Happy Witch Blend from Sunshine Cottage

by CuppaGeek

One of my favorite Etsy shops is Sunshine Cottage. They offer great flavored teas, tea accessories, and other wonderful items sure to make you smile.  So naturally when I saw they had a tea named Happy Witch Blend.. . I was all over it!

il_570xn-1020800878_kguvHappy Witch Blend is a mix of sweet apples, cinnamon, spices, and a touch of vanilla flavoring. A wonderful fall treat to be sure. I grabbed my tea pot and instantly started steeping.

A few minutes later, I had myself a gorgeous brew waiting for me to try. This tea had one of those amazing wonderful fragrances that make you just sit back and enjoy the moment.

One sip in and this tea was exactly what I was looking. Fresh sweet apple notes mingling with a mix of different spices that remind you of chai.  The vanilla did give way to a sweetness that I noticed right away.  The black tea base lent itself to subtle malty notes that I found myself really enjoying. They contrasted nicely with all of the sweet notes coming from the vanilla and apple flavoring. happy-witch-blend

As good as this tea was without any add ins, I think a touch of honey would really elevate the tea even more. Or even a shot of whiskey or brandy. . .which is what I did along with a dollop of cream and a dusting of cinnamon on top.

This tea became a decent flavored tea to an insanely amazing treat. Perfect for those cold fall/winter nights that will soon be upon us here in the Midwest. Rich, decadent, sweet, with that heat that really resonates with you.

Simply delicious however you enjoy the tea!

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Sunshine Cottage

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Make your inner witch happy with this wonderful flavored black tea. Hand blended it’s full of sweet apples, cinnamon and spices, with a touch of vanilla for smoothness – It’s magical!

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

CuppaGeek

I am a late 30s something mom who loves her family, will be getting married to a wonderful guy and has 4 kids (2 mine-2 his). We have a beautiful life together and I wouldn't change a thing. Tea is a passion that quickly turned into an obsession, very similar to my love for polka dots, the horror genre, and anything that is geeky and fun. I drink all kinds of tea and will try a tea twice to make sure I didn't bumble the first infusion. Besides SororiTea Sisters, I'm also the blogger and genius (I use that word very loosely) behind CuppaGeek, where I review tea, books, and the horror genre.

This post was posted in Black Tea, Sunshine Cottage

Chocolate Rose Truffle Black Tea from 52Teas

by Sensiblyscript

I was looking for something strong today so I settled on this wonderful chocolatey blend from 52 Teas! I steeped 1 heaping teaspoon in about 12 ounces of hot water for 2.5 minutes, as recommended (although I admit I totally failed to do the recommended “wait 10 minutes after steeping for best flavor” thing. I get a little impatient for my tea, lol).

Once it’s steeped, the tea is a medium darkness, not really red or orange but more amber-ish or cedar-colored. It has a few teeny oil droplets on top, which tends to happen when you put chocolate chips in your tea, lol. I can definitely smell both the black tea and the chocolate flavors as well as the rose.

When tasting, the first flavor that stands out is the chocolate (good news!). I also catch a tannic hint of the black tea’s astringency. The rose is, at this point, more of a floral aftertaste than a very present flavor. The tea itself is sweet, as expected (those chocolate chips you know), and the chocolate and black tea flavors are blending quite elegantly.

One thing that puzzles me about this tea is that I was sure I saw a white chocolate chip among the tea leaves, but I can’t taste it at all. Where did the flavor go? I know white chocolate isn’t really a dominant sort of flavor though, so maybe it was intended to just add to the general creaminess without actually showing up distinctly in the flavor profile.  If that’s the case, then it was a success. The flavor is quite rich and truffle-ish. Since the tea has plenty of sweetness already, I didn’t put sugar in, but I did experiment with adding milk. I then became unable to taste the rose flavor, which is unexpected. It still tastes nicely of chocolate and tea, though.

Regarding the disappearance of the rose flavor, it is possible that I failed to evenly distribute the ingredients before measuring out my tea leaves. I did turn the sample bag upside down and shake it in an attempt to ensure even distribution of ingredients, but my efforts may have been ineffective. Or perhaps this particular sample is just less packed with rose petals than normal. I know that when I had a sample of this tea once before, the rose flavor was much more present and was certainly detectable through milk. It was also strong enough to make the white chocolate chips taste sickeningly of rose, which I know because I ate one instead of putting it in my tea.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: 52Teas

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 Blend is no longer available but check out the black teas that are here!

Sensiblyscript

Hi! My name is Tabitha and I'm an uprooted PNW native living in the South with my husband and my cocker spaniel. My favorite teas are usually dark and strong and go well with milk and sugar. I like to combine tea-drinking with all of my favorite activities, such as listening to music, reading YA fiction, knitting, and writing blog and website content for businesses. Because I'm a well-rounded person, I also have other interests, such as wearing mismatched socks and pretending to be ambidextrous.

This post was posted in 52Teas, Black Tea

Chocolate Cherry Latte Oolong from A Quarter To Tea

by SuperStarling

I must confess: when I first received this, my heart broke into itty-bitty pieces. Oh no! Cherry! AAAAAH!

I usually hate cherry. It tends to remind me of cough medicine. What if I hated it? How would I show my face at Tea Club? How could they have sent me my Kryptonite?

Fortunately, yay, this tea uses ACTUAL cherries. It’s not that sugar-chemical stuff. It’s the real deal. That — plus the yumminess of the chocolate (my favorite) and the bright vegetal note of the oolong — made a mighty brew. It’s so sweet and rich.

I am wicked-hype because this tea combines two things: 1) Broken my cherry hate and 2) Been the second oolong I’ve liked

This tea feels like the start of something new.

