Pomegranate Melon from Fusion Teas

by CuppaGeek

PomegranateMelonTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Green Rooibos/Yerba Mate

Where to Buy: Fusion Teas

Tea Description:

This unique combination merges tangy pomegranate and sweet melon into a surprisingly complex tea. Every sip takes you on a journey of flavors that is sure to intrigue and delight.

Tasting Notes:
candied apple, rainforest, campfire

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

Let’s start this review off with talking about how gorgeous this blend is.  I love the pops of bright colors.  Just makes the tea blend so warm and inviting.  The aroma I get from the dry leaf is the same.  Sweet and alluring.  From the beginning, I’ve got high hopes for this tea.

Brewed this tea up like an herbal- 5 minutes at 212F and just let the aroma take me away.  This tea reminds me of summer.  Summer pool parties and the beach.  The melon fragrance is very prominent, giving you that summer feel.  After the five minutes was up, I took my first sip.

This tea has such a lovely melon flavor. Melon in tea is hard to accomplish but they’ve done it with this blend.  This reminds me more of a cross between watermelon and honey dew.  Almost like the fruit you would see at a pool party.  That is exactly what this tea tastes like.  A huge bowl of fresh cantaloupe, watermelon, and honey dew.  The pomegranate flavor is there but it is more in the background giving a slight tart contrast.  The green rooibos is giving the tea an extra tang of sweetness while the yerba mate is bringing it back down with a grassy finish.  This tea would be a phenomenal iced tea in the summer months or if you need to brighten up your day, this tea would definitely do it.

This may not be a tea I could see drinking everyday but I think this would be a great tea to serve at a party or over ice with some fresh berries in it while relaxing outside.  Such a tasty treat!

CuppaGeek

I am a late 30s something mom who loves her family, will be getting married to a wonderful guy and has 4 kids (2 mine-2 his). We have a beautiful life together and I wouldn't change a thing. Tea is a passion that quickly turned into an obsession, very similar to my love for polka dots, the horror genre, and anything that is geeky and fun. I drink all kinds of tea and will try a tea twice to make sure I didn't bumble the first infusion. Besides SororiTea Sisters, I'm also the blogger and genius (I use that word very loosely) behind CuppaGeek, where I review tea, books, and the horror genre.

This post was posted in Fusion Teas, Rooibos, Tea Company, Type Of Tea, Yerba Maté

Pyin Green Tea from Shan Valley

by scheherazade

Pyin_GreenTea Information:

Leaf Type: Green

Where to Buy: Shan Valley

Tea Description:

 This tea hails from Pyin Long within Northern Shan, Myanmar. This is also a first flush tea and is an everyday drinking tea. This tea is a reddish color. 

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

Although I drink a lot more green tea than I used to, I still consider myself a learner when it comes to my familiarity with different types. This green tea looks like none I’ve seen before. For a start, the leaves are pretty much a uniform dark brown, almost black. They’re also wider than I’m used to seeing, kind of rounded or bowl shaped at the tip, tapering in to a narrow, short stalk. Intriguing! I used 1 tsp of leaf for my cup, and gave it 2.5 minutes in water cooled to around 170 degrees.

Wet, the leaves do show some hints of green after all, although there are large brown patches on almost all of them. The scent is interesting – almost olive-like. It really reminds me of a very green extra virgin olive oil! The liquor is a pale yellow-gold.
To taste, this one is pure smooth, buttery amazingness. The flavour is mild and sweet, reminiscent of freshly buttered peas. It’s hard to say it’s “oily” because it’s really not, but it has an oil-like mouthfeel, really bringing to life the olive oil scent I noticed initially in the wet leaf. It’s not an over strong or pungent flavour, which is the kind of green tea I get along with best. There’s absolutely no bitterness or astringency at all, which is another firm point in its favour in my book. As it cools, I can detect a sharper, greener, almost chlorophyll-like note creeping in just a little. It’s an interesting contrast to the earlier flavours, and works particularly well with the rich, olive oil like flavour this possesses.
Pyin Green is making for a very enjoyable mid-afternoon cup. I think it’s a pretty perfect green tea, certainly in terms of flavour, level of intensity and smoothness. I feel like I could drink this one any time and be happy with the result.

