Hello tea friends!
With Christmas almost here and the cold weather set in I’m drawn to the festive teas. This one was from my late November tea club box and I’m only just getting around to trying it.
Ingredients: Rooibos, Almond Pieces, Pistachios, Orange Peel, Coriander, Flavouring, Pink Peppercorn.
Opening the packet I am drawn in by the scent of ginger biscuits. It’s the most ginger biscuity thing I have ever smelt that was not actually ginger biscuits. It’s incredible! Ginger with baked bread and sugar but also a touch of spice.
Steeping instructions: 1tsp // 100°C // 3-5 mins
Once steeped the tea is golden red in colour and bares a sweet yet spicy ginger biscuit and Rooibos scent. Very similar to that of the raw scent.
The first few sips reveal a very sweet and gingery note that lingers in the after taste. When I say ginger it’s more like a ginger candy than raw ginger, sometimes blends are too much on the ginger front but this is such a sweet ginger and it’s very nice. Very biscuit like! Also a touch of dryness in the after taste.
After those initial first few sips it remains sweet and with a touch of actual Rooibos flavour with a creamy orange and ginger and peppercorn spice. The whole blend was well done, it doesn’t taste too much like Rooibos at all which is favourable with me.
I can’t say much other than it tastes like sweet and creamy ginger biscuits with a dry after taste. It truly does.
Bruu Tea have done some good blends but this may be my favourite so far. It’s very delightful and festive.
Until next time, Happy Steeping!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos blend
Where to Buy: Bruu Tea
Description:
The rich, naturally woody taste of rooibos is already a perfect treat for cold days, but the added tastes of gingerbread and orange in this blend allow you to truly spoil yourself. Caffeine-free and incredibly festive, this decorative infusion makes a wonderful gift – for others or yourself!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
White Coconut from BlendBee- Calling All Coconut Lovers!!
I’m a fan of coconut any time of year. Whether it’s the hottest days of summer or the dark, snowy depths of winter I find myself in a better mood when I can taste a bit of the tropics. Throw in some lemon – another favorite of mine – and I’m a happy girl. BlendBee took both flavors and mixed them with a delicate white to create White Coconut. Just thinking about the mix of flavors made me want to do a happy dance.
The dry leaves are lovely to look at. There is a mix of tea leaves, coconut flakes, lemon peel, and lemon balm. The smell of the tea is coconut and sweetness. Smelling this made me smile because, honestly, this tea smells like candy.
As I said, I am a fan of both coconut and lemon, so I was looking forward to what this tea had to offer. While I found the scent of the tea delicious and charming I didn’t find the tea itself as impressive. I was thrown off by the sweetness of the stevia leaf while still searching for the combination of coconut and lemon I could smell but not taste. As the tea cooled I noticed more of the coconut flavor, and what I could taste was good. I just wanted a little more. The lemony flavors from the lemon balm and lemon peel eluded me altogether.
I can’t say this is a go-to tea for me, but I can see how tea lovers looking for a flavored tea with softer notes could appreciate it. It also has a good amount of sweetness without added sugar. It might be just the thing satiate a sweet tooth before it gets out of control. So, if you’re looking for a sweet, lightly flavored white tea and you’re a coconut lover then this might be the tea for you!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: BlendBee
Description
White Tea is by far one of the finest teas in the world. Paired with Coconut, Lemon Peel, Lemon Balm and Stevia leaf, it is a dream. Sit back, relax and linger with this beautiful mix.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Pacific Coast Lavender from Winterwoods Tea Company Courtesy of Amoda Tea
Herbal tea can be a great before-bed comfort, especially as the weather gets cooler. Composed of sweet and savory herbs and naturally caffeine-free, it’s hard to go wrong. Usually, my one complaint with herbal tea is that the flavor is mild or too delicate, but wow! Was I proven wrong on this blend! The lavender is so fresh, fragrant, and plentiful– it all but knocked me over when I first got a whiff of the dry leaf. This is a tea with simple but powerful ingredients, each one vibrant and visible in the blend.
The health benefits of these herbs are all the positive usual suspects: lavender and chamomile for relaxation, rose hips for health-boosting vitamin c, and cool, stomach-calming peppermint. When brewed, the lavender definitely takes the spotlight, lighting up my whole room with its warm, floral scent, and filling my senses when I bring my mug up to my face. Beneath all the lavender fragrance, the chamomile and peppermint play well together, producing a mellow, grassy, lemon-mint brew. The rose hips are harder to pick out. Traditionally, rose hips tend to be strong and sour, more like orange or hibiscus, but in this blend they appear only as a little fruity note at the back of each sip.
