Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: Harlow Tea Co
Tea Description:
This loose leaf tea blend is a perfect mix of fruit, spice, and everything nice. The honeybush tea does not contain caffeine, making it perfect to relax with at any time of day.
Ingredients: Honeybush tea, candied cinnamon apples, cinnamon chips, chicory root, hibiscus flower, dried apple, and dried plum. Does not contain caffeine
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Apple Cider Tea from Harlow Tea Co, an Etsy store, may have just made my whole day! This tea is exactly what the doctor ordered. Harlow Tea Co is a gem of a tea shop I recently stumbled upon. They offer quite an array of hand blended teas for their customers to enjoy. I love their attitude when it comes to creating their tea blends.
“Tea should be made in small batches right? Harlow Tea Co. believes so. No machines, or heavy equipment is used to make these tea blends.” I just adore tea companies that use this motto and passion. One reason why I love 52Teas so much.
First impression of this tea, I was very happy with what I was seeing. Large chunks of apple-both candied and dried on a bed of honeybush. When I took a quick whiff of the dry leaf, this definitely had those familiar cinnamon and apple notes that you get from apple cider.
So I brewed this tea up like an herbal-boiling and steeped about 5 minutes. The end result was a lovely pale liquor that I couldn’t wait to try. I allowed the brew to cool for a few minutes and took my first sip.
Fresh juicy slightly tart apple flavor with a sweetness that really does resemble and remind you of an apple cider. The cinnamon isn’t overwhelming and really heightens the flavor nicely. The honeybush is the perfect base for this tea, allowing the other flavors to really shine while also adding a creamy note. Each sip is sweet and smooth, delivering a solid flavor.
To say I was impressed by this tea isn’t doing this tea justice. I have had about 7 infusions out of the same tea leaves today and yesterday (each day adding a minute to my steeping) and tho the blend is probably at the end, I”m still loving that apple cider flavor I’m getting.
This blend is a perfect example of an herbal tea done right!
Fig Formosa Oolong Tea from Stylin’ Tea Blends
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Stylin’ Tea Blends
Tea Description:
Full whole leaf quality Taiwanese oolong is the perfect base for the rich taste of Smyrna fig. The addition of cornflower and poppy flower petals add rich color and a natural sweetness enhancing the visual and taste character.
This blend is a complete departure from your typical cup of dark oolong tea and a pleasurable experience whether served hot or cold.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Fig Formosa Oolong from Stylin’ Tea Blends is a tea that I should have tried a long time ago. This lovely blend is soothing my tired soul today!
I have been on an oolong kick lately. This one caught my eye with the flavoring of the fig promise. I have to say, the promise delivers but in a different way than expected.
First off, lets chat about the dry leaf. The dry leaf is a lovely sweet candy like aroma. Almost like candied figs. That was the first thought that came to my mind. So did this tea deliver on the promise of the sweet candied figs? Yes and no.
This tea didn’t exactly have a fig like flavor but what this tea does deliver on is an almost earl grey like oolong. I know, peculiar, but that is what this reminds me of. There is a resemblance to earl grey that is just too hard to ignore. I can’t say I pick up beramot oil per say. But if I didn’t know better, I would think this was an earl grey oolong! (Which I typically don’t care too much for. But this was is simply brilliant!)
The tea has a sweet yet floral like flavor that swirls on your tongue and plays with your senses. The oolong has a silky buttery feel that really lets the other flavors become the star. Really lovely. A great mix of a sweet yet floral tea with a lush decadent background that leaves you wanting more.
Like I said, this tea is really soothing my soul today and giving me all the warm feels!
Sweet Mirabelle from Fusion Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Fusion Teas
Tea Description:
Sweet Mirabelle is sweet indeed! This tea yields a fresh, fruity infusion that lingers on the palate. Like the yellow plum it’s named after, this Sweet Mirabelle Green Tea has a full, succulent flavor. Big pieces of dried mango adorn this blend and the flavor of the brewed tea is straightforward and honest: it’s all about the fruit!
Tasting Notes:
Plum, apricot, tropical candyPiquant notes of plum and mango create an exotic flavor with a tangy finish. An intoxicating sweetness infuses every sip. Enjoy the charms of this delightful blend for a dose of summer any time of year.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Sweet Mirabelle Green Tea received mixed reviews in my family last night. I have to say that my family loved it. I on the other hand wasn’t the biggest fan. Let me explain.
