Golden West blend from Pacific Tea was “inspired by a golden afternoon” outdoors. This herbal blend is made up of a variety of fruits and herbs, many of them tropical like coconut and pineapple.
This tea brewed up pink and sweet with little pops of spice between the fruit. Sweet apple, tart rose hips, and juicy hibiscus are the main flavors of this blend. There is a much appreciated hint of pear at the end of each sip. With all the fruity ingredients, it is no wonder that this tea tastes to naturally sweet, but is is a miracle that the fruits are able even to counteract the sour flavors that come with brewing hibiscus.
I don’t taste much coconut or pineapple, they seem to get drowned out by the sweet apple and pink hibiscus. Likewise, there is only a hint of spice from the added ginger, adding just a mild heat and texture.
I don’t know if this is a “golden” blend, with very little pineapple and pear. Instead of reflecting on a golden afternoon, I think this tea feels much more like a “pink sunset,” still very flavorful and outdoorsy, but more in line with the driving apple and hibiscus combination I tasted.
Golden West would be great as an iced tea when mixed in with sangria or to when mixed in with lemonade to make it fruity and pink. As long as you go into this this blend expecting a sweet and pink fruity tea, you will definitely be satisfied. This is especially as the weather gets warmer and it is time to reach for more iced teas than ever.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Pacific Tea Company
Description:
Inspired by a golden afternoon in the Solomon western province, the low-acid blend of pear, coconut and ginger, tops any day with notes of pineapple, marigold and hibiscus.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Ginger Spiced Pear Cake from A Quarter to Tea. . . .
If you’re looking for some tea to go with your post-holiday fruitcake, or just some tea that tastes a bit like holiday fruitcake, brew up a cup of Ginger Spiced Pear Cake from A Quarter to Tea.
This black tea smells sweet in the dry left and in the brew. The taste of the blend is not too sweet, mainly driven by the appropriately clean and tart breakfast black tea base. There is a hint of juicy pear with each sip, and a touch of ginger heat behind the pear. The ginger is not too spicy, mainly adding a little herbal flavor and sweetness to make the tea feel festive. I don’t taste any buttery cake or pastry flavors, just pear and ginger.
It’s possible that my small sample wasn’t at peak freshness or maybe I just needed a bigger serving of tea leaves to get the flavor intensity I was looking for. I’ll have to keep an eye out for this blend in the future and give it another try.
This is a gently flavored blend, but very drinkable. There are not many pear teas on my shelf, so this was a nice brew to have in my mug.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White/Black
Where to Buy: A Quarter to Tea
Description:
Sweet pastry with pear, spicy ginger, and cinnamon and clove accents.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Forest Friend blend by Leslie Kiesler on Adagio Teas
Adagio Teas is where I credit my loose leaf tea beginnings. They have a variety of teas for both beginners and experts, but their success comes from their lively fandom blend community. There’s a themed-blend for every movie, book, and video game out there. I know I’ve had a great time designing my own flavors, and I’m always interested in trying new blends from other tea lovers.
My favorite summer blend of late has been Forest Friend by Leslie Kiesler. This blend is a homage to the main creature in the film, My Neighbor Totoro, of Studio Ghibli fame. To me, Forest Friend is tea-blending at its best. It is mixed from Adagio’s white strawberry, white pear, and rooibos jasmine flavors. On their own, none of these teas are really my favorite: I found the strawberry to be a bit too sweet, the pear to be a bit too earthy, and the rooibos jasmine to be overwhelming floral. But when mixed together in these proportions, I can’t seem to get enough of this tea. It’s magical, like finding out you have a big fuzzy, forest friend as your neighbor.
I prefer this blend iced, with our without sugar depending on my mood. This is a blend mainly made up of white tea leaves, so keep your water temperatures a little cooler than usual to avoid any harsh notes. The strawberry makes this a delectable summer blend, almost like sugary kool-aid, but the pear and white tea gives the sweetness just enough grounding that it doesn’t become too much like candy. The rooibos jasmine is amazing when added to a blend in smaller quantities. It adds some tart, herbal rooibos flavors, and relaxing floral overtones. There are even blue cornflowers and golden marigold flowers in the dry leaf to make the blend look vibrant in my pitcher as it brews.
Top off the great taste with Leslie’s cute label on the tin and you’ll realize why it is so hard to resist this blend. Forest Friend is always in my wish list for when summertime comes around and I need a sweet, magical way to cool down and brighten my day.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White/Rooibos
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Description: There’s a friend waiting for you in the forest, but he’s snoring the day away. Wake him up with a cup of tea so you can begin a magical adventure!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Plum Pear Green from the Pekoe Sip House
I couldn’t resist giving Plum Pear Green tea a try from the Pekoe Sip House. It’s nice to see a tea featuring these fruits. I feel as though both plum and pear don’t get enough love in the fruit-flavored options of the world. There’s plenty of peach and strawberry teas and candies, but not so many for plum or pear.
This tea did not disappoint, and even the dry leaf was fragrant with mellow plum fruit flavors. The stone-fruit taste of plum and apricot reminded me of some of my favorite oolong teas, with their trademark smooth earthy and fruity tones. The pear comes forward with the green tea taste, both a bit nutty and grassy at the same time.
This tea is best brewed while following the instructions, with cooler water and a two minute steep time. To further bring out the fruit’s nature sweetness, consider adding a touch of honey to you mug. Or give this tea a try as a cold brew and mix in a few fresh pear slices to dress it up.
This blend is juicy and fruity, against a savory green tea backdrop. There’s a lovely buttery mouthfeel and the crisp-sweet note of pear on the aftertaste. The blend isn’t too candy-like or over-flavored, but it’s also not too boring. The plum and pear are nicely balanced in the overall palette of the tea and make for a very comforting, drinkable cup.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Pekoe Sip House
Description:
A gentle blend of green tea with the flavors of fresh pear and soft sweet plum.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Cinnamon Pear from 52Teas. . . . .
I served a number of teas to some friends yesterday and this one came out as the favorite flavored blend we tried. No big surprise since 52Teas is one of the best tea blending companies I have come across.
I like the black tea base. It doesn’t bow down and disappear, but sails right along with the flavors. It isn’t super astringent like a lot of black tea bases in flavored blends. The cinnamon was nice – not red hot candy cinnamon but the kind of cinnamon levels you would expect in Grandma’s fruit pie.
The pear aspect was a little harder for me because I don’t eat pears. I like them fine, but I find them really mild and usually reach for an apple instead. I am an infrequent pear eater. So I can say this definitely has an apple/pear vibe, but I couldn’t pinpoint what kind of pear for you. The pear aficionados among you probably could pin it down right away. But the mild fruit flavor is very pleasant.
This is a nice blend with cinnamon to escape the ubiquitous orange/clove/cinnamon blends that are hanging around during the holidays. A breath of fresh pear…(sorry, couldn’t resist!)
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for what flavored black teas are.
