The more tea-drinking years I get under my belt, the more difficult it is to find a flavor like I’ve never had before, especially when it comes to herbals. Now, don’t get me wrong, tea friends– I have lots of excellent, interesting blends filling my cabinets. But when something is as simple as this peppermint lemongrass blend from Old Barrel Tea Co, I don’t necessarily expect for it to knock my socks off.
Consider me proven wrong.
As far as I can tell, this herbal from Old Barrel isn’t chemical, nothing added or artificial, just herbs in all their glory– but it is jam-packed with flavor. The mint is tingly and fresh, the lemongrass bright and sweet. Blended together, it’s the perfect cup to settle your stomach after a heavy dinner, to wake you up in the afternoon slump, or just to sip when spring feels oh-so-far away (just me?! Cabin fever is SO REAL, you guys). Sometimes, simpler really IS better– and in this case, that definitely holds true!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Old Barrel Tea Co
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Enjoying some Winter Cheer from The Virginia Tea Company
Over the weekend, we received some winter weather. Ice, Sleet, Snow. . .just a good ol fashioned winter storm that makes you want to snuggle down in your favorite pajamas, wrap up in your favorite blanket, and drink insane amounts of tea all day long while binge watching your favorite show.
Well, I wasn’t able to get all of those items knocked off my list today, but I did drink insane amounts of tea. Of this tea to be exact!
If you aren’t familiar with The Virginia Tea Company, take a moment and check out their teas and what they have to offer. I’ve been quite impressed with their hand blended creations that are both delicious, fresh, and quite simply as soul soothing as you can get.
This particular blend, Winter Cheer, is chalk full of all the wonderful holiday spirit. Black tea, peppermint, and cinnamon. And when I say cinnamon and peppermint, I mean huge gorgeous chunks of cinnamon in a bed of black tea leaves and peppermint. This is one of those teas that you find yourself just enjoying the dry leaf aromas so much. At least I did.
After finishing my first cup of this tea, I have to say this tea delivers. Delivers on taste, quality, freshness,. . this tea is Winter Cheer personified in a cup. The black tea notes gorgeously mingle with the sweet cinnamon and the peppermint provides a much welcomed freshness that keeps you drinking this tea. I’m on my third infusion of the same tea leaves and I’m still getting all of the love I got from the first cup. . .just slightly weakened.
What a fabulous way to enjoy the holidays and winter weather we are now experiencing and will continue experiencing. Highly recommend this one to keep you snugly and warm this winter!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Flavored Tea
Where to Buy: The Virginia Company
Description
Sit back and relax with your family this holiday season while sharing this delicious, guilt-free tea.
Ingredients: Organic Black Tea*, Organic Peppermint, Organic Cinnamon
*Fair Trade Certified™ by Fair Trade USA. This product is 66% Fair Trade.
Caffeine: High
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Battle of the Peppermint NecessiTeas
Apparently I have a type. No, I am not talking about men, I am talking about teas. While looking through my box of NecessiTeas, I noticed that out of the 11 teas I purchased, 3 were peppermint black teas. Well, how many peppermint black teas does one tea stash really need? I figured it was best to compare and contrast in what I lovingly named “Battle of the Peppermint NecessiTeas” to see which blend reigns supreme.
For each tea, I used two perfect teaspoons of tea in a 16 oz mug and steeped the leaves in 200 degree water for 4.5 minutes. Then, I had an unexpected computer update so now I am trying the teas lukewarm. Anyways, let’s get to it!
Candy Cane Lane: Of the three, this is the only one that does not contain chocolate. As a result, this is also the clearest brew though it is still rather dark. It is also the one without peppermint leaves but instead a generous helping of candy cane pieces. It probably has the strongest peppermint scent which translates into the strongest peppermint taste. This blend is also unique in that it combines peppermint with marshmallow. I find the marshmallow keeps the peppermint from becoming medicinal and keeps this tea sweet. Plus, it provides the tea a soft, fluffy texture reminiscent of the squishy delight itself.
Dirty Girl Scout: An irish cream and white chocolate flavored black tea that has Andes pieces?! Count me in. Sure this blend is murkier than Candy Cane Lane and yes it may leave a scum ring if it sits for a bit, yet it is not oily/greasy in texture. Instead, this tea is really quite creamy. The flavors are subtle but silky. I am definitely picking up on the smooth chocolate first while the mint gently lingers in the aftertaste. Also, it smells like a cookie.
White Chocolate Peppermint: This blend incorporates honeybush and carob with the black tea and 
white chocolate shavings. This is the murkiest of the three blends and the tea does coat the tongue slightly as you sip, just as it leaves its mark on the mug in the form of a scum ring. Nonetheless, the texture is not offensive like some murky teas can tend to be. Moreover, there are no peppermint leaves to be found though the peppermint flavoring comes through loud and clear (in both scent and taste). This blend certainly has the strongest note of cooling peppermint. It is also the least candy-like of the mix. This is not to say that it is not sweet, because it is, but the carob contributes a more earthy/rich flavor.
