Almond Papaya/Dollar Tea Club -Just Tea-Zen

Photo Credit: Dollar Tea Club

This tea smells so delicious when you open the package! Even though I associate papaya with summer weather and tropical vibes, this tea has such a warm aroma. It’s totally acceptable as a Fall tea!

This tea reminds me of trail mix. The aroma and flavor have that nutty-fruity flavor combo that you find in a good quality trail mix with the big chunks of dried fruit. I do love a good trail mix!

Not every flavor blends will with rooibos, but this one is perfectly balanced. Rooibos has a mild sweetness and a slight nutty flavor with just a hint of vanilla; all perfect flavors to blend with almond and papaya.

If you haven’t checked out Dollar Tea Club, give them a try. It’s a convenient and inexpensive way to explore the world of tea and try new tea types and flavors. Watch for upcoming reviews on a couple of their other blends!


Want to Know More About This Tea?

Leaf Type:  Herbal

Where to Buy:  Dollar Tea Club

Description

Almond Papaya, What a tea! Premium Moroccan almonds give the German inspired marzipan a magnificent boost. Rooibos and marzipan were meant for each other.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

52Teas Sipdown -cuppageek

PhotoCredit: 52Teas

As some of you may know, I’ve taken a step back from my tea shop to get myself back on track health wise.  What some of you might not know- I literally stopped drinking tea all together.  I think between being such a huge tea fan and blending my own blends- my taste buds just weren’t feeling tea anymore.  So I sadly packed up what tea I had (which was a lot), knowing that one day I would be back at it. . . and I’m happy to say after taking a couple months off- my taste buds are back where they should be.

I wanted to greet my tastebuds with something amazing right from the start and knowing that I had a lot of 52Teas in my stash, I  knew Anne’s blends would be exactly where I needed to start my journey back into tea with.

If you aren’t familiar with Anne/52Teas, I implore to check her site out.  She literally makes some of the most amazing blends that I’ve ever had and beyond that, she is just an amazing person.  I’m quite honored to call her a personal friend as well, tho I never let that cloud my reviews of her blends and she knows that as well :).

Anyway, back to the tea goodness. . .

So over the last few days, I have enjoyed a TON of 52 Teas blends and was able to sipdown a few. Below are my thoughts on these blends that are sipdowns. . .

Blood Orange Butterscotch Black Tea– A blend with Black Tea, Blood Oranges, Calendula Petals & Natural Flavors- This blend, I have to say, was amazing however, I didn’t really pick up on the blood orange or the butterscotch.  What I loved was the black tea that Anne used in this blend. The flavor was rich and smooth and even tho I didn’t really pick up any of the flavors, the black tea notes were more than enough for me to call this blend a winner.

Boy! Oh! Boy! Black Tea– A blend with Black Teas, Watermelon and Natural Flavors- To me, watermelon is a flavor best enjoyed cold so I cold brewed this one.  That may have been a mistake. I didn’t love the blend and now I’m wondering if I would have enjoyed this one hot- would some of the flavors popped a bit more. . All I really could pick up was watermelon and being not one of my favorite flavors. . this one wasn’t my favorite. Still good.

Michola Chai Black Tea w/Honeybush– I would list the ingredients for this one but there is a laundry list of delights used to make this blend so I will some this one up with saying the normal chai ingredients with marshmallow root, vanilla bean, and honeybush.  Let’s just start this note by saying sorry, not sorry.  I literally gobbled up all the remaining inventory for this blend earlier this week (I believe and if there is more- I call dibs).  This blend is one if not the BEST chai blend I have ever had, and I am not a fan of chais.  Brewed up with hot- this blend had notes of chocolate, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg. . but want I literally searched for in each and every sip was the awesome ginger notes that stole the show.  Not being a huge ginger fan- the amount of love I have for this blend is really interesting. So many flavors that normally I am not all about.   I greedily drank/gulped this tea down in no time flat and have to say it is simply amazing.  All the ingredients mingle so well.  If you have this one in your stash, check it out.  You won’t be sorry.

