Huckleberry Zen from Perkse Tea . . . .

by SuperStarling

At first I thought this tea was named after Huckleberry Finn, and it was some kind of literary blend. But it turns out the huckleberry is an actual plant (the state fruit of Idaho) that’s kind of blueberry-like. So I’m ignorant. (Surprise!)

This blend tastes like tart berries and sweet rose petals. Rose isn’t always my favorite, but I think that it works here to balance out the berries.

The blend is described by Perkse as “country chic,” which feels meaningless to me, but I suppose I could imagine drinking it in the morning on a rocking chair on a porch. Blanket over lap. Old dog at feet. Waving at neighbors as they amble about their morning walks to the post office and nickel-and-dime store.

Like huckleberries, I don’t know much about country life, obviously.

But if you’d like to try the combination of berries and roses, this might be the one for you!

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Black
Where to Buy: Perkse Tea
Description

A deliciously smooth and suckle black tea with notes of fruity huckleberries. Our huckleberries are sourced from Europe and blended to make a wonderful black tea.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

SuperStarling

"Hey, everybody! I'm Leah, a graphic designer from Pennsylvania, United States. I live with my husband and rescue mutt in a house with colorful walls. I love fonts, colors, animals, flowers, novels, illustration, geeking out, and -- obviously! -- tea. I've only been heavily into tea for about a year, but I've found I tend to prefer loose blended black dessert teas. I normally drink them hot western style without anything added; if I add in some vanilla almond milk or honey, I promise I'll mention it! When I'm not blogging here, I'm blogging at leahlucci.com/starling or posting to Instagram (super_starling), so come say hi!"

This post was posted in Black Tea, Perkse Tea

The Unicorn! from 52Teas. . . .

by VariaTEA

For my 25th birthday, my family surprised me with a sweet table. An entire sweet table! Not just any sweet table though. It was a unicorn themed sweet table and it was amazing. So, you can be sure that when 52 Teas came out with a unicorn tea, I would be all over it. Lucky for me, I didn’t even need to place an order because I won a contest and this arrived at my door. I would say it was meant to be.

This tea was inspired by the limited time frappucino from a certain coffee shop. It is a black tea blended with marshmallow root, vanilla bean, mangoes, blueberries, and strawberries. It also has adorable heart sprinkles that make for one lovely tea. I steeped it for 2.5 minutes in boiling water as per the recommended steeping parameters. I then let it cool for a bit before I started drinking.

The tea really is lovely. The yunnan and assamica is smooth and malty while the vanilla adds a creamy note. The marshmallow is fluffy and the whole tea has a nice fruity flavor to round everything out. Each fruit flavor pops from time to time but overall the marshmallow, vanilla, black tea, and fruit just come together so beautifully to make one awesomely flavored dessert tea. Also, having tried the drink that inspired this, I would say this definitely surpassed its inspiration given it doesn’t have a year’s worth of sugar and therefore is not overly sweet. Instead this has enough flavor to be interesting while not being over-the-top that one would easily bore of it.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Black
Where to Buy:  52Teas
Description

This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

VariaTEA

Hey there! My name is Rachel. I’m a twenty-something from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who loves dogs and has a bit of an obsession with tea. As a child I hated the stuff since all I ever knew was Red Rose (no offense to Red Rose). However, a few years ago that all changed. I was on a diet and desperate for new flavors without adding calories and that’s when I turned to tea. I started off by going to DAVIDsTEA and Teavana for all their dessert-inspired flavors, and since I didn’t know any better, I bought 100 grams each of about twenty-something different teas. This was okay for the teas I liked but for those I didn’t I needed to find some way of getting rid of them. Enter Steepster.com. This is where I met some incredible tea friends, discovered tea swaps, and learned of so many amazing tea companies. My desire to try all the teas grew and since joining three years ago I have tried over a thousand different teas. I have learned what ingredients I love and I have learned what flavors I don’t like. I determined my go-to brewing method is Western-style with no added milk or sweeteners, though I also enjoy cold brewing, iced teas, teapops, lattes, and smoothies. I have yet to brew gong-fu style but I hope to do so just as soon as I get the proper teaware to do it. About a year ago, I actually stopped drinking tea but as my stash of over 200 teas started aging I decided I needed to respark my interest. I chose to take a 365 days of tea challenge on Instagram in which I post a new tea picture every day. So far it has been rather successful as I find myself drinking (and buying) more and more tea each day. Plus it enabled CuppaGeek to find me and invite me here to SororiTea Sisters.

