Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal/Functional Tisane
Where to Buy: Algonquin Tea Co.
Tea Description:
Peace Tea instills the tranquility, patience and beauty of the earth. This rich, bittersweet blend grounds us in a flowing meadow of healing herbs. Peace tea is ideal for calming down before, during or after any busy period.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about subscribing to Postal Teas here.
Taster’s Review:
So, my Postal Teas box arrived the other day! Yay! A beam of happiness shines like a ray of sunshine when tea is in the mailbox! And I do really enjoy the Postal Teas subscription. So far, with every box that I’ve received from them, I’ve tried teas from companies that are new to me. I like that. I like that a lot!
I’ve never really made a big secret of the fact that I prefer camellia sinensis blends over herbal teas/tisanes. Not a big surprise, right? So, I was a little less than enthused when I opened the box this month and found not one … not two … but ALL THREE teas in the box were herbals.
What?
So, it probably goes without saying that this month’s box was a little bittersweet. I was not thrilled about receiving three herbal teas in the box BUT I was happy to be trying teas from a new-to-me company: Algonquin Tea Co.
And while I do prefer camellia sinensis, I am willing to try herbal blends, and I actually do like to have an herbal tisane later in the evening to encourage some peace and quiet so that I can get a good night’s rest.
Which is why I chose to try this Peace Tea first. The ingredient list suggests that there are quite a few calming herbs in the blend.
Ingredients: Blue Vervain, Lemon Balm, Catnip, Oat Straw, Red Bergamot, Chamomile, Hops, Motherwort, Valerian, Skullcap and St John’s Wort.
To brew this tisane, I used my Kati tumbler and measured 1 1/2 bamboo scoops into the basket. I heated 12 ounces of water to 195°F and then let it steep for 8 minutes.
As the description suggests, there is some bittersweet going on here. This is a tisane that I recommend adding a dollop of honey (raw, locally harvested honey if you’ve got it!) to help tame the bitterness a bit. After I added a little bit of honey, I found this to be an enjoyable cup.
The vervain and the hops is where a lot of the bitterness is coming from. I taste hints of mint-like flavor from the catnip and there is a touch of citrus flavors from the lemon balm and bergamot. I was really hoping to taste more of the bergamot in this.
Mostly, what I’m tasting is a very herbaceous flavor. It is bittersweet. Almost medicinal. There’s a light floral note that is nice and it develops as I continue to sip. I pick up on more of the chamomile flavor as the tea cools and guess what? I was actually happy to discover the chamomile! I think that the reason for that is because it’s more of a familiar flavor amid the medicinal notes.
All that said: this isn’t a bad tisane. I’m not hating this. It’s not horrible. It’s alright. But this is not something I’d want to reach for on a regular basis. The citrus notes and the hint of mint are this tea’s saving grace, because without those notes, I don’t know that I’d enjoy this.
The pros: there is no hibiscus in here. I enjoy the citrus-y notes and the touch of mint. The floral notes are pleasant. With a bit of honey this tastes much nicer and I am noticing myself relaxing and calming down a bit – I feel the peace that the name of the tea promises. These are good things!
The cons: It does have a strong bitter tone to it and while I can appreciate a contrasting, savory bitter note in a tea or tisane now and again, this is a stronger bitter taste than I’d like it to be. It has a medicinal quality that makes me feel like I’m drinking something functional or “good for me” – which I am, but I don’t like to feel like I am. I like to get my functional, good for me teas in sweeter, better tasting blends.
I think I’d like this a lot more if it had more citrus-y flavors, or more flavors that I don’t normally associate as “herbaceous.” As a drink, it’s alright. As a source of peace and calm, I appreciate how this tea is inspiring those things in me at the moment. I feel noticeably more relaxed now than I did before I started sipping.
Cotton Candy Honeybush Iced Tea From Southern Boy Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: Zoomdweebies
Tea Description:
Our cotton candy iced teas have been a big hit, so I decided we really should have a caffeine-free, honeybush version.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn about SBT’s subscriptions here.
Taster’s Review:
I love the cotton candy teas that Zoomdweebies creates. So I was confident that I’d enjoy this one too.
And I do.
I way, way oversteeped this – but because it’s a honeybush blend, I wasn’t worried. When I say “way, way oversteeped” what I mean is that I infused 1 quart of water with the sachet for over 30 minutes.
I forgot to set my timer and I stepped away and then I looked at the clock a half an hour later and remembered that I had this tea steeping! Yikes!
But again, no worries. And no bitterness. Honeybush just doesn’t get bitter. The same is true of rooibos. However, I’ve found that if you use too hot of water to steep either one, the leaves may impart a funky, sour wood kind of flavor that I don’t really enjoy. But since I heated the water to 195°F rather than boiling, I didn’t have to worry about that funky flavor either.
