They say that tea tastes different depending on the soil, weather, elevation, location, etc. Which always sounded silly to me, until I started really getting into tea. And now I’m all “this has a kick, probably a Darjeeling” or “malty! Assam, maybe!” My husband thought I was joking at first.
It’s not a joke. It’s DEAD SERIOUS.
This tea is AMERICAN tea. U-S-A! U-S-A! It has a raisin-y underbelly that I find a lot in black teas, usually Ceylon. Is South Carolina like Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in weather? To do some really rudimentary research, I pulled up a world map.
Sri Lanka is the little teardrop-shaped island by the bottom of India. It is essentially booping the Equator on the nose. South Carolina, on the other hand, is up by where “Bahamas” and “Haiti” are written. They don’t look like they have the same relationship to the equator, so the similarity in flavor profile is not explained that way. I’m all out of other ideas. Sorry.
I have temporarily made this map my computer desktop so I can consult it. This blog post, at the very least, might help me with my geography in the long run.
Back to the tea! It isn’t all black! There is also raspberry flavoring, which I feared would overpower the base , but totally didn’t. They coincided nicely, like kids in a sandbox that resisted throwing sand in each other’s eyes. (Kids’ violent, rapid-fire friendships and breakups frighten me a little.)
I’d say if you like straight blacks with a little something extra, try this. But if you’re looking for a straight sweet dessert, this might not be the thing for you. It might be very good iced, but I had it hot, and really enjoyed it that way.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Charleston Tea Plantation
Description
Rockville Raspberry Tea is grown on the Charleston Tea Plantation in the Lowcountry near historic Charleston, South Carolina. It is only here that direct descendants of heirloom tea bushes, brought from China and India over 100 years ago, have been lovingly cultivated to make this tea. Enjoy the invigorating and great taste of Rockville Raspberry Tea.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Raspberry Champagne from The Love Tea Company. . . . .
I recently discovered The Love Tea Company while I was online and I was instantly enthralled with them. Their website, their message, their mission, and their overall theme just struck a chord with me.
The Love Tea Company was founded with the idea that companies should give something back. Using purposeful purchasing , The Love Tea Company is doing just that. In the vein of companies like Tom’s Shoes, The Love Tea Company has built their company around supporting Mental Wellness. Part of The Love Tea Company’s mission is to donate 25% of their net profit to The Flagg Foundation for Mental Wellness, a foundation created by The Love Tea Company.
If you are interested in learning more about The Love Tea Company’s efforts to help bring awareness to Mental Wellness, keep an eye out on their social media accounts and website. Since The Love Tea Company was founded in December of 2016, it appears they are in the beginning steps for both the foundation and tea company. It will be interesting to watch them grow and get their message out. Also to see the good they do with The Flagg Foundation. Mental Wellness affects or has affected so many people in so many different ways. To see a company trying to send such a positive message through tea is amazing and one that I’m going to help as much as I personally can.
I’ve personally already placed an order to send out some of their #TeaItForward boxes to friends and family members just to brighten their days and show I care and am thinking of them. It’s a wonderful service and I hope these boxes bring a smile to the recipient’s faces.
So, now that we’ve chatted a bit about the mission behind this tea company, let’s chat about their tea. The first tea I thought I would try was their white flavored tea, Raspberry Champagne. Raspberry is a tricky flavor. Do it right and you have a wonderfully sweet yet tart and tangy flavor that sings. Do it wrong and you are left with a bland flavorless brew.
First whiff of these tea leaves and I was drooling. There was a definite jammy berry aroma with a sweetness mingled in. I was quick to get my kettle prepping my water at 195 and allowed my tea to steep for 3 minutes. I haven’t had a flavored white tea in a while so this particular tea was really calling my name. After allowing the tea to cool for a few moments, I took my first sip.
Juicy tart raspberries with a sweet finish and a soft floral touch in a cup. That is how I would describe this tea. I can’t really speak to the champagne flavor but it has been a really long time since I’ve had any champagne. This is one of those flavored white teas that actually packs quite a bit of flavor. Fresh, crisp, and on point with a gentle soft side. Just delicious.
I went for a second steeping but this go around, I allowed the tea to steep for 6 minutes. I have to say, letting the tea steep longer is the way to go . All the flavors really pop and work so well together. I made quick work of my second cup and went on to my third.
Greedily, I want to gobble all of this tea up and try what I have left of my sample of this tea in a cold brew, because I can only imagine how the flavors would pop, sing, and make my taste buds happy . . . but alas . . .I will wait to enjoy the remainder of what I have left of this tea with my dad and sister-in-law. I know they would both enjoy this tea as much as I have. . . and I think that sort of sharing experience is exactly what The Love Tea Company is going for.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White Tea
Where to Buy: The Love Tea Company
Description
Our White Raspberry Champagne is a great alternative to the real thing! Our wine inspired blends create a character so versatile you’ll get all of the fun of a “fancy drink” without the boozy qualities. The pairing of champagne and raspberry flavors dates back centuries and we’ve mastered it here . You won’t be disappointed this is a luxurious treat any day of the week.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Passion Berry Jolt from Tiesta Tea. . . . .
