Sometimes I try out unflavored teas with one kind of leaf, and a flavor that all about the purity of the process. And sometimes I try out teas that are exactly the opposite– just like today’s blend, Sir Stuart Black and Green.
This tea has both black and green tea leaves, three types of flower petals, and rich spices like cardamom, fennel and ginger. Visually, this blend is full of diverse colors and shapes, and the smell of the dry leaf is luscious and complex. It smells like someone lit floral incense in a kitchen, where other smells like fennel or orange peel are being mixed together as someone starts cooking.
The flowers are most prominent in the scent of the tea, with bergamot and sweet orange dominating the taste. The flavors of the tea leaves themselves are minimal: no grassy greens and no bitter blacks. Instead, the varied ingredients list really dominates the flavor spotlight.
As I drank the tea, more of the unexpected herbs like fennel or cardamom popped up in the taste and smell, though the ginger was slow in arriving. I finally got some of my favorite buzzy, spicy mouthful from the ginger after I let the teabag steep beyond the recommending steep time. Overall the blend is sweet without being cloying, and the bright citrus lingers on the tongue without being to tart.
According to Tea & Coffee, this blend is named after the well-travel Sir Stuart Cleary of Cranbrookshire. With all the varied treasures and eye-catching beauties hidden within this tea blend, it feels like a bounty gathered from exploring the reaches of the world.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black/Green
Where to Buy: Kent & Sussex Tea Co.
Description:
Sir Stuart a fine Black Tea and Green Tea. A flavoured Tea with hints of Bergamot and Orange. Named after the explorer Sir Stuart Cleary of Cranbrookshire following a trip to the Orient. A beautiful looking loose leaf tea with magical flavours when brewed. A Fruity aroma combined with Spicy Ginger and Fennel create something special and fresh tasting. Ingredients Black Tea, Green Tea, Ginger pieces, Fennel, Cardamom seeds, Natural flavouring, Rose petals and Cornflower blossoms.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
ImmorTaliTea from Cup of Love
Black Tea, Orange Pieces, Blackberry Leaves, Safflower Petals, Lemon Balm Leaves, Strawberry Pieces, Calendula Petals, Sunflower Petals, Elderberry Pieces, Raisin Bits, Hibiscus Peals, Apple Pieces, Rosehip Bits, Passion Fruit Pieces, Kiwi Pieces, Raspberry Pieces, Rose Petals, Cornflower Petals, & Peppermint are the ingredients that went into ImmorTaliTea from Cup of Love. Therefore a LOT of time and effort went into this flavor combination!
It has a nice balance of fruity, spicy, mint, sweet, and sour! The black tea base is NOT over the top darker than dark or stronger than strong but it leaves enough room for the other ingredients to come out and play! I mean take a look at the FRUIT in this tea! Orange, Strawberry, Elderberry, Raisin, Apple, Passion Fruit, Kiwi, and Raspberry! YUM!
Then for the herbal side of things you will notice in both aroma and taste the Blackberry Leaves, Lemon Balm, and Peppermint! Refreshing!
Let’s NOT forget the the floral side of things…Safflower, Calendula, Sunflower, Rose, and Cornflower. Fine and Fragrant!
But the amazement doesn’t stop there! There is the tart of the Hibiscus and Rosehip Bits that tickle your taste buds, too! There is a LOT going on but each and ever ingredient plays its part here!
I prefer this one cold but it’s pretty tasty hot, too! ImmorTaliTea from Cup is one of those teas that will certainly keep you guessing!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Cup of Love
Description:
Black Tea, Orange Pieces, Blackberry Leaves, Safflower Petals, Lemon Balm Leaves, Strawberry Pieces, Calendula
Petals, Sunflower Petals, Elderberry Pieces, Raisin Bits, Hibiscus Peals, Apple Pieces, Rosehip Bits, Passion Fruit
Pieces, Kiwi Pieces, Raspberry Pieces, Rose Petals, Cornflower Petals, & Peppermint
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Chocolate Rose Truffle Black Tea from 52Teas
I was looking for something strong today so I settled on this wonderful chocolatey blend from 52 Teas! I steeped 1 heaping teaspoon in about 12 ounces of hot water for 2.5 minutes, as recommended (although I admit I totally failed to do the recommended “wait 10 minutes after steeping for best flavor” thing. I get a little impatient for my tea, lol).
