Peanut Butter Cup from The NecessiTeas. . . .

by Mary

I’m… a bit of a peanut butter enthusiast, friends.

When I was a kid, the Parent Trap remake came out, and I was introduced to the magic that is oreos dipped in peanut butter. My favorite part of my Easter basket every year was the mini reeses’ cups. In college, I’d been known to substitute an actual meal for a few spoonfuls of on straight out of the jar (truly). My husband– love him as I do– cannot STAND peanut butter. (GASP.) It may be his only flaw.

But do you know what that means? It means that I get this tea ALL TO MYSELF and I don’t havta share ever and mwahaha-mine-all-mine-GIMME. Seriously, you guys: this tea is that good. It is a spot-on dead ringer for my favorite peanut butter chocolate candies, but without nearly the same feelings of over-indulgence (I’m not a college kid with a peanut butter spoon anymore, friends). It is absolutely sinful brewed up with some milk (no sweetener needed), and rebrews quite well, to boot.

If you’ve identified with any of my die-hard pb-loving quirks above: you need this tea, friends. Trust me. (Drink it with an oreo and a side of early-2000s Lindsay Lohan at camp, of course).

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Tisane
Where to Buy:  The NecessiTeas
Description

This blend is seriously addicting, over the top yummy and double-delicious. It’s quite amazing and tastes just like a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup! To sweeten the deal, this chocolate peanut butter bliss is completely guilt-free!

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Mary

Hi there! I'm Mary, a 27-year-old mental health professional living with my fiancé and our quirky kitten in the Midwest! I've loved tea for as long as I can remember-- in fact, I have vivid memory of being four or five in a tea shop and being mesmerized by all the tea flavors and proclaiming that I "was going to be kind of adult who drank tea, not coffee." A stint living (and tea-drinking my way through) London and twenty-some years later, I'm still channeling that sassy four-year-old and loving my tea habit. When I'm not sipping a cuppa, you'll find me reading, doing yoga, traveling, exploring my own city, planning our wedding and experimenting with different healthful and healing foods in my kitchen.

This post was posted in Fruit/Herbal Tisane, The NecessiTeas

Peanut Butter Cup from The NecessiTeas. . . .

by VariaTEA

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, a true gift to the world. My brother-in-law is deathly allergic to peanut butter but we are a peanut butter family and peanut butter cups are at the top of the list of best ways to eat peanut butter. In fact, we have had fights over which peanut butter cups are the best. My brother is a purist who goes for the original cups. I am a bit of a chocolate fiend who loves the minis. And my sister, well my sister will take her peanut butter cups anyway she can get them on the days her husband is working at the Firehall. Those are the days she gets her peanut butter fix without worrying about killing her husband. Oh and one thing we all agree on is that Reese’s Pieces just don’t measure up to a peanut butter cup.

This tea smells just like a peanut butter cup. A promising start. However, with this tea being made up of apple, cocoa, almonds, caramel pieces, and natural flavors, I am hoping the taste of this tea reflects the smell as opposed to tasting like Forever Nuts by DAVIDsTEA, which has a similar listing of ingredients.

I made this as both a hot tea and a latte, each steeped for 5 minutes in 200 degree water. I worried the caramel pieces might make for a murky brew but this is as clear as day and a rich golden brown-yellow. The hot tea is surprisingly light for the ingredients but still delivers a great deal of nutty flavor. I don’t get much in the way of chocolate despite the generous cocoa husks in the filter, so I wouldn’t go as far as to say this accurately captures the flavor of a peanut butter cup. Instead it reminds me more of all-natural peanut butter, with no sugar added. I’m not one for sweetening my teas but I could see a bit of sugar going a long way here to really pull the flavors together.

