When I first tried this tea, I didn‘t know the difference between a macaron and a macaroon. Macaroons are far more common here! I have now been introduced to macarons, which I much prefer, but that’s just me! The two are very different.
This tea does have lots and lots of coconut pieces and the coconut flavor is as noticeable as the pastry like scent, the caramel, and hazelnut flavor, with hazelnut being the lightest element here. There isn’t a lot of oil floating on top like some coconut flavored teas have, nor is coconut overpowering to me.
The main thing is noticed was that as much as I loved the flavorings in this one, they did not obliterate the taste of the tea base. Quite often, flavorings will utterly mask the tea base, and tea lovers can feel a little let down. We want TEA. Here we have equal strength in the cup of tea, coconut, caramel, hazelnut, confection…how did they accomplish this?
I think the key is that over a third of the leaves in this blend are Sencha, a green tea from Japan that boosts the actual tea presence to keep it from being masked. It’s has a bit of edge that some black teas don’t have, and you end up tasting both the black and green, with the black tea lending a luscious, rich base for all the other ingredients.
I often pair sweets with unflavored black tea, usually from China, but this is a flavored tea that goes well with most sweets or serves as a decadent and chic afternoon treat on its own.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black/Green
Where to Buy: Whittard’s of Chelsea
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Breathless – August Uncommon Tea
I need to stop looking at Facebook at 2 in the morning. It causes me to make sleepy purchases. One recent middle of the night purchase I made was from August Uncommon tea. I kept seeing adds on Facebook for August Uncommon and had been very interested in their unique blends. I saw that they were offering free shipping and many of their teas are available in sample sizes so I decided to order a few at 2 am. I am so glad that I did! The samples arrived very quickly and included an information card on the company. Their premise is that August is “like no tea you’ve ever tasted before. Our tea is wild, intense, and radically different.” I don’t know if I would say that the tea blends are “radically different” as I have seen a lot of unique blends in my tea journey. I will say though that the blends are interesting, fun and very flavorful.
One of the teas that I purchased is called Breathless. The description of the tea is “boozy black tea, white chocolate and prune.” This is an interesting combo for sure. The package indicates that the tea is gluten free and non gmo. I appreciate that August also includes tasting notes to let the consumer know what we should be tasting. In the case of Breathless it should taste like armagnac, prune, dark cherry and whipped cream. Interesting. I had to look up what armagnac is as I am not up on my liquors. It appears it is a brandy.
I will say that one aspect I appreciate on their packaging is that in the ingredient panel August actually tells us what type of black tea is being used in the blend. Often companies just simply put black tea down in a blend. August goes one step further and indicates it is an Indian Assam black tea. Other ingredients include hazelnut brittle (yum), sweet blackberry leaf, white chocolate, dried plum and flavoring. The package does not make any distinction if the flavoring is natural or artificial.
The first sip of the tea is nice, I get the initial hit of a pretty malty black tea base then the fruity plum develops followed by an ever so slight creaminess in the back end of the taste. I can certainly see where why they say that the this tea tastes like dark cherry because the plum notes coupled with the malty black tea gives a dark cherry flavor.
I really like this tea. It is very complex, dark and enjoyable when drinking straight. When I added a splash of soy milk the creamy notes developed more and gave a very dessert-like quality to this tea.
Overall I am very impressed with all of the samples that I purchased from August Uncommon. I think that they are doing a fantastic job of reinventing what the basic perception of tea is. They have left the safe confines of a traditional earl grey or english breakfast and are branching out to offer unique and interesting flavor combinations. I think they are certainly worth checking out!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: August Uncommon
Description
This tea has a boozy aroma with soft tannins, and a touch of fruit and leather. It is inspired by our favorite ice cream flavor in the world: Agenaise. This is a luscious ice cream laced with armagnac-soaked prunes made by the incomparable Parisian brand Berthillon. White chocolate gives it a super silky mouthfeel and a creamy finish reminiscent of ice cream melting over hot pie. This tea practically begs for milk to turn up the richness of its flavors.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Oregon Breakfast from Plum Deluxe. . . .
