Okay…full disclosure here…I’m far from being a Sweet Tea Guru so when I receive Handcrafted Organic Green Tea Blended For Sweet Tea from Sweet Tea Junkie I’ve been carefully planning on how to tackle this review.
I would like to explain that a bit more. I grew up on PLAIN tea. No matter what kind of tea it is I drink it PLAIN. Even Chai. I’m sure it’s because I was raised about as much of a Yankee as one could grow up! My husband – on the other hand – LOVES Sweet Tea and grew up on that as a child.
Having said that I thought I would share with you my experiences with Handcrafted Organic Green Tea Blended For Sweet Tea from Sweet Tea Junkie. First I would like to come clean and tell you that I sampled this tea straight-up, as-is, and with nothing added – because that is how I roll.
Plain and with NOTHING added this was a solid Gunpowder Green Tea. I’m careful NOT to over infuse green teas – especially Gunpowders because they tend to get bitter. This one worked out nicely and didn’t have the stale bitterness that others tend to have. My plain taste test with Handcrafted Organic Green Tea Blended For Sweet Tea from Sweet Tea Junkie was a success!
I then broke out of my comfort zone and tried Handcrafted Organic Green Tea Blended For Sweet Tea from Sweet Tea Junkie ICED the way the company intended it! I followed the instructions and decided to use NATURAL Sugar Crystals. I first tried it with about 5 of them and it was gently sweetened. I then added about 7 more and it really kicked it up a notch. According to these Sugar Crystals they are in its purest form and will not take away from the flavor of the tea. I found that to be true.
I decided to try a second infusion of this Handcrafted Organic Green Tea Blended For Sweet Tea from Sweet Tea Junkie and added just a few more crystals and I think I enjoyed the second infusion even better than the first.
When it comes to hot brewed – iced sweet tea – from loose leaf…Handcrafted Organic Green Tea Blended For Sweet Tea from Sweet Tea Junkie is a game changer! I was blown away at how much I enjoyed this cuppa – especially for NOT being into Sweet Tea to begin with! Excellent product!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: Sweet Tea Junkie
Description:
Introducing the first Organic Tea from your friends at Sweet Tea Junkie. This Handcrafted Organic Green Tea is known as a Gunpowder Green, and was named such by British Soldiers hundreds of years ago due to the way that the leaves are “rolled” into balls that resembled the small pouches they would grind into gunpowder.
Hey, we know that looks and a good story are great but we’re tea drinkers here at Sweet Tea Junkie and can say with certainty that whether you want to stay traditional and drink this tea hot with no sugar, or go all southern on it and brew a gallon of Sweet Green Tea this will be the best tasting organic green tea you’ll find!
While black tea is the most popular type of tea in the United States, worldwide Green tea takes the crown due largely in part to it’s widely known health benefits and it’s popularity in Asian Countries.
The amazing thing about a loose leaf tea is that you can actually watch the leaves as they unfurl (open) during the steeping process. Our Handcrafted Organic Green Tea is no different, the fact that the leaves are tightly rolled makes for an interesting experience that you just won’t get from the big National tea brands who largely use teas that have been ground into a dust like form (ie. tea dust).
Learn even more about this tea here.
Earl Grey Organic Black Tea Crystals from Pique Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Pique Tea
Tea Description:
Citrusy. Cherry-infused. Your day just got fancier.
Polyphenol Antioxidant Level: 245mg
- 14 sachets (servings) per carton
- Organic, premium tea leaves brewed and crystallized for a perfect cup of tea
- Simply open, pour in cup, and add water
- Free of artificial flavors, preservatives and sugar
Our delicious Earl Grey is made from the finest Organic and Fair Trade certified leaves from the world-renowned Idulgashinna Estate in the Uva region in eastern Sri Lanka. A really special area, at 3,300-6,500 feet in elevation, the Uva region receives tons of rain in winter very strong, dry winds in late summer. This garden produces a very smooth cup with light fruity hints and delicate pungency. The finish is long and clean, with a hint of fresh-cut pine and a nice accent of orange zest.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Boy do I have a product for you – Earl Grey Organic Black Tea Crystals from Pique Tea – is something I will tell EVERYONE about today! Pique Tea takes LEAF to crystal! Pique Tea Crystals are the intersection of modern science and ancient tradition—a proprietary process that slow brews and extracts the fresh flavor and nutrients of whole leaf tea at optimal levels and locks it in a crystal form.
This in itself made me categorize this product in with the black tea rather than only putting them in with tea products. I have tried other products that are crystals for your tea which would be specifically a tea product but Earl Grey Organic Black Tea Crystals from Pique Tea are crystals that are ACTUALLY made from tea leaves. That is the most important and deciding factor here, I think.
Another thing I want to point out about Earl Grey Organic Black Tea Crystals from Pique Tea is that the crystals that you pour in your cup – heat up – and enjoy – are just that – crystals – or what may look to many – as powder. After closer examination you will see that the ‘dust’ varies in size and the more sizable crystals may (or may not) have a glimmer to them.
Now…let’s talk about the more sizable glimmery crystals – shall we? I’ve had other products that you pour into a cup and have had minimal tea in them but have been completely overpowered by sugar and other additives. I have had novelTEA products that have been a groovy concept but not that great in flavor. I have had MANY ‘convenient’ pour-in-and-go packaged tea or tea-like drink mixes that have collected grit in the bottom of my cup. But let me be clear when I say that Earl Grey Organic Black Tea Crystals from Pique Tea blows all of these other product away! Sure…the directions say stir but I have to tell you I didn’t even have to do that! As soon as my hot water splashed these fine crystals they dissolved! Nothing was found at the bottom of the cup! The liquid looked like PURE and clean black tea!