This post was posted in 52Teas, Black Tea

Organic Vanilla Almond Sachet from Boston Tea Company

by Sensiblyscript

This morning my tea infusers are all full of teas that I plan to re-steep but don’t currently feel like drinking, so I decided that now is the perfect time to try this tea, which comes in a handy and elegant pyramid-shaped sachet. I steeped it for five minutes, which I spent wondering if it would taste like a baked good. I mean, vanilla and almond flavoring are two of the most common flavorings for cookies and stuff, right?

Upon tasting it, I found the flavor pleasantly sweet even before I added milk and sugar. I found that because of its natural sweetness it didn’t require very much sugar. I think the flavor goes perfectly with milk, though, and the aroma and aftertaste are just as nice as the actual taste, which is a big plus. I was happy that it didn’t leave an odd aftertaste like some teas do. Instead, my mouth felt fresh and almondy after each sip.
The steeping recommendations said to steep this tea for 3-5 minutes. I allowed the relatively light color to fool me into thinking it needed to be steeped for longer, so I opted for 5 minutes rather than 3. I think this was a mistake because I couldn’t easily the vanilla through the almond. It still tasted great, but if you’re hoping to taste the vanilla you might want to not steep it quite so long. I tried a second steeping and it came out a bit more balanced after 3.5 minutes. So it seems you can adjust the steeping times based on how strong you like your almond flavoring and what flavor balance you prefer.
All in all, this was a sweet, pleasant, friendly tea. I enjoyed it as a breakfast tea and I think it would be great as a dessert tea as well.

 

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Boston Tea Company

Description

As you open the envelope of this certified organic tea, the luscious scents of vanilla will surround you. A silken sachet filled with our premium organic blend of Chinese and Inidan black teas, slices of organic almonds and vanilla. This tea will soothe your soul with every sip. CONTAINS 15 Silk Sachet Pyramid Tea Bags Individually Wrapped in Envelopes to Preserve Freshness HEALTH Rich in anti-oxidants, including favonoids, ie: catechins and polyphenols, these substances in tea provide many health benefits, such as preventing tooth decay, lowering cholesterol, and assisting in the prevention of heart attacks. Boston Tea’s Loose Leaf Tea reflects the passion projected in our company’s motto: “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Tea”. Our Full Leaf Tea embodies natural beauty, rich aromas, and the finest quality that our worldly Master Tea Blenders ardently seek. Found in the lush planataions of Sri Lanka and South Africa to the mountainous regions of China and India, Boston Tea blends its tea to create the heartiest, strongest, and most flavorful cup. Double your tea-drinking pleasure; try and of these flavors hot or iced! Gluten Free Yes Kosher Orthodox Union (OU) Ingredients Premium Blend of Organic Chinese and Indian Black Tea, Almond Slices, Marigold Petals, Vanilla Flavor Tea Bag Count 15

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Sensiblyscript

Hi! My name is Tabitha and I'm an uprooted PNW native living in the South with my husband and my cocker spaniel. My favorite teas are usually dark and strong and go well with milk and sugar. I like to combine tea-drinking with all of my favorite activities, such as listening to music, reading YA fiction, knitting, and writing blog and website content for businesses. Because I'm a well-rounded person, I also have other interests, such as wearing mismatched socks and pretending to be ambidextrous.

This post was posted in Black Tea, Boston Tea Company, Uncategorized