I’m going to get all ‘Harry Potter on your arses” today and to do that I would like to introduce you to Hufflepuff House Blend from The Forest Witch. It’s the tea I’m featuring during #FanaticFriday here at Sororitea Sisters!
In our home we currently have 4 furkids…3 dogs and a cat. Hubby and I have jokingly said in the past that Paco our full Chihuahua would probably resided in Hufflepuff while Charlie our feral cat would set up shop in Slytherin. Riley – our Corgi/Lab mix would most likely fit in with Griffindor. Finally, Cricket, our Chihuahua/Toy Rat Terrier would side with those in Ravenclaw. Yes…I’m really that nerdy, folks! I’m glad I’m not the only one and I’m glad there are fan teas out there including Hufflepuff House Blend from The Forest Witch.
What I’m not completely clear on are the ingredients in this honeybush tea. While I am to eat vegan I am sure there are things that slip through the cracks. If I know something is not vegan I will not consume it. I saw on the Etsy Shop that the ingredients of this offering were: Honeybush, Lemon and orange pieces, calendula petals, essences of cake and warm icing which I assume are flavorings because I didn’t see actual cake/bread/icing in the loose mix. Fingers crossed and if it was my error I’m truly sorry! What I can tell you is that Hufflepuff House Blend from The Forest Witch was pretty tasty and I think House Hufflepuff would be proud! I could see myself sitting in the basement near the fire sipping on this for sure!
The flavors of orange, lemon, and honeybush are first and foremost in this flavor on the tongue. There is a sweet yet smooth consistency to the sip. I’m sipping on Hufflepuff House Blend from The Forest Witch hot but also letting it cool at room temperature as I sip and I can already tell that it would be outstanding as an iced tea, as well!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: The Forest Witch
Description:
A perfect, sunny tea to cheer you up! Enjoy by a warm fireplace in the Hufflepuff common room as birds flit by outside the windows and open door to the school grounds.
Three citrus fruits flavour delicious, spongy cake with a delectable, buttery icing.
Honeybush tea mixed with lemon and orange pieces, calendula petals for a pop of sunny colour. Essences of cake and warm icing swirl in this tasty cup to bring you a lovely cup of dessert.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Jackfruit Delight from Mahamosa
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black Tea and Green Tea Blend
Where to Buy: Mahamosa Tea & Spice
Tea Description:
A fruity Chinese-Sri Lankan black and green tea blend with unique hints of spice. You will taste notes of exotic fruits, berries and creamy soft almond. Orange peels and flowers add flavor and decoration. Ingredients: Black tea, green tea, orange peels, flavoring, rose petals, safflowers, marigold petals.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Today’s tea I geeked out a bit – I have to admit – it’s Jackfruit Delight from Mahamosa. Now let me tell you WHY I geeked out about Jackfruit Delight from Mahamosa. There are several reasons. The first being that it’s Jackfruit. Jackfruit has been popular in certain countries for a while now but here in the US it’s gaining popularity and I try and find Jackfruit and Jackfruit flavored things whenever I can. The 2nd reason I geeked out about Jackfruit Delight from Mahamosa is because it’s a Black and Green Tea Blend. I’ve had a lot of black/green blended teas that have been pretty bad and this one is the complete opposite. This black and green tea blend is super YUMMY!
Jackfruit Delight from Mahamosa smells like Jackfruit, green tea, and black tea. Mission accomplished on aroma! It ‘brews up’ a darker brown once in the cup. The Jackfruit flavor is powerful followed by BOTH the green tea and black tea flavors. My palate picked up about 60/40 green/black ratio. I think this is a good ratio to have. I have tried green/black blends before and all you can taste is a ‘stale’ green tea and very little to NO black tea. This is NOT the case here with Jackfruit Delight from Mahamosa. The green tea is nice and fresh and so is the black tea in this blend. The black tea doesn’t over power the green tea or the flavor of the Jackfruit. I give this tea two thumbs up on aroma, flavor, and blending success!