 

scheherazade

Hi! I'm Sarah, and I live in Norfolk in the UK. My tea obsession began when a friend introduced me to Teapigs a good few years ago now. Since then, I've been insatiable. Steepster introduced me to a world of tea I never knew existed, and my goal is now to TRY ALL THE TEAS. Or most of them, anyway. I still have a deep rooted (and probably life-long) preference for black tea. My all-time favourite is Assam, but Ceylon and Darjeeling also occupy a place in my heart. Flavoured black tea can be a beautiful thing, and I like a good chai latte in the winter. I also drink a lot of rooibos/honeybush tea, particularly on an evening. Sometimes they're the best dessert replacements, too. White teas are a staple in summer -- their lightness and delicate nature is something I can always appreciate on a hot day. I'm still warming up to green teas and oolongs. I don't think they'll ever be my favourites, with a few rare exceptions, but I don't hate them anymore. My experience of these teas is still very much a work-in-progress. I'm also beginning to explore pu'erh, both ripened and raw. That's my latest challenge! I'm still searching for the perfect fruit tea. One without hibiscus. That actually tastes of fruit.

This post was posted in Green Tea, Shan Valley, Tea Company, Type Of Tea

Buddy’s Blend from Geeky Teas

by CuppaGeek

geekyteasTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy: Geeky Teas

Tea Description:

Buddy has blended a black tea just for you! With the only other acceptable foods on his list being orange peel, ginger root, cinnamon bark, natural spice, ginger and cinnamon flavor, it’s perfect paired with spaghetti and maple syrup.

It’s only here during Christmas cheer! A seasonal new tradition.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

We are down to the wire! Last few days before the Christmas holiday is here.  And what better way to celebrate the holidays with a festive blend from Geeky Teas, one of my personal favorite tea stores.

Geeky Teas is located in California where they combine two of my favorite fandoms- tea and all around geekiness! You’ll find anything from board games, Dr. Who merchandise, geeky fandom teas, and much more! I’ve never personally been there but I’m an avid follower and huge fan of theirs.  I’ve used Geeky Teas for gift giving in the past and have always been impressed by Donna’s care and compassion.

Let’s chat about this tea- Buddy’s Blend.  Now the first thing I thought of was that this tea was going to be a maple syrup blend or very sweet with the whole candy obsession Buddy has.  Not the case at all.  This is a black tea with more of a chai feel going on. Cloves, cardamom, ginger root, cinnamon, and other spices.  I’m not the biggest fan of chais or blends that have a chai feel but I love Geeky Teas, so I had to check it out.

Brewed up like a black tea, this tea omitted a gorgeous aroma.  The ginger really stood out.  After about 3 minutes of steeping in water at 212F, the tea was ready to try.  The tea itself had quite a nice amber appearance to it.  I took a sip and from start to finish, you really do get a mild chai like flavor.  The ginger still stands out as the most prominent flavor while the cardamom and cloves take a spot in second place.  The cinnamon bark and cinnamon flavor rounds out the sip nicely with a touch of a spiced sweetness.  The tea itself isn’t overall very sweet but with a bit of honey or sugar, this tea could really be stellar! I could even see this tea being a wonderful tea to create a latte with. A wonderful tea to start the holiday week off right!

Pretty tasty, tho I think I would like to see Donna’s take on a maple syrup tea. . . .that could be fun and fantastic!

If you haven’t checked out Geeky Teas, please do.  They are a wonderful hand blended tea shop.

CuppaGeek

I am a late 30s something mom who loves her family, will be getting married to a wonderful guy and has 4 kids (2 mine-2 his). We have a beautiful life together and I wouldn't change a thing. Tea is a passion that quickly turned into an obsession, very similar to my love for polka dots, the horror genre, and anything that is geeky and fun. I drink all kinds of tea and will try a tea twice to make sure I didn't bumble the first infusion. Besides SororiTea Sisters, I'm also the blogger and genius (I use that word very loosely) behind CuppaGeek, where I review tea, books, and the horror genre.

This post was posted in Black Tea, Chai, Geeky Teas, Tea Company, Type Of Tea

Pomegranate Detox from Tea Drift

by scheherazade

pomegranatedetoxTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Oolong

Where to Buy: Tea Drift

Tea Description:

You’ll truly enjoy this tea with a delightful fruity aroma. It’s a smooth, full-bodied tea with mild berry notes. This tea is tasty over ice or steaming hot.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

The first thing to say about this one is that it smells so, so good. Strong, rich, fruity pomegranate, as soon as you open the bag! The leaf itself is a pretty thing to look at, too, with whole golden chrysanthemum flowers plus a few stray petals, and tightly rolled oolong pellets. The scent, though! I used 1 tsp of leaf for my cup, and gave it 3 minutes in water cooled to around 180 degrees.