And I rejoiced when I tasted NO sugar in this cuppa! If you have been reading this blog for a while you may know that I do NOT add ANYTHING to my teas! I drink them straight up! No sugars or other additives – no milk or milk alternatives! I really think this little packet of wonder was made for me!
Another comparison I would like to point out here is the trendy and mainstream K-Cups that we’ve all seen on the shelves! I have a problem with these. I have tried just about every tea based K-cup out there HOPING that I can find one at least acceptable but I haven’t yet. (If you know of one – or are from a company that uses quality tea in K-cup form please leave a comment and/or contact us). Anyhow…enough about my Tea Based K-Cup rant – I was going somewhere with this! And that is that Earl Grey Organic Black Tea Crystals from Pique Tea shines brighter than ANY K-Cup or drop-and-heat product out there!
Now…on to the actual smell and taste! As for aroma – Earl Grey Organic Black Tea Crystals from Pique Tea – isn’t an in-your-face Earl Grey punch to the nose but I am ok with that. The taste, however, is pretty good! It DOES taste like Earl Grey! It’s not an overdone Earl Grey flavor but it’s not underdone either. The one thing that I seemed to have missed is the cherry infusion that the product description mentioned but I’m not worried about that. I would put this on the ‘just right’ flavor scale! I bet if I wanted it stronger I could probably just use a little less water. I have yet to experiment with this. This Earl Grey Organic Black Tea Crystals from Pique Tea is a real winner!
I was quite surprised with this product and will be mentioning it to MANY. I was able to sneak one of their other flavors and will be doing a review of that in the neat future, too, and let me tell you that was impressive as well! Pique Tea is a game changer! There…I said it!
Mountain Organic Indonesian Oolong Tea from Tea At Sea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong Tea
Where to Buy: Tea At Sea
Tea Description:
Organic grown in the Halimun Mountains of Indonesia at 800m above Sea-Level. Treated with natural spring water and fresh mountain air. These 35% oxidized tea leaves have a honey milk aroma, light creamy taste with a hint of marine. Wake up the tea leaves and steep around 100°C and watch how the leaves slowly unfold to extract their natural flavour. Enjoy!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Mountain Organic Indonesian Oolong Tea from Tea At Sea has consistently high ratings over at Steepster. I tend to agree with those high ratings but here is my take on this specific tea.
Upon opening the package it looks and smells like your average oolong but the taste is what I will be focusing in this review! First impressions on this first sip were great! First and foremost I had a strong honeysuckle flavor smack my taste buds from the very beginning. Then there were other floral and semi-sweet grassy notes to follow. In follow-up sips and at shorter steeping times I noticed more buttery, creamy, and milky type flavors come into play. An interesting find with a lingering aftertaste was the hint of peach I could pick up on as well.
As long as you don’t over infuse this one you should have ‘smooth sailin’ with this one. Pardon the pun but seriously…Mountain Organic Indonesian Oolong Tea from Tea At Sea is a nice, solid yet smooth, greener tasting oolong that I enjoyed very much!
S’mores Genmaicha Green Tea from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
I reblended this tea to fulfill part of our start-up Kickstarter campaign’s add-on offers! This was part of the Genmaicha 3-Tier collection – a yummy blend of Matcha infused Genmaicha green tea and chocolate and marshmallow flavors. I added cacao shells & nibs, mini vegan chocolate chips and marshmallow root to the blend. This is yummy!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This gemaicha is a perfect tea for the weather out there today! I’ve battened down the hatches and hunkered down, because the outside world has turned completely white. I’m living in a surreal ghost town of powder. It certainly doesn’t help that the wind keeps whipping up the 3 feet of snow that has already fallen. I can’t even open my front door! And to think it was almost 70 degrees yesterday. That’s Denver spring for ya.
I can’t believe I have already finished this package! I received the 3-tier genmaicha tin set from 52Teas’ initial kickstarter not too long ago. At first I didn’t care for the flavor, especially with the chocolate pieces. It’s a personal pet peeve of mine to have chocolate chips in tea. But I love the flavors of marshmallows and graham crackers, and I did not want to allow these chocolate abominations to keep me from enjoying this tea. So I just picked out and straight up ate the chocolate chips. May I just say that they are a great compliment to the tea – better than if they were in the blend, fusing to the sides of my teapot and creating an odd sludge.
I quickly became addicted to this blend. I think I drank nothing but this tea for about a week straight. It’s so on point – each flavor is well developed and distinct, from the smooth and mellow marshmallow to the crisp and sweet graham cracker right up to the vegetal grassiness and toasty rice flavor of the genmaicha. I love flavored genmaicha, and this blend is a great combination of a funky flavor idea and the classic Japanese green tea.
Organic Breakfast from TeaBox
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: TeaBox
Tea Description:
A harmonious blend, this is the kind of tea you turn to when you need a hearty cup before the start of a day.
Beaming with smooth, sweet flavors of dates and honey, and refreshing bite of coriander, every sip satiates you a little more than the next. It has just the right amount of astringency to toggle the smoothness of the tea without distorting the balance, rendering, thus, a gratifying experience.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Organic Breakfast Tea from TeaBox is much more than an average Breakfast Tea. It may just be one of the BEST Breakfast’s I’ve ever tried to date! And speaking of dates…this tea has lovely date notes to it! The black tea base is malty, woodsy-sweet, date-like, fairly astringent (but in a good way), and of medium strength as far as black teas go! It has a tad of a spice to it as well and after seeing the flavor profile on their website it totally makes sense to me that those notes are comparable to coriander.
As far as the color is concerned it is a rich amber that is really brilliant! The aroma also has a hint of tulsi or basil-broth liking to it post-infusion. If you are looking for a robust breakfast tea offering try Organic Breakfast Tea from TeaBox. It’s a tea that excels in the breakfast bunch!