Maybe I’m not allergic to Kryptonite after all.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea

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Roasty enough to appease the coffee lover in you! The blend of hojicha and oolong makes a robust, coffee like base without the jitters. Mellowed out with chicory, chocolate, and cherries. What could be a better start to the morning?

Takes milk and sugar well.

All orders come in resealable packaging and include a reusable muslin cotton tea bag.

Ingredients:

Organic Quilan Oolong Tea, Hojicha Tea, Coffee Beans, Dried Cherries, Mini Chocolate Chips, Chicory, Natural Flavors

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

SuperStarling

"Hey, everybody! I'm Leah, a graphic designer from Pennsylvania, United States. I live with my husband and rescue mutt in a house with colorful walls. I love fonts, colors, animals, flowers, novels, illustration, geeking out, and -- obviously! -- tea. I've only been heavily into tea for about a year, but I've found I tend to prefer loose blended black dessert teas. I normally drink them hot western style without anything added; if I add in some vanilla almond milk or honey, I promise I'll mention it! When I'm not blogging here, I'm blogging at leahlucci.com/starling or posting to Instagram (super_starling), so come say hi!"

This post was posted in A Quarter To Tea, Oolong

Organic Masala Chai from Hope and Glory

by Sensiblyscript

We’ve been having some tropical weather lately, so today was much cooler and rainier than usual for this time of year. I do appreciate cool weather when I can get it, especially because after a few days/weeks/months of summer I get tired of not being able to have any hot tea after 8AM without overheating and getting a migraine. So to celebrate the great rainy weather, I decided to have a big mug of milky chai right in the middle of the day; and fortunately for me, I was lucky enough to have a sample of Hope & Glory’s organic masala chai on hand!

The back of the sample packet said to simmer the tea with milk and water for 5-10 minutes, so that’s what I did. (I know this means my review won’t be much use to people who can’t drink milk, and I apologize. I once tried to make my lactose-intolerant brother a chai latte but I was unprepared to adapt to using soymilk and to make a long story short, he probably still dislikes spiced chai. But I digress.) I then strained it into my tall latte mug and added a few teaspoons of sugar and a little cream.

After taking a few sips I concluded that it’s everything you could hope for in a chai. The spice blend is harmonious and contrasts well with the creaminess of the milk, just as it should. It blends well enough that no one spice flavor jumps out at me, which is great. Some chais try to make up for any deficiencies with an overwhelming amount of cinnamon (I mean, cinnamon is great, but so are the other spices!), so I’m glad this one is so well-balanced. They’re strong spices too, and of course I mean that in the best way. There’s a warmth that lingers after each sip, past the milky aftertaste, until I give in and take another sip. Fortunately, the next sip is just as amazing, so the cycle of happiness tends to self-perpetuate and everything is great (until you run out of tea!).
Overall, I find this tea to be unequivocally awesome and would gladly drink any amount of it. Also, being organic and fair-trade, it naturally has an ecological advantage (as well as a sociological advantage and a health advantage) over other similar teas.

 

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Hope and Glory

login-logo_sans-sunDescription

A full-bodied blend of organic Ceylon black tea and spices, Masala Chai derives from the Hindi literally meaning ‘mixed-spice tea’. Spices such as cardamom and cinnamon have been expertly blended to give a warming, rich blend of flavours and a sweet aroma.

 

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Sensiblyscript

Hi! My name is Tabitha and I'm an uprooted PNW native living in the South with my husband and my cocker spaniel. My favorite teas are usually dark and strong and go well with milk and sugar. I like to combine tea-drinking with all of my favorite activities, such as listening to music, reading YA fiction, knitting, and writing blog and website content for businesses. Because I'm a well-rounded person, I also have other interests, such as wearing mismatched socks and pretending to be ambidextrous.

This post was posted in Black Tea, Hope and Glory

Pisces from the Zodiac Collection by AstroloTeas

by CuppaGeek

Zodiac-PiscesTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black/Herbal

Where to Buy: AstroloTeas

Tea Description:

An intuitive dance of flavors to open the imagination, inspire compassion, and dive deep into the dreams of The Fish.

Every sign rules a different part of the body, Pisces rules the feet, immune system, hormones and circulation. The Pisces tea, a deep and spicy blend with a high fruity note, is like a full-body jolt of inspiration.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

Looking for a strong cinnamon spiced tea to bring on the fall days? Check out this one.

This tea is very cinnamon flavored tea, almost to the point of mouth drying.  This isn’t the sweet kind of cinnamon either, but the more robust spiced flavor.  The base of this tea is an Assam and it is delicious.  The cinnamon mixes well with the base giving this tea an almost chai like feel with out the clover and ginger flavors.  I don’t really pick up any of the rosehips flavor or the other ingredients mixed in.

I find myself almost longing for a touch of sweetness or maybe even a dollop of cream or milk to kick this tea up and give it a sweet spiced contrast.

Not loving or hating this tea, more or less thinking this would be killer as a latte with caramel and whip cream on top.  That would be an awesome fall latte for sure.  This may not be my favorite AstroloTea but this is still quite tasty.

CuppaGeek

I am a late 30s something mom who loves her family, will be getting married to a wonderful guy and has 4 kids (2 mine-2 his). We have a beautiful life together and I wouldn't change a thing. Tea is a passion that quickly turned into an obsession, very similar to my love for polka dots, the horror genre, and anything that is geeky and fun. I drink all kinds of tea and will try a tea twice to make sure I didn't bumble the first infusion. Besides SororiTea Sisters, I'm also the blogger and genius (I use that word very loosely) behind CuppaGeek, where I review tea, books, and the horror genre.

This post was posted in AstroloTea, Black Tea, Tea Company, Type Of Tea