This is a green tea with lily blossoms. The blossoms stand out as a gorgeous orange against the deep, mossy green and white needle twists.
The resulting flavor is light, with a delicate vegetal tang. I think that I can taste trace amounts of the flowers, but this might be in my head because I saw them. The tea is a bit astringent, and leaves a light aftertaste.
I think it’s a pleasant way to start a morning. It’d go nicely with some meditation or the reading of a compelling nonfiction book. (I always associate green tea with spirituals, yogis, and intellectuals.)
Lily-infused tea is “thought to help with blood pressure,” which sounds dubious (SHOW ME THE PEER-REVIEWED STUDIES), but I feel very mellow today as I sip it. Very nice.
This is part of my last box of Simple Loose Leaf’s sample box, and I must say, I’ve been pleased with the offerings overall. It’s a fairly inexpensive box (as they go), with varied options. I feel pretty comfortable recommending the service if you’re interested in sampling a few different options without fully committing to full-size servings, un-tasted.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Simple Loose Leaf Tea Company
Description
This tea was part of Simple Loose Leaf Tea Co’s monthly tea subscription.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Brigita’s Daylight from Lauku Tea. . . November’s Sips by Box. .
Sips by is an amazing monthly tea box. They curate teas for you based off of a profile you put together. So there isn’t a fear of getting a ginger tea if you aren’t into ginger teas.
What’s really cool about Sips by, is that they have collaborated with some amazing tea companies so each month you are presented with this wonderful variety of teas. From Matcha to organic herbals, Sips by delivers fabulous teas each and every month.
In my November box, I had an herbal tea from Lauku Tea-Brigita’s Daylight. Herbals are very hit or miss for me. I crave and yearn to adore more of herbal blends, but it just isn’t in the cards for me. A lot of herbals are incredibly spiced or have chai like elements that my taste buds are not fans of. So I was insanely giddy when I saw the ingredients for Brigita’s Daylight were all right up my alley.
Brigita’s Daylight is a gorgeous blend of fermented apple leaves, black currant leaves, dried apples, meadow clover flowers, lemon balm, and mountain ash berries. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this blend but I was eager to find out. I brewed up a huge pot full of this herbal and allowed the tea to steep for about 7 minutes. Allowed the tea to cool for a few moments and took my first sip.
This is probably one of the best herbal teas I’ve ever had. This tea tastes like fresh apples with a floral and citrus note and a subtle berry finish. The freshness is what I adore the most from this tea. All of the flavors pop easily and wonderfully.
The fermented apple leaves and dried apples provide this almost apple juice like flavor while the lemon balm and meadow clover flowers yield a seductive floral citrus twist that I want more of. The berry finish just nicely ties this tea all together.
I downed this herbal hand blended creation- and when I saw downed it, I mean that I couldn’t stop drinking this tea. I drank several pots full and am now in the process of ordering more, even though I need to seriously stop buying tea because my personal tea stash is getting out of hand.
With how stressful my day is, I love the fact that I’ll have this tea in my tumbler helping me get through the day. This tea gives you all the warm tea feels with all the love of being an herbal. Thank you Sips by for introducing me to this amazing blend!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Lauku Tea/Sips by
Description
Sunny and stimulating with the subtle sweetness of dried apple and the earthy green of meadow clover flowers. For those who need a clear head and good spirits for a day full of possibilities. Pairs well with a refreshing walk outdoors and a morning muffin.
Ingredients: fermented organic apple leaves, organic black currant leaves, dried organic apples, organic meadow clover flowers, organic lemon balm, organic mountain ash berries
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Red Wine Apple Cake from A Quarter To Tea. . . .
Friends, there’s no question that we here at SororiTea Sisters love us some A Quarter to Tea. (I feel like I can speak for us all. I may be speaking out of turn, but… have you *seen* our AQTT archives? I rest my case.) I’ve recently renewed my AQTT subscription box to be a monthly thing, and not just a “whenever I feel like it”, because I have to say– I don’t think I’ve ever gotten a bad blend from the brilliant minds in AQTT’s blending room.
Now– when this particular blend (red wine apple cake? Who’d even heard of such a thing?!) showed up at my doorstep last month, I wavered a little bit. Would this be the blend that steered me wrong? I’m not typically a white tea drinker, and it takes a LOT for me to be impressed by a white blend. I shouldn’t have worried, though, you guys. Even on sniff alone, this tea is impressive. Big chunks of apple are strewn throughout the bountiful white leaves, boasting deep apple-and-grape-y notes that translate just beautifully to the brewed cup. This one is heartier than most white teas, and that’s probably why I love it so. The only thing I can’t quite pick out are the “cake” notes– which, let’s be real: when someone tells me there’s cake (in my tea, at work, on my birthday/any random tuesday), I want CAKE. This one’s a bit lighter, and lacking on the pastry notes I’ve usually come to know well from AQTT’s blends. That said, I don’t necessarily think it’s a bad thing– in fact, I think cakey, pastry flavors may have overwhelmed the beautifully fruity notes otherwise present in this blend.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
This tea is currently not available but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Omija Berry Blush from Story of My Tea. . .
