It’s been too long since my last decent, straight-up gunpowder cuppa tea! I was digging deep into my stash and came across Gunpowder from Oliver & Pluff and knew I HAD to have a cup…PRONTO! You see, it’s been way too long since my last sip of a tea from Olive & Pluff, too! GOSH! What’s wrong with me!? That’s a post for another day and another blog!
In the meantime, here are my thoughts on Gunpowder from Olive & Pluff!
It’s labeled on the package as Gunpowder – tightly rolled green tea. On the website it’s also referred to as Pinhead Gunpowder. And said to be ‘Temple of Heaven’ grade. With a product description of ‘Lightly roasted and tightly rolled green tea. Named due to its similar appearance to actual gunpowder’…it seemed like a pretty standard explanation.
But the flavor profile? They say…it’s a combo of refreshing lemon and light vegetable. An excellent green tea for everyday brewing. Witness the “agony of the tea leaf” as the tightly rolled leaves fitfully unfurl to fully expand in hot water.
I say…I would agree with that claim for the most part. I have to point out that I think the natural lemon notes in this Gunpowder are of the more impressive I have sipped from a Gunpowder. That, I LOVE. I found the vegetable pairing was pretty sturdy, too. I would consider it ‘light’ but more of a 60/40…lemon…vegetable.
What I also love about Olive & Pluff is that you get a little bit of history with their tea. With this one comes the Colonial American History. They state – In 18th century British America, tea was an expensive, exotic import, first popular with more wealthy colonists, then with the middle classes as well. According to mercantile records, various grades of gunpowder tea were a common import to America.
Interesting tidbit of history and lovely cuppa Gunpowder! CHEERS!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Oliver & Puff
Description
Lightly roasted and tightly rolled green tea. Named due to its similar appearance to actual gunpowder.
Notes: Refreshing lemon and light vegetable. An excellent green tea for everyday brewing. Witness the “agony of the tea leaf” as the tightly rolled leaves fitfully unfurl to fully expand in hot water.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Matcha Honey & Lemon/Tipson
Recently, the SororiTea Sisters received an incredibly generous box with quite a variety of different Tipson teas. Tipson is not a tea brand I’m familiar with but was intrigued by the different varieties they offered- all in tea bag form.
The first one that caught my eye was their Matcha Honey & Lemon variety. I’ve had matcha before in a tea bag form and was not crazy about how the flavors came around so I was intrigued if this take on a bagged matcha would be different. This particular variety not only had organic matcha, but also had organic green tea and lemongrass with natural lemon and honey flavors listed. Again, interesting combo but wasn’t 100% sure those flavors would mingle well.
So this morning I prepped my tea up with freshly boiled water and allowed the tea to steep for the recommended 3 minutes. First sip in- I was surprised. The flavors weren’t what I was expecting. The first flavor that comes across is the green tea and lemon notes and I have to say, the flavor was pleasant. The honey flavor comes in towards the middle of the sip and it isn’t my favorite take on honey. The flavor reminded me more of a cough drop than actual honey flavors but I know that honey flavors are sometimes hard to pin point. At the end of the sip you get the slightest hint of matcha.
To try to pull out the matcha flavors, I tried making this tea as a cold brew tea and the flavors were about the same as hot brewing. Overall, this tea exceeded my previous experiences with bagged matcha and I can see having this tea on hand for those days where brewing loose leaf may just not be in the cards. Not an everyday drinker but one that I could easily sip on during the day and for sure has me intrigued to check out other teas from Tipson.
And a special for our readers- Use 20OFFBOXES to get a great discount at checkout!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Tipson Tea
Description
ORGANIC MATCHA WITH HONEY & LEMON – Organic Matcha, Organic Green tea, Organic Lemongrass and natural lemon and honey are complimenting ingredients, which will add long term benefits to your overall wellbeing. This sought-after Organic Matcha tea has been joyfully combined with the other ingredients to elevate its quality and nutrients. Brimming with anti-oxidants, minerals, EGCG and vitamins, this Organic Matcha tea is a perfectly healthy start to your day.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Lemon-Lime Meringue Kukicha Green Tea from 52Teas. . .
