A friend of mine was kind enough to share a sample of Hotcups’ Death by Cocoa tea with me. Prior to receiving this sample, I had not heard of this company. Then, as part of an Instagram challenge to post 365 days of tea, I featured this sample in one of my posts and tagged the company. Hotcups then reached out to me and was kind enough to share even more samples of their offerings. They sent me seven teas to try including this one, Fruit Thirsty Crow.
Fruit Thirsty Crow is a mix of currants, hibiscus petals, rosehip peel, elderberries, blueberries, cornflower petals, black currants, raspberry pieces.
I divided the sample in half and prepared a cold brew with one half and a hot cup with the other. For the cold brew, I let the tea sit in water in the fridge for approximately 24 hours. For the hot cup, I steeped it in boiling water for 4 minutes. Unfortunately life got in the way and the “hot” tea was mostly a cooled tea by the time I tried it. So, this is actually a review of a cold brew and a cooled tea.
The cooled tea tastes a little bit like bubblegum to me. Granted, not fresh, just-put-in-your-mouth gum. Instead, this is like gum that you have been chewing long enough that the flavor is slightly fading and the actual gum flavor is coming through, but not so long that it’s no longer fruity. As much as I feel like that explanation can be off-putting, its just the best way I can explain this. It’s actually an enjoyable enough cup with a hibiscus/berry flavor at the front that tapers off to that gum/wax flavor at the end of the sip.
The cold brew is better than the hot tea because that gum element is gone. It is sweeter than the cooled tea and has more berry flavor. This is more like Swedish Berry gummies in their prime than gum that’s losing it’s flavor.
Is it the best fruit infusion I have ever had? No. But it’s a nice enough tea if you like more of a berry focus.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Fruit Tisane
Where to Buy: Hotcups
Description
Ingredients: Currants, hibiscus petals, rosehip peel, elderberries, blueberries, cornflower petals, black currants, raspberry pieces.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
310 Hibiscus Tea/310 Nutrition
Being a recently turned vegetarian, I’ve been on the look out for great tasting protein shakes and other supplements to make sure I am still getting all of the nutrition I was. What is really funny is that I was looking at 310 Nutrition when they reached out for the SororiTea Sisters to review their teas. It was like it was meant to be.
310 Nutrition offers a variety of different products including detox teas. Now detox teas are quite controversial for tea enthusiasts but we all know that certain herbs are good for helping to reduce bloating and provide someone with a good bump of energy. That is what I always think about when I try a detox tea. Not so much am I losing weight but does this blend taste good and do I feel better after enjoying the blend for a few days.
This particular blend is 310’s 310 Hibiscus Tea, which consists of hibiscus, green tea, yerba mate, oolong and a handfull of other ingredients. unfortunately (for me), red rooibos and stevia are included in the list. I have never been a fan of either of those ingredients . But nevertheless, I wanted to give this blend a shot so I prepped my water, steeped the tea and sat down to enjoy.
The blend itself is pretty tasty. I really enjoy the hibiscus and ginger notes that are coming through. The tart and spiced tones really work well. I can’t say that I’ve had a hibiscus ginger blend before and never thought those flavors would work together but they are delightful. The oolong and green tea notes are faint but since I am not a fan of two ingredients in the blend, that could be way they are so faint. I wish the blend had green roobios instead of red rooibos because I think it would work deliciously.
Overall, this tea is not for me but I had a feeling it wouldn’t be when I saw the ingredient list. I did take a look at the rest of the tea blends offered by 310 and it does look like the majority of the blends do have red rooibos. But I’m happy I was able to try this blend regardless and look forward to seeing what a few of the other Sisters think of this blend. I really can’t speak to the detox portion of this tea since I only had one cuppa. But my interaction with the company has been quite pleasant and I’m thinking about ordering some of their lemonade mixes.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Green/Oolong/Red Rooibos
Where to Buy: 310 Nutrition
Description
Get a taste of the tropics with 310 Hibiscus Tea. We combine this flower grown in subtropical climates with a blend of herbs to product a premium tea with a naturally sweet flavor and beautiful crimson color.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Strawberry Rose Champagne/The NecessiTeas. . . .
A while back I won an Instagram giveaway which made me the proud new owner of a Sacred Lotus Love tea tumbler and the recipient of three NecessiTeas blends: Orange Fluff, Pineapple Mimosa, and this tea, Strawberry Rose Champagne. However, the giveaway was for people living in the U.S. and since I live in Canada, I provided my father’s address, which is in California. I have used my Dad as a tea mule many times before so I knew this would be fine with him.
