The older I get the more I crave lemon flavored teas it seems. Recently we were sent the Lemon Black Tea from Simpson & Vail and I couldn’t wait to try it!
As many of us already know the fruit from the Lemon evergreen tree has been used for culinary and medicinal purposes for thousands of years. Simpson & Vail noted on their website that while fresh lemons and zest are most often used for culinary recipes, the dried peel is an important make-up of tea blends. Its lemony taste helps add flavor to teas and herbal blends, as well as sometimes helping to mellow the flavor of unpleasant tasting herbs.
I think the Lemon Peel specifically shines the brightest in this flavored black tea – not only to the nose but to the tongue, too! It’s highly aromatic and intensely flavored and I just LOVE it!
This flavored tea blend combines natural lemon oil and organic lemon peel with black teas from Sri Lanka and China to produce a summer taste that is fresh and tart. I was completely delighted when I saw S&V used teas from 2 different regions!
I agree with Simpson & Vail when they say that this deep amber cup with its citrus aroma will uplift your spirits! I know it did mine!
Another thing I appreciate with this flavored black tea is that it has very few Ingredients to accomplish the intense flavor. Those ingredients are…black teas, organic lemon peel, and natural lemon oil. That’s it!
Lemon Flavored Black Tea from Simpson & Vail is everything you would expect in a lemon flavored black tea. And everything you would expect from this great company!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Simpson & Vail
Description
The fruit from the Lemon evergreen tree has been used for culinary and medicinal purposes for thousands of years. While fresh lemons and zest are most often used for culinary recipes, the dried peel is an important make-up of tea blends. Its lemony taste helps add flavor to teas and herbal blends, as well as sometimes helping to mellow the flavor of unpleasant tasting herbs.
This flavored tea blend combines natural lemon oil and organic lemon peel with black teas from Sri Lanka and China to produce a summer taste that is fresh and tart. This deep amber cup with its citrus aroma will uplift your spirits!
Ingredients: black teas, organic lemon peel and natural lemon oil.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Top of the (Blueberry Lemon) Muffin to You! A Curiositea Blend
Blueberry Lemon Rooibos from Curiositea makes me think of muffins– top of the muffin to you!
The nutty rooibos paired with these fruit flavors remind me of blueberry muffins with lemon peel, or a delectable lemon poppyseed cake. The lemon of this blend is more creamy than tart, and comes through slightly stronger than the blueberry.
There is a darker sweetness in the undertones of this brew that keeps the lemon from getting too sharp, and I must credit this flavor to the blueberries.
When iced, the flavor combination in this blend could pass for blueberry lemonade rooibos. There is a perfect balance between deep, sweet blueberries and bright, citrus lemon.
The flavors help keep this blend super smooth and drinkable, even for a rooibos base. This is a versatile herbal tea and has quickly become a staple in my decaf selections.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Curiositea
Description:
This tea doesn’t appear to be in season on Curiositea at the moment, but they have several other intriguing rooibos flavors.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Catnap from Aka Tea
I misread the name of this tea at first, and thought it said “Catnip.” Turns out I wasn’t far wrong, because this blend does actually contain catnip. It’s even more fitting when you consider that the company logo, and indeed the majority of their blends, are cat themed.
Catnap is purportedly a relaxing blend, containing chamomile, mint, lemon verbena, lemon balm…and catnip. In my head, catnip isn’t something I typically associate with relaxation – it conjures images of bright-eyed, mischief-making kittens. Maybe in humans the effects are different.
Noticeable amongst the dry leaf are small whole chamomile flowers, pieces of lemongrass, cinnamon chips, bright blue cornflowers, and finely shredded mint (and, assumedly, catnip) leaves. I gave 1 tsp of leaf 4 minutes in boiling water, no additions. The resulting liquor is a bright yellow-orange, the scent generically herbal with an edge of sweet mint.
To taste, it’s a little danker than I was expecting, more a dark, sludgy herbal than a bright, clean, refreshing one. Mint is the main flavour – there’s the characteristic cooling peppermint, the sweeter edge of spearmint, and then a borderline vegetal flavour that I’m assuming is the catnip. I’m putting it with the mints because that’s how it comes across to me – minty, but with a definite swampiness about it. Underneath all of those runs the cinnamon, adding a warming spiciness. I’m not sure that it pairs 100% successfully with mint, though. It’s not a flavour combination I’ve come across many times before, and I’m pretty sure there’s a reason for that…
The lemon emerges in the mid-sip, and lifts what could have been a fairly uninspiring cup into brighter territory. The lemongrass adds another layer of sweetness, combining hay-like notes with a light citrus, and the lemon verbena and lemon balm also help to heighten this impression. The chamomile makes itself known at the end of the sip, with its typical thick honey notes. It pairs well with the lemongrass, and moves this blend more firmly into “relaxing tea” territory.
To me, this is a tea of two halves. The initial sip is very heavy on the mint and cinnamon, but that fades pretty quickly and is replaced by the citrus-honey flavours that seem to develop further as it cools. It’s certainly a unique blend, but I’m not sure it’s one I’d seek out especially frequently, primarily because I find the flavour combinations a little too jarring.
