More tea, less steep time. Less tea, more steep time. Too much water, less flavor. Each tea has unique steeping parameters. Each steep will be different. Even for the same tea of the same harvest.
Edamame. Very vegetal. Slight astringency. Clean and crisp
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Verdant Tea
Description:
This harvest is picked in the cool autumn air after resting the plant through summer. The result is crisp, fresh flavor with more savory green bean and cream that Laoshan for which Laoshan is famous. The He family’s signature green tea is fed by mountain spring water, picked by hand, and cultivated sustainably using traditional chemical-free farming techniques including growing rows of soybean between rows of tea to restore nitrates to the soil. The extreme northern climate means cold winters and short growing seasons, but the He Family perseveres, protecting their tea in greenhouses over the winter. The result is a deeply sweet and delicate green tea unlike any other in the world.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Brewed Awakening/Down The Rabbit Hole
Jim Thorpe, PA, has an old jail, a train, mansions and a lot of stores that are magic-themed. For example, there are places called the Muggle’s Mug and the Conjured Soap Boutique.
There’s also a place called Down The Rabbit Hole . As a person with an Alice in Wonderland tattoo (visible here or here ), I couldn’t resist.
Imagine my surprise AND DELIGHT when I found tea in the back. The place was custom-made for me, basically.
I bought two blends, the first of which I tried today: Brewed Awakening. It was recommended for coffee drinkers looking to transition to tea. Its ingredients include pu’erh tea, cocoa beans, green coffee beans, chamomile petals, and green tea.
David’s Tea carried a similar blend called Espresso Yourself for a while. I liked it, but it was too aggressive/bitter for me.
Down the Rabbit Hole’s Brewed Awakening is much smoother. The pu’erh and the cocoa mellow down the tartness of the coffee beans. There’s a slick mouthfeel that I really like (despite not liking the word “mouthfeel” itself). There’s a calmness about this tea. It’s not yelling at you. It’s not kicking you. It’s ushering you into the morning gently.
This promising blend has me excited to try the other one I bought. Keep your eyes peeled for that one, which I’ll write up as soon as I get a chance to try it.
If you’re ever in Jim Thorpe, PA for some reason, you should check out this shop.
And the jail. . . too. It’s allegedly haunted.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Puerh
Where to Buy: Down The Rabbit Hole
Description
Check out Down the Rabbit Hole’s FB page below.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Happy from Wild Leaf Active Teas
Happy blend from Wild Leaf Active Teas is described as a stress-buster meant to lift your mood and brighten your day. This herbal blend features chamomile, rose petals, and lemon myrtle as the main flavor profiles though there are other ingredients like tulsi basil as well.
This tea is driven by its chamomile base, with lots of gentle lemon-honey herbal flavors, made even sweeter with a bit of stevia in the blend. The rose petals are gentle, much to my relief, and add just a breeze of floral tones without getting too much like perfume.
I detect a some of the greener and earthier undertones from the tulsi basil, though I might have missed it if I weren’t looking for it. I wish there was a little more tulsi to help add some variety with all the sweet lemon and honey flavor.
This is a delicate blend, gentle and easygoing.
When you want the relaxation that comes from chamomile but want a blend with a little more floral flair, try Happy blend from Wild Leaf.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Wild Leaf Active Teas
Description:
Imagine all life’s favorites that make you relaxed and content. A cup of Happy feels a lot like that. A modern blend to cheer you up or chill you out, organic whole leaf Tulsi reduces stress and lift moods while Chamomile, Lemon Myrtle and Rose Petals brighten the spirit. A happy body and happy soul makes for a happy place wherever you go. Just to be clear, Happy will not magically whisk you off on vacation. That’s a different kind of Happy. But one can dream, and we’re glad you do. Sip it in deeply. Because this life is Wild.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Emily Dickinson’s Jasmine Tea Blend – Simpson and Vail. . . .
Now I have to start this off by saying that I am a sucker for author inspired tea blends. So it goes without saying that you are sure to find me reviewing more in the near future. Which shouldn’t be surprising since what is better than a cup of tea and a good book?
