Familiar and comforting, that is what you get when sipping on this tea.When I first tried it, I didn’t know what I was in for but it quickly brought me back to flavors I know and love.
Most notably, this tea is similar to those served at sushi restaurants along with your meal. The tea you sip on and don’t think much about while enjoying your hand rolls and sashimi. However, when you take a minute to focus, you realize it is much more than a mere thirst quencher at your local all-you-can-eat.
This tea has been lovingly named “cereal tea” by a tea friend of mine and she hit the nail on the head with that one. It’s a little bit sweet, a little bit nutty, a little bit grainy, a little bit roasty, and a whole lot of yum. Think warm puffed rice cereal and that’s what is in store for you here.
So simple yet different than most other herbal/caffeine-free options making it a great alternative when you want something new. Truly great to have around for when you want something that isn’t fussy but still delicious. Plus, it is flavorful without being in-your-face so it is the kind of tea you can have time and time again without getting bored of it.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal Tea
Where to Buy: Harney & Sons
Description
Soba roasted buckwheat is a traditional Japanese specialty that is prepared as you would an herbal tisane. It is naturally caffeine free, with a delightful toasty flavor and nutty undertones. It was always Brigitte Harney’s favorite on our visits to the former Takashimaya on Fifth Avenue, where we supplied tea for their renowned tea room over many years. We’ve since found a fine source, and are pleased to continue offering it.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
#FanaticFriday: Roasted Pumpkin Carrot Cake Houjicha from A Quarter To Tea
We at SororiTea Sisters love all things fall! So today we are fanatic about fall!
Tis the season for all things pumpkin to start coming out. And I love it. I’ve always been a pumpkin fiend to the point where my mom would have to make me pumpkins pies for my birthday cakes back in the day. . .and my birthday is in March! So this tea was a no brainer for me to order.
If you haven’t checked out A Quarter To Tea yet and enjoy fun and unique flavored teas, I highly recommend you take a moment and see if anything trips your trigger. Their teas are unique and flavorful. And this tea is a perfect example of the teas they offer.
Roasted Pumpkin Carrot Cake Houjicha is as fall as you can get. The tea itself pops with dark browns and bleeps of orange and yellow. I wanted to try this tea as a hot brew and cold brew so I had myself a little experiment today.
But first, let’s chat about the smell of the dry leaf. This tea screams fall and is one of those teas I want to bottle up into a candle.
For the hot brew, I was really expecting myself to die over this tea and be completely in love and I have to say. I did! This tea tastes just like the title. You have your baked good flavor, the roasted pumpkin notes, and even the carrot cake familiarity. The spices were a bit stronger than I had hoped for and the more I drank the tea and it cooled, I feel like the tea would have benefited from a dab of honey because those spiced notes just kept growing. For me-I needed that added sweetness to calm the spices down, but regardless- this tea is still incredibly delicious.
For the cold brew, now I was expecting to really not enjoy this tea as a cold brew. With the flavors, I really thought this tea would be better hot. But that isn’t the case. I did really enjoy the tea prepped traditionally but where this tea becomes the “bee’s knees” is a sturdy cold brew. Before I left for work this morning I took my trusty tumbler and filled it with ice, water, and an infuser full of this tea. I allowed the tea to brew all day and just took my first sip. Here is where this tea shines.
As a cold brew, the pumpkin flavor is incredibly rich and present with the carrot cake baked good flavor right along side. here is also a sweetness that is starting to pop that is adding in that sweetness I was craving earlier. While the heavier spices are still there and noticeable, I’m not as bothered by them because of that rich pumpkin carrot cake baked goodness that is incredible.
With all of this being said, I do believe I forgot to mention. . .this tea has sprinkles in it! (though not an overwhelming amount)
One of the better pumpkin teas I’ve had in a long time. So glad I picked up a good amount of this tea because I’m going to be devouring it over the next few weeks.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
Roasted Pumpkin Carrot Cake Houjicha
Limited Tea for September 2016
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Roasted houjicha tea with autumn spices and the creaminess of pumpkin blended together with hints of vanilla cream, extra ginger and carrot for a pumpkin carrot cake experience sure to delight.
This tea is limited run once again, so once it is gone, it’s gone for the season. It is sold only in 0.5oz quantities.
All orders come in resealable packaging and include a reusable muslin cotton tea bag.
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Ingredients:
roasted green tea, dried carrot, ceylon cinnamon, mini sprinkles, natural flavors
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Imperial Gyokuro Genmaicha Green Tea from California Tea House
Imperial Gyokuro Genmaicha Green Tea from California Tea House is the tea of the moment here at SororiTea Sisters and what a tea moment it IS!
Genmaicha Green Teas fascinate me. There are so many different looks, feels, sniffs, tastes to them eventho they only have 2 ingredients (unless you throw matcha in there then there are 3 ingredients but you know what I mean!) This particular Imperial Gyokuro Genmaicha Green Tea from California Tea House is really somethings special!
The dry aroma isn’t overly powerful. I was kind of surprised at that but didn’t pre-judge it and was rewarded with an AMAZING aroma that was incredible and strong once infused. The post-infusion liquor of this Imperial Gyokuro Genmaicha Green Tea from California Tea House was terrific, too! It was a mellow yellow shade.
Imperial Gyokuro Genmaicha Green Tea from California Tea House was HEAVY on the popped rice and I enjoyed that fact. It infused VERY clean. The texture of the Genmaicha was near broth like. Again, I appreciated it! It was extremely easy sipping, was completely crisp and clean, and didn’t leave a roasted or bitter after-taste. It’s comforting, soothing, and pleasant in EVERY WAY!
I would classify Imperial Gyokuro Genmaicha Green Tea from California Tea House as a daily drinker! YUM!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: California Tea House
Description
Genmaicha tea is a traditional Japanese green tea. It is believed that the development of Genmaicha was by monks in using rice as a filler to save money. This tradition quickly caught on as the blend of toasted rice and green tea (typically Sencha or Bancha) has a very soothing, pleasant flavor.
Jump forward a few thousand years and you find California Tea House’s gourmet, Imperial Gyokuro Genmaicha. You’ll find our twist on Genmaicha to be an amazing upgrade to this tradition as we spared no expense in creating the finest Genmaicha on the market. Instead of Sencha we use Imperial Gyokuro green tea to provide a very clean, crisp green tea flavor without the bitterness. Also, we use sticky rice as the base of our toasted rice for a slightly sweet and very flavorful, nutty blend. There’s no turning back to old style Genmaicha after you’ve tried this one! Buy our Imperial Gyokuro Genmaicha with our 100% satisfaction guarantee!
Bring your mineral or filtered water to a boil, then let the water settle back down to around 180oF before steeping about 1 heaping teaspoon of tea per cup. Never steep more than 3 or 4 minutes.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