This tea is FIERCE. It’s a black tea with super-vibrant raspberry/passionfruit flavor. The tea is robust. The flavor is spiky. The flower petals are lovely.
You know how Rihanna had that red hair for a while? And it was really hot and bright and worked on her? That is this tea. It’s like Rihanna, turned into a tea. It’s a fast-paced hip-hop album of a tea.
This tea will not mince words with you and tell you that the dress works when it does not.
This tea will not pretend to like that guy you’re dating if he’s a wasteoid.
This tea will show up when you are sick with the entire boxed set of Sex and the City and a bottle of booze. For herself. She’d stay all weekend.
This tea will stand up for you.
This tea will pay for the entire check while you’re in the restaurant bathroom.
This tea is the spunky best friend we all wish we had. In liquid form.
Give it a try.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Tiesta Tea
Description
It may look robust, but this tea is light on its feet and has grabbed raspberry for a dance partner. If you need the energy of a black tea but want that fruity flavor, cut in and give this a whirl.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
White Tea Raspberry from Tea of Life. . . . .
Growing up, my parents had the MOST beautiful, delicious raspberry bushes growing on the side of our garage. I remember going out with clean empty yogurt containers (reuse, reduce, recycle, anyone?) to fill with freshly picked berries for an afternoon snack. And you guys, these were the BEST berries– warm and sun-ripened, juicy and fresh.
Now as an adult, with raspberry bushes long gone (RIP, bushes), I’m constantly holding every raspberry I eat up to the impossible standards of those juicy yard berries of my youth.
When I pulled this tea from my sample pile, I knew I’d be searching for that bright, fresh berry flavor I love so much in my steeped cup. I don’t get too much raspberry from sniffing the dry leaf, but I’m still hopeful.
As a hot cup, it’s okay for me, but full disclosure, I’m not a huge fan of hot white tea. On a whim, I decide to cold-brew a cup (in December, of all things– not my usual, but spoiler alert: I’m glad I did!) and whoa!
There’s that bright, juicy raspberry flavor I love so much. It might not be a fresh cup of juicy summer berries picked right off the vine, but it’s the closest I’ve found in a cup of tea. I’ll be drinking this one iced all through the long winter months until berry season is back for real!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White Tea
Where to Buy: Tea of Life
Description
- White Tea with Natural Raspberry flavors
- All natural fine Ceylon Teas
- A natural source of anti-oxidants to protect your body
- Kosher, Gluten and Sodium free
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Bronte Sisters Black Tea from Simpson and Vail
This yummy papaya-and-raspberry blend was inspired by the Brontë sisters’ orchard. It’s a thick, rich berry-and-black combo. It’s very, for lack of a less icky word, juicy. Like biting into a real piece of fruit. I’m not sure I’ve ever bitten into a real papaya, but I have a vivid imagination. This is the real McCoy.
The description for the tea mentions that the ladies had an orchard. The tea is supposed to include “pear, apple, and gooseberry flavors,” but doesn’t include any of those ingredients. It doesn’t matter, however. It’s still an orchard — it’s simply a more warm-climate sort of orchard.
This tea is also giving me an identity crisis. Or, rather, the Brontë sisters are. Did you realize that the oldest-lived Brontë was 38 upon passing? They did ALL THAT WRITING before 38.
Do you realize I am 32 and have only succeeded at NaNoWriMo once? What. am. I. doing. with. my. life?!
I’m drinking this tea, that’s what I’m doing. It’s a good start.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Flavored Tea
Where to Buy: Simpson & Vail
Description
The Bronte sisters, Charlotte, Emily and Anne, lived and wrote in Yorkshire, England. Born in 1816, 1818 and 1820, respectively, the sisters lived very short lives, with Charlotte living the longest at 38. During their unfortunately short lifetimes, each sister produced novels that would become cornerstones of western literature and inspire studies for generations. Emily’s Wuthering Heights, Charlotte’s Jane Eyre, and Anne’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall each found an audience and acclaim that continues to this day. With their novels, the sisters introduced the world to a starkly honest portrayal of English womanhood that didn’t hide the ugliness and intrigue many novels of the time shied away from. Although tame by today’s standards, their inclusion of independent female characters, alcoholism, and abuse meant that the Bronte’s novels faced their share of controversy.
The Bronte family kept an orchard and garden where the sisters spent much of their time exploring, drawing, and writing. Charlotte was more inclined to draw the flowers and the plants than to stop and smell them, but Anne and Emily were happy to get their hands dirty with a little gardening. Emily especially, who was known to be a bit of a recluse, could often be found taking long walks and enjoying nature. Our Bronte Sisters tea blend combines pear, apple, and gooseberry flavors to make a sweet and fragrant blend that’s reminiscent of an orchard stroll. The flavors in this blend meld together in perfect harmony and the taste lingers deliciously on the palate.
Ingredients: Black teas, papaya pieces (papayas and sugar), flavorings, raspberry pieces, alfalfa leaves and marigold petals.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!