French Breakfast from Fava Tea. . .

by Mary

Picture this: you’re sitting on the banks of the Seine, sipping a hot beverage and eating a buttery, flaky croissant. Gentle French music is playing in the background (from where? who knows!) and cute dudes in berets are slowly strolling past. Oh, and the world is also lightly sepia-toned and everything is in bloom, 24/7, 365.

This is what I picture breakfast in France to be like, friends. SO REALISTIC, I know.

Now, though my delusions are certainly of grandeur, this tea certainly isn’t very far off. Gently maple-y with subtle pastry notes and a beautiful sprinkling of cornflowers, this tea is hearty and bold while still being the tiniest bit floral and unassuming. Kind of like what I picture the French to be, in my most stereotype-y imagination. This brew is a nice counterbalance to its heartier European friends, English and Irish Breakfast respectively. And while I generally find teas from Fava to be a bit on the weaker side (unfortunately– I want to love this local-to-me company, but much of their offerings leave something to be desired), this brew is a bit stronger than others of theirs I’ve tried, and thus, it made it an easy choice to reach for in my morning-sip-down.

Now, if anyone wants to fund my ACTUAL, hypothetical trip to Paris, I’ll be over here in my daydreaming, sipping away.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Black
Where to Buy:  Fava Tea
Description

A superior blend of vanilla, and sweet, smooth black tea. This blend is accompanied by tiny bits of pineapple and cherry to add a distinct flavorful sweetness and burst of character! An excellent choice anytime of the day that takes cream and sweetener well. French Breakfast Superior has been described as a cup of relaxation in a world of chaos. We hope you enjoy as much as we all do.

 

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 Black Tea, Fava Tea Company

Emperor’s Bride from Savanna Tea Room. . . . .

by SuperStarling

I bought this tea while my husband wasn’t looking. The Savannah Tea Room adjoins an independent bookstore; and to this day, we don’t talk about the financial carnage that combination brought.

I imagine that most of our paired-off Sisters and readers know what I’m talking about here. Every partnership has a few Off-Topic Subjects, usually involving exes, but other times involving How Much Tea Is In The House. (To quote the Natalie Portman rap: “I never said I was a role model.”)

This blend was a great buy, and I refuse to regret it. Its primary flavors are pineapple and quince (a sort of plum/pear flavor). It rounds out with orange and thistle (which I’m not sure I detect). The flavor’s a little bit sweet, a little bit sour, mostly tropical.

If you’re ever in Savannah, Georgia, I recommend checking out the Savannah Tea Room . You can buy books there, too! As an added bonus: you remember the experience very clearly later when you get your credit card bill.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Black
Where to Buy:  Savannah Tea Room
Description

Also called Keisarin Morsian this Finnish tea has a base of Assam and Ceylon teas. Pineapple chunks and dried orange peel are added and it is enhanced with thistle petals and essence of quince and elder. The most popular tea we stock!j

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

SuperStarling

"Hey, everybody! I'm Leah, a graphic designer from Pennsylvania, United States. I live with my husband and rescue mutt in a house with colorful walls. I love fonts, colors, animals, flowers, novels, illustration, geeking out, and -- obviously! -- tea. I've only been heavily into tea for about a year, but I've found I tend to prefer loose blended black dessert teas. I normally drink them hot western style without anything added; if I add in some vanilla almond milk or honey, I promise I'll mention it! When I'm not blogging here, I'm blogging at leahlucci.com/starling or posting to Instagram (super_starling), so come say hi!"

This post was posted in Black Tea, Savannah Tea Room

Fava’s French Breakfast Superior Black Tea from Fava Tea. . . .

by skysamurai

This uniquely flavored black tea features vanilla, pineapple, and cherry.

The dry leaf smells like it was doused with caramel and is is quite pretty with its pop of red and orange amid the black tea leaves. The liquid color is a clear, dark amber and the smell of caramel is strong with this one as well. Vanilla and caramel are the predominate flavors.

The pineapple and cherry flavors do not present themselves at all but instead seem to make the sweetness of the caramel flavor stand out.

The black base hides well but I do get hints here and there that make me wonder if the base is English Breakfast.

Oh aren’t we a sneaky tea?

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Black
Where to Buy: Fava Tea
Description

A superior blend of vanilla, and sweet, smooth black tea. This blend is accompanied by tiny bits of pineapple and cherry to add a distinct flavorful sweetness and burst of character! An excellent choice anytime of the day that takes cream and sweetener well. French Breakfast Superior has been described as a cup of relaxation in a world of chaos. We hope you enjoy as much as we all do.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

skysamurai

Tiffany Rupp is a serious teaholic. She loves to discover new teas. Companies that harvest their tea sustain-ably are her preference and as far as tea goes she loves greens and lighter oolongs.

This post was posted in Black Tea, Fava Tea Company

Pineapple Marshmallow Black Tea from 52Teas. . .

by VariaTEA

Pineapple marshmallow?!? What?! How did I not know about this? Pineapple and marshmallow are two of my favorite things and alas I missed out on this tea. Luckily I have the wonderful CuppaGeek who surprises me with such delicious things.

This is flavorful and yet not-in-your face. The black tea is a touch malty without being too much, therefore providing the perfect foundation for the flavors. The pineapple is subtle and sweet while the marshmallow is fluffy. Both flavors distinct while also seamlessly intertwined.

I am definitely a fan of this one. It’s a shame this is out of stock because I would have snatched this up immediately. Now, having gotten a taste, I will be keeping my eye open for a reblend of this tea. It is on my wishlist.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Black
Where to Buy:  52Teas
Description

This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.

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 52Teas, Black Tea