So overall, I would say the White Chocolate Peppermint, though very good, is my least favorite of the three. Personally, I am a sucker for the marshmallow of Candy Cane Lane but I think the flavor of the Dirty Girl Scout would be magical as a latte. Honestly, the two are delightful but better suited for different situations. Candy Cane Lane is definitely a holiday blend with it’s soft texture and smooth candy cane flavor (sweeter and a bit less medicinal than regular peppermint flavor) while Dirty Girl Scout is more of a decadent dessert between the delectable Andes mints and the velvety smooth irish cream.
Here’s the scoop!
Where to Buy: The NecessiTeas
Click on the links in the descriptions of each tea to get more info!
Holiday Tea Alert! Candy Cane Crush From Davids Tea
When I was just a teeny tea drinker (i.e. younger), my favorite thing to do around the holidays was to help my mom bake cookies. She is the absolute master of cookie baking, and now that I’m a grown adult with an understanding of the craziness of Christmas and the expectation of holiday baking, I truly have no idea how she does it.
When it comes to my own cookie baking around Christmastime, I like to keep it simple. My mom makes this insanely delicious white chocolate/dark chocolate candy cane bark that, as a child, I never really gravitated towards. As an adult, though? GIMME. It is creamy and sweet without being overdone, pepperminty and fresh without that toothpaste-esque quality. And when I sniffed David’s Tea’s new Candy Cane Crush in store this past weekend, I was immediately reminded of my mom’s low-key delicious holiday treat.
This tea is like tastier, more intensely delicious upgrade to David’s previous peppermint-vanilla holiday tea, Santa’s Secret. Candy Cane Crush has white chocolate chips, snowflake sprinkles, and visible chunks of candy cane. It’s not just a beautiful tea to look at, it delivers on the dry leaf scent 100% to boot. Steeped, it’s sweet enough to taste like a treat without being overdone, and with a touch of milk added, it’s the perfect festive indulgence. I get that creamy vanilla flavor from the melted white chocolate, and it delivers wholeheatedly on the true candy-cane flavor from the peppermint.
Is this an everyday tea for me? Probably not. But is it perfect in the chilly days leading up to Christmas, an delicious, festive substitute at 8 AM before it’s socially acceptable to start eating Christmas candy? Yes and yes.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Flavored Black Tea
Where to Buy: Davids Tea
Description
This creamy, mint black tea is strewn with candy cane bits and snowflake sprinkles.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Holiday Tea Alert! Candy Cane Crush from David’s Tea
So it’s December and that means holiday drinks….and holiday drinks are sort of, kind of, really, really awesome. I mean, people line up out the door for Starbucks holiday blends (even tea people…don’t lie…you know you like them!). Well, one of my all-time favorite holiday drinks is a DAVIDsTEA eggnog latte. I love them. I really do. So much so that after first trying them a couple years ago, I would pretend I was getting one for a friend and then walk around with two of them for myself. Yeah, I am a little obsessed. It got to the point that I decided it would be more cost effective to make them at home (also I could drink as many as I liked and not have to pretend they were for my friends in order to hide the shame :P). So, I watched closely as the tea guides brewed me up an eggnog latte and have been recreating the recipe at home ever since. Thank goodness too since my beloved eggnog lattes have yet to make an appearance in stores and my holidays would be severely lacking if I didn’t know how to make them at home.
One thing that is back in DAVIDsTEA stores is their special holiday blend, Santa’s Secret. If you have not had it yet, you should check it out because it is a great peppermint vanilla tea and makes an amazing eggnog latte. However, this is not a review about that tea, this is a review about the new tea of the month, Candy Cane Crush, a blend very similar to Santa’s Secret except with snowflake sprinkles and actual candy cane pieces instead of just candy cane sprinkles PLUS white chocolate. And since Santa’s Secret made for one of the better eggnog lattes I have tried, I just had to test out this new blend to see how it compares.
Given the bits of actual candy cane, in addition to the peppermint leaf, the first thing I noticed was this was a much stronger mint flavor than Santa’s Secret. I personally am enjoying that because it provides an excellent contrast to the sweeter/creamier elements in the mix. The white chocolate is also very present and blends seamlessly with the eggnog, making for an almost silk-like smoothness. It’s like sipping on a rich peppermint white hot chocolate. Decadent and desserty and oh-so-delicious. I think this might be edging out Santa’s Secret for favorite eggnog latte blend and that is certainly saying something
So all in all, I am certainly a fan and since DAVIDs does not usually have a December tea of the month, this one might not be around forever. I will definitely be stocking up and recommend that you guys try it before it is gone. In fact, I have already blown through 50 grams in just a few days, something I almost ever do but after trying this in a smoothie and now in an eggnog latte, I can honestly say this is an easy blend to drink and a fun tea to have around for the holidays!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Flavored Black Tea
Where to Buy: Davids Tea
Description
This creamy, mint black tea is strewn with candy cane bits and snowflake sprinkles.