The sweet, sugary cotton candy flavor is strong and I like it with the honeybush base. The lightly sweet flavor of the honeybush highlights the sweet candy notes. I don’t taste a strong nutty or woodsy note from the honeybush. I taste some background flavors of the honeybush, but it doesn’t overpower the fluffy notes of cotton candy.
This flavor works really well with the honeybush, in fact, I think that I might prefer the honeybush base to either the black tea or the green tea versions of cotton candy iced teas from Southern Boy Teas!
Another yummy iced tea. Very refreshing!
Ginger Cream Black Tea from Aromatica Fine Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Tea Information:
Rich, malty, full-bodied Assam black tea makes this a bold tea, but the delicious cream flavour really smoothes it out. If you’ve never experienced ginger and cream together, you’re in for a treat. Spicy, yet sweet, this tea is heavenly.
This tea is available from Amoda Tea.
Learn more about subscribing to Amoda Tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Yum!
As I’m sitting here, marveling over the amazing flavor of this tea, I’m trying to recall ever trying another “ginger creme” tea like this. No, I can’t say that I have … or if I have, it’s not a tea that I remember. And if it tasted anything like this, I’d like to think I would have remembered it because this is delightful!
Really delightful!
The flavors all come together in a very pleasing way. The richness of the malty Assam tea, the sweet, creamy notes of the vanilla and the hint of peppery warmth from the ginger. It’s a well-crafted combination of flavors that unite in a seamless way – tasting less like “individual” flavors and more like a delicious harmony of tastes.
The black tea base is a second flush Assam. It’s a robust, smooth, and sweet tasting tea with lots of malt. There are Assam teas that are “wine-y” and there are Assam teas that are “malty” and then there are some Assam teas that are somewhere between. This Assam is MALTY! Rich and sweet with caramel-esque notes. It has a strong, hefty quality to it – this has plenty of gusto and would make a good tea for that first cup of the day.
And what a delicious way to start the day this tea would be!
The malty notes of the Assam marry with the vanilla notes in a very luscious way. The vanilla enhances the caramel-y tones of the Assam while those smooth, rich notes of the Assam perfectly complement the vanilla.
Then there is the ginger! How the ginger was added to this blend is key to it’s success as a flavor. Too much ginger would have ruined the delightfully melodious flavor that the Assam and vanilla have created. There is just enough ginger to add a hint of spice to the cup. Just a hint. It’s a little warm but not overly zesty. There’s just enough ginger to keep the cup interesting.
I LOVE this tea. It’s warm and cozy and fluffy – like a favorite blanket on a cold winter’s day. An awesome choice for this month’s Amoda Tea box!
Pumpkin Apple Banana Bread Black Tea from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
I don’t know about you, but that just makes my mouth water just reading the name of this tea. This tea has premium black teas, freeze-dried apples and bananas, marigold petals and organic flavors. I think this one is going to be a big hit, so don’t miss out.
Learn more about this blend here.
Learn more about 52Teas’ subscriptions here.
Taster’s Review:
So this is the second or third tea that I’ve had since 52Teas changed the size of their tea. They used to offer their unique blends in 2 ounce sizes unless it was a white tea or a specialty tea base, and in those cases, it was closer to 1 to 1 1/2 ounce. Now the teas are sold in 1/2 ounce pouches, and I’ve got to tell you that I like it a lot better this way.
As I’ve said on more than one occasion, I’m a “taster.” I like to taste new-to-me teas. (She who tastes the most tea wins!) And I fall in love with a lot of teas, but if I’m going to limit myself to just those teas, then I don’t taste as many new-to-me teas and to be honest, I enjoy falling in love more than I enjoy staying in love. I’m a romantic like that. So, smaller sizes for teas enables me to fall in love with more teas with less commitment. That’s my kind of tea relationship. It’s kind of like having a harem, only with tea. Does that make me a tea slut? A tea-izer?
Anyway, that was probably more than you wanted to know about my relationships with tea. Let’s get on with this review, shall we?
Pumpkin Apple Banana Bread flavored Black Tea. Not your average tea blend. Then again, that’s what I’ve come to love about 52Teas – they often color outside the lines and create blends that are intriguingly different. Something that piques my interest because it’s just so wacky and unusual.
So my interest was definitely piqued with this blend. My first sip or two, though, was a little less than spectacular. To be honest, it tasted like plain black tea. I worried that maybe I was coming down with something and my taste buds are out of whack. So I waited for a few minutes to give the tea time to cool, hoping that the flavors would pop.
Yep! This is a tea that benefits greatly with some cooling time so that the flavors have time to develop. Those first few sips, when this tea was still piping hot, I found the flavors to be somewhat muddied. But after about five minutes cool time, the flavors started to come into focus! Bam!
And Yay! My taste buds appear to be in working order.
There is a lot going on in this cup: there’s a lot of different flavors to experience. The sip starts out with a hint of apple-y sweetness. A moment later, I taste notes of banana. By mid-sip, I pick up on notes of pumpkin. This is a true medley of these three flavors.