While I might not be in the mood for this tea every night, it definitely comforted me, reminding me of herbal teas I would drink when I was home sick or staying warm on a snowy day. Not to mention the lavender was out of this world: I have yet to find another lavender tea that can even come close to competing with this one.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Amoda Tea
Description:
Making this tea your evening ritual through Fall and Winter can be a great way to help naturally boost your mood if you’re experiencing wet grey days. Lavender can calm emotional stress, peppermint can invigorate your mind and chamomile will help soothe.
This tea is no longer on the site but others from Winterwoods Tea Company are here!
Pineapple Old Bay from Handmade Tea
Today I have a little bit of Tea Association for you but first a mini-back-story! My father is a bit obsessed with Old Bay Seasoning. Yes. Old Bay Seasoning. He puts it in everything! For Christmas he prides himself on his famous 29 egg omelette that can feed a small army. The secret ingredient? You guessed it…Old Bay Seasoning! Because my diet consists of vegan foods I will not partake in the Christmas Day Tradition but my husband, his brother, my sister, her husband, and my mother look forward to it every year. Enter Pineapple Old Bay from Handmade Tea.
This was the main reason I was so excited to try Pineapple Old Bay from Handmade Tea. More of a word association or in this case a tea association. I have to give credit where credit is due and in the sample I was sent I had a MIGHTY HUGE chunk of pineapple that was gently coated in Old Bay Seasoning. It looked impressive, it smelled YUMMERS, and it tasted semi-spicy, semi-sweet, and semi-savory all at the same time. The black tea base itself was of medium strength and the flavor combo of the Old Bay and the Pineapple seemed to be MADE for each other.
I tried this another time with just the spiced black tea in the strainer. No mammoth pineapple was seen or heard from with this second cuppa. And it was just as impressive! The only difference was it wasn’t sweet because of the lack of pineapple but I was ok with that. The Old Bay was the sole hero when it was standing by itself. It still shined. Pineapple Old Bay from Handmade Tea is something of a miracle of sorts. My father would be grinning from ear to ear…that is IF I left any for him to try! Sorry Dad…but YOU’RE WELCOME Tummy!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy This Monthly Box: Handmade Tea
Description
Pineapple Old Bay begins with a blend of two Chinese black teas. This is a medium base tea with bright notes. Hints of grapefruit can also be found. Large chunks of dried pineapple are blended into the base tea. This adds a juicy, tropical kick that pairs nicely with the grapefruity notes of the base tea blend. Lastly, a light dusting of Old Bay seasoning is added to the blend. This has a bit of a kick but is balanced enough to not be overwhelming. The spice kick helps balance the sweet pineapple.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Homestead Peach from Winterwoods Tea, part of Amoda’s Tea Box #VeganMoFo2016
Today’s prompt for Vegan MoFo 2016 is Multi-color. And with today’s tea, I think that fits perfectly. This tea is just gorgeous with all of the different color pop. Truly a multi color tea if I have to say so myself!
The tea of the moment here at Sororitea Sisters is Homestead Peach by Winterwoods Tea which was part of our Amoda Box. Homestead Peach by Winterwoods Tea is an herbal blend consisting of (mostly) organic ingredients…strawberry leaf, dried peaches, hibiscus, lemon peel, orange peel, rose hips, and peach extract.
I was surprised at the more laid-back, mellow aroma that this herbal tisane had. It’s wasn’t overpowering. It was subtly peach and citrus. I absolutely LOVED the fact that the peach FLAVOR of this was REAL. Not fake and/or chemically. I also LOVED that there was hardly any hibiscus in there. There seemed to be JUST ENOUGH to give it a little color in the cup and end-sip pucker on the tongue.
Homestead Peach by Winterwoods Tea was mouth wateringly (YES, I made that end in “LY”) tasty and gently flavored. I enjoyed this hot but even more cold. Homestead Peach by Winterwoods Tea is a fantastic herbal!
Just another wonderful reason why signing up for Amoda’s monthly tea box is the perfect way to enjoy teas you may have never even thought about trying or knew about. Perfect for that tea enthusiast on your holiday shopping list!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Subscribe to Amoda’s Monthly Box here!
Description
How We See It:
Rich peach notes, reminiscent of grilled peaches, blended with dark fruits, hibiscus and rose hips. This is an amazing tea to transition to Fall. You’ll love the tangy citrus finish too. This tea reminds us of home. It’s comforting and familiar.
What’s In It:
Organic strawberry leaf, dried peaches, organic hibiscus, organic lemon peel, organic orange peel, organic rose hips, pure peach extract (certified gluten free)
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!