Now I think that this tea was simply delightful. It is not too strong and not too subtle, it has a perfect balance in my opinion. As a matter of fact when I was drinking this tea it was like it started to clear my head. Now I don’t mean completely like a lavender tea would do, but to the point where I could think about things. Now since I go to college I began to think about things I could do for my final that is coming up but not only that I can imagine this tea being a perfect companion when I am writing for a more creative venture.
I was also surprised that this tea had little to no dry notes in it whatsoever. And in my experience with jasmine, there would always be slight, somewhat powerful dryness to it. But I believe that this a soft and balanced tea because of the ingredients. The jasmine tea is a beautiful binder for the rose petals, jasmine blossoms, marigold petals and blue cornflower petals. It goes without saying if you have read any of my previous reviews, that I have always loved the pairing of jasmine and rose. In my book, jasmine and rose will always be the power couple.
Now when I was in the process of brewing my cup I had a look at the tea leaves and apart from the enjoyment of finding little jasmine blossoms I was happy to see plenty of blue cornflower petals. Now, for those who don’t know, my favorite tea of all time is Lady Grey and that contains, you guessed it, blue cornflower. And I believe that the blue cornflower is a perfect addition to this tea for it adds a nice subtle, sugary sweetness to the blend.
On top of the delightfully delicate tasting tea the price is not at all bad either. It is $9.75 for a 4 oz tin but if you don’t want the tin you can save about $3 and pay $6.90 for a bag of the same size. Along with a great price this tea also has deep connection with the talented poet we know as Emily Dickinson. As the description reads on the bottom of this review, this tea was based off of Ms. Dickenson’s garden, which was a place that she got most of her inspiration from for her poetry.
All in all, I believe that this a beautiful tribute to Emily Dickinson and I will be purchasing this for my ever growing collection of teas in the future. (My collection is very expansive. If you don’t believe me, head over to my Instagram and I usually post updates on how big it has gotten.)
See you for the next cuppa!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: Simpson and Vail
Description:
Emily Dickinson was born on December 10th, 1830 and lived in a home that was central to Amherst political society thanks to her father and brothers. Growing up around powerful men prepared Dickinson for a life of the same, but society dictated that, as a woman, she was relegated to seemingly less meaningful ventures. Her anger at this slight comes across in her poetry and letters where she explored complex ideas of meaning and self while examining the smallest details of the world around her. She withdrew herself from society and lived in relative solitude until her death. Only a few of her poems were made public during her lifetime, but four years after her demise, a collection of poems was published and met with popular and critical acclaim. Her poems reveal a complicated mind that examined itself with as much attention to detail as it examined the world. Dickinson’s defiance of categorization and simplification make her a popular poet to study even today.
In the years she spent away from society, Emily Dickinson cultivated an extensive garden. In it, she grew jasmine flowers, cornflowers, roses, and many other flowers, plants and herbs. These flowers appear repeatedly in her poetry so our blend had to be floral. We created a delightful combination of jasmine tea and rose petals that brews to a light ecru cup with long green leaves and rose petal accents. This delicate tea hits you with a strong jasmine taste that’s sweetened and mellowed with the subtle flavors of the rose petals.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Dessert tea lovers take note: this is right up your alley! #TheNecessiTeas
Dessert tea lovers take note: this is right up your alley!
If you love sweet, creamy berry teas, this will be your… jam. (swish)
This tea has crisp and malty notes with a huge butter/honey level over it that’s hyper-saturated with berries. I could, if I closed my eyes, genuinely see how this might be a berry-pancake situation.
It. Is. Delicious.
I haven’t had berry pancakes in years — probably since my husband and I bought our house.
When I first moved into my house, our next door neighbors came over with a welcome-gift: a container of blueberries. We decided the best use of the berries was in pancakes. Obviously. So we spent a nice brunch in our new house making new-friend pancakes on our new stove.
Which is something I hadn’t thought of in a while.
Thanks, Necessiteas. That was a really good day, and I’m experiencing it again now.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: The NecessiTeas
Description
Why wait until breakfast time to enjoy the flavors of hot buttery waffles, topped with sweet maple syrup, and warm blackberry compote! Add some rock sugar and splash of milk to this brew to enjoy the steamy hot homemade flavor of juicy, ripe berries topping thick fluffy waffles, without the calories!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!