This vibrant green flavored tea is mango flavored with notes of a tropical feel. I filled my tea pot up with this lovely sweet smelling tea blend and started steeping. Waited about 4 minutes and poured myself, my hubby, and my stepson Casey, huge mug fulls.
After steeping, this tea smelled as sweet as it did as a dry leaf. As you can see from the picture, there are HUGE pieces of mango in the mix, which normally I would love. First sip in, I could hear my hubby and stepson loving the tea. I took a huge first sip myself and found that this tea was incredibly sweet. Overwhelmingly sweet to me unfortunately. Where the mango and tropical flavors are there and quite present. This tea almost needed a contrast from a different flavor ie maybe a vegetal green tea note- that would calm the sweetness down. I typically would love a tea like this, but as a hot tea, it just didn’t sit well with me.
Regardless, as a hot tea, this tea seemed to appeal to the masses in my family. My hubby and stepson greedily gulped this tea down in no time flat and would have accepted more if I would have put on another pot. I can see Sweet Mirabelle being a hit at parties or served at a gathering. This tea might be one of those blends that needs a cold brew to make the green tea notes pop. I have just enough left over to try that later this week!
Super Fancy Oolong from Solstice Tea Traders
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Solstice Tea Traders
Tea Description:
- Loose Leaf Oolong Tea Sampler-Solstice Tea Traders loose leaf oolong tea sampler pack, a selection of awesome oolongs, including both China Oolong, and Taiwan Oolong. Includes an incredibly array of Oolongs. Sure to please.
- Loose Leaf Oolong Tea Packed in 4oz Teas-Our Oolong tea sampler is packed in 4oz metal tea tins, each filled, sealed, and labeled..
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’m a sucker for samplers. So when I had the opportunity to review a few samplers for Solstice Tea Traders, an online Amazon store, I was all over it. The first tin I grabbed out of the set was this one, the Super Fancy Oolong variety. I was pretty excited to try it.
This is really a no frills sort of sampler. In the sampler, you get 4 nice 1 oz tins full of different kinds of oolongs. None of them are exotic by any means, but this sampler is a great start. So far I’ve tried a few teas from Solstice Tea Traders and have been more than impressed by the taste, quality, and the value you get.
Super Fancy Oolong has a gorgeous look to it. I love looking at the longer dry leaf and how the white pieces really pop against the darker browns. The aroma I picked up from the dry leaf was that familiar oolong smell that I have grown to love.
I brewed this up with the help of my Breville One Touch and the oolong setting. Allowed the tea to steep for a few minutes and took my first sip. Simple, subtle, and fresh-this oolong delivers those familiar notes of a nutty underground with a sweetness from a stonefruit. I can pick up a very soft floral hint here and there- A lovely contrast to the nuttiness that greets you first.
This isn’t a new flavor by any means, but a solid tea to lean on when you want a flavor you can count on. So far, I’m impressed. I shared this tea with a few loved ones and the tea was greeted with smiles. I can see this sampler being a great one to introduce others to oolong teas.
Bangkok Green Tea -Nectar Fine Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: Nectar Fine Teas
Tea Description:
Green Tea-Japan(Coconut/Lemongrass) 2-3 minutes@170/180f
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’m not sure where I found Bangkok Green Tea from Nectar Fine Teas but it doesn’t look like they have an online presence except for a FB page. I’m sad to find this because this coconut flavored green tea and I have become the best of friends as of late!
This flavored green tea is a lovely mix of green tea, coconut pieces, and lemongrass. Simple yet full of fresh proper flavor. I am a huge fan of cold brewing tea at work. I pour a few scoops into my silicone infuser, some ice, and water and let the cup sit. I use a stainless steel tumbler which holds all the coldness in quiet nicely. In just about a half an hour or so, I have the start of a wonderful iced cuppa tea.
As an iced flavored green tea, this tea really delivers on flavor! Cool crisp green tea with a lovely lush coconut flavor that just stands out with perfection. The lemongrass flavor I don’t really get in this cuppa, but maybe as a hot tea that flavor might stand up better.
We did try cold brewing the tea overnight in a pitcher and the flavors were just about the same as when we cold brewed it in a tumbler. The only difference is that the coconut flavor is way more prominent when cold brewing overnight. So if you are a fan of green teas and coconut flavors, I suggest cold brewing this one. You’ll be in coconut-green tea- heaven! Maybe before my stash runs out, I’ll try Bangkok as a hot tea but for now, I’m loving this tea just as it is!