We now have that summer time weather in the Midwest and right now it is time to break out all of those teas I’ve been storing away to make cold brew tea. Today, I could think of no better way to end my work week than to enjoy huge mason jar glasses full of The Goat Tea cold brew styled.
Today’s tea of choice came down to literally one word in the ingredient list- rhubarb. I had never had rhubarb until a few weeks ago and I may be slightly obsessed. I have made several rhubarb crisps and bread puddings since. When I saw rhubarb was part of the Close Encounters of the Tea Kind tea blend, I knew that this was the tea for me today.
Today I went a different way with my cold brew today. I filled a mason jar with ice, a few scoops of loose leaf, and then filled with water. I broke out my bombilla filter straw and happily waited a bit until I could see the water was starting to turn a fun purple color. Took my first sip and seriously was this ever a tasty simple no fuss way to brew up some tea!
Pops of brilliant tart, marvelous berry, and sweet citrus notes fill each and every sip. You can tell there is hibiscus in this blend but the hibiscus mingles so well with the berry and citrus inclusions-not to mention the light notes of the honey added. This tea is literally this amazing burst of flavor each and every time you take a sip. I really don’t pick up the green tea or the black tea in the tea I’m currently drinking but I also didn’t leave the tea to really steep and develop how it properly should.
Regardless, I’m insanely in love with the results of this tea and this will be a tea that I’ll be ordering more of in the future. You can’t go wrong with having this delight in your tea stash for some amazing cold brew with the warmer months ahead. This tea was literally made for summer months with the bright flavors. Maybe one day I’ll try the tea hot, but for now. . .excuse me while I add more water to my glass to enjoy more tea!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green/Black
Where to Buy: The Goat Tea
Description
Encounter this delicious blend of green and black teas, capturing the tastes of rhubarb, raspberry and honey. Great hot or cold!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Watermelon Oolong from Fraser Tea. . .
Imagine, if you will, a watermelon Jolly Rancher, then mellow it out by melting it into a nice cup of jasmine oolong. Boom. Watermelon Oolong by Frasier Tea. I really don’t have to go on, honestly, because I nailed the description in the first sentence. I could walk out of this post. I COULD LEAVE RIGHT NOW.
But I won’t, because, you know, I have an obligation to you guys to entertain you and bring you joy.
So let’s talk about summer and how it is JUST around the corner. This tea is going to be your summer buddy. It is basically the Fourth of July watermelon platter in a liquid. You can feel the rumbling booms of fireworks echoing off nearby mountains. You can hear children shrieking as they chase each other. Everyone’s hair is frizzy and no one cares because they’re drunk on sunshine and casual long weekend companionship.
THAT’s how this tea feels. This tea feels like the promise of good weather with your friends.
Summer is just around the corner. Ready yourself.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Fraser Tea
Description
A virtual summer picnic in your glass, Watermelon Oolong Organic Oolong Tea combines fresh berries and tropical fruit flavors together with lemongrass for a crisp and refreshing taste. This superior grade organic oolong tea offers numerous nutritional benefits including weight management, diabetes management, and mental health. Think wellness; embrace flavor.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
What’s Steepin’ from The Goat Tea. . . . .
Let’s be honest, the first thing that grabs you with this tea blend is literally the name of the tea company who sells it! The Goat Tea. An unusual name but one very fitting for this amazing tea company.
The Goat Tea reached out to the SororiTea Sisters and asked if we would be interested in reviewing their teas. After taking a moment to look at their site, I knew I had to learn more about this tea company.
First off, the logo. The logo is fantastic! A goat. . .with a monocle. . . drinking tea. . . I mean, how could you not? As someone whose parents used to raise goats, this whole idea of matching goats with tea just hits my heart and gives me all the feelings. To learn more about how the name and logo came together, check out this blog post and others about the journey.
Now on to the tea. . .The Goat Tea offers a few different and unique blends. I’m quite obsessed with their line up right now and I’m trying to drink down some of my current stash so I can justify getting more of their tea. (My current tea stash is literally in every nook and cranny of my kitchen and dining room area so I have made myself commit to drinking those delights first before getting any new ones.)
This particular blend of theirs is What’s Steepin’, a green tea blend. Apples, rosehips, organic green tea, hibiscus, carrots, lime pieces, sea salt, stevia along with a few other inclusions make up this blend. What first caught my eye was the orange pops of color from the carrots. I love tea blends that push the boundaries of what normally is in a tea and with this tea having carrots in it, this blend fits that bill.
Brewed up with fresh prepped water per the package recommendations (212F), I allowed the tea to steep for right around 5 minutes. All the while enjoying the fresh tart and lime aromas. Once the tea cooled for a moment, I took a sip. This tea is sweet and for someone that doesn’t drink a whole lot of sweet teas, it reminded me instantly of candy.