Once it’s steeped, the tea is a medium darkness, not really red or orange but more amber-ish or cedar-colored. It has a few teeny oil droplets on top, which tends to happen when you put chocolate chips in your tea, lol. I can definitely smell both the black tea and the chocolate flavors as well as the rose.
One thing that puzzles me about this tea is that I was sure I saw a white chocolate chip among the tea leaves, but I can’t taste it at all. Where did the flavor go? I know white chocolate isn’t really a dominant sort of flavor though, so maybe it was intended to just add to the general creaminess without actually showing up distinctly in the flavor profile. If that’s the case, then it was a success. The flavor is quite rich and truffle-ish. Since the tea has plenty of sweetness already, I didn’t put sugar in, but I did experiment with adding milk. I then became unable to taste the rose flavor, which is unexpected. It still tastes nicely of chocolate and tea, though.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description:
Blend is no longer available but check out the black teas that are here!
Strawberry & Lychee from Tea Shirt
This is my first tea from Tea Shirt and I’m pretty excited that it’s Strawberry & Lychee from Tea Shirt. But first let me tell you my first encounter with FRESH Lychee Fruit…
I used to work at a grocery store 20-some years ago and I always liked trying the exotic fruits that come in. One day we received some Lychee and I was super excited to try it! I peeled off the reddish spiky skin/shell and sucked out the fruit that was a slimy white. It almost looked like a small white onion. It smelled and tasted like paint thinner! I’m NOT joking! I must have gotten a BAD lychee because everything lychee I have had since hasn’t been like that THANK GOD!
Now I’m NOT saying that THIS Strawberry & Lychee from Tea Shirt tasted like paint thinner! It’s just that silly story is something in the back of my mind each time I try something with Lychee in it now! I’m giggling as I write this but I wasn’t laughing at the time!
Anyhow…Strawberry & Lychee from Tea Shirt…is a nicely flavored green tea. The strawberry cuts the lychee and the lychee cuts the strawberry! They work well together and play nicely with the green tea base! This Strawberry & Lychee from Tea Shirt receives a THUMBS UP from me because it’s pleasant, fruity, tart, and does NOT taste like paint thinner! haha.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: Tea Shirt
Description:
Flavoured Green Tea
Ingredients: green tea (94 %), flavouring, freeze-dried strawberry pieces, freeze-dried lychee pieces, Jasmine blossoms, rose petals
Preparation: Use one teaspoon of loose leaf tea per person.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Chocolate Rose Truffle Black Tea from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
The base of the tea is a blend of four black teas: two teas from Verdant Tea, a rich, malty Assam and a rose Congou. To that I added chocolate flavoring, cacao shells & nibs, mini vegan chocolate chips and vegan white chocolate chips. The result is a very chocolate-y tea with just a hint of rose that’s a perfectly romantic tea to give to that special someone this Valentine’s Day – or any day of the year that you want to tell someone you care!
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about subscribing to 52Teas tea of the week program here.
Taster’s Review:
I recently did a review for this tea on my own blog but thought that this blend need another review here!
This tea is one of the best chocolate teas I’ve ever tried. Seriously!
When you first open this pouch of tea, be prepared for the most lushest decadent chocolate aroma you have ever smelled. Seriously. The aroma coming from this tea made me feel like I was going to gain 10 pounds just by smelling it. Cacao nibs and shells, milk chocolate, and white chocolate, all mixed up with a black tea base and rose petals. Tea Heaven!
I brewed this tea up with fresh boiled water and my french press. I allowed the tea to steep for about 3 minutes before pushing down on the plunger. I allowed the tea to cool before I took a few minutes. As the tea was cooling, I was still getting all of those wonderful gorgeous chocolate aromas.
Now I will admit, chocolate teas are not my thing but 52Teas chocolate teas have been delicious so I just had to try this one. First sip in I was preparing myself for this overabundance of chocolate flavorings to hit me at once. The exact opposite. This tea is so delicate and gentle. The chocolate notes translate into a softer gentle flavor that mingles gorgeously with the black teas and rose petals, allowing each ingredient to sing their own song and make a brilliant cuppa.
The black tea provided a wonderful smoothness with a slight astringent note. The rose petals provided that sweetness that was needed to combat the slightly bitter cacao shells & nibs. The white chocolate was the most pronounced of the chocolate flavors I could really get a good tasting of and it was just heavenly!
Well done 52Teas. This as close to perfection as they come with chocolate teas for me! I have already devoured a few steepings and plan to brew up more! I believe this one is still available. I recommend everyone grab some while they can. Delicious!