 Once brewed, it still smells really good, and looking at the leaf I think it might possibly resteep pretty well. The oolong has just about started to unfurl, and the pomegranate scent is still very prominent. The liquor is a pale yellow-green.
To taste, this is pretty much exactly as I hoped it’d be. The pomegranate flavour is right at the forefront, and it’s delicately sweet. It’s not quite as intense as the scent of the dry leaf would suggest, but that’s a good thing I think because it would be pretty overpowering if that were the case. Instead, it’s very natural tasting and spot-on flavour accurate, very reminiscent of pomegranate juice. I can hardly taste the oolong base at all, which from a flavoured tea perspective is a complete triumph. It would also be a good thing for those who are looking for an easy way in to drinking oolong, without an overload of scary flavours, or who are looking primarily for the health benefits and want a tasty drink to provide those. This is definitely a tea for flavoured tea fans; oolong connoisseurs probably won’t find much here.
As I’m not much of an oolong connoisseur myself, I’m pretty pleased with the flavouring here. It’s not at all artificial, and it reminds me quite a lot of lychee which is one of my favourite tea flavours of all time. I don’t feel I’ve drank enough of this one to really comment on the detox properties, but it’s certainly one of the more pleasant “detox” drinks I’ve tried. I’d also recommend it to pomegranate fiends, because that aspect is second to none. I found this to be a very enjoyable cup.

scheherazade

Hi! I'm Sarah, and I live in Norfolk in the UK. My tea obsession began when a friend introduced me to Teapigs a good few years ago now. Since then, I've been insatiable. Steepster introduced me to a world of tea I never knew existed, and my goal is now to TRY ALL THE TEAS. Or most of them, anyway. I still have a deep rooted (and probably life-long) preference for black tea. My all-time favourite is Assam, but Ceylon and Darjeeling also occupy a place in my heart. Flavoured black tea can be a beautiful thing, and I like a good chai latte in the winter. I also drink a lot of rooibos/honeybush tea, particularly on an evening. Sometimes they're the best dessert replacements, too. White teas are a staple in summer -- their lightness and delicate nature is something I can always appreciate on a hot day. I'm still warming up to green teas and oolongs. I don't think they'll ever be my favourites, with a few rare exceptions, but I don't hate them anymore. My experience of these teas is still very much a work-in-progress. I'm also beginning to explore pu'erh, both ripened and raw. That's my latest challenge! I'm still searching for the perfect fruit tea. One without hibiscus. That actually tastes of fruit.

This post was posted in Detox Tea, Oolong, Tea Company, Tea Drift, Type Of Tea

Crackling Fire from Beacon Hill Tea Company

by CuppaGeek

BeaconHillTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy: Beacon Hill Tea Company

Tea Description:

This myriad of autumn flavors simply smolders.  Grab a blanket and warm your soul with this spiced blend.  Ingredients: honeybush tea, apple pieces, aniseed, lapsang souchong tea, cocoa nibs, rose hips, cinnamon, red peppercorn, orange peels, cloves, natural cinnamon flavor, natural orange flavor, safflower, natural hazelnut flavor.

Learn more about Beacon Hill’s Monthly Subscription Plan here.

Taster’s Review:

I’m running a little behind in my reviews lately, but I’m glad I’m seeing a light at the end of the tunnel in regards to my November teas.  Crackling Fire was an offering the Beacon Hill Tea Company’s November box.  The tea itself has such a lovely description.  I took one whiff of it tho and I knew this tea and I were not going to be the best of friends.

This tea has a rather rich smoky flavor.  One that I just couldn’t get behind, but I wanted to give it a try anyway.  The rest of the tea sounded amazing.  I brewed the tea up per the packaging instructions (212F-5 min) and took a sip.

If you are one of those that love that campfire smokey flavor. . .this tea is for you! The honeybush and apple pieces bring a sweet and tanginess to the tea while the hazelnut and cocoa nibs give this tea real definition.  I wanted to like this tea so much but the smoky flavor just kept hitting me wrong.   If that smokey flavor was just a bit less, I can see this being an insanely amazing tea.  But for me, it just doesn’t work.  All of the other flavors are fanastic, tho and for a flavored smokey tea I would have to say this is one of the better ones I’ve had.  But-that’s ok that I didn’t like it.  This is the first tea from Beacon Hill Company that I haven’t really liked.  You can’t like them all and to each his or her own cuppa!

CuppaGeek

I am a late 30s something mom who loves her family, will be getting married to a wonderful guy and has 4 kids (2 mine-2 his). We have a beautiful life together and I wouldn't change a thing. Tea is a passion that quickly turned into an obsession, very similar to my love for polka dots, the horror genre, and anything that is geeky and fun. I drink all kinds of tea and will try a tea twice to make sure I didn't bumble the first infusion. Besides SororiTea Sisters, I'm also the blogger and genius (I use that word very loosely) behind CuppaGeek, where I review tea, books, and the horror genre.

This post was posted in Beacon Hill Teas, Black Tea, Tea Company, Type Of Tea