I had not heard of Aronia Berries prior to this lovely tea blend from Saint Fiacre’s Farm. Apparently the berries are so sour when they are fresh off the bush they make your mouth pucker, hence their familiar, less glamorous name, chokeberry. These berries are a new fruit flavor I haven’t encountered in herbal tea before. They are a bit sour, but not quite the same flavor as cranberry or hibiscus. They have a little bit of darker elderberry or raspberry flavor among the tart pop, maybe that is where the “plum” comes in.
What really makes this blend so fantastic is the balance of fruit and spice. The tart berries and juicy hibiscus are counteracted by the sweet licorice root and earthy fennel seed. Coconut and vanilla round out the blend with some comforting bakery-like tastes.
Rich and relaxing, this is a great blend for when you want that wintry mulled wine or cider experience. Always a pleasure to find new, robust flavors in my herbal tea collection.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Saint Fiacre’s Farm
Description:
This tea features Oregon grown aronia berries, plums and cornflowers. A spin off the traditional sugar plum which is a candy that has a hard outer coating of sugar… think along the lines of the Jordan almond or an M&M type candy. A sweeter, desert like tea which comes from the licorice root and organic extracts.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Aronia Plumberry from St. Fiacres Farm. . . .
This tea is like the tastiest, plumiest, most perfectly-spiced fruit jam you ever did taste. Now, I could sit here and regale you with how my tastes have been changing to stray away from my heavy, wintry, black tea favorites lately (they have), or how all I want lately is fruity and fresh and bright and vegetal (I have)– but really, all I want to do is tell you how yummy this herbal infusion is.
I couldn’t find much about this tea on St. Fiacre’s website, but let me tell you– the dry leaf here can speak for itself. Big, bright berries pepper this dry leaf, and some of my favorite spices are large, in charge, and immediately visible– spicy cardamom pods, sweet licorice root, fragrant anise seeds– the gang’s all here!
And this blend takes all those unique ingredients and perfectly blends them together. Heavily fruity, but not overly-sweet– the warming spices bring a nice balance to the otherwise sweet herbal blend, hitting all those notes of lightly spiced jam that I just can’t get enough of. Now, if some enterprising tea-drinker would only *actually* turn this tea into a jam for me, we’d be in business. Crumpets, anyone?
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: St. Fiacres Farm
Description
TEA CLUB OVERSTOCK! Missed out on the Aronia Plum Berry from our VIP Tea Blend in December? We have a little bit left that you can try or stock up on more if you loved it. A spin off the traditional sugar plum which is a candy that has a hard outer coating of sugar… think along the lines of the Jordan almond or an M&M type candy. A sweeter tea thanks to the licorice root, almond extract and vanilla. This tea also features Oregon grown aronia berries, plums and cornflowers
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Sun Moon Lake Assam from Cameron Taiwan Premium Loose Leaf Teas . . . .
Sun Moon Lake Black tea from Cameron gets its name from its home region of Taiwan. What a celestial and romantic name! Do how did the tea compare?
This was a competition grade assam black tea. The dry leaves were large and flat, darkly colored from the full oxidation process. When I put my nose into the bag of dry leaves it smelled pleasantly like chocolate and dark plum.
Brewed, this tea was smooth and crisp, which was a bit of a surprise. I’m familiar with assam teas with big names like golden tiger which brew up deep and chocolatey, with a robust warm-and-fuzzy feeling.
This assam was much brighter, tasting a little greener. It reminded me of the tartness of a breakfast black tea, with a brisk and refreshingly dry mouthfeel. Though there wasn’t as much of the cozy chocolate notes as I expected in the brewed tea, there were plenty of sweet fruit flavors like apricot and plum alongside the more traditional black tea notes.
Maybe the duality of Sun and Moon come into play in comparing the tea’s scent with its taste. The fragrance of the dry leaves are very much the evening moon, with darker, richer tones of cacao and purple plum. The brewed leaves are much more like the sun, bright and crisp and perfect for breakfast.
This is a great tea if you are looking for a high quality assam that will surprise you. Take a walk on the brighter side of assam and brew up a cup of Sun Moon Lake tea from Cameron.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Cameron Taiwan Premium Loose Leaf Teas
Description:
Sun Moon Lake is located at altitude of 700m, surrounded with mountains and lakes with remarkable environment and typical climate. Heavy moist and stable yearly average temperature make the tea trees grow thick and rich tea leaves which produce carmine and perfectly clear liquor.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Plum Oatmeal Squares Temi Sikkim Tea from A Quarter to Tea. . . .
Buttery oatmeal squares are the simplest comfort food, a warm (healthy) hug. I expected nothing less from this Plum flavored seasonal offering from A Quarter to Tea.
My first impression is strong fructose vibe from ripe plums or berries, almost the scent of a sweet wine? It’s rare that I find plum in a tea, and this reminds me of smelling farmer’s market produce in the fall. Slivers of goodies decorate the dry black tea leaves, including actual oatmeal.
The hot water awakens the blend, the familiar breakfast oats smell emerges then the tannins follow, the strong fruit smell of earlier is now just a hint. Being present for transformations like these, I find myself appreciating the effort the creators put into their products. The plum aroma gets stronger again as the auburn water gravitates through the steeper.
There is a mismatch of acidity in the two flavors which surprises my taste buds, but also somehow balances itself out. These malted and fruity flavors work really well together. The second steep mellows out the tannins and is more of a creamy fruit taste. Delicate with hint of, wow, what is this biting aftertaste? Like most flavored blends, noticeably less intense but still a good amount of flavor. None of the some cinnamon-type spice in here that I would’ve expected, but it’s oatmeal-y enough without it.
It takes a lot of guts to release a rare flavor, and this offering from A Quarter To Tea rises to the challenge, keeping things original, yet still enjoyable.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: A Quarter to Tea
Tea of the Month for November 2016
Temi’s perfect muscatel notes are blended with rich dessert flavors: plum, pastry, and vanilla butter. A warming dessert tea, perfect for this (or any other) season.
This tea is limited run, so once it is gone, it’s gone for the season. It is sold only in 0.5oz quantities.
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!