I know I’ve mentioned it before, but I am a huge fan of The Republic of Tea. I love every flavor I’ve tried, and I love the tins that it comes in.
Although I have been cutting caffeine out of my life, this morning is a grey, rainy dreary morning and I needed a little kick. I usually like my fruity teas cold, but this was the only caffeinated tea I had, so I brewed myself a warm cup.
This tea is amazing! It tastes really good warm, I’m enjoying it which is a surprise to be honest!
The ginger kind of balances out the sweetness of the pineapple. It’s really well balanced, the pineapple isn’t too sweet, and the ginger isn’t too spicy. It’s a perfect cup of tea. It’s tropical without being too tropical if that makes sense. I don’t feel like I’m drinking a pina colada!
This is a tea that is delicious warm, and I’m sure would be very refreshing iced. I will be making a batch of iced pineapple ginger tea very, very soon. It’s reminding me of something I’ve had in the past and I just can’t put my finger on it. It’s smooth and flavorful, and since it’s green tea it has just a small amount of caffeine. I feel peppier and cheerful on this grey, rainy day which I needed. I’m imagining a sunny, tropical island and not a raindrop in sight!
If you haven’t tried Republic of Tea yet, I can’t recommend them enough. They make really stellar teas in a range of flavors. They have black teas and green teas and herbal teas. Anything you could imagine they have.
They’re on of my favorite tea companies!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Republic of Tea
Description
Exotically fruity, sweet pineapple and spicy ginger are infused into fresh green tea. This soothing tea provides a break in the day with an escape to a far away tropical place. Enjoy hot or over ice. Formerly Tiger Heart Tea and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon Tea.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Big Easy from August Uncommon. . . . .
Everyone in my office is sick, and I’m trying to fend it off with a mix of witchcraft* and green tea. The green tea is probably the more socially acceptable of the two.
* This is a joke, though if you saw the way I dressed, you might believe it.
Today I picked the green August Uncommon Big Easy from my “Treat Yoself! Try It!” pile. And it’s a SUPER choice. It’s got zippy lemongrass, juicy pineapple, and this roasty under note that might be the barley. If I were to choose a color for this tea, it’d be the Pantone Color of the Year.
It really is a tea with oodles of flavor and personality. It’s like a cartoon character, so vivid and distinct. It seems a bit perky for August Uncommon, a company I associate with “coolness.”
But then again, maybe I think of “coolness” as “that guy who wears leather and rides a harley and cares about NOTHING.” Maybe I should redefine “coolness” as “someone who cares about stuff and enjoys life.”
If those two definitions of cool were people, I’d definitely want to hang out with the latter person. If those two definitions of cool were substances, the first would be cigarettes, and the second would be tea. Tea is about caring about flavor, and is used as a tool for enjoyment.
This turned into a digression about what constitutes “cool,” and I apologize for that.
Please feel free to weigh in on your current definition of “cool” is.
Or if you think “cool” is conceptually irrelevant for adults.
Anyway, try the tea.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: August Uncommon
Description
Tastes Like: pineapple cake, caramel beignet, dried lemon peel
Feels Like: a lazy stroll through the french quarter
You’ve never had a green tea this rich and sweet. When you taste it, you’ll swear you just had a bite of pineapple cake and a caramel beignet. If you’ve ever thought green tea is too bitter, try Big Easy. It’s as simple and delightful as a stroll in New Orleans.
A tea for those sweet and easy days
Ingredients: chinese sencha green tea, thai pineapple, rosehips, german barley malt, lemongrass, caramel, dried orange, flavoring
Contains gluten from barley malt and dairy
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Golden West from Pacific Tea. . . . .
Golden West from Pacific Tea – I have to tell you – I wasn’t thinking I would like this fruity herbal offering – but I did!
Golden West contains apple bits, rosehip peels, hibiscus, pineapple bits with rice flour, pear slices, coconut chips, ginger, natural flavour, and marigold petals. I wasn’t thrilled when I saw hibiscus but I set that aside based on all of the other ingredients in this blend of flavors. I figured it would be sweet but I was hoping it wasn’t going to be TOO sweet. Lucky for me – it’s sweetness was JUST RIGHT.
This fruity herbal was inspired by a golden afternoon in the Solomon western province and offered the low-acid blend of pear, coconut and ginger, then topped with notes of pineapple, marigold and hibiscus.