I will be 100% honest, I love Story of My Tea. I love their passion for tea, their customers, their business, just the whole concept and thought behind Story of My Tea. I love the fact that you can subscribe to their monthly tea box and basically each month you have a tea journey delivered to your door. Tea journeys and experiences you may not have necessarily tried on your own or even thought about trying. I am typically a green or white tea kinda gal. I do love my black tea, herbals, and every once in a while, I’ll dab my toe into puerhs. But that is where the beauty of Story of My Tea really comes into play. Each month you are delivered a variety of teas, from all over the world, all different varieties that you can take your time, really experience and really enjoy. At least that is what I did.
Story of My Tea was gracious enough to send The SororiTea Sisters the September box. As soon as I opened up the box, I instantly knew which tea I wanted to try- The Omija Berry Blush. Omija means five flavor berry- which alludes to the unique complex flavor profile with sweet, sour, salty, bitter and pungent aspects that are found within the berry or so I’m told from the back of the tea package. This tea is a gorgeous blend of omija berries, lavender, strawberry pieces and rosehips. There are pops of blue from what I believe are cornflower petals. I am not the biggest fan of lavender so I was hoping the tartness from the berries would overcome the lavender flavor.
Brewed up by the package parameters-1 tsp-212F-5 mins steeping time- this tea lays the ground work for one relaxing chill evening. The berry notes are not overly tart nor overly sweet. They fall right in this medium ground where the lavender can bring in this needed floral pop that gives this tea a nice gentle kick. I almost wish there was some mint thrown in to give this tea a refreshing finish but overall, this tea is quite lovely. Soft, gentle, soothing, and caring.
This is one of those teas you can see being shared at a tea party or even with loved ones who possibly aren’t big into tea. The laid back flavors really make this a uniquely universal tea that I could see so many tea enthusiasts and non tea enthusiasts enjoying. I can’t say this is a tea for me, I like my tea to be a bit bolder in flavor, but I think with a tweak here or like I said, the addition of mint, this tea could really sing.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Story of My Tea
Description
A tea subscription for the explorer in your heart!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Waterfall Mist Honeybush Tea from Plum Deluxe . . . .
Waterfall Mist Honeybush Tea, a relatively Plum Deluxe blend made of honeybush, orange peels, and peppermint. Now I am familiar with this brand but have never personally ordered from them and when I came across this sample in a traveling teabox, I was intrigued.
Since the sample was generous, I decided to experiment with this tea though all cups were steeped in 200 degree water for 3 minutes.
First, I brewed it hot, my typical go-to method for all new teas. The hot cup tastes first and foremost of mint. Cooling peppermint, in fact. Honeybush is the next thing I pick up, tasting a sweetness typical of this base but also a slight wood note. Finally, if I focus, I can catch a bit of orange pithiness here and there but mostly it is drowned out by the other ingredients.
Next, given the summery and cool flavors of orange and mint, I thought this would make for a nice iced tea. Giving it a try now, I can say mint is still the most prominent note but it is certainly toned down when compared to the hot cup. That allows for some more bright orange/citrus flavors to come through. The base is also more subtle in the iced tea, though still contributing its trademark honeybush sweetness.
Finally, as per the recommendation on the packaging, I made a second iced tea and added a splash of lemonade. Since this was my first time adding lemonade to tea, I was excited to see how it would turn out but if I am being honest, I am not a fan. The lemonade makes the tea flatter, or I suppose it weighs it down making for a thicker mouthfeel that is less refreshing and more heavy. Plus, while I was hoping for some zing from the lemonade to pull out the orange in the tea, it was no where to be found. The lemonade lost its usual tartness while the tea lost most of its flavoring besides mint. Combined with the lemonade though, that mint is more medicinal than in the other two cups. To me, it seems the whole is less than the sum of its parts. Perhaps my “splash” of lemonade was more than what Plum Deluxe had in mind?
Ultimately, this was an alright cup of tea. Well cups, I suppose. Nothing mindblowing but still quite solid. I think it is best iced and can see it being a delightful companion on a hot and humid day.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
Description
First featured in July 2016, the Waterfall Mist is an gentle, exacting combination of orange and mint. This tea has a similar feeling of refreshing simplicity. Enjoy it iced, as a sangria infusion, with a splash of lemonade, or frozen into tea popsicle!
All Organic ingredients. Honeybush Tea, Orange Peel, Peppermint. No caffeine. Steep 1 tsp in boiling water 3-5 minutes or cold brew overnight.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
