Hello, tea fans! It’s time, once again, for a new tea.
Today’s offering comes from Plum Deluxe’s “magical” tea-of-the-month club. They send out a special tea every month and then read the tea leaves.
This is an unexpected and cute practice, so I shouldn’t’ve been so surprised at how unexpected and cute this tea was. This black tea has lemon, hibiscus, rose, and vanilla. I never would have thought to combine them, but it’s delicious. Like, really really good.
The “Midnight Melange” isn’t available on their site any more, but this Reading Nook Blend is similar. You could just add a drop of lemon from one of those plastic squeezy things, and boom! There you are!
As I sip this, I keep going back to the tea leaf thing. That’s so cool. I am kicking myself for not looking at their post before making mine. I would have totally loose-leafed this if I had known.
So I did the next best thing: I dumped the contents of my gravity steeper onto a piece of paper and photographed it. (My office? Exactly the mess you think it is.) I dropped it into Photoshop and, a few clicks later: here’s a Rorschach test.
What is it?
Obviously a butterfly.
(Original Artwork Provided by Super Starling)
Google tells me that butterflies mean “Inspiration, intuition, higher consciousness, transformation, resurrection, flashes of insight, power of beauty, strength in vulnerability.”
How inspiring is that? I love it.
I never would have thought to do this crazy experiment without Midnight Melange. Thanks, Plum Deluxe.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to clean all this up.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
This tea is no longer available but these are!
Chocolate Hazelnut Dessert Tea from Plum Deluxe
Chocolate Hazelnut Dessert Tea from Plum Deluxe was one of my samples that I received a month or two ago. I am not a huge chocolate or hazelnut fan to begin with. Mix that with honeybush (which I love or hate) and that tea is bound to hang out in my tea stash for a while.
That is a tragedy and shame on me when it comes to this tea. This tea has me rethinking my whole thought process when it comes to this combo. I could even see stocking this tea in my cabinet for that sweet treat after dinner.
First whiff of this dry leaf and you are greeted with this decadent and dare I say sinful aroma of rich milk chocolate notes and hazelnuts. Using the same brewing method as an herbal (212F-5 minutes), I graciously poured a mug full of this dessert tea and sat down to enjoy.
Immediately I am again greeted with those rich milk chocolate notes. Took my first sip after allowing the tea to cool for a couple moments. Deep lush silky chocolate notes swirl on the tongue with a nice mix of a creamy hazelnut vibe. Both flavors are given a good amount of time in the spotlight and do not overtake each other.
This is one of those gorgeous dessert teas that really transport you. Since this is a caffeine free tea, this would be the perfect way to wind down for the day. I can’t believe how crazy I am about this tea and highly recommend it.
Leave it to Plum Deluxe to create a chocolate tea I love. Simple fresh ingredients blended with love. That is just want Plum Deluxe does.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
Description:
People have been pairing chocolate with hazelnut for millennia. Why not — it’s a perfect pairing. We paired it with honeybush — our favorite herbal tea — to make a decadent, delicious drink. Add a splash of cream and/or a pinch of sugar, or turn it into the most wonderful tea latte ever.
Learn more about this tea here.
Waterfall Mist Honeybush Tea from Plum Deluxe
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
Tea Description:
A blend for refreshing body, mind, and soul. All Organic: Honeybush Tea, Orange Peel, and Peppermint. No Caffeine.
Learn more about tea’s available from Plum Deluxe here.
Learn more about Plum Deluxe’s monthly tea club here.
Taster’s Review:
Waterfall Mist Honeybush Tea is a lovely simple blend of honeybush, orange peels and peppermint. Plum Deluxe knows how to create the most wonderful flavors out of a simple concoction. Sometimes the most simple blends are the ones we hold dearest to our hearts.
So let’s chat about the tea! Waterfall Mist Honeybush brewed up with water at 212F and allowed to steep for 5 minutes is soul soothing and as comforting as tea gets. I added in a few fresh slices of lemon to complete the tea.
First notes you really pick up on are the rich lush silky honeybush, followed by an orange sweetness, and to finish each sip, the peppermint provides a touch of that familiar minty flavor. With the lemon wedges in the brew, the citrus notes are even more amplified.
