I’ll be honest with you guys– I don’t know what Grimoire means. Or what Whiterun is. (Don’t take away my nerd card, please.) And frankly, I don’t even reach for green teas (or jasmines!) all that frequently. (I know. Stick with me, I promise.) So when I saw this one waiting for me in my sample stash, I was… dubious, to say the least. Never one to shy away from a cup of anything, however, I knew I had to give this one a try.
The jasmine, upon brewing, is the FIRST thing you smell– and I mean that in ALL CAPS. It is JASMINE! with an exclamation point. To say I was expecting to find that same flavor-ferocity in the sip is an understatement, but I was pleasantly surprised! The actual brew is a beautiful deep gold liquor, with a delightfully balanced jasmine flavor profile. I can’t say I’m picking up too much green in this cup, but the jasmine is spot-on– strong enough that you certainly don’t have to go hunting for flavor, but balanced enough that it’s not going to kick you tush-over-teakettle.
Also present? Stevia. I know this is a controversial ingredient, but I actually think it works really well here, friends. If you’re not partial to ANY sweet in your tea, I’d skip this one– but from what I can tell, I’m fairly certain the sweetness comes from the actual stevia leaf and not the signature artificial taste from the liquid. There are definitely some unaccounted-for green flakes in the dry leaf that would back me up on this one. That said, the sweetness from the stevia brings a nice rounding-out of flavors that make this tea more accessible for the jasmine-novice and infrequent-green-sipper like myself. Grimoire, you might be making a green/jasmine fan of me yet! (Now just help me fill that gap in my nerdery knowledge, and I’ll be good to go.)
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Grimoire Tea
Description
Strolling the marketplace from the central plains of Skyrim, a sweet floral green tea with a fresh taste calls home.
Ingredients:
Green Tea
Jasmine
Stevia
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
A Cuppa That is Akin to Wilde’s Garden – NovelTea’s Wilde’s Rosy Tea Blend
“If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.” ~Oscar Wilde
And that is exactly how I felt about this tea. I wanted to enjoy over and over and I couldn’t get enough! And as the title suggests, I feel that when I drink this tea I am enjoying this beverage in a garden full of freshly bloomed roses while the door that leads into the garden has some jasmine incense wafting out of it.
But before I get into my full review here are the specifics. This tea is made up of a lovely blend of organic jasmine green tea and a rose-blended bergamot. The site doesn’t dictate how long to steep it so I just went with my gut and steeped it for a good 3 minutes and that method seemed to work perfectly. Lastly, the price for this tea is not too bad for you only pay $14.99 for a 3 oz bag which is about $3 dollars more than the 2 oz Rose Petal China tea that I have. Now if you want the beautiful “Picture of Earl Gray” novel tea tin that will set you back $29, which includes the 3 oz bag of tea as well. As a side note, I am honestly obsessed with the tin and I will get it in the near future.
Now to the taste of the tea, which is just beautiful, simply beautiful. It does mimic a black tea with that bitter fruity taste that is the jasmine flower. But don’t fret if you are not a fan of the slight bitterness that the jasmine offers for it is mellowed out by the soft green tea that is paired with. Now to the rose flavor which pairs perfectly with the jasmine. I will just say that I absolutely love roses in my tea. So the roses in this tea were absolutely delightful. And if you are wondering what roses taste like remember the aroma of a fresh rose and that is how they taste; a weird perfumey, watery sweet. It is definitely something I urge tasting but then again I am a rose lover so I am a bit biased.
Now as I drank this delicious tea I was instantly reminded of the beginning of The Picture of Dorian Gray by Mr. Oscar Wilde himself:
“The studio was filled with the rich odour of roses, and when the light summer wind stirred amidst the trees of the garden, there came through the open door the heavy scent of lilac, or the more delicate perfume of the pink-flowering thorn.”
All in all regardless of if you are a fan of Wilde or not this tea is delicious and refreshingly different compared to the other rose teas that I have tried. I am now officially a lover of this blend and I look forward to seeing what else the brand comes out with! My hopes are that there will be a Jane Eyre or a Lovecraft inspired blend.
See you for the next cuppa!
Kara
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: NovelTeas
Description:
The delicate flavorings and novel-inspired decorations of The Picture of Earl Grey™ may deceive you at first. This tin and tea provide for an exquisitely deceptive and Wildely elegant experience for any new collector. Organic jasmine green tea and a rose-blended bergamot radiate hedonism and reflect your eternal beauty as you sip.
