I needed a special tea to go with Pad Thai Zoodles tonight. Zoodles are spiralized zucchini “noodles” used like you use pasta. There were carrots and sweet peppers, spring onions and chopped walnuts, along with potstickers and a lime soy sauce. Lots of flavor in the food means that some green teas would get lost as an accompaniment.
In steps this delightful Honeybush. I think my daughter put it best when she said, “Mom, this tea is more complicated than a woman.”
On top and up front we taste orange, with the cardamom warming the back of the sip. This is some of the warmest cardamom I have had. I usually perceive cardamom as lemony but this one had me checking the package to see if maybe there was just of hint of some kind of chili pepper in here. No, just tasting the cardamom. And it’s just a little nutty. In other words, it was the perfect accompaniment to the meal and had hubby picking up the (empty) pot looking for more. Guess I better make another pot!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.
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Wild Blueberry Green from Fava Tea. . . .
Sometimes it’s nice to go back to basics. There are so many funky and unique tea blends when it comes to flavored tea that sometimes I crave something simple. In this case it’s blueberry green tea. Sencha, gunpowder green, white tea, and elderberry, eucalyptus leaves all come together to form this blend. In truth I was nervous when I saw two ingredients. Can you guess which? Eucalyptus leaves and gunpowder green! Eucalyptus can taste kind of medicinal sometimes and the last time I had gunpowder green tea I thought it tasted and smelled like old cigarette smoke. Weird, I know. So I was a bit hesitant but I forged on, curiosity peaked.
I’m telling you, if I hadn’t read the ingredients I wouldn’t even had known that my two “scary ingredients” were in this. In fact, I wouldn’t even have know that this was a blueberry flavored tea. The main quality I noticed in both smell and taste was vegetal sencha green tea. Through and through that’s what I got from this one. That’s not to say that this was a bad blend, the green tea was delicious and would have been great iced! But as far as blueberry goes, it just wasn’t very present. However if you’re a fan of bold green tea, this one’s for you!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Fava Tea
Description
Enjoy the taste of fresh blueberries in your cup! This is a smooth, flavorful cup of healthy green tea. Delightful!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Oregon Breakfast from Plum Deluxe. . . .
I really am in love with anything that includes hazelnut, hazelnut makes everything better. However, if you follow any of my reviews you’ll know that i’m not always too keen on orange or citrus. The ingredients in this delectable blend by Plum Deluxe include: black tea, honeybush, orange peel, and hazelnut essence. Tell me that doesn’t sound yummy and i’ll be looking at you like you have ten heads! It sounds heavenly, so of course I bought it. Typical me.
As soon as I opened the package and took a whiff of this mix, I knew id love it. In all honesty, the orange was so subtle I don’t think I could have picked it out if I didn’t know it was on the ingredient list. What I could smell was the hazelnut- nutty and creamy right off the bat. I’ve got to say that their addition of honeybush to their black tea blends really is smart, especially when the blend has a nut inclusion. Honeybush and nuts is a great combo, they accentuate each other and bring out the best in each other- a match made in heaven! The orange here is so subtle on taste just like on smell and I really can just barely detect it, which is more than okay with me. This blend is absolutely amazing and it is the PERFECT summer (or fall) tea for a sunny morning drive to work (or wherever you may be going on a sunny morning). I completely recommend you give this blend a try!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
Description
This breakfast tea is how Plum Deluxe folk like to start their day. The earthy base helps center you; the ping of orange helps wake you and get you excited about today’s possibilities. It’s a simple tea and yet it is rich with subtle flavors.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
In Love With The Coco from Pacific Tea. . .
The name of this tea refers to a rap song. The coco in its lyrics is not cocoa; nor is it coconut — it is a more forbidden, snowlike substance.
(My young coworkers explained this to me months ago… with the weariness one typically reserves for one’s grandparents.)
The “coco” in this blend refers to the innocuous coconut.
It’s a wholesome blend altogether (ironically). It has a sweet coconut-pineapple-banana flavor with a splash of berries and petals to round it out. The brew blends up clear, but don’t let that fool you; it cooks up very flavorfully. It tastes like if Lilo and Stitch were a tea.
Normally I’m not into bananas as anything other than bananas. No banana-flavored things. No semi-dried bananas in bags (feel free to look this up). No bananas in smoothies. No banana bread.
But here it works pretty well. I think I only allowed it past The Gates* because I didn’t realize it was there until I was actively drinking it.
* Note: (“The Gates” are what I am now calling my mouth. Like, literally, just now. I will forget it by the end of the day unless you, dear reader, make it catch on.)
The banana flavor does stick around after I’ve swallowed, which is why I probably wouldn’t buy this for myself, but if you like sweet things and banana herbal teas, you should give this a whirl. I drank it hot, but I think that it would also be pretty good iced.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Pacific Tea
Description
The essence of the islands. A smooth, warming harmony of coconut, pineapple and banana to whisk even the most discerning wanderlust traveller away …
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Green Style Dong Ding (oolong) by Fong Mong Tea
Steeping specs: 3 grams per half cup at 175° for five minutes
While steeping this tea, I didn’t observe much color change. The leaves unfurled quite a bit, having started out as small pills or pearls, but the tea liquid didn’t seem to change color all that much. However, after I removed the tea leaves, I could see that there was a gentle peach color to the liquid. It’s very light and transparent, not dark or strong-looking at all. What is remarkable, though, is the lovely roasted smell (disproportionately strong given how light the color is) and the high-quality leaves; after the leaves unfurled I could tell that they were highly intact and well preserved. And I could smell the wonderful roasted oolong fragrance long before tasting the tea itself.
At the first sip I’m detecting plenty of roast, plenty of nose, and a flavor that’s almost heading towards bitter but just barely managing to avoid it. Of course, I did steep the leaves about five degrees hotter than recommended, because my variable temperature kettle only has so many increments, so that could have something to do with it.
This turned out to be a tasty, toasty oolong with a very enjoyable balance between buttery and nutty flavors and a somewhat astringent feel. The liquid is not viscous or dark but still has plenty of flavor. This tea is also great with just a touch of sugar, which tames down the astringent effect a bit and brings out the floral aspect that was a bit buried under the roasted flavor before the sugar was added.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Fong Mong Tea
Description
The hand-plucked leaves of Dong Ding Oolong are grown in the Dong Ding region of Taiwan at the elevation of 740 meters. At this elevation, the leaves absorb moisture from the surrounding fog and clouds every morning and afternoon which is ideal for Oolong plants. Due to the unique geographic location and stringent selection of leaves, this is the finest Dong Ding Oolong from the Dong Ding estate.
Dong Ding is well known of producing fine tea-Dong Ding Oolong Tea. Traditional baking technique by artisans and proper fermentation and baking procedure create an unforgettable extremely perfect flavor. Firstly tasted mellow with strong fragrance and then a sweet aftertaste quickly rising from the throat makes it famous for decades to all over the world. Drinking Dong Ding Oolong Tea is definitely an enjoyable lifestyle and also the exclusive choice for all tea lovers
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
