Brewed hot, this tea is smooth and bright, with the fullness of black tea and crisp orange, and just enough vanilla to smooth out any astringency. The tea is creamy even without milk and sugar, but not so sweet or over-flavored to come off as artificial orange-creamsicle. In many ways this is definitely still a classic black tea.
With a name like Hammock Blend, this tea is meant to be a cold summer beverage, so I brewed a batch hot with sugar and let it chill. Iced and sweetened, I will say that the sugar complements the orange and cream flavors, though they weren’t any bolder after the iced brewing style. Maybe I’m just a bit out of season for this tea and I’ll have to give it another go when I’m sweltering in July.
Overall the flavors of this tea were a little subtle for my tastes, but would be a great choice for someone looking for a traditional black tea with just a little non-traditional twist. It’s hard to go wrong with a splash of orange and cream.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
Description:
When we set out to make the perfect loose leaf iced tea blend, we knew one of our favorite flavors was orange. With a hint of “creme” vanilla flavor, it makes the most delicious iced tea, the perfect thirst quencher on a sunny day. As the name implies, grab a cool glass of this tea and relax. Reminds you of an orangesicle without all the calories!
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Get a Boost with Green Tea +C Citrus Ginger
Green Tea + C Citrus Ginger from Sencha Naturals is an effervescent drink mix made with green tea, ginger, and orange flavoring. Like other immune-system-boosting fizzy drinks, this powder bubbles and hisses when mixed with water, like seltzer tablets. The powder and the drink smell super spicy with ginger and tangerine citrus. Drinking this beverage, there is a tart bite of citric acid, like the sourness in chewable vitamin C tablets. The ginger heat comes through in the aftertaste, bringing a warm and buzzy mouthfeel.
As a green tea, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this product. The green tea base is lost among the orange tartness and slight chalky consistency of the powder. However, I would recommend trying this out an alternative to fizzy, immune-boosting drinks. Green Tea +C is unique in that it is the first effervescent drink mix I’ve used that includes green tea in the ingredients.
At the end of a weekend, when I’m tired and facing another week, I sometimes feel like I need a boost, both mental and physical. That’s the time of day that I’d reach for something like Green Tea +C. The bubbles and tart orange flavor are energizing and zesty and I like the idea that I’m powering myself up with some Vitamin C, ready to face another Monday.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green tea powder
Where to Buy: Sencha Naturals
Description: We believe that nutrition should come from whole food ingredients, versus synthetic vitamins. Whole leaf green tea, acerola cherry, coconut water, and supporting herbs to help you stay well. Serve hot for a gingery warm and citrus-y bright cup of tea.
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Ganymede Matcha Tea Blend by MoongleamTeaShoppe
I wasn’t sure how to prepare this tea at first. It’s matcha, so you should be able to just put it in the hot water and shake/whisk it up, right? Well, no, because there are lumps in it as well. The green lumps (I thought they might just be matcha powder caked together that would come apart in the cup) turned out to be bits of citrus peel coated in matcha, which made me realize that there was less matcha in my cup than I at first thought, so I just went ahead and dumped the rest of the sample in too.
When dry, this tea was green, but once steeped it turned a super-muddy brown. By that I mean that it was not just brown but also opaque even before I added milk. I’m going to assume this was from the chocolate. I could taste a hint of chocolate in the tea, although it was hidden way down under the mint still.
There is some bitterness to this tea, but I think that’s from the mint (because it tasted to me like mint tea that has been steeped a bit too long) rather than from the matcha. So next time I’d be more careful not to steep it quite so long. I was trying to give the citrus peel a chance to wake up, but I don’t think it stood a chance against the mint anyway.
Once I added some sugar and lots of milk, it tasted primarily of mint-chocolate, but still very heavy on the mint. I could hardly taste the matcha itself at all because of the mint, which could be a good thing if you don’t especially like matcha flavor but still want the energy that comes from it. With the addition of milk, the citrus became almost nonexistent– although not totally gone– kind of like a ghost. Sometimes I thought I caught a hint of it but I’m not totally sure and it wasn’t a very substantial hint anyway.