Gooey Butter Cake Black Tea– Black teas, lemon myrtle, calendula petals & natural flavors- Brewed up hot, this tea is literally like sipping on a cake.  The cake notes are perfect in the spotlight with the tail end of the sip reminding you this is a black tea.  Really delightful and one that I was happy to enjoy.  Where I went wrong with this blend was brewing this one cold.  Sadly the lemon myrtle took over and I didn’t enjoy the cold brew as much as the hot.  Was still good, just not as good as the hot brew.

Walking on Sunshine White Tea– White Tea, lemons, marshmallow root & natural flavor- This white tea blend calls my name over and over.  Marshmallow Root, white tea, and lemon are one of my favorite combinations and this tea was no exception.  I truly enjoyed this blend hot as well as cold.  This blend is currently available on the site and if I was enjoying white teas more, I would have gobbled up all of this blend too.

Ginger Lime Butterfly Tea– Butterfly Pea Flower, Lemongrass, ginger root, limes & natural flavors- Oh this blend.  I truly truly love this blend.  This blend has been my companion for a while since I cold brewed this delight and just keep adding water.  The blend reminds me of a slightly floral, slightly spiced, limeade with chunks of lemon.  I don’t really know how else to describe this one.  I still have to hot brew the remaining bit I have left over, but cold brewed, this one is a winner.

Grapefruit Creme Brulee Green Tea– Green tea grapefruit, calendula petals, vanilla bean & natural flavors- This one is another sorry not sorry.  I also nabbed the remaining inventory of this blend earlier this week because this is the blend that truly sang my name and prompted me to even buy a new tea kettle.  This blend has it all- the lovely sweet notes of the vanilla bean, the semi tartness of the grapefruit with the vegetal background of the green tea.  I can’t express how much I love this one and I have a feeling this one might be one I beg Anne to reblend for me as a custom order.  It truly is that good.

Sipdowns are amazing but can also be sad.  It is always nice to make room for new blends but sometimes it is sad to say goodbye. . .especially to blends from 52Teas because once some of these teas are gone. . .they are gone for good. Lucky for me, I have myself a pretty good sized 52Teas order on its way to me.


Want to Know More About This Tea?

Leaf Type: Herbal/Chai/Black/Green

Where to Buy: 52Teas

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Moringa Lemon/Teakruthi -skysamurai

Photo Credit: Teakruthi

Teakruthi kindly sent me a bunch of tea to review for them. Which almost scared me at first when I received the shipping notification because I thought someone was using my account to order themselves tea.

I was surprised to find that this was not a tea bag as expected but full of gorgeous moringa leaf and lemon peel bits. But then I was hit by the aroma. This smells like Windex. Or that commercial cleaner they use in some hotels. And now I can’t get that out of my head. I’ll let that thought be so I can try to enjoy the flavor.

I’ve never had moringa before and I’m not much for herbals so… here goes. The liquor color is dark, clear, yellow. Kind of pretty in its own way. Steeped for about four minutes. Couldn’t take that smell any longer. The flavor is highly citrus with what I am assuming is the herbal flavor that comes off smooth and lightly medicinal. Cleansing.

 

 

 


Want to Know More About This Tea?

Leaf Type: Herbal

Where to Buy: Teakruthi

Description

Looking for the perfect refreshing and healthy herbal drink? Look no further than our Moringa Lemongrass herbal tisane tea. Highly nutritious and healthy, dried Moringa leaves are infused with lemon and lemongrass. While Moringa improves the immune system, controls blood sugar and blood pressure, lemon is a mood enhancer that helps with digestion. Together, the three produce a powerful herbal infusion that is free of caffeine and with a host of health benefits. The prepared brew has a dark yellow colour and a zingy lemony taste for you to devour.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Mediterranean Blend Sumac Tea/Staghorn Tea Company -Just Tea-Zen-

I remember when I was younger, visiting New Jersey, the giant sumac trees with the beautiful dark red clusters were all over the place where my family lives. I was terrified of them because my cousins had me convinced that they were poison sumac. It was years later that I found out that they are two completely different trees. It’s a good thing…because I’m about to drink some sumac!

