A love letter to this delightful, chocolate-y lavender tea, from Mary (a fan).
Dearest chocolate-lavender honeybush, you unexpectedly tricky surprise. Prior to our first meeting, did I think you might be a little much? Perhaps– and yet, I added you to my tea order regardless. And when you arrived, did I not shove you to the kind-of-back of my tea cabinet, purposefully ignoring you a little bit until the time was right? YES. And YET: when your brewing time arrived, did I know we’d soon fall in tea-sipper-and-tea-leaf love? Certainly not. Did I assume your notes of chocolate would be that strange combination so often found in chocolate teas, that of overwhelming, fake, and flat– all at once? Did I doubt that you’d be the one in a million to change my mind and actually make me believe that could chocolate tea could be delicious? I mean– I hoped. But I was skeptical.
(Interlude: I’m well aware that if this were a REAL love letter, there sure would be a lot of caveats in my profession of love. Let’s be grateful that tea isn’t a sentient love-letter-recipient.)
OH, but you chocolate lavender tea– you are just perfect. You’re mild and sweet, comforting and cozy and rich just as a chocolate tea should be, but rarely is. You require no added sweetness, but you’re a match made in heaven with a dollop of decadent coconut cream on top. You’re the standard I now hold all other chocolate teas against– this is now a much, much higher bar than it ever had been before.
Dear chocolate lavender honeybush tea, you truly are as easy as a Sunday morning. And any Sunday that involves chocolate is a win by me. Mmm.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
Description
When we launched our line of hot chocolate blends, we found our favorite flavor was chocolate and lavender. The rich decadence of the chocolate was enhanced by a tiny flourish of floral calm. So that’s when we realized it would make the perfect herbal tea!
Everything feels easier after a calm cup of this blend. Honeybush tea and cacao nibs are paired with fresh Oregon lavender to make a dreamy cup of perfection.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Sage Wellness from Plum Deluxe
I love brewing up tea with fresh herbs from the garden or from the kitchen. With all the turkey and holiday meals in the wintertime, I feel like sage is an especially appropriate herb to be brewing this time of year, so I ordered a bag of Sage Wellness tea from Plum Deluxe.
This is a tea with a green rooibos base, which provides the perfect, gentle background for the other herbs and flavors. In the dry leaf, there are plenty of fuzzy, grey-green leaves from the sage, a pleasure to touch and smell. Rose petals and lemon peel add to the dreamy fragrance.
Beyond the rooibos and sage, this blend also features fruit pieces like strawberry and rosehips, and fruit flavoring from strawberries and peaches. The sage feels like Thanksgiving turkey and stuffing, but the strawberry feels like a summer harvest. With the two fragrant, flavorful factors of sage and strawberry, the whole blend is reminiscent of a fresh, blooming herb garden.
Not too sweet and not too savory, the fruit and herbs come together to make an atypical take on familiar flavors. With a blend so beautiful to look at and so tasty to brew, I like to pretend that I was wandering in a fantasy garden, plucking bits of sage and picking perfect strawberries to add to my perfect cup of tea.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
Description:
Nourish body + soul with the wisdom and healing of fresh herbs and fruits! Our sage + green rooibos herbal tea artfully blends lemon and orange with a pinch of strawberry and peach to make a delightfully refreshing, flavorful tonic wonderful for when you have those emotional blues or just want a cup of something calm and restorative.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Vista Blend from Plum Deluxe. . . . .
Some teas are workhorses. They’re made for caffeinating you, or calming you, they never let you down– but maybe they’re not the fanciest or most intricate. (I’m lookin’ at you, English Breakfast and Chamomile.)
Some teas are fancy. Like, hand-me-my-monocle-and-top-hat, I Am A Very Important Person levels of fancy. (Oh hello, super delicate and intricate blooming white teas currently eyeing me up warily from the cabinet. You can tell I’m not fancy, can’t you?)
Some teas are the perfect in-between. They’re intricately flavored with a perfect balance, but they’re also… comforting. They’re gonna be there for you, they’re not gonna let you down. But they’re also gonna make you feel like the fancy, knowledgeable tea-drinker that you are (while still hanging out in your sweats).