Now, I may not sweeten my teas but I’m all for lattes. With this tea, it not only adds a much needed creaminess to the blend but it also does make everything just a bit sweeter. I think it takes the cocoa husks from the earthy nuttiness they had in the hot cup and brings them closer to a milk chocolate note, though there is still a ways to go in that regard so I still don’t think we’ve hit peanut butter cup yet. This is definitely closer to its namesake though. Now instead of just natural peanut butter, this is more akin to the peanut butter found inside a Reese’s. I just wish there was more to the chocolatey coating.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Favored Tisane
Where to Buy:  The NecessiTeas
Description

This blend is seriously addicting, over the top yummy and double-delicious. It’s quite amazing and tastes just like a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup! To sweeten the deal, this chocolate peanut butter bliss is completely guilt-free!

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 Fruit/Herbal Tisane, The NecessiTeas

Peanut Butter Cup from The NecessiTeas. . . .

by Sophia

Anyone who knows me knows I love peanut butter, especially Reese’s cups. The best ones are the ones for the Holidays, the eggs for Easter or the pumpkins for Halloween or the trees for Christmas. They seem to have more peanut butter! I have kind of always stayed clear of teas that attempted to replicate the delicious Reese’s candies though because I always figured they would end up tasting like stale hot chocolate mixed with goopy peanut butter. I don’t know why I thought this, but I did, up until now.

I spotted Peanut Butter Cup by The NecessiTEAs and I took a whiff of it- wow. Cue the mouth watering! It smells so peanut buttery and as if I just opened up a package of Reese’s. I brewed this one with near boiling water for the full 7 minutes- I wanted flavor! Well, flavor is what I got! Boy was I wrong about this blend, though.

I could totally taste both chocolate and peanut butter, but neither was overpowering. The liquid wasn’t thick and goopy either. Quite the opposite, actually. This blend was very light but still packed with flavor. Not only could I taste peanut butter but I could taste a simple nuttiness from the almonds. I could detect a bit of the apple pieces too, and this just added a nice sweetness to the overall cup. The chocolate, while present, was not overpowering and there was just enough to give the illusion of a true Reese’s cup, but not too much as to make me feel like this was a chocolate beverage. There are also caramel pieces included in this blend, and I have to say I just LOVE that! The caramel added a very small touch, just the right amount to give the drink a creamy mouth feel and some extra sweetness.

I’m telling you this was really well done. I literally drank it down in less than 5 minutes and then I was sad because that’s all I had! I can not wait to order my own tin of this. I really recommend you try it. It is a totally guilt free version of Reese’s cups and perfect for an after dinner delight! Total win. Thanks, NecessiTEAs.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Herbal/Tisane
Where to Buy: The NecessiTeas
Description

This blend is seriously addicting, over the top yummy and double-delicious. It’s quite amazing and tastes just like a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup! To sweeten the deal, this chocolate peanut butter bliss is completely guilt-free!

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Sophia

Hi, my name is Sophia. I am a first time mother to a beautiful little girl who will be 1 in July 2017. I spend my days at home with her and when I get a minute to myself, I usually spend that time making, drinking, or researching tea! My love for loose leaf tea is relatively new. When I was pregnant with my daughter, my mother (a tea addict herself) brought me to DAVIDsTEA. I enjoyed a cup of their Coconut Cream Pie Oolong and was instantly hooked! Since then, my addiction has grown to fill entire cabinets, and shows no sign of stopping. I am the creator of the Facebook group CommuniTEA where we have one big tea discussion. It is a great group for those new to the tea-world. I feel strongly about spreading the joy of loose leaf tea. I like making instructional videos and helping those that are new to the art of tea-making so that they, too, can share in the happiness that tea brings. I am excited to see where this hobby takes me and I will continue to spread the joy!

This post was posted in Fruit/Herbal Tisane, The NecessiTeas

PB&J from Tea and Tins. . . . . .

by Sophia

Today is a lazy Sunday. For breakfast I made homemade blueberry muffins and a side of bacon. I always appreciate the combination of salty and sweet. The two flavors are just a match made in heaven. The sweet blueberry muffins and the salty bacon made for a delectable breakfast, that even my guy enjoyed. Thinking about the combo of salty and sweet reminded me that I have a delicious tea just begging for me to try it, PB & J by Tea and Tins! Peanut butter is salty and jelly is sweet, so clearly this is right up my ally!