All in all, this tea is exactly what I was needing today. Simple, sweet, and cozy. Doesn’t get much better than that!
Midnight Melange Black tea from Plum Deluxe
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black, Green, Roiboos, Etc.
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
Tea Description:
A fresh cup of curious delight, great for calm mornings or evening gatherings.
All Organic: Black Tea, Hibiscus, Lemon Peel, Rosehips, Rose Petals, Vanilla Essence. Has Caffeine.
Learn more about this tea here. Learn more about their monthly tea subscription plan here.
Taster’s Review:
If you haven’t tried or checked Plum Deluxe out, do yourself a favor and click on those links above. Plum Deluxe is one of those companies that just makes you happy from the start. I may not like every blend they create, but they always put 100% into each blend, truly care about their customers, and have even created an online community for their monthly tea subscribers that is extremely active. I don’t participate as often as I would like to but I always check out whats going on. They have swaps and lots of fun goings on in the group. So neat to see what Plum Deluxe has created.
I have been a customer of Plum Deluxe for some time. I enjoy getting my purple envelope each month full of loose leaf goodness. Like I said, I don’t enjoy every blend but I can always find someone to share the tea with. Each blend is gorgeously hand blended giving you all the lovely tea feels you can want and more.
This month’s selection is a black tea, which I couldn’t be happier about. (I didn’t see this tea listed in the shop so I think this might be a subscriber only tea.) My favorite blends that Plum Deluxe creates are black and green tea blends. Midnight Melange Black Tea is a lovely blend of lemon peel, black tea, hibiscus, vanilla, and rose petals. The pieces of lemon are huge and the smell of this tea blend is heavenly.
Prepped with boiling water, I scooped a few tsps into my infuser and steeped the tea for about 4 minutes. I didn’t want to oversteep so I played it safe in the middle of the suggested parameters. I allowed the tea to cool for a moment and took a sip.
This tea shines and is perfection! Lush lemon along with a sweet creamy vanilla finish. There are hints of a tartness here and there from the hibiscus. The hibiscus is subtle and completes the sweetness from the vanilla nicely. A simple yet complex tea all at the same time. Each flavor really shines and delivers a lovely and gorgeous finished product.
Can’t wait to try this tea as a cold brew. I’m hoping the lemon flavors pop even more.
Another well crafted tea from Plum Deluxe!
Self Care Blend Herbal Tea from Plum Deluxe
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush/Herbal
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
Tea Description:
One of the things we just love about tea is how luxurious a simple cup of tea can feel. We want you to feel like a
millionbillion bucks at a moment’s notice, which was exactly what our intention was when making the Self Care Blend.A curious pairing of elderberry (tart) and apricot (sweet), this all-organic tea has mellow flavors and is packed with nutrients. You’ll love it paired with a hot bath, a good book, or after a nice spa treatment. Elderberry — believed to help us tap into our inner magic — helps expel toxins and helps with colds and viruses, and apricot is believed to be one of the most healing fruits in nature.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This was my sample a few months back from my monthly subscription. I love my honeybush but sometimes that herb can taste a lot like its cousin the dreaded red rooibos. . .which tastes odd to me and medicinal. I hadn’t tried this blend yet because of this, but I decided today was the day for me to try it!
Brewed per the instructions with boiled fresh water and steeped for about 5 minutes and I have to say this isn’t my favorite tea that I’ve had from Plum Deluxe, but it isn’t one that I would have a problem drinking again. This is more or less a middle of the road one to me.
This tea is a lovely mix per the description of sweetness and tartness. I didn’t get any of that but I did get a lovely almost woodsy berry like flavor with hints of a jammy sweetness. Since I only had a sample, I wasn’t able to add more loose leaf in to strengthen the flavor to pull out more of those jammy notes. Those were definitely the best part of the tea.
I would love to experiment with this tea. I have a feeling it would make a gorgeous cold brew or iced tea. Or would be a great tea brewed hot with may more loose leaf tea.
If you haven’t checked out Plum Deluxe, do yourself a favor and pick up a few blends. Plum Deluxe has by far one of the best customer service, friendly, knowledgeable tea blenders/owners that I have ever encountered. I just love them! I’ve been subscribing to them for a while now and have no plans on stopping anytime soon!