Having said that, this is an interesting caffeine-free option, and it’s different from most other “relaxing” blends I’ve tried. If you’re looking for something a little unusual to brighten up your evening tea drinking, this could well be the blend for you. Cat lovers may well award extra points also!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Aka Tea
Description:
CatNap, anyone? Sometimes that’s just what the doc ordered. Catnip is not just for cats. It has been known to help humans relax, relieve headaches, and calm the nerves. Curl up with a cup and “cat”ch some z’s.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
#MusicandTeaMonday: Sweet Dreams Herbal from AstroloTea
Sweet Dreams is part of AstroloTea’s Transformative Loose Tea range, which combines ingredients with specific properties to create teas designed to have an effect on either mind or body. Sweet Dreams, true to its name, is supposed to be a relaxing blend, with the intention of promoting sleep or rest. Like many blends of this kind, it contains a selection of herbal ingredients known for their calming properties, including rose petals, hops, jasmine, lemon balm, and lavender. It also contains more unusual ingredients, such as poppy, catuba, gotu kola, dogwood, yarrow, brahmi, kava kava, and mullein. Many of these I’ve never come across before. All of the ingredients are organic, except the kava kava which has been cultivated without the use of chemicals.
I followed the recommended parameters and used 2 tsp of leaf for my cup, added to boiling water for 5 minutes. The resulting liquor is a bright orange-brown, with a mildly herbaceous scent. The flavour is more delicate than I expected, initially quite generically “herbal”, but with clear flashes of rose and lavender. There’s a distinctive thick sweetness from the hops in the mid-sip, and a touch of aniseed-like fennel. A light lemony-citrus note rounds off the sip.
The proliferation of ingredients made me wonder whether it would be possible to distinguish any one of them at all, but in actual fact it is possible to pick out the stronger, more dominant, flavours. Many of the ingredients are unfamiliar to me, though (and probably to most people), and it’s fair to say that the overall effect is herbal with an edge of floral. I’m pleased the the floral doesn’t edge over into perfumey, and it’s not too strong, so you might get along with this even if floral teas are not typically your thing. In flavour terms, its reminiscent of a lot of similar blends, only with more unusual, carefully selected, ingredients.
I didn’t notice much of an effect straight after drinking, but I can certainly appreciate having another caffeine-free pre-bedtime blend in my cupboard. With its light, delicate flavour, it’s a pleasing choice for late night drinking whether you buy into the “sleep-aid” aspect or not. I’d happily seek out more AstroloTea blends in the future.
And since today is #MusicandTeaMonday, we couldn’t help but pair this tea with this song! Don’t forget to join us on your favorite social media of choice with #MusicandTeaMonday!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: AstroloTea
Description:
Sweet Dreams Organic Loose Leaf Tea is only available as an herbal tea blend. It is a powerful sedative tea for nighttime relaxation and sleep. It has been used to help relieve insomnia and sleep disturbances.
This soft and dreamy tea is the perfect way to close every day. Slip into comfort and notice how gently everything floats away as you easily drift off to dreamland. Sweet Dreams tea is a luxurious gift to give yourself for a day well lived.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
#FanaticFriday: Hufflepuff House Blend from The Forest Witch
I’m going to get all ‘Harry Potter on your arses” today and to do that I would like to introduce you to Hufflepuff House Blend from The Forest Witch. It’s the tea I’m featuring during #FanaticFriday here at Sororitea Sisters!
In our home we currently have 4 furkids…3 dogs and a cat. Hubby and I have jokingly said in the past that Paco our full Chihuahua would probably resided in Hufflepuff while Charlie our feral cat would set up shop in Slytherin. Riley – our Corgi/Lab mix would most likely fit in with Griffindor. Finally, Cricket, our Chihuahua/Toy Rat Terrier would side with those in Ravenclaw. Yes…I’m really that nerdy, folks! I’m glad I’m not the only one and I’m glad there are fan teas out there including Hufflepuff House Blend from The Forest Witch.
What I’m not completely clear on are the ingredients in this honeybush tea. While I am to eat vegan I am sure there are things that slip through the cracks. If I know something is not vegan I will not consume it. I saw on the Etsy Shop that the ingredients of this offering were: Honeybush, Lemon and orange pieces, calendula petals, essences of cake and warm icing which I assume are flavorings because I didn’t see actual cake/bread/icing in the loose mix. Fingers crossed and if it was my error I’m truly sorry! What I can tell you is that Hufflepuff House Blend from The Forest Witch was pretty tasty and I think House Hufflepuff would be proud! I could see myself sitting in the basement near the fire sipping on this for sure!
The flavors of orange, lemon, and honeybush are first and foremost in this flavor on the tongue. There is a sweet yet smooth consistency to the sip. I’m sipping on Hufflepuff House Blend from The Forest Witch hot but also letting it cool at room temperature as I sip and I can already tell that it would be outstanding as an iced tea, as well!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: The Forest Witch
Description:
A perfect, sunny tea to cheer you up! Enjoy by a warm fireplace in the Hufflepuff common room as birds flit by outside the windows and open door to the school grounds.
Three citrus fruits flavour delicious, spongy cake with a delectable, buttery icing.
Honeybush tea mixed with lemon and orange pieces, calendula petals for a pop of sunny colour. Essences of cake and warm icing swirl in this tasty cup to bring you a lovely cup of dessert.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!