There’s something about a hazelnut tea that just feels like the ultimate decadence– rich, creamy, nutty and dark, blends beautifully with a whole host of flavors. How can you go wrong? And for certain– Plum Deluxe has not got it wrong in this beautiful blend.
If this is what breakfast in Oregon is like– nutty, bright and citrus-y, a beautiful balance between caffeinated black tea and mellow honeybush– then let me hop a plane, because I am SO here for it. This tea makes for a spectacular latte, but is just as comforting and indulgent served black, as well. It reminds me just the tiniest bit of dessert, but this unique combination of flavors simultaneously tastes like nothing I’ve ever had before. Oregon, if the rest of you is as lovely as this breakfast tea, I think it’s time I make a trip!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
Description
This breakfast tea is how Plum Deluxe folk like to start their day. The earthy base of black tea and honeybush teahelps center you; the ping of orange helps wake you and get you excited about today’s possibilities. It’s a simple tea and yet it is rich with subtle flavors.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Heavenly Hazelnut from BlendBee. . . .
“ A rich and decadent blend that will leave you euphoric!” Interesting. I’d like to be left euphoric!!! Today really isn’t the best day I don’t really feel great and i’m just really tired and kind of cranky. So, naturally, I will turn to tea to give me some relaxation and happiness. I am a stay at home mom to a beautiful and lovely 8 month old baby and it’s tough and really weighs down on you. But anyways, tea usually brings me some peace….especially Blendbee. Not only does Blendbee deliver great taste but the teas also have many added health benefits and they are all listed on the packaging. For Heavenly Hazelnut, it looks like some of the benefits are easing of stomach ailments, immune system support, and eases allergies and helps to cure colds. Sign me up!! This is perfect for me for today because for some reason i’m feeling slightly sick. Maybe this will help.
I brewed up a nice mug of this tea and snuggled into the couch while my daughter played with her toys and made cute cooing noises (I love babies!). The first thing I noticed about this blend was that I wasn’t smelling hazelnut in the dry leaf. I could, however, smell it in the steeped liquid. Oh, yum! Yes this is definitely heavenly! So heavenly, so hazelnut, so vanilla, so relaxing. I am officially euphoric! This tea totally lived up to its name and description. It’s creamy and sweet, with notes of vanilla. It’s nutty and earthy, with notes of hazelnut and honeybush. I am just sipping this down, drinking and breathing it in! The delectable taste mixed with the health benefits IS euphoric. I will totally recommend this blend 100 times over, but I also really recommend the company. They have other great teas and I just love the cute packaging and the fact that they are health-conscious. Definitely give them a try!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: BlendBee
Description
A delightful and highly beneficial Honeybush tea blend. Paired with rich ingredients like Chicory Root and Carob Bean. Rounded out with super nutritious Agrimony Herb and infused with exquisite and nutty Hazelnut & Vanilla extracts.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Oregon Breakfast from Plum Deluxe. . . .
I really am in love with anything that includes hazelnut, hazelnut makes everything better. However, if you follow any of my reviews you’ll know that i’m not always too keen on orange or citrus. The ingredients in this delectable blend by Plum Deluxe include: black tea, honeybush, orange peel, and hazelnut essence. Tell me that doesn’t sound yummy and i’ll be looking at you like you have ten heads! It sounds heavenly, so of course I bought it. Typical me.
As soon as I opened the package and took a whiff of this mix, I knew id love it. In all honesty, the orange was so subtle I don’t think I could have picked it out if I didn’t know it was on the ingredient list. What I could smell was the hazelnut- nutty and creamy right off the bat. I’ve got to say that their addition of honeybush to their black tea blends really is smart, especially when the blend has a nut inclusion. Honeybush and nuts is a great combo, they accentuate each other and bring out the best in each other- a match made in heaven! The orange here is so subtle on taste just like on smell and I really can just barely detect it, which is more than okay with me. This blend is absolutely amazing and it is the PERFECT summer (or fall) tea for a sunny morning drive to work (or wherever you may be going on a sunny morning). I completely recommend you give this blend a try!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
Description
This breakfast tea is how Plum Deluxe folk like to start their day. The earthy base helps center you; the ping of orange helps wake you and get you excited about today’s possibilities. It’s a simple tea and yet it is rich with subtle flavors.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!