This tea from Plum Deluxe, the Vista Blend, is such a tea. It’s a beautifully balanced, intricate flavor (hello, apricot and lavender– YUM.) that is incredibly unique, but it’s flexible enough to be brewed hot or iced (and tastes incredibly delish made both ways). Picture this: it’s like hanging out in some Italian villa, staring out over a gorgeous view (a VISTA, even. See what I did there?) while in your comfiest pjs, eating Italian snacks straight outta the bag. It’s comfort. It’s refinement. It belongs in your cup right now.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
Description
The apricot + lavender “Vista Blend” is inspired by one of our favorite things about nature — the views. This tea reminds us that we can have a beautiful view wherever we are, if only we slow down to appreciate it.
We use a base of earthy honeybush tea, paired perfectly with Oregon lavender and apricot essence. The fruit and floral pair to create a calming influence. It’s just delightful — and especially refreshing on ice. Originally this tea was a seasonal-only blend but based on your demands, we’ve elevated it to a signature blend so you can get your Vista cuppa anytime of year.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Evening in the Garden from Plum Deluxe. . . . .
As is true to many of us tea-lovers, I’m a big fan of taking tea time as more of a ritual than just a beverage (although don’t get me wrong– many a cups are sipping while I’m racing out the door or mindlessly doing work at my desk) whenever I can. So anytime a cup encourages me to a sense of relaxation and place during my sipping, I’m all about it. Is my garden currently covered in snow and darkness post-5 PM still practically every day? Yes. Will I pretend I’m relaxing in the late warm summer breeze after dinner while sipping this tea regardless? Also yes.
This tea boasts a honeybush base (already off to a great start for my tastes) with elderflower, rose, lemon and vanilla. While I can’t say I know what elderflower tastes like (certainly not elderberry, which I think I’d assumed upon ordering), the rest of the flavors shine through for me here with some light floral undertones. I like this one with a touch of honey, which brings those citrus notes right to the top of my sip. Smooth and creamy vanilla lingers at the end, which is just delightful. Honestly, this one has been sitting in my cabinet for too long, and I just kind of… forget about it. But every time I brew up a cup, I’m pleasantly surprised by how lovely it is.
And in late winter, I’ll take any chance I can get to evoke those warm spring evenings that I know are on their way!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
Description
Find yourself in a delightfully calming, quiet moment inside your teacup. This tea is a blend we are very excited about! We start with fresh elderflowers — a unique herb not as often used in teas. Then we pair it with lemon peel and rose petals to add a floral zing that is both refreshing and relaxing. Honeybush tea and a touch of vanilla essence add body. The combination is simply delicious — we literally almost called this tea Elderflower Awesomeness, but this organic elderflower tea can be for whenever and whatever you want.
“Enjoy a cup of smooth fragrant Evening in the Garden tea to ready yourself for sleep and dreams of floral meadows.” – Experience Life Magazine
All Plum Deluxe teas are hand-blended and infused with love in Portland, Oregon. Each 1 oz tea packet makes 15-20 cups. All organic ingredients — no sulfites, no artificial chemicals, non-GMO.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Joy Blend White Tea from Plum Deluxe
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
Tea Description:
A happy tea for celebrating happy moments. Sip, smile, & share. $7/oz. $1 of every sale goes to our charity partner, The Joy Team.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I love my purple packages each month. Those are the ones from Plum Deluxe and those are the ones that make me drool.
I have learned from just the few months that I have been a member of Plum Deluxe that how they descrie their tea is exactly how their tea tastes. If they say it is a grapefruit black tea, that is what it will taste like, making Plum Deluxe a tried and true tea shop to order from in my book.
This little gem was in this month’s package. I have been eyeing it for a while.
The smell of the dry leaves was a sweet jasmine citrus aroma. So delicious smelling.
I prepped this up using my handy dandy Breville One Touch on the white tea setting. Poured the sweet jasmine tea into my tea cup and instantly tasted it.
Jasmine, check. White delicate base with sweet notes, check. Hints of a citrus like tangerine flavor, check. Yep, check on all the flavors that were described. But does it taste good?
Oh yes it does. This is a sweet white jasmine tangerine tea that delivers a delicate sweet slightly floral taste. Exactly the flavor I was hoping would actually come thru.
I’ve been able to get another steeping out of these quality leaves and ingredients. Another winning tea from Plum Deluxe. Awesome job guys!