The sweetness of this tea is definitely the first notes you get followed by this amazing watermelon and lime combination. There is a subtle tartness you get here and there along with a lemony finish. I can’t really say I taste any green tea in this blend but the green tea really isn’t the start- the inclusions are.
Now, the stevia in this blend is where I think a lot of the sweetness is coming into play and for someone who isn’t a fan of stevia, sadly, this tea prepped hot was just too sweet. I wish the stevia maybe was a bit less or not even in the blend at all, because the other flavors are amazing.
Since the tea blend prepped hot just wasn’t doing it for me, I decided to try a cold brew. Cold brewed again, all those watermelon, lime, and tart flavors were fabulous, but the stevia sweetness was there too.
Overall, I absolutely dig this blend. The watermelon lime combo has always been a favorite of mine and throw in some hibiscus and pomegranate, and you have yourself an amazing treat. Throw in green tea and you have my heart! The only thing stopping me from really enjoying this tea is just the fact that I am not used to having stevia or sugar in my tea and the sweetness is a bit too much for me for an everyday drink. For that time when I’m craving something sweet, this tea will absolutely do the trick.
If you haven’t checked out The Goat Tea, I highly encourage you to do so. I’m a big fan of tea companies that pay it forward and work with charities and currently, The Goat Tea is working with The St Francis Wolf Sanctuary and have a tea blend dedicated to the cause. All proceeds from His MajesTEA Meeko will go to benefit this organization.
So even though this tea blend maybe wasn’t my absolute favorite, I’ll still enjoy this blend and am super excited to check out the rest of their offerings.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green/Tisane
Where to Buy: The Goat Tea
Description
Steep this amazing creation of watermelon, basil and lime for a perfect cup of tea. Enjoy this exotic, but delicious, tea hot or cold.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Green Lemonade from Love Tea Co. . . .
I pulled out this sample in optimistic anticipation of warmer weather.
Steeped up hot, it tastes like green tea with lemon, but not lemonade. It’s lacking the sweetness of lemonade; the mild smokiness of the gunpowder green further undermines the promise of the name. But it is delicious! This blend is equal parts juicy lemon and gently smoky green tea. As it cools, the lemon flavor becomes more dominant and some sweetness does come out, which made me want to try a cold brew.
On the second steep, the lemon flavor takes on more of a candy note. That doesn’t necessarily sound like it would work but it does.
I also tried this as a cold brew. My first impression is that this turned out tart! Lemon juice tart! I can’t make out much sweetness except for a smidgen that lingers on the tongue. The lemon flavor overwhelms the tea but that’s ok. This tastes like lemon water. I’m actually fine with that. There is a place in my tea heart for refreshing caffeinated lemon water. I can see this being a great cold steep for summer. If I had more, I would experiment with doing a half-and-half cold steep of these leaves with some moderately roasted oolong. Basically a loose-leaf cold-steeped unsweetened Arnold Palmer.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Love Tea Co.
Description
This Brilliant Blend is a fan favorite. It combines the best of green tea with the best of a lemon, with lemon bits and wedges you’ll get the full “lemon-y” affect. Low in caffeine and easy on the pallet, it goes down like a smooth summer day (without the humidity). Brew a pot of this fine blend and serve hot or cold year ’round. It never hurts to add a fresh lemon slice to anything! Be sure to #sharethelove on this one.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Berry Bushel Bounty from Plum Deluxe. . . .
There’s something magical that happens whenever I get a new tea from Plum Deluxe. It’s like Andy and his fantastic tea blenders just have a wire straight to my brain and know JUST what kind of tea I’m craving at any given moment. (Seriously, you guys. How do you do it. HOW.)
When this fruity, fragrant tea of the month showed up at my doorstep, I was a tiny bit cranky from this random week dreary getting close to spring time kind of days — and little did I know, a fresh cup of fruity iced tea was just what the doctor ordered to cure me of my let’s get winter over -crankyness.
This delicious oolong & black blend brews up with mild, fruity sweetness in the brewed cup, and is a perfect combination with a splash of lemonade (my favorite way to serve it) or paired with a hint of sparkling water. But you guys, if we’re being honest? I’ve been hoarding the dry leaf to sniff instead of brewing it because it smells OH SO VERY GOOD. Do you remember the sweet and delicious tang of strawberry fruit snacks as a kiddo? This tea is a DEAD RINGER for that delightful flavor-memory, but sans any of the chemical-ick.
Frankly, it’s the only cure I’ve found to remedy the crankiness that is born of cold dreary days. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go pour a cup and stick my nose in the dry leaf and enjoy.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong & Black
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