Normally, my dad mails me anything I send to him but this time around he personally delivered the goods since he came to Toronto for my brother’s college graduation. This personal delivery was of course accompanied by my Dad’s typical comments like “tea is for sick people” and “tea has no flavor” and “why do you keep buying tea?” In fact, this time around he told me he had no interest in tea and even if I offered him tea, he would not try it. This was particularly entertaining because later that same night, I brewed this tea as a teapop and he all of a sudden was intrigued. After confirming that the tea was cold, he even asked to try it!
He sniffed it first and said it smelled interesting and then at first sip looked at me and our conversation went as follows:
Him: “I thought this was tea?!” Me: “it is” Him: “no, it’s soda” Me: “no, it’s a teapop”
He then told me that this was “ingenius” and then proceeded to drink two glasses of this tea. He was amazed that it was actually flavorful and carbonated and delicious, all without added sugar (which is especially important to him as he is diabetic).
When I finally got to try it, I enjoyed it quite a bit too. It was a touch too floral at times but it had a nice berry flavor. I hope that was because of the tea and not the strawberry perrier I used to make this a teapop. It also had an effervescence that was very reminiscent of champagne and a touch of that familiar alcohol dryness.
It’s a nice tea and definitely does well as a teapop. I like that it is different than so many other fruit blends that rely heavily on hibiscus/rose hips to create a flavor. I wish there was less rose, but that is more my personal preference than a criticism of the tea. With that said, given it converted my ever-critical father into a believer, I am definitely delighted I got a chance to give it a try and I am pleased I have a whole lot more leave left to experiment with.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Fruit Tisane
Where to Buy: The NecessiTeas
Description
Inspired by the delicate floral and fruity notes in a glass of sweet champagne, this tea blends the voluptuous scent of blooming roses with the sweet flavor of fresh-picked strawberries. Steep up this bubbly concoction with friends before your next GNO or for your better half after a romantic dinner for two. Cheers!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Crimson Cranberry/ Tease Tea
Hibiscus. My detestable foe. Every time I try a tisane with you in it I think to myself, maybe this will be the one. But once again you are undeniable. You leave my mouth feeling dry with a weird astringent punch. Lucky for this tisane it has some redeeming points. The first is the dry smell tart, sweet, would work well as a potpourri. Next elderberry. While it probably doesn’t aid in adding a better flavor on top of the hibiscus, it does add considerable health benefits.
Sick? Grab yourself some elderberry syrup and thank me later. Whole the flavor leans more toward the hibiscus the apple does give it a bit of a smooth mouth feel. And lastly, my favorite part, the liquid color. A glorious clear, red. Somewhat ruby in color and very enjoyable to gaze at.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Fruit Tisane
Where to Buy: Tease Tea
Description:
Crisp cranberry tartness mingles with a sweet apple finish, creating a crimson stunning colored brew that is as beautiful to look at, as it is to sip.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Mango Madness from Blooming with Joy. . . . .
With a long and varied ingredients list, I have to say that the “madness” part of Mango Madness blend from Blooming with Joy is very fitting. We have white tea, rose hips, pineapple, mango, cranberries, rose petals, apple pieces, hibiscus, blueberries and more. Whew! There are a lot of flavors going on in this tea.
Believe it or not the white tea base holds its own against all the fruit inclusions. A pleasant, buttery, earthy undertone lingers at the back of each sip balancing the forward tropical sweetness.
With tart cranberries and rose hips along side sweet apples and mango, this tea is equal parts sweet and sour, like a bowl of fresh fruit salad. I don’t taste as many of the blueberries or pineapple pieces, or they get hidden behind similar flavors like hibiscus or mango. The berry juiciness of the hibiscus is the most prevalent fruit flavor, so this might not be the blend for you if you are looking for strong pineapple or mango notes.
A white tea with lush fruit flavors has a lot of potential to be your next favorite iced tea. With low caffeine and natural sweetness, it can be the perfect afternoon refreshment. I also found it to be pleasant as a hot tea, with so many fruits it almost felt like a fruit-boosted herbal tea. Not to mention all the fruits have vitamin C to keep your immune system healthy.
Dip a toe into some madness with Mango Madness from Blooming with Joy.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Blooming with Joy
Description:
Ingredients: White Tea, Rose Hips, Pineapple Pieces, Mango Pieces, Cranberries, Rose Petals, Apple Pieces, Hibiscus, Blueberries, Natural Mango Flavor and Natural Pineapple Flavor
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
