There’s something magical that happens whenever I get a new tea from Plum Deluxe. It’s like Andy and his fantastic tea blenders just have a wire straight to my brain and know JUST what kind of tea I’m craving at any given moment. (Seriously, you guys. How do you do it. HOW.)
When this fruity, fragrant tea of the month showed up at my doorstep, I was a tiny bit cranky from this random week dreary getting close to spring time kind of days — and little did I know, a fresh cup of fruity iced tea was just what the doctor ordered to cure me of my let’s get winter over -crankyness.
This delicious oolong & black blend brews up with mild, fruity sweetness in the brewed cup, and is a perfect combination with a splash of lemonade (my favorite way to serve it) or paired with a hint of sparkling water. But you guys, if we’re being honest? I’ve been hoarding the dry leaf to sniff instead of brewing it because it smells OH SO VERY GOOD. Do you remember the sweet and delicious tang of strawberry fruit snacks as a kiddo? This tea is a DEAD RINGER for that delightful flavor-memory, but sans any of the chemical-ick.
Frankly, it’s the only cure I’ve found to remedy the crankiness that is born of cold dreary days. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go pour a cup and stick my nose in the dry leaf and enjoy.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong & Black
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Marshmallow Assam from 52Teas. . . .
Let’s talk about campfires for a sec. (Stay with me, this is going somewhere.)
It’s a summer night. You’re sitting around a crackling fire with friends. Lightning bugs are buzzing around, filling the dusk with a whimsical twinkly glow. The smoky woodsiness of the fire fills the air, and you’re blessed out on late-summer good vibes.
And what else has to be there? (This isn’t an easy one, friends.) Toasted marshmallows, of COURSE. And what do you do when you can’t be living in this midsummer fairytale? You sip this tea, of course.
This Assam is bold and malty, as they should be– but it also perfectly captures the perfect, spun-sugar-vanilla flavor of marshmallows. Beyond that, it brings that delightfully toasted, starchy flavor of a toasted marshmallow straight to the surface (especially when served with cream) in a way that’s way more layered than just aspddinf vanilla to a tea and calling it “marshmallow”. 52 Teas has truly knocked it out of the park with this one. If you’re a marshmallow lover (or a campfire enthusiast, as I so clearly am), this one needs to live in your cabinet!
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!
Mint Lemonade Organic Green Tea from Fraser Tea. . . .
Fraser Tea was one of my favorite “new to me” tea companies from 2017. I instantly fell in love with their teas and loved the selection they have to pick from. A few orders later, I’m still enjoying their teas almost on a daily basis.
Mint Lemonade Organic Green Tea is a unique blend of green tea, spearmint, turmeric, and other organic ingredients. I can’t say I’ve seen another offering like this one for a green flavored mint lemonade tea. So this pretty much was a “I have to have this now” sort of tea.
Brewed up with water around 190F and allowed to steep for 4 minutes, this tea definitely strives to be a mint green tea with a lemon and herbal twist. Smooth, refreshing, and completely addictive. The green tea, lemon, and mint flavors come across in this wonderful melody. As much as I enjoyed the tea, with the long list of ingredients this tea blend contains, I had this feeling that cold brewing this bad boy would be the way to go.
Cold brewed over night, this tea is sensational! Fresh pops of lemon really come across with this minty green tea base. You get this almost herbaceous and spicy hint here and there that really elevated this tea. Sunshine in a glass for sure!
If you haven’t taken a look at all that Fraser Tea has to offer, take a moment and check them out. So far I have been super impressed with the teas I’ve picked up. I have to drink down my tea stash a bit but as soon as I do, Fraser Tea will be getting another order from me.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Fraser Tea
Description
Enjoy a glass of invigorating Mint Lemonade Organic Green Tea for a pleasing summer refresher any time of year. Green tea unites with spearmint, peppermint, turmeric, and lemongrass to create a citrus explosion. Relax with a glass of iced Mint Lemonade Organic Green Tea for its health benefits and refreshing flavor.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Blueberry Custard customized from BlendBee.com
Confession: I’m completely fine with drinking alone…. Tea, of course 😉 But drinking with friends offers some undeniable benefits – laughter and memories made, more importantly a spread of tastebuds that offers better insight than just one picky tongue.*
There are so so many beautiful ingredients in this custom Blueberry Custard from Blendbee, I needed all the help I could get to do it justice! First off, I highly recommend using a clear brewing system (gravity steeper or mason jar) to be able to fully enjoy the making of this majestic Purple infusion. (Fortunately I had just cleaned the hard-earned tea patina off mine with baking soda and vinegar, so it was even more beautiful than my usual cuppa!)
Between the three of us sipping, only one added sugar and it really took away from the innate sweetness of this mix, hmmm better off just trusting the blend maker on this one. Some of us were crazy about this tea, but others found the herbals to be unpalatable. So we looked into what exactly were imbibing…
With Blendbee, you can create your own mix weighing anywhere from 1 oz to ½ pound. You start with a choice from 15 tea bases, and here they chose the China Green tea.
Next there are over 90 categorized ingredients to choose from (though it’s recommended to stick below 8). Must be a tough decision from all those options! This blender chose 7:
Earthy and pungent category: yarrow flower;
Mild and fruity category: elder berries;
Herbaceous herb category: strawberry leaves;
Mild and nutty category: ashwaganda root;
Mild and herbal category: agrimony herb, and coriander seed;
And one uncategorized, marshmallow root.
Next the website offers additional extracts and flavors (up to 3 per blend). Here the blueberry and custard flavor extracts were used. (It was argued at one point that this put the ingredient count to 9, above the recommended 8, but that person is a stickler for semantics and didn’t like the tea anyway, so read that with a grain of salt).
Some of these herbs strike me as acquired tastes, beyond that, I would’ve preferred having actual blueberries instead of the extract, though I didn’t see it as an option (yet) and the extract probably consistently offers more flavor in a smaller space.
This organic blend featured so many different flavor profiles, it was a… memorable… experience for well-developed sippers, and newbies alike.
*The best part of sharing with friends is finding a loving home for leaves that aren’t your favorite (yet). Thanks H.R.!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: BlendBee
Description:
Create custom teas, with more than a hundred quality and organic ingredients to choose from.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Pineapple Marshmallow Black Tea from 52Teas. . .
Pineapple marshmallow?!? What?! How did I not know about this? Pineapple and marshmallow are two of my favorite things and alas I missed out on this tea. Luckily I have the wonderful CuppaGeek who surprises me with such delicious things.
This is flavorful and yet not-in-your face. The black tea is a touch malty without being too much, therefore providing the perfect foundation for the flavors. The pineapple is subtle and sweet while the marshmallow is fluffy. Both flavors distinct while also seamlessly intertwined.
I am definitely a fan of this one. It’s a shame this is out of stock because I would have snatched this up immediately. Now, having gotten a taste, I will be keeping my eye open for a reblend of this tea. It is on my wishlist.
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.