Upon opening the tin, I could see the whole blackberries and pieces of pineapple, strawberries, and apples. I could also smell the nuttiness and see the almond slices. I don’t think I would directly point the finger at peanut butter in regards to the smell, though. It was faintly peanut but, to me, mostly just nutty. I was okay with that because I really did not want this to taste like artificial, liquid peanut butter. So, we were off to a good start.

Once steeped, the smell turned to jelly! The berries were really starting to take over the aroma. The nuttiness and faint peanut buttery smell was in the background now. I steeped this tea for 3 minutes with hot water and added my usual teaspoon of agave. On first taste I could taste berry- strawberry, blackberry, and a little raspberry. It wasn’t tart, but more of a sweet berry flavor. Then nutty came into play. As I stated before, this nutty flavor wasn’t ridiculously peanut buttery. It was faint and not at all artificial tasting. This tea was really well done. I think that nutty flavors always will go well with green tea and this tea definitely confirmed that. The buttery and nuttiness of the green tea accented the berries and peanut butter/nut flavors really well. I think that Tea & Tins really did great with this one. I was thankful that it wasn’t heavily flavored and that it was light and refreshing. I could see myself drinking this in the summertime.

If you have an interest in trying a peanut butter and jelly flavored tea, I would recommend this one for sure.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Green Tea
Where to Buy:  Tea & Tins
Description

Loose leaf green tea, as good as your favorite Peanutbutter & Jelly sandwich!

Ingredients: green tea, apple pieces, pineapple cubes (pineapple, sugar), planed almonds and almond pieces, sweet blackberry leaves, flavoring, freeze-dried whole blackberries, freeze-dried strawberry and raspberry pieces.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Sophia

Hi, my name is Sophia. I am a first time mother to a beautiful little girl who will be 1 in July 2017. I spend my days at home with her and when I get a minute to myself, I usually spend that time making, drinking, or researching tea! My love for loose leaf tea is relatively new. When I was pregnant with my daughter, my mother (a tea addict herself) brought me to DAVIDsTEA. I enjoyed a cup of their Coconut Cream Pie Oolong and was instantly hooked! Since then, my addiction has grown to fill entire cabinets, and shows no sign of stopping. I am the creator of the Facebook group CommuniTEA where we have one big tea discussion. It is a great group for those new to the tea-world. I feel strongly about spreading the joy of loose leaf tea. I like making instructional videos and helping those that are new to the art of tea-making so that they, too, can share in the happiness that tea brings. I am excited to see where this hobby takes me and I will continue to spread the joy!

This post was posted in Green Tea, Tea and Tins

Let’s Go Nuts! from Tea Taxi . . . . .

by VariaTEA

A lot of tea companies provide nut based herbal blends. The most famous I can think of is Forever Nuts by DAVIDsTEA. I enjoyed that when I first tried it but quickly fell out of love with it. Unfortunately, so many other blends taste just the same. This is not like those blends. This tea is just so much better.

I prepared it as an eggnog latte today, mostly because I have a whole lot of eggnog to get through and a latte seemed like a perfect choice for such a rich tea. I topped it off with some chocolate curls and the result was a decadent dessert in a mug, a liquid peanut butter cup.

The tea itself is just so smooth but making it as a latte just upped the creaminess 100%. It is like someone took a spoon of smooth peanut butter and melted it down. Add to that the taste of the chocolate curls and it is like having a peanut butter ribbon running through a velvety hot chocolate.

For me this was a treat with breakfast but I can see this being used to satisfy cravings anytime of the day. And, since its caffeine free, it can be a perfect dessert even at bedtime!

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Tea Taxi
Description

An infusion with an alluring fragrance and a satisfying taste reminiscent of sweet peanut butter!

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 Fruit/Herbal Tisane, Tea Taxi