Beyond the wonderful madness of custom fandom blends on Adagio Teas’ website, they do have a few blends and custom sets of their own. I tried one of their more whimsical sets, the Tree House series. The vibrant, attractive designs of dinosaurs and monsters on the tins was enough to sway me into giving these teas a try. The Tree House series are all herbal decaf teas, and meant to be kid-friendly in style, contents, and taste. Fair warning: these teas brew up strong, fast, so feel free to keep the steep times shorter than you expect. It’s easy to stop the steep time as these teas are all already in silk, pyramid teabags.
This tea smells like Adagio’s Valentine’s blend, though this is a decaf version. The smell and taste are full of rich cocoa and dark berries. Even though cherries are a strong element of this blend, it does not taste like medicine. This tea is dark and full-bodied, almost makes you think it’s a black tea or a mate, but it’s all herbal. If you’re not into chocolate dessert teas, this might not be your favorite. But if you’re looking for a decaf version of the Valentine’s blend, this will be a winner.
Monster Brew
In the tin, this tea smells the most distinct from the three teas in Adagio’s Tree House series. This green rooibos blend focuses on orange and berry. It’s sweet with raspberry and blueberry flavors, but it never gets too syrupy, thanks to the bright citrus notes. Smooth, playful, and easy to drink. This blend has the perfect balance between sweet and sour fruits, and the right balance of a nutty rooibos base with more saturated berry flavors.
The strongest flavors in Rocket Fuel are apple and hibiscus. The hibiscus is subtle, but present, so don’t worry about it overwhelming the blend, but be cautious if you hate the flavor. The hibiscus adds pink to the brewed color, and gives a little pucker to this decaf berry blend. Luckily, there’s enough apple to keep the tea sweet and fresh without getting too tart. Apple is so often paired with cinnamon and spice, it was nice to just taste the crisp fruit and its natural sweetness.
This set is a great gift for a young tea-drinker, or a lover of fruity-decaf teas. Or just a nice gift to yourself– the colorful, illustrated tins will brighten anyone’s tea shelf!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal and Rooibos/Green Rooibos
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Description:
Every cup of tea represents an imaginative journey. Our Tree House gift set helps build creative minds one cup at a time. Become an astronaut, scare away monsters hiding in your closet, and roam dinosaur inhabited lands without leaving your home.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Conjure Up the Perfect Cup of Daedra Tea from Grimoire
There’s something about a tea being themed to one of your favorite interests, that just makes the whole experience so much more fun. Having spent some time battling my way through the fantasy landscape of the Skyrim video game, I was more than ready to brew up a cup of Daedra tea from Grimoire on Etsy.
This herbal tea is bold and bloody. Big chunks of blood orange are paired with dark berry pieces to help sweeten its tart citrus bite. There’s a dose of snappy hibiscus to add its fruity notes and turn the brew a deep, pink magenta. Hot or cold, this blend brews up dark and powerful and makes you feel like you’re drinking sour orange magma, or tart, ruby blood, or even enchanted berry wine.
There’s a lot to be said about the Daedra in Skyrim video game lore, so I’ll spare the details and talk about my favorite bits. The Dremora are a type of Daedra that can be summoned to fight for you. These bulked up warriors are clad in red and black scales of armor and are satisfying allies to have on the battlefield. Their gravely voices call out the best lines when spotting an enemy (“I smell weakness!”) or when gloating over that enemy’s defeat (“No match at all!”). Trust me, it’s worth upgrading your conjuration magic to have one of these guys on your side. The colors and feeling of Grimoire’s Daedra tea blend match their aesthetic exactly!
I’d be curious to try some of Grimoire’s other fantasy-themed teas in their Etsy shop. Some of the other Skyrim flavors include a jasmine green tea for the city of Whiterun, or a cherry oolong for the town of Falkreath. These blends look like they will be the perfect, magical cup of tea to accompany me on my fantasy adventures.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Grimoire Tea on Etsy
Description:
A blend fit for any Daedric Lord. Rich in berry flavors. **This tea is not available right now but click below for the teas that are.**
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Ibelin Blend from Armeniac
Ibelin Blend from Armeniac is another case of hibiscus done right! Ibelin Blend from Armeniac REALLY blew me away! Let me tell you a little bit more about this herbal tisane…
The ingredients in Ibelin Blend from Armeniac are wild oregano, black currant, nettle leaves, wild cherry leaves, and hibiscus. I have to be honest – Herbals are NOT what I grab off the shelf FIRST. And usually when I see a tea or tisane has hibiscus in it I tend to roll my eyes. BUT…with Ibelin Blend from Armeniac I was EXTREMELY surprised and HAPPY with the outcome of this cuppa!
Upon opening the bag I could smell a savory oregano and slightly tart currant aroma. For some reason the combined aroma took me back to my childhood. It took me back to one of my favorite pizza places growing up! The surroundings smelled similar and I don’t know why! I’m assuming it was because of the oregano and like-spices they used in their sauce paired with another childhood favorite of Loganberry Drink. Both were staples in this particular restaurant.
One infused I noticed the tartiness come thru more which was the combination of the currant and hibiscus. The hibiscus in this herbal blend worked lovely! It wasn’t over powering! And paired with nettle leaves, wild cherry leaves, and Oregano really counteracted it. Ibelin Blend from Armeniac offers a sweet and savory yin and yang that I can’t resist! This is nice hot but even better iced!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal/Tisane
Where to Buy: Armeniac
Description:
Limited Edition Exclusive Loose Leaf Herbal Tea
This excelsior blend has a delicate springtime aroma, a tart, fruity flavor, and the pink color of a blossoming rose; good choice as a morning wake up drink.
