The first thing I noticed about this tea was the fruity, sweet smell. It smelled much more like fruit than tea. The tea ingredients include papaya and raspberry, and also marigold petals. I brewed myself a cup, and added a little raw sugar and a splash of coconut creamer. I should have left the sugar out because it is very sweet on it’s own. Almost too sweet if I’m being honest. It definitely has a very fruity taste and perfume. I didn’t taste to any floral notes which surprised me.
I would say this would be an excellent tea for people who really enjoy sweet tea and very fruity teas. The sweetness definitely lingered on my taste buds long after drinking it. I will have to experiment and see if maybe this is more refreshing as an iced tea. I prefer fruity teas iced not hot. And I guess with black teas I like a spicier, less sweet tea. This might even be considered a dessert tea. Although vanilla isn’t listed as an ingredient, I tasted a vanilla essence in the background. As I said, this isn’t my favorite tea I’ve tried, but if you or someone you know loves dessert teas, this would definitely be worth a try
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Simpson and Vail
Description
The Bronte sisters, Charlotte, Emily and Anne, lived and wrote in Yorkshire, England. Born in 1816, 1818 and 1820, respectively, the sisters lived very short lives, with Charlotte living the longest at 38. During their unfortunately short lifetimes, each sister produced novels that would become cornerstones of western literature and inspire studies for generations. Emily’s Wuthering Heights, Charlotte’s Jane Eyre, and Anne’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall each found an audience and acclaim that continues to this day. With their novels, the sisters introduced the world to a starkly honest portrayal of English womanhood that didn’t hide the ugliness and intrigue many novels of the time shied away from. Although tame by today’s standards, their inclusion of independent female characters, alcoholism, and abuse meant that the Bronte’s novels faced their share of controversy.
The Bronte family kept an orchard and garden where the sisters spent much of their time exploring, drawing, and writing. Charlotte was more inclined to draw the flowers and the plants than to stop and smell them, but Anne and Emily were happy to get their hands dirty with a little gardening. Emily especially, who was known to be a bit of a recluse, could often be found taking long walks and enjoying nature. Our Bronte Sisters tea blend combines pear, apple, and gooseberry flavors to make a sweet and fragrant blend that’s reminiscent of an orchard stroll. The flavors in this blend meld together in perfect harmony and the taste lingers deliciously on the palate.
Ingredients: Black teas, papaya pieces (papayas and sugar), flavorings, raspberry pieces, alfalfa leaves and marigold petals.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Orange and Papaya from Tea Shirt
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Tea Shirt
Tea Description:
Orange and Papaya from Tea Shirt
Flavoured Green Tea
Ingredients: green tea (60%), lemon grass, apple pieces, freeze-dried apple pieces, orange slices, mango flakes, papaya flakes, flavouring.
Preparation: Use one teaspoon of loose leaf tea per person.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Orange and Papaya flavored green tea from Tea Shirt had my interest right away. I mean orange, papaya, and green tea? How could this blend be anything but amazing?
When I received the tea, I was surprised by how big the fruit chunks are in it.The picture is exactly what you get. Huge chunks of mango, papaya, and orange peel along with apple pieces. Really lovely to look at and amazing to smell. Very rich in citrus and tropical notes.
I scooped a few heap fulls into my infuser and cold brewed this tea. With how muggy the summer has been lately, I wanted this tea to be a nice iced cold brew.
I let the tea cold brew overnight and tried it in the morning. I was hoping that those gorgeous chunks of fruit and lovely green tea leaves would produce an amazing treat for my taste buds. And it did just that!
The green tea gives a lovely buttery base that the orange and papaya flavors compliment nicely. Each flavor takes its time in the spotlight and there isn’t one flavor that overwhelms. Simple yet lovely. Lush Orange notes mingling with the tropical hints from the mango and papaya. A really nice refreshing take on a citrus tropical iced tea for the summer or really for anytime!
Well done Tea Shirt!
Hydrate from Yellowstone Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green/White
Where to Buy: Yellowstone Tea Company
Tea Description:
Hydrate is a blend is a rich blend of green tea and white, making this blend high in minerals that fortify the skin and help sustain health and hydration.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I have been in a green tea drinking mood lately. Some of have been good. Some not so much. This particular blend was a hit with me.
Hydrate is a blend of green and white tea from Yellowstone Tea Company, a tea shop I found on Etsy. They have a wide variety of teas and when I saw this blend online, I just had to try it. The picture on the website looks very nice but looks like a blend I’ve seen on other sites. When this tea arrived, I had to do a double take. This tea blend is vibrant and gorgeous! The goji berries popped with a red color and the cornflower had such a deep blue. I couldn’t get over how fantastic and fresh looking this tea appeared. The chunks of fruit were just as impressive. Huge chunks of papaya and orange peel. I was taken with this tea at first sight.
I brewed this blend up like a green tea. As I look more at the ingredients, there is also oolong tea in this. I wasn’t sure which way to go with it so I decided to just go the green tea route. Let it steep for about 3 minutes in my tea pot while I worked away on a project. The smell was so inviting. Fruity goodness was cruising thru the air. One of my co-workers even asked me what I was eating or drinking. They couldn’t get over the fresh tropical like smell that this tea was creating.
I took a sip and BLAM-O! I was hit with all of these fresh fruity tastes and such a clean green tea finish. I really only picked up the green tea which gave a slight earthy grassy taste. The two flavors really worked well. I couldn’t identify every flavor separately but together they created a delicious treat for this afternoon. The tea blend has a tropical like feel to it with the papaya. The ingredients for this blend also listed pomegranate- which was very subtle. I only picked up a slight tart taste.
My only issue with this blend is that there is stevia in it. I couldn’t taste the stevia until the cup had cooled off a bit, but after it did cool, the stevia was a bit overwhelming. I’m not sure how this tea would be cold brewed-but I would love to find out. My only advice with this tea is drink it while the brew is still hot. Letting it cool brings out a stevia flavor that many may not enjoy. Beyond that, I am really happy with this one and plan to pick up more. I love finding new tea companies and this one met all my expectations and then some. Looks like I have a new tea for the summer!