
But, there are times that my nerdiness is advantageous. Consider a recent email conversation with Frank (aka the Chief Zoomdweebie from 52Teas … aka the Willy Wonka of Teas). I suggested that he make a Butterbeer tea. I suggested using the flavoring that was used for his Pot o’ Gold tea and then adding some root beer flavoring or perhaps some sarsaparilla, and some anise to give it a touch of licorice … not a heavy note, but, I just felt like a touch of licorice needed to be in there to give it a hint of magic.
This Butterbeer blend is what he came up with … which is not exactly the way I had suggested, but, it ended up being even more delicious than I anticipated. Frank, you did good!
The black tea base is good and strong (this is Frank’s new black tea base, and it’s a winner! I enjoyed the previous base, but it sometimes proved to be a bit too harsh, this one is so smooth and delicious – not at all bitter or harsh!) and it is enhanced with the addition of chicory which doesn’t really add a strong flavor … instead what it seems to do is help fill-in the background, giving it a very round, pleasing flavor and just a hint of coffee-like taste.
Imagine root beer that’s been magically improved by wizard folk. What would it taste like? I think it would have a basic foundation of classic root beer flavor, with a touch of creamy butter (butter makes it better!) which gives it a hint of butterscotch-y taste. Maybe add a drop of coffee to it for a touch of that rich, bold, roasty-toasty warmth and to help offset the sweetness of the butterscotch taste. Perhaps … one of those licorice snaps just happens to bounce its way into the brew. Now add the goodness of black tea, and you have yourself one winner of a tea … this tea.
It’s awesome! Frank managed to exceed my expectations of what Butterbeer should taste like. I still won’t try Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans (I’ll stick to the muggle Jelly Bellys, thank you), but, this is fabulous. Everyone – muggle and wizards alike – should try this tea!