Ingredients: Wild oregano, black currant, nettle leaves, wild cherry leaves, hibiscus
Type: Herbal, Natural, Caffeine Free, GMO Free, No artificial colors or fragrances
Directions: Place 1 heaping teaspoon of tea blend per each cup in a teapot, add freshly boiled water and let it steep for 5 minutes. Strain into a teacup and serve hot or iced, without sugar.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
#FanaticFriday: The Archer Tea (Formerly Daryl Dixon Tea) from Adagio Signature Fandom Blends
#FanaticFriday: The Archer Tea (Formerly Daryl Dixon Tea) from Adagio Signature Fandom Blends is today’s tag and The Archer Tea (Formerly Daryl Dixon Tea) from Adagio Signature Fandom Blends is today’s tea! That’s right it’s another #FanaticFriday Tea here at Sororitea Sisters! This one is for the fans of The Walking Dead!
Season 7 of The Walking Dead premieres on October 23rd so we still have over a month to go before we get our fix. In the meantime I thought I would tide you over with this tea blended by Chris Diaz.
When I initially bought this tea it was called Daryl Dixon but has since been re-named The Archer. Either way I wanted to share my thoughts and feelings of this blend. #FanaticFriday: The Archer Tea (Formerly Daryl Dixon Tea) from Adagio Signature Fandom Blends has ‘everything but the kitchen sink’ in there! Okay – maybe not – but it has a LOT of ingredients! There is a LOT going on here but it all seems to work!
I’m enjoying the flavored Yerba Mate base here but it has a bit more Hibiscus than I would like in one sitting. But that doesn’t rip me away from this tea! I also like that he used Green Tea in this one as well. I think that the Ginseng counteracts the hibiscus a tad but maybe the addition of more ginseng and by using a bit less of the hibiscus this would have been (even more) my speed. There is a LOT of citrus here and I like that but it almost encourages the hibiscus to shine more – almost like a pier pressure type situation.
Having said that…I do like The Archer Tea (Formerly Daryl Dixon Tea) from Adagio Signature Fandom Blends. I prefer it iced. I think this is a wonderful tribute to the character and the series and can’t wait for Season 7 of The Walking Dead!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea/Yerba Mate
Where to Buy: Adagio
Description:
The long lasting energy of Mate meets the more well known energy levels of Green Ginseng Tea and Orange. Blood Orange and Green Tea with Ginseng are for a more immediate kick of energy, whilst Yerba Mate keeps your energy level elevated. All the power of coffee or energy drinks minus the shakes or sweats that follow.
ingredients & lore
blended with green tea, yerba mate tea, orange peels, rose hips, hibiscus, natural ginseng flavor, natural orange flavor, ginger root, natural lemon flavor, marigold flowers
teas: citrus mate, ginseng green, blood orange
accented with orange peels, hibiscus and lemon verbena Inspired by Daryl Dixon from AMC’s The Walking Dead. I do not own nor do I claim to have ownership of such. steep at 190° for 3 mins
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Cranberry Immune Booster by Tea Drift
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Tea Drift
Tea Description:
This tea has just as pleasing of an aroma as it does flavor. Delightful over ice, the fruity and bright flavors are sure to tickle the tastebuds of any tea drinker. Enjoy it all day long, as it is free from caffeine.
Ingredients: Pineapple, papaya, peach, passion fruit, mango, hibiscus, cranberry and apricot.
Health Benefits:
- High in antioxidants
- Can help lower blood pressure
- Promotes relaxation
- Contains no caffeine
- Aids in digestion
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
‘Tis the season… The cold season. The flu season. The never-enough-tissues-in-the-house season. For those days when a warm blanket, a nice bowl of chicken soup, and a comforting cup of tea are are called for it’s nice to have an herbal tea like this waiting in the cupboard.
Cranberry Immune Booster is a fruity herbal with a slightly tart bite from the hibiscus and cranberry. This actually taste more like a tropical tea. The pineapple is the main flavor while the papaya, mango, and passion fruit mix together in a delicious tropical punch flavor that I think kids of all ages would enjoy. I can smell the peach note in the dry leaf and infused tea, but I don’t taste it. The hibiscus shows up at the end of the sip. Now to be fair, I am not a big fan of hibiscus. I find that teas with hibiscus can turn into a bitter mess in a hot minute. This is especially true the closer hibiscus is to the top of the ingredient list. Thankfully it’s pretty far down on the list for this tea, so while there is some tartness it’s not too bad. Adding sugar would lessen the tart flavor, but I didn’t find that necessary here.
I am not qualified to write about the possible health benefits of this tea, so I’ll leave that for the experts. I will say that tea is always a comfort to me. When I’m feeling under the weather I appreciate a nice cup of tea even more. A caffeine free herbal tea is nothing short of a gift on those days when I need to rest so I can get better. It’s like a little hug in a cup, and who couldn’t use that now and then?
If you’re looking for an herbal tea that’s full of tropical flavors then this is a nice tea to try. It’s delicious and worth a sip whether or not you’re looking to fight off the latest cold virus of the season.
