I had a kiddo’s birthday party weekend over the last weekend and found myself a bit behind in my reviewing of the Plum Deluxe Tea Lover’s Advent Calendar. We are a bit over halfway thru and I will say, I’m happy I was able to experience this calendar, but there have been a 50/50 toss up on the hits and misses. Day 16, I’m happy to report, was a hit!
Gingerbread Chai Tea was Day 16 and I’m not a huge black tea drinker nor am I a big chai drinker but lately I’ve found myself drawn to all things gingerbread, so needless to say, I was excited to check out this blend. For the steeping set up, I brewed up this blend with freshly prepped boiling water and allowed to steep for 5 minutes and then cooled for a few more.
First sip in and I have to say this tea was such a delight. I wish the gingerbread flavors were a bit stronger, but there is a delicious mix of spices and tea for sure. Definitely a wonderful blend to thrown in some frothed milk (which I did) and enjoy as a latte. If you aren’t a fan of spiced tea, this tea doesn’t have that smack you in the face ginger or cardamom notes that one can normally see, more a gentle touch of spiced goodness that warms the heart during these colder last few days of 2018. This is one of those teas where you wrap your hands around the mug and it feels like the tea is hugging you back.
Subtle spiced chai goodness with ginger and orange flavors leading the charge with the honeybush providing this lush vanilla background. All in all, a delicious tea to enjoy for the holidays!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black/Honeybush
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
Description
This tea blend is part of the advent calendar but is available in the store. Click below.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Madagascar Vanilla/Golden Moon
When you have a rare, quiet morning to yourself, what tea do you choose to be your companion? Golden Moon’s Madagascar Vanilla is my choice today because I need something that has the chops to follow up waffles and maple syrup.
This vanilla can’t go wrong, with the vanilla taste coming from real Madagascar bourbon vanilla beans and not some mysterious dark liquid that knows beakers better than plants.
I am usually very sensitive digestion-wise to teas that are not from China, but this Indian base sits right with me. It has hearty breakfast tea flavor without the gut twisting bitterness that demands milk to tame it and sugar to tone it down. It has the light, tongue scraping sensation of gentle briskness and a touch of malt. I happily drink this sans additions.
This is vanilla tea for grownups, not a kiddie vanilla. I serve it morning and afternoon, because it does hold up well with a meal or with rich sweets. It is also a good fortifying cup. The hearty base makes it so versatile.
I can’t help but be impressed when I look at their website and see the pains they have taken to assure that the tea that comes to us is as pure as they can possibly make it. But it has to taste good, too! And this one definitely does.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Golden Moon
Description
There’s vanilla, and then there is vanilla. Sometimes “vanilla” is poured out of a small, dark bottle into your favorite boxed cake mix. That stuff is like that “iPod” you bought in Chinatown. Sure it may work, but it really isn’t the same. Our vanilla is straight from the vanilla bean. Not just any bean, but the world famous bourbon vanilla bean found in Madagascar. We chop up the beans, blend them with a pure, organic Indian tea base and let it age for over a month. Why? Because Madagascar Vanilla ends up having a fully infused, rich flavor with no weird chemical aftertaste. Sure it is a lot of trouble for us to make this tea, but it’s well worth it.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Chocolate Cherry Bomb! from The Tea Spot
Chocolate Cherry Bomb!
It’s a special day when you get to drink a tea with an exclamation mark in its name!
I loved the aroma of this one as soon as I opened the pouch. The first impression I got from this deep black tea was that it was boozy, rather than sweet candy. Then I was reminded of the smell of cherry pipe tobacco, which is one of my favorite scents ever. When I see Haley Mills sniffing her grandpa in “The Parent Trap” to ‘make a memory’ as she put it, this is the aroma I imagine, even though she said he also smelled of peppermints!
Steeped, this is a strong and brisk black base with chocolate foremost and cherry after. And hallelujah! The cherry tastes like cherry instead of like horrific cherry cough syrup!
This would be a good breakfast tea thanks to that hefty base, and can easily handle milk and sugar. I do recommend that you let it cool a little before you sip. When I sipped it piping hot, I tasted chocolate but no cherry. With just a little cooling, the cherry flavor came out very well.
Don’t overleaf this one! The base is strong enough to stick with a level teaspoon for eight ounces.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: The Tea Spot
Description
Think hand-dipped chocolate cherry truffle… sweet, plump, juicy, decadent – without the calories. Its cherry scent and velvety smooth chocolate notes work to enchant, but not overwhelm. Handcrafted from two black teas this is a dessert that you can enjoy for breakfast.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle from A Quarter To Tea. . . .
It’s that time of the year when it is still very much Fall so pumpkin is every which way you turn. You can’t go two minutes without seeing pumpkin this and pumpkin spice that. However, we are near enough to Christmas that those holiday flavors are popping up too. Just two days ago I enjoyed a Gingerbread Lindt Truffle while trying my first ever Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks. It is a flavor experience that I am delighted to try again.
As per usual, A Quarter to Tea has just that combination with one of their teas, Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle, a flavored black tea with notes of pumpkin, gingerbread, and custard. I steeped this up for 3 minutes in 200 degree water as per the recommended parameters.
The smell as I take my first sip is 98% gingerbread and 2% pumpkin sweetness. It’s got a great spice to it and I am disappointed that flavorwise, it is not as strong. There is still a gingerbread flavor but it is not as sharp as in the scent due to the stronger pumpkin flavor. Tastewise it is like a sweet pumpkin (not to be confused with pumpkin spice) drink with a ginger kick lingering in the background. The aftertaste has the baked good flavor of a gingerbread cookie. Custard seems to be lacking but between the other components there is enough going on that it isn’t missed.
Personally I wish there was more gingerbread and less pumpkin but I can’t fault it for delivering what’s promised due to my personal preferences. It is a nice tea even if it is a little unsure whether it wants to be sweet or spicy. Fall and the holidays are one in this tasty cuppa.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Raspberry Jam from Perkse Tea
I’ve been on a berry kick lately. I just can’t get enough of that sweet, tangy, juicy goodness.
Today’s pick comes from Perkse Tea, a shop I found on Etsy when I typed in “tea sampler.” (Yes, this is how a LOT of our posts come to you. We tea reviewers can’t resist a sampler kit. So many new things to try and report back on!) They’re a Canadian company that encourages you to “embrace a positive mind-set and live a beautiful life.” Hard to find fault with that plan!
This tea really nails that raspberry vibe. It’s sweet and a little bit tart, just like chomping on the real thing — minus those aggravating seeds. There’s also a touch of blueberry and rose floating along to vary and deepen the flavor profile. The base is robust enough to hold up these flavors without losing itself. This reminds me of the base of a delicious cobbler. Throw some crunch and cream on there and you’d be SET. I’m currently out of my Almond Breeze, but I think that this tea would take it with aplomb.
I feel like I’ve fast-forwarded to a season of late outdoor dinners. There are citronella candles everywhere and I’m eating off a red gingham-check tablecloth on a picnic table. There are friends, and maybe even their kids, chatting and laughing. Dogs sitting at our feet. Like a country music video depicting good ol’ Amurrrica.
Oh man. This tea is SUMMER at its BEST.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Perkse Tea
Description
A deliciously hardy black tea infused with freeze dried raspberries cultivated from California.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
