My weakness is mystery bundles. There is just something irresistible about being surprised by mail that isn’t bills. I’m also a sucker for a sale. So when my Steeped tea lady, Nicole, told me my order qualified for a Mystery bundle of $100 worth of tea for just $20, you best believe I snatched it up! This was one of nearly a dozen teas inside!
This delightful morning blend is literally the flavors of an entire breakfast in one cup. My cousin is big on the butter in coffee trend, and as much as I’m willing to try new things, I just can’t imagine butter in my tea. Fortunately Steeped’s french toast Oolong is so tasty on its own, that it helps me continue to resist.
The scent transforms from its smorgasbord of tropical dry ingredients to a fresh-bread smelling wet leaf to the buttery, smoky rose-gold infusion.
There are layers of flavor as well. When the tea is hot, there are strong notes of maple syrup, and as it cools, more of the acidic citrus blood orange creeps out.
The after taste is spot-on, french toast-y (Kudos to the food scientists who made this happen!). It tastes of malt, with a sweet acid.
Surprisingly this is one tea that I actually preferred without sugar, even though it’s not sweet. Studies have shown that giving in to your cravings in the morning can lead to fewer cravings throughout the day. this is perfect if you already eat a sensible healthy breakfast but crave excitement. This will definitely be used to hold me over until brunch. Or until my next mystery box 😉
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Loose Leaf Oolong with dried fruits
Where to Buy: Steeped Tea
Description:
Breakfast in bed is served in this buttery mouth-watering tea.
Ingredients: Oolong tea, pineapple bits (pineapple, sugar, citric acid [acidifier]), coconut chips, lemon wedges, cranberries (cranberries, sugar, sunflower oil [anti-caking agent]), orange peels, rose buds, pomegranate blossoms, vanilla bits, prickly pear blossoms, natural flavors.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Juicy Orange Pu’erh from DAVIDsTEA
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu’erh & Black Tea
Where to Buy: DAVIDsTEA
Tea Description:
Something magical happens when you combine rich, earthy pu’erh with sweet, juicy orange. Somehow the result is so much more than the sum of its parts – deliciously fresh and fruity, yet undeniably good for you. Whether you sip it hot or over ice, it’s super-soothing and addictively refreshing. With a tea this happy in your arsenal, who knows what else might go your way? Things are looking cup…
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is a relatively new offering from DAVIDsTEA and it appears to be a part of their regular line up of teas, and not a limited edition seasonal blend or from one of their constant limited edition collections. It’s nice to see the company expanding their Pu’Erh offerings, though I was skeptical about this one even before seeing other people review it; it seems relatively similar to their Garcinia Goodness blend.
Reviews on this one seem to be fairly polar, and I was actually relatively sure I’d land on the side of people who dislike this blend. This smells very juicy, and tangerine-like dry though. Enough so that I didn’t let my prejudice get the better of me and I picked up a small sample in store to try.
Steeped up this actually isn’t anything like I thought it’d taste. Which I suppose is good because, like I’ve already expressed, I was doubtful this would be that good. There’s a sparkling effervescence to this blend. Right off the bat it comes through clear as crystal in the smell and is capture very well in the taste as well. I can see it making a phenomenal tea soda!
I’m really, really tasting the tangerine in the blend which is so lovely and different from a lot of citrus heavy blends. The regular orange flavour is quite strong too and has a wonderful, fresh taste but it’s not nearly as interesting as the tangerine. Overall the flavour reminds me loosely of orange tic tacs? Sweet, candy orange with a little bit of tang to it. Surprisingly I don’t really taste anything that particularly reminds me of hibiscus? That’s certainly a relief. Maybe there’s not a lot of it in the blend, or it just blends into the tangerine really well.
As for the base; it’s hard for me to believe this is pu’erh or black tea (the blend uses both). It’s just really light overall and the flavourings are really the focus here. I suppose I do taste the pu’erh just a little though; there’s a rawness to the fruit that tastes a little earthy in the finish. The mouthfeel of this one is nice too; kind of thick with that sparkling quality.
I’m pleasantly surprised by the blend. I didn’t buy a lot but I’ll be able to have a few more cups and if they’re like this one at all I could, in fact, see this as a blend I’d buy more of! It seems like it’d work as an iced tea as well, so it could be a wonderful spring or summer companion.
Southern Boys Teas Series, Part 4: RadioactiviTEA from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Premium blend of assam CTC black teas. An extra bold blend of hearty teas for those who prefer an iced tea with substance.
Learn more about Southern Boy Teas here.
Taster’s Review:
Of the eight different varieties of iced tea offered under the Southern Boy Teas label, this was the one I was contemplating not ordering. Why? Don’t get me wrong, I love a good Assam tea, however, I usually consider Assam to be a tea that is better served hot rather than iced. I thought I’d be happier drinking the flavored teas rather than this pure blend of Assam CTC teas.
But, I am so glad that I decided at the last minute to add this to my order at the last minute. This is so good! As I eluded to in the last paragraph, I usually prefer to drink my Assam tea hot, but, this is so deliciously flavorful iced. Rich and remarkably smooth.
Like the other teas from Southern Boy Teas, I steeped this using the cold-brew method: 2 quarts of cool, freshly drawn and filtered water in my glass pitcher, toss in the extra-large teabag, seal the pitcher and stash it in the fridge overnight. The next morning the tea is brewed – just remove the teabag. I’ve been stashing the used teabag in a covered container and putting it in the fridge to resteep using the hot-brew method when I need to refill the iced tea pitcher.
And the cold-brew method did not let me down. This is, as I said, very smooth. No bitterness at all. No astringency either! Just really delicious, rich tasting tea with notes of fruit and a delectable malty character. Interestingly enough, as much as I’ve been enjoying the flavored teas from Southern Boy Teas, I am enjoying this tea just as much – if not more so!
And for those who might be a bit shy of the name – no worries! I drank this later in the evening last night and it did not keep me stirring. It is strong, but not overstimulating! At least … not in it’s cold-brewed, iced tea form!