I was having a pleasant morning, sipping on this Lemon-Lime Meringue Kukicha Green Tea and eating my breakfast. Things were going well until my two dogs decided to fight over a cookie under my chair. When we pulled them apart, one had a bloody nose and we didn’t realize right away so blood got everywhere, especially when she started sneezing causing splatters on the walls, floor, and even my sister and her husband. She was totally fine but it looked like a tiny murder happened in our house so this tea got put aside for a bit while we attended to the literal dog fight and cleaning up the aftermath.
Getting back to the tea it was still a touch warm and luckily the flavors didn’t seem to change that much from the hotter cup I was drinking prior to the chaos, as some teas tend to do when they cool. I think this is my first Kukicha green tea and it looked like it may have been particularly herbal tasting (between the kukicha and lemongrass) but that wasn’t the case thankfully. This has a real sweet and fluffy quality to it that when combined with the vanilla bean definitely helps sell the meringue. Complimentary to that is the creamy citrus notes of the lemon-lime which makes for a nice dessert tea.
This is a great little bright tea. The flavors are sweet and yet bright and refreshing. It could be a good afternoon treat or like I said before, a nice choice for dessert after dinner. Another hit for 52 Teas!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This tea is not available right now but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Lemon Green from The Toni Glass Collection. . . . .
Well this is my first time attempting to write a review on my cell phone and let me tell you…it’s kinda a pain in the butt. It also did not help that the Toni Glass website wasn’t very mobile friendly but this is happening and I will adjust.
Anyways, this tea is an interesting one. It is bright and citrusy while remaining light because of the green base. When you drink it absentmindedly it is flavorful enough to be enjoyable without demanding your attention. However, if you try dissecting this tea into its individual components, you may regret it. Sort of like a word that starts to look like gibberish the longer you stare, the more you focus, the more the lemon starts to taste like pledge and the base like grass.
So, this may be a tea for when you’re busy and don’t really care if you taste it or not. Though, in my opinion, there are better lemon teas and better green teas and even better lemon green teas out there.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: Toni Glass Collection
Description
This tea is not on the website but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Lemon Green Tea from Tea Trunk. . . . .
IInstagram is both awesome and terrible when it comes to tea. Well really when it comes to anything. Through the App, I have learned of countless tea companies, a billion restaurants, and so much more. It truly is an effective marketing tool.
Tea Trunk is one of the tea companies I found through Instagram. I came across it and was instantly intrigued by their adorable packaging. Seriously, the elephant theme is just too cute. I was so captivated in fact that I found myself visiting their site…and then I found myself buying a tin of assorted tea bags.
If I am being honest I think I bought the tin because I liked the many different elephant wrappers on the tea bags more so than I liked the actual selection of teas it had to offer (standard flavors like vanilla black, rose oolong, etc.). Nonetheless, I paid more than $20 USD because I have no impulse control and just HAD to have it.
I have been slowly trying the teas since they have arrived and have yet to be blown away. None have been bad but none have really left a lasting impression either. Unfortunately this blend is just more of the same.
It is a slightly grassy green tea base with a hint of lemon flavor. Though the lemon is bright throughout the sip, it gets a bit pithy in the aftertaste. It is pleasant enough for now but not one that I will be needing again. If you are looking for a simple lemon green tea, with adorable packaging, this is for you but for me I don’t think I could justify the price again.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type:
Where to Buy:Tea Trunk
Description
High grade green tea from Darjeeling and real lemon peel come together in a zesty Wake-Me-Up drink. No citrus essence. No added color. Just the goodness of fresh tea in an all-natural refreshing flavor. A great source of antioxidants and vitamin C, our Lemon Green is exactly what your nutritionist ordered.
Perfect to jumpstart your mornings.
Taste notes are fresh, bright and mildly citrus.
Goes well with sponge cake, sandwich, oat cookies