Staghorn Tea Company plucks those beautiful bundles from the sumac tree and blends them into a very interesting and delicious tea. They say “It’s remarkably tangy and wicked good!” and that is completely true! The tartness reminds me a little of hibiscus blended with a citrusy flavor. There’s something else in the flavor that I can’t quite associate with anything, but I can tell you it is amazingly delicious. This particular blend had orange and lavender which gave it a smooth and relaxing flavor. It is quite tangy, which is great just the way it is, but when I sweetened just a little with some agave syrup, OH MY! This REALLY enhanced the flavor! It’s like no other tea I’ve experienced before and if you haven’t tried it, you are definitely missing out.

Their tea bags have enough in them for a 12oz cup which, is a healthy sized cup of tea. I sipped a little less than half and then I put the rest in the refrigerator…I just have to try this over ice!

Health fact: sumac is at the top of the herb list for antioxidant power. BONUS!

I wish I could come up with a better explanation on the flavor of this tea. I guess you’re gonna have to find out for yourself! It’s just SO amazing!

Pop on over to their website and learn about this tea. Order plenty of sumac tea because once you try it, you’re gonna be hooked!


Want to Know More About This Tea?

Leaf Type: Herbal

Where to Buy:  Staghorn Tea Company

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Skin Deep/Urbal Tea

It’s rare that I start of a review with the focus being on the ingredients but it’s a MUST with this offering from Urbal Tea named Skin Deep.

Skin Deep from Urbal Tea contains a slew of ingredients but they are carefully and thoughtfully mixed with care and include Calendula, Burdock Root, Red Clover blossoms, Oatstraw, Milk Thistle, Dandelion Root, Rosehip, Sarsaparilla Root, Oregon Grape Root, Yellowdock, Chaste Berry, Fig Wort, Cleavers, Licorice Root, Dried Cherries, Cinnamon, Dried Coconut, Chickweed, and Natural Flavors.

You may have heard of some of these before but I would like to highlight a few of the ingredients we don’t tend to see a lot of here at SororiTea Sisters such as Oatstraw, Oregon Grape Root, Yellowdock, Chaste Berry, Fig Wort, and Cleavers.

Cleavers are known for their anti-inflammatory properties as well as Urinary Infection, Water retention, Oedema, Cystitis, Swollen Glands, Tonsilitis, Ulcers, Lumps, Tumours, Eczema, Psoriasis, Boils, Abscesses, Skin irritations, Wounds and Burns. It’s also a friend of the kidneys and liver. Of course, we aren’t making any claims here…just sharing information we have found in our tea and tisane loving journeys in the wonderful world of herbs!

WebMD says that Yellowdock is used for pain and swelling (inflammation) of nasal passages and the respiratory tract, and as a laxative and tonic. It is also used to treat bacterial infections and sexually transmitted diseases. Yellow dock is also sometimes used to treat intestinal infections, fungal infections, and for arthritis.

As for Chaste Berry, Healthline says, It’s most commonly used against premenstrual syndrome (PMS), menstrual disorders, infertility, acne, menopause and nursing difficulties. It’s also touted as protection against insect bites and certain types of cancer and claimed to offer a variety of other health effects. However, not all benefits are backed by science.

Figwort is a natural alternative to a ‘water pill’ and the herb is sometimes applied directly to the skin for skin conditions such as eczema, itching, psoriasis, hemorrhoids, swelling, and rash.

So you can see that this blend of herbs in this herbal tisane is jam-packed with skin-friendly ingredients!

As for the taste – I was pleasantly surprised. With the additional of rosehips, coconut shreds, and cherry this really went above and beyond in superfoods and herbs and overall flavor. It’s just enough sweetness to enjoy both hot or cold.


Want to Know More About This Tea?

Leaf Type:  Herbal

Where to Buy:  Urbal Tea

Description

A unique blend of cherry, cinnamon, coconut, and other herbs and roots to help combat skin issues from the inside out.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!