For me – personally – the pear shined here! The pineapple and coconut paired together awesomely and was the second flavor I picked up on. Apple was the third. Both the ginger and the hibiscus were very subtle and I think that is why this worked the way it did!
It was sweet and creamy. A yin and yang of sorts. It was hydrating at the same time. And didn’t leave a FUNKY aftertaste. This was delightful both hot and cold. This makes a wonderful Fruit Infusion.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Pacific Tea
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!
Mango Pineapple Habanero Black Tea from 52Teas. . . . .
I didn’t drink this sample for a while because the habanero struck fear into my heart. What if it was fiery? What if this made me cry? That’d make a funny post, but it wouldn’t make for a good life experience.
Luckily, the primary thing about this tea is the tropical fruit (mostly the pineapple). Pineapple is my favorite, so I’m all about it.
If you hadn’t told me about the habanero, I might have thought the tingling was schizophrenia. It sneaks up on you, getting more intense as you drink down. (Does it, like sink? Scientists?) The first time I drank this, I thought I was going crazy.
Or drinking the tea too hot.
Which I always do. I want to drink my tea the instant it comes out of the steeper. I do not want to wait. I want it in my face immediately. So I’m constantly singeing the roof of my mouth. Then probing the destroyed tissue with my tongue, thwarting the healing process.
You’d think this is a n00b move. Maybe I just started drinking tea, like, yesterday.
No. I have been hard-drinking tea (2+ cups a day on workdays) for at least a year. And I’m STILL tossing scalding water down my gullet like it ain’t no thang.
Maybe I secretly think I’m an X-Man (X-Woman?). Like I’ll mutate to accommodate heat. My mouth will, like, toughen up. It’ll culminate in my ability to drink lava. I could take my act on the road. Pay off my mortgage.
So anyway, this tea is delicious. Maybe, if your mouth is not severely damaged by your own stupidity, you’ll appreciate some tingling! It’s a fun feature for a tea to have.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: 52Teas
This tea is no longer available but check out the Mad Musings surrounding this tea here!
Be sure to check out 52Teas if you missed out on the 12 Teas of Christmas promo. Limited quantities of those teas will be available soon!
Pineapple Old Bay from Handmade Tea
Today I have a little bit of Tea Association for you but first a mini-back-story! My father is a bit obsessed with Old Bay Seasoning. Yes. Old Bay Seasoning. He puts it in everything! For Christmas he prides himself on his famous 29 egg omelette that can feed a small army. The secret ingredient? You guessed it…Old Bay Seasoning! Because my diet consists of vegan foods I will not partake in the Christmas Day Tradition but my husband, his brother, my sister, her husband, and my mother look forward to it every year. Enter Pineapple Old Bay from Handmade Tea.
This was the main reason I was so excited to try Pineapple Old Bay from Handmade Tea. More of a word association or in this case a tea association. I have to give credit where credit is due and in the sample I was sent I had a MIGHTY HUGE chunk of pineapple that was gently coated in Old Bay Seasoning. It looked impressive, it smelled YUMMERS, and it tasted semi-spicy, semi-sweet, and semi-savory all at the same time. The black tea base itself was of medium strength and the flavor combo of the Old Bay and the Pineapple seemed to be MADE for each other.
I tried this another time with just the spiced black tea in the strainer. No mammoth pineapple was seen or heard from with this second cuppa. And it was just as impressive! The only difference was it wasn’t sweet because of the lack of pineapple but I was ok with that. The Old Bay was the sole hero when it was standing by itself. It still shined. Pineapple Old Bay from Handmade Tea is something of a miracle of sorts. My father would be grinning from ear to ear…that is IF I left any for him to try! Sorry Dad…but YOU’RE WELCOME Tummy!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy This Monthly Box: Handmade Tea
Description
Pineapple Old Bay begins with a blend of two Chinese black teas. This is a medium base tea with bright notes. Hints of grapefruit can also be found. Large chunks of dried pineapple are blended into the base tea. This adds a juicy, tropical kick that pairs nicely with the grapefruity notes of the base tea blend. Lastly, a light dusting of Old Bay seasoning is added to the blend. This has a bit of a kick but is balanced enough to not be overwhelming. The spice kick helps balance the sweet pineapple.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!