Inspired by Irish author Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ it makes a great gift for the book lover in your life.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Lavender with Love from High Garden Tea. . . .
I recently went to visit a friend of mine in Nashville– and of course, as with any trip, stops to local tea havens was #1 on my list. (Okay, maybe #2 after friend-reunion-bonding time. But second only to that.) High Garden is an incredible herbal apothecary tea shop, brimming with blends and jars full of single herbs, tinctures and tons of other goodies. You’ll find a ferments bar in the back (teas and treats to sample, and tons of fermented beverages– kombuchas, jin, kefir– and other refrigerated ferments filled the shop stock), and the walls are covered in vines and nature in order to evoke the perfect scene of Hufflepuff-common-room-meets-Mr.-Tumnus’-cottage. I was, understandably, in tea heaven.
In an effort to try as much as I could, I filled up a bag from their wall of samples, including this intriguing lavender-herb blend in the mix for a little bedtime relaxation cuppa. A unique blend of lavender, elderflower, chamomile, and jasmine, it’s truly delightful. It’s floral without being grandma’s-perfume-y, and herbal without being vegetal. It calls for quite a long steep, which only intensifies the harmony of the flavors. And this one made it far past a single steep for me, keeping the flavor strong even after the third, fourth infusion!
A delightful herbal, when all is said and done. Will I automatically restock this one? Maybe not, but that has more to do with the plethora of other single samples I have waiting in my half-unpacked luggage* now that I’m home!
*I mean, I pretty much had to leave all of my personal effects in Nashville in order to transport all my new teas home. That’s how travel is supposed to work, right?
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: High Garden
Description
Lavender flower, Chamomile, Jasmine, Elderflower, Rosemary
Not only an aromatic bliss of lavender and jasmine, but immune boosting components to give your body the love it deserves.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Sacrd SynchroniciTEA from Cup of Love. . . .
Sacred SynchroniciTEA from Cup of Love is a lovely blend of black tea and green tea for the base with added flower petals and vanilla. The black tea is actually flavored with the vanilla, specifically, and according to their website.
I sometimes have a hard time with floral flavored teas because I find that they ‘get stale’ quicker or ‘tend to turn bitter’ easier than others. With Sacred SynchroniciTEA from Cup of Love that is NOT the case. This flavored black and green blend is done nicely. It’s fresh, flavorful, floral, and creamy. It’s a tad sweet, too! The vanilla really takes it to the next level!
I also find that it can be difficult to accomplish an even flavor profile when blending black tea and green tea. Cup of Love – was once again – able to do this successfully! I could taste both the black tea and the green tea, evenly. Neither was over powering the other. It made for a solid, blended base. When you taste the floral and vanilla flavors they work in harmony with the base – and again are not too overpowering. I really like the flavor and appreciate the quality of Sacred SynchroniciTEA from Cup of Love.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black/Green Tea Blend
Where to Buy: Cup of Love
Description
A unique and original flavor blended from the Sacred SynchroniciTEA of mixing the floral majesty of a rich, China Jasmine Green Tea and the decadent, lusciousness of an English Vanilla Black Tea.
A one of a kind taste with floral, nutty notes.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Buckingham Palace English Favorite from TeaLeafs. . . . .
Buckingham Palace English Favorite from TeaLeafs is a surprisingly interesting black and green tea blended base with additional flavors to please and tease the senses including Jasmine blossoms, Cornflower petals, Natural flavors.
It’s quite aromatic but a sturdy based tea that stands up to the flavors nicely. The black tea is the stronger of the flavors followed by the green tea. The floral flavors come into play shortly after that.
At first sip I thought it was like a crazy cousin to an Earl Grey tasting tea but it’s more than that. Maybe more like that crazy cousin and his new girlfriend at a holiday party of sorts. Whatever the additions or differences it seemed to work well here.
I really liked this because it was a stronger based tea. A great way to start your day or if you are in the need of a pick-me-up in the middle of the afternoon during that midday lull. Either way – I find Buckingham Palace English Favorite from TeaLeafs pretty spectacular. I understand why it says English Favorite in part of the product name! 2 thumbs up from me on this one!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Tea Leafs
Description
Origin: Kenya, Sri Lanka, India, China
Ingredients: Black Tea, Green Tea, Jasmine blossoms, Cornflower petals, Natural flavors
A Black Tea and Green Tea Blend with delicate Earl Grey and Jasmine notes. Flavoury with medium body. 50%+ Ethical Tea Partnership, 50%+ Free Trade Tea, Rare Tea