I don’t taste a lot of “bread” or the cake-y quick bread flavor that I’d taste if I were biting into a piece of banana bread. This is more about the fruits and pumpkin than it is about the “bread.” But I do taste hints of a cinnamon-y type note that accents the pumpkin (and the apple and banana, for that matter!) quite nicely. And as I continue to sip, I start to taste flavors that might be “bread-like” or at least “buttery” that make my palate believe that maybe, just maybe the cake-y/bread-y flavors are actually there.
And I’m also enjoying the black tea base. The description doesn’t tell me what types of black teas 52Teas is using now (I know that they were thinking of changing their base at one point), but I like the smoothness of this base. It’s a flavorful tea and I’m not getting any astringency or bitterness from it. Nice!
To brew this tea, I used my Breville One-Touch. I measured out 2 bamboo scoops of tea into the basket and added 500ml of water to the jug and set the parameters as follows: 205°F for 2 1/2 minutes. Allow the tea to cool at least 5 minutes before you start sipping – your taste buds will thank you for it!
Overall, a tasty blend. I’d like a little more of that cakey-bready-buttery flavor that I’ve enjoyed with other “bread/cake” type of blends from 52Teas, but I do like that I’m tasting the pumpkin, apple and banana flavors clearly.
Ball & Chain Oolong Tea from Indie Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Tea Information:
This is a fantastic flavoured oolong. A rare find. There’s a natural sweetness from the Se Chung oolong that is enhanced by the infusion of the sweet medjool dates. There’s a cool roasted, nutty flavour present in the oolong and a faint stone fruit nuance. Love it.
This tea is available from Amoda Tea.
Learn more about subscribing to Amoda Tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Amoda Tea is back, baby!
Amoda Tea disappeared for a while to revamp their business. Last month, they announced that they’d be back with subscriptions again, and I was overjoyed! I loved receiving their box every month!
Their new (and improved) monthly subscription includes:
- small (3 cup) size samples of 4 different teas
- DIY loose leaf tea bags
- “tasting notes” of the teas included in the box
- A “visual Stellar” story link that allows you to listen while you sip
- A treat from Sweet Petite Confectioner: a chai infused marshmallow!
I love the 3 cups of 4 teas format. I like the idea of the stellar story, but I took a few minutes to listen to some of the tracks and not my thing. I’m more of a Guns N’ Roses tea sipper and I’m not so much into the indie stuff. But hey, different strokes, right?
Last but certainly not least: I love that I have a chai infused marshmallow sitting in front of me, taunting me to eat it. Should I eat it now? Should I wait until my sweet tooth is beckoning? (Right now my sweet tooth has been satiated as I already had a chocolate-y dessert treat a little while ago.)
Since I think I’ll wait until the sweet tooth demands me to eat it, I’ll move on to the review…
I have already sampled and reviewed this tea, but it was a while ago (a year and a half ago!) since I tried it and since it’s part of this month’s Amoda Tea box, I thought it’d be fun to revisit it.
This is still as tasty as I remember it being. I like the way the dates are represented here: I get a good, solid date flavor. Sweet, almost caramel-like in flavor. I get that sugar-y sweetness of the date.
If you’re one who generally sweetens your tea before you taste it, I’d recommend not doing that with this tea. Taste it first. The sweetness from the dates is really a strong sweetness and you might find that this is just right, the way that it is.
The Se Chung Oolong is an ideal choice for the base of this tea because it’s roasty-toasty, slightly smoky character melds very nicely with that sweet, caramel-y date flavor.
I enjoyed this both hot and cold. After I brewed it and drank about half the cup, I was side-tracked and got busy doing something else and when I returned to my cup of tea, it was cold. But this is delightful served either hot or cold – and I’d have a hard time saying which I prefer! That’s kind of a rare thing for me when it comes to Oolong teas, because usually, I want my Oolong tea hot! But, this is delicious either way.
I’m really glad that this tea was in this month’s box because it’s been a while since I’ve had this one and it’s really tasty. I’m happy I got to revisit it!
I have to be honest here and say that when I subscribed to this box, I was hoping that maybe this month’s box would be this Holiday Tasting Box, but I guess you have to order that separately. Oh, well. I’m still really happy with this box and I’m thrilled that Amoda Tea is back with subscription boxes.
What I’ve always loved about the subscription box from Amoda Tea is that it’s like getting a gift every month. The mailbox is always jammed full of stuff we don’t want: junk mail, bills, etc. It’s nice to get something fun every month and really, what’s more fun than tea?
And I feel like the box is even more fun now than it once was with the addition of the thoughtful inclusions. Even though the visual/musical story at Stellar wasn’t exactly my thing, I appreciate that they put something together to make this an all encompassing experience. I also LOVE that there’s a sweet treat in this box! I don’t know that there will be in every box, but I like that I got something a little special. It’s stuff like this that make these monthly boxes so much fun.