I’ve always been a black-tea-with-milk-and-sugar kinda girl (thanks, semester abroad in London!). Now, as the years have passed, my tastes have matured, and I’ll happily venture out to less traditional teas and more traditional preparations, but there’s something about a bold black tea paired with creamy + sweet that gets me right in my cozy, nostalgic heart.
So you can imagine my bummer when I was recently put on an allergy test for to be without my beloved coconut milk (the only “milk” left that I could tolerate) for thirty days. SOB. As there’s a silver lining to every cloud, this has (finally!) opened up a category of teas that I all-too-often avoid: black teas that taste best SANS milk. Gasp! Who am I?
When this tea arrived in my monthly tea subscription from Plum Deluxe, I knew it would perfectly fit this new category in my tea-drinking life. A mellow pu’ehr with notes of orange, cinnamon, ginger, rose and anise, with fruity hibiscus? Yes please. It brews a beautifully robust almost walnut-y brown, with just a hint of pink from the hibiscus. Sweetened with a touch of honey, it’s a cup that is absolutely un-put-downable. Spicy and sweet, fruity and robust– like no other tea I’ve ever had. The only downside I can find is that a re-steep of the same leaves just doesn’t produce the same vibrant cup with similarly complex flavors as the first, but that can be a tall order for such a nuanced dry leaf.
Normally, I finish my tea of the month and move on to the next month’s bag without too much love lost. But with my newfound love (and need) for milk-less black teas, this one will be reordered as a permanent fixture in my tea cabinet.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Pu’erh
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
Description
This tea is only available to members of the Plum Deluxe Monthly Subscription Plan. Please click below for the other teas they offer or to learn more about joining their monthly tea membership.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Tea Surprises From Global Tea Hut
Here at Sororitea Sisters we review a LOT of tea and tea related products…and I mean A LOT…we have over 5,200 reviews so far and we are NOT slowing down any time soon. So much so that we average 4 posts each and everyday for the last several months now.
So needless to say when we receive something unique to review we like to make a BIG deal about it! When a company sends a little extra something with the order we purchased and/or receive – we get really excited, too! It literally can be ANYTHING…an additional free sample, a hand written note, a beautiful scenic photo/postcard of the tea fields or gardens…you name it!
Over the past couple of months we have seen some really wonderful items come our way from The Global Tea Hut. I wanted to share with you one of the many SURPRISES from them that we saw come down the pike.
Of course – when you see one of the Global Tea Hut packages in the mail you often get at least 1 tea along with a gorgeously printed issue of their tea magazine! The quality of their magazine really is TOP NOTCH! The full color printing is amazing, the photography is outstanding, the articles and information cannot be matched!
But recently I was blown away by another item I found in one of their mailings. It was a tin that was labeled BONUS. After much research I’ve come to an educated guess that it was their Daughter of the Forest 2016 Dian Hong Red Tea that was featured with the July 2016 installment.
The majority of the leaves are medium and longer in length, winding fairly tight, and tri-colored for the most part. There are a few leaves that were not tightly quasi-twisted but a more loose and flowing leaf even tho it was still dried to perfection.
The aroma of the tea leaves was lovely…airy, crisp, a bit malty, and gave off a subtle sweet wood aroma. Once infused the malt came to fill the air a little more. There were fruity notes and cocoa-like sniffs that came into play, too!
The liquor left in the cup post-infusion was dark brown with a bit of cloudy texture to it. The flavor was rich, malty, fruity, sweet, and even a little savory in a way. The end sip and the 2nd infusion I could pick up the woodsy notes more.
This BONUS Tea – what I concluded could very well be Global Tea Hut’s Daughter of the Forest 2016 Dian Hong Red Tea from their July 2016 installment was a pure delight! It was a tea that really stood out to me…a diamond in the rough so to speak.
It’s tea surprises like these that keep me on my toes and have me wondering what’s next in the wonderful world of tea!