Citrus Spice Tea From Tea Is Chi
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: Tea is Chi
Tea Description:
A lovely blend of gunpowder green, orange, and cinnamon.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Citrus Spice Tea from Tea Is Chi is a very nicely done flavored Gunpowder Green Tea. It features both orange and/or orange peel and cinnamon flavors in with the Gunpowder Green. I will say that the flavors that were combined with the green tea base wasn’t over the top but I think that they reached the level of flavor they were going for here because I believe sometimes it can be difficult to appropriately flavor a Gunpowder Green Tea. Sometimes the flavoring on Gunpowder Green Teas that I have tried in the past are either too intense or not intense enough. Others don’t seem to mesh well with the natural smokiness of the gunpowder or Earth-tones or veggie-like notes of the green tea base. Citrus Spice Tea from Tea Is Chi seems to bust through those barricades! The orange is citrusy and semi-puckery and the cinnamon gives it a terrific contrasting kick! I find this to be a good tea to give to people who are unsure about green teas or gunpowders more specifically. This is darn tasty ICED, too! Nice Job, Tea is Chi!
Earl Grey Black from Camellia Sinensis
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Camellia Sinensis
Tea Description:
From Dooars, in northern India, this quality black tea is scented with a natural flavouring extracted from organic Italian bergamot, a highly aromatic citrus fruit. You’ll be spellbound after one sip of this English classic.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Recently I made an order with Camellia Sinensis for some teaware and they included several free teas such as this tea. Personally, I’ve never really sought to purchase an EG blend from Camellia Sinensis; I do enjoy Earl Grey but not enough to need more than one good kind on hand (and currently I’m loving the Liquid Proust’s Peach vs. Bergamot twist on the traditional Earl Grey) and when I’m ordering from Camellia Sinensis, which I frequently do, it’s more for the interesting and often unique straight/pure teas they carry or for the teaware.
That said, I’m grateful for the inclusion: I love the fact this Earl Grey is both organic and fair trade as those as aspects of tea I look to support as often as possible. This sample was a sachet style tea bag, and I ended up making it early in the morning before work. I have to say, I thought the dry leaf smelled fairly mild and quite floral and even as it was steeping up I was noticing more floral traits than anything overwhelmingly bergamot-heavy. However, the taste wasn’t bad! I enjoyed how smooth and clean the overall flavour was in addition to the light floral notes and medium concentration of bergamot flavour. There was also a very natural sweetness which I was fond of. That said, I wouldn’t have minded if the bergamot was a little stronger. For people who really LOVE Earl Grey and drink it on a more daily basis this could be perceived as a little light handed.
Overall, not a ‘stand out’ Earl Grey but a solid choice if you’re already placing a Camellia Sinensis order and want to do all your shopping in one place. And like I pointed out, the fact it’s Organic and Fair Trade (and still reasonably priced) makes it a tea easy to get behind.
The Holiday Season Approaches!
This isn’t a review but an advertisement (sorry guys!) No, we don’t usually advertise here on this site – this is an anomaly – but because one of the founding SororiTea Sisters is now the Mad Tea Artist behind 52Teas, she gets the privilege of deviating from the norm.
And 52Teas has a Holiday Pre-Sale going on right now on Kickstarter! This isn’t a typical “fundraising” Kickstarter campaign, instead, this is a chance for you to get some Christmas shopping done early while it helps us keep things just a little more organized by keeping our pre-sales separate from our day-to-day sales activity.
52Teas is offering 5 unique, limited edition teas for this promotion – these teas will be available only during the season and once they’re sold out, they won’t be reblended until next Christmas!
Here’s the specs on those five VITs (Very Important Teas):
- Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire – This is a special blend of black teas with a hint of Lapsang Souchong to give it that smoky touch that you’d experience from an open fire. Flavored with chestnut and caramel and just a hint of spice to give it that winter-y kind of appeal.
- Gingerbread Houjicha – I love the flavor of gingerbread and I think that the roasty-toasty, nutty flavor of houjicha would offer a delightful base to these flavors.
- Eggnog Chai – A Chai blend (black tea with a touch of honeybush) flavored with notes of custard-y eggnog with an extra dash of nutmeg to enliven the cup. This would make a great latte to serve Santa on Christmas Eve!
- Cranberry Orange Cider – A blend of red and green rooibos that’s been flavored with cranberry, orange and apple with a medley of holiday spices.
- Peppermint Marshmallow Melting in Hot Chocolate – For this blend, I chose a special black tea blend (crafted with teas from our friends at Verdant Tea) for the base that has a rich, natural cacao flavor with hints of malt. Peppermint, marshmallow and even more chocolate-y flavor to create a deliciously delightful cuppa.
YUM! So please take a moment to visit the 52Teas Kickstarter Holiday Pre-Sale and get some of that early Christmas shopping done early! The campaign closes on October 27th so your card won’t be charged until that date, and the teas will be shipped in plenty of time for gift giving!
Thanks for taking a moment to read this . . . now let’s get back to the reviews!
