Every year Davids Tea releases a Cocktail Collection with teas designed to be mixed with spirits in summertime party drinks. I love the idea of these teas! If you are like me and don’t drink spirits these teas are equally as fun made with sparkling water or simply served over ice.
One of the teas being offered this summer is Apero Spritz, a fruit infusion featuring bitter orange rind. The smell of this tea is amazing, the vibrant orange and passionfruit really stand out. I steeped this at 212 degrees for 5 minutes and served it over ice. It steeps up a beautiful deep reddish-orange color, talk about a pretty tea for a party! The first sip is faintly familiar to me, similar to a passionfruit juice drink I have had in the past. This tea is sweet and tropical tasting, the passionfruit is very rich and flavorful. The back end of the taste has a lovely bitterness, much like the bitterness one encounters when drinking grapefruit juice. I would not steep this longer than 5 minutes as I feel that the bitterness could become magnified with longer steep times.
Davids Tea released a You Tube video showing how to make several mixed drinks with this tea. They all look good but this tea is equally tasty prepared simply as an iced tea.
Overall I love this tea! I think that the bitter note really adds a unique depth making this tea stand out from the normal summer tropical teas soon to be released in a few months.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Fruit
Where to Buy: Davids Tea
Description
What to do when you’re lounging in the late afternoon sun? Sip this refreshing apéritif-inspired fruit infusion – a sweet and vibrant sunset-coloured blend with grown-up notes of bitter orange rind. It’s light, juicy and will leave you feeling bubbly all over. For an elegant treat, serve it chilled in champagne flutes with a delicious assortment of cheese and fresh fruits. Cheers!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Watermelon from Fox Tea Club. . . .
I’m going to let you all in on a little secret: I don’t really like watermelon.
GASP. Don’t tell summer. But for real– I am a fruit fiend, but something about melon (cantaloupe and honeydew included) just doesn’t really do it for me. In fact, I’ve even been known to scoff at a bowl of “filler fruit” alongside my omelet at breakfast. Bring me berries, or nothing at all!
That said– a little sub-quirk of this particular quirk is that I really love watermelon-flavored things. (I know, I don’t get it either.) Something about the concentrated, bright tanginess is spectacular to my palate– especially when it’s in iced tea form! Which, of course, is exactly how I brewed up this tea sample. Immediately, it turned a gorgeous, bright berry red. After a night in the fridge, this one was fully steeped. Fascinatingly enough, this brew boasts ZERO watermelon or watermelon flavoring, and yet, this blend totally hits all those familiar watermelon flavors.
My only tiny gripe is that the hibiscus in this blend is… overpowering. It is SUPER tart, and almost distractingly hibiscus-y. I want more of that yummy, watermelon-y goodness, but all my brain can process of the end notes of each sip is “hibiscus! hibiscus!”– kind of a bummer. That said, I can totally forsee this blend making for perfect, summery sun tea. In fact, you melon-lovers unlike myself could totally throw a few slices of your melon of choice inside a cold glass for a refreshing summery treat. Mmm– summer in a glass.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Tisane
Where to Buy: Fox Tea Club
Description
The remarkable blend of red hibiscus, tart cherries, red bilberry, aromatic rose petals, and rose hips combine sweetly in this remarkable “watermelony” summer tea. It is especially refreshing as served iced on a summer afternoon. Add a touch of sugar or honey to bring out the fruitiness of the brew.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