Here’s the scoop!
Where to Buy: Global Tea Hut
Description
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Krampus Brew from Handmade Tea. . . . .
An awesome friend signed me up for a few monthly subscription packages from Handmade Tea. This is a company I had not heard of before so I was very excited to see what they had to offer. This past week the first month’s package arrived and it was bigger than the monthly subscription packages I have received from other companies such as Amoda and TeaTaxi. So, when I opened the package to find just one tea, I was certainly surprised.
Before me was 3 oz of Krampus Brew along with a beautifully wax-sealed envelope containing a note from the tea maker, brewing instructions and tasting notes. The tasting notes were an interesting touch because it seemed as if it were a guide telling me what I should be tasting.
I am told by the tasting notes that the base is similar to a light oolong, smooth but with a hint of smokiness. In fairness, that is pretty accurate. I am also told that the cherries sweeten the brew with a bright honey-like flavor and add a tart finish. I suppose that there is a sweetness here but I don’t know if I would describe it quite as a “bright honey-like flavor” and I certainly am not detecting a tart finish. Finally, the tasting note suggests that the cloves and cinnamon provide the classic spice taste and adds boldness to the mouthfeel. Like the description of the base, that is also pretty accurate.
All in all, it seems the tasting note I was provided is fairly spot-on. However, I am left wondering if I am detecting these things because I feel I should or if I am tasting them because they are actually there. Next month I will drink the tea first and then compare notes. As it is, this tea is mostly a sweet and spiced gunpowder tea. Pleasant enough albeit just a little boring. I expected more cherry from the big pieces in the mix but it seems they are mostly just contributing the fruity/sweet component that is hiding just beneath the base.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: Handmade Tea
Description
This tea is no longer on the site but check below for what teas are and to learn about Handmade Tea’s monthly subscription plan.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Passion Peach Tea from Teavery. . . .
This tea managed to work its way into the bottom of my tin, lying in wait until the perfect moment. Today was such a moment. I’ve been vaguely dizzy and tired all day (I think my medication levels might be wonky) and drank this with lunch, iced.
Boom. Back on point. Full precision. This is my sipping companion in its Giant 30 Oz Water Bottle of Super Hydration and Daylong Peeing. I am very awake and able to concentrate again. My typing is loud. I am a laser-beam of focus.
This blend is a zippy peach black with saucy berry and zesty citrus notes. There’s something about it that sticks in the mouth even after you’ve swallowed. Something sweet. I think it’s the rose hips or passionfruit. Oh, and the black tea. There’s a lot of caffeine in this. It may give you a heart attack. But you’ll love it.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black & Rooibos
Where to Buy: Teavery
Description
Teavery offers four monthly teas each month in their subscription plan. Check out what all they have to offer in the link below.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Holiday Blend Alert! Holiday Embrace from Plum Deluxe
Here in Wisconsin, we’re known for a few things– cheese (of course), beer (naturally) and cranberries (apparently). While I’m not sipping the former two in tea form anytime soon, any chance I get to rep my state with a tea comprised of the latter, I’m all about it. (But listen, I’ll never say never to the beer/cheese tea given the right opportunity.)
This holiday blend from Plum Deluxe is an absolute delight in dry leaf form. The spices and fruit are big and chunky, looking and smelling like the most delightful holiday potpourri you could imagine. Traditional chai spices mingle beautifully with orange peel and cranberry, making this tea a slightly sweet and spicy herbal perfect to be sipped on snowy nights.
My only complaint about this one is that the pieces are SO large that I’ll likely blow through my ounce in no time. But that just means I’ll have to stock up on a few bags for the long winter ahead!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
Description
We love this spicy herbal tea shared with family and friends during the holidays. Fresh, dried cranberries are paired with orange peel and a melange of spices. The warming fruit flavor feels so good paired with tasty snacks or after a hearty meal. This tea also makes for a wonderful gift.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!