Looking at the ingredients list, I notice that there was black tea in this as well. I didn’t really notice it (as I said, before steeping everything was coated in matcha and afterward everything tasted strongly of mint). Maybe there wasn’t very much of it, because it certainly didn’t have a very strong presence in this tea blend.
So in conclusion, I’d say that if you like strongly minty mint chocolate matcha, this could be great for you. It would also be great as a functional breakfast tea because it has all the refreshing qualities of mint plus the caffeine from the matcha. I’m not sure I’d buy this particular blend but I sure had fun with the sample!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Moongleam Tea Shoppe
Description
The rich, earthy flavor of matcha meets the sweetness of cocoa, mint, and orange peel.
The flavors combine wonderfully to create a wonderful interplay.
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Aria blend from The Jasmine Pearl Tea Co.
Immediately evident in the dry leaves are whole cloves and some seed pods that I thought at first were anise but, after looking at the ingredients, I decided must be fennel. The attractive-looking combination also includes bits of licorice and marshmallow root as well as orange peel and peppermint plus cinnamon and ginger.
I’d say this tea would probably great for reducing throat irritation/scratchiness/etc, whether you have a cold or allergies or have just overused or abused your voice recently. (Which I haven’t. But I’ll be sure to use this tea next time my throat is feeling under the weather!) It probably can’t work miracles, like if you have laryngitis and are hoping to still go on stage or something, but it does have a markedly soothing effect. Also, this tea can be re-steeped! So you can use it over and over again, although I personally didn’t test to see how many cups of tea it will make so I can’t give a figure. I’d recommend this tea for not only singers but anyone who might sometimes overuse their voice or who might have to use their voice while sick, like teachers (can’t stop teaching just cause you have a cold!).
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: The Jasmine Pearl Tea Company
Description
A singer’s best friend! This herbal blend was originally designed for Portland’s very own Hampton Opera Center. Licorice, marshmallow root, cinnamon and mint are some of the ingredients used in this blend to provide relief and aid to the throat. Aria satisfies, soothes and warms.
Caffeine-Free.
Licorice Root*, Fennel*, Clove*, Cinnamon*, Orange Peel*, Ginger*, Peppermint*, and Marshmallow Root.
*Organically Grown.
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Spring Hickory Oolong Tea from Plum Deluxe
I’m not sure sure WHY but for some reason I thought Spring Hickory Oolong Tea from Plum Delux contained CHICORY in it but it DOESN’T. Which is ok because I’m not a HUGE fan of Chicory but I don’t necessarily hate it either. So at first when I Spring Hickory Oolong Tea from Plum Delux I was thinking to myself…’wow…the chicory in this isn’t that bad’ well that’s because there isn’t any in there that is why! Okay..crazy tangent over…on to the actual review of this tea…shall we?
Spring Hickory Oolong Tea from Plum Delux DOES contain oolong, orange peel, cinnamon, and pecan essence. I would say that the ratio or breakdown was ‘pretty even-steven’. So 25/25/25/25 split of flavors on my tongue!
I have enjoyed Spring Hickory Oolong Tea from Plum Delux both HOT and COLD. I cannot decide which I like better. Both have an extremely pleasing flavor which is flavored oolong with orange-cinnamon. The pecan flavors do seems to shine more when cold, however.
I’m not sure if this is a tea that would be enjoyed specifically in the spring months. I’m enjoying Spring Hickory Oolong Tea from Plum Delux months later and I think it’s pretty fabulous!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong Tea
Where to Buy: Plum Delux
Description: Relax into the unfolding of seasonal change as we go from winter to spring. Contains: Oolong Tea, Orange Peel, Cinnamon, Pecan Essence,
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
