In my early tween years, I was lucky enough to have one of my best friends living right down the block. With our minor amounts of freedom (given our newly advanced age of 12), we were able to bike around our neighborhood to our hearts’ content, and often snuck a few extra blocks in to get to the local general shop just around the corner. Our favorite treats to stock up on? Big League Chew, and Mambos, of course– and one time, when we were feeling really adventurous: rainbow sherbet.
Now, let me paint you a little picture real quick: here we were, 12 years old, a half a mile from our homes on a hot day with nothing but a backpack and our bikes, stocking up on candy and very-meltable ice cream. I don’t know why we were so stricken with this sudden craving, but we HAD to have sherbet. So we bought ourselves a half gallon, shoved it in our backpacks, and raced against the clock to bike it back home before it melted and got everywhere. Honestly, I can’t remember its state by the time we made it home, but I can remember the exact feeling of the ferocity of biking like you were carrying a melting Hope Diamond in your backpack. Intense.
So when I saw this rainbow sherbet tea from The Necessiteas waiting for me in my most recent sample stash, I was over the moon. “Rainbow sherbet?!” I thought. “My favorite! And it won’t even melt on me! SWEET.” (I may be almost 30, but I have the mindset of a 12-year-old sherbet smuggler deep within me still, apparently.) I threw this one on ice, hoping to replicate those sweet, fruity, creamy flavors I love so much. The verdict? It was a really good green iced tea. But was it totally sherbet-esqe? Not entirely. I enjoyed this one a lot, ad will definitely sip it again, but I have such a specific flavor-memory of rainbow sherbet that anything that doesn’t entirely hit it on the nose is going to be a little bit of a disappointment to me.
Now, if 12-year-old Mary’d had this tea stashed away in her backpack instead of a rapidly-melting frozen treat? She probably would have been a happier, less-sticky camper.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: The NecessiTeas
Description
Real fruit makes this raspberry, orange, and lime sherbet combination a classic treat!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Kokomo Cooler from Fava Tea. . . .
So I know that this one is probably supposed to be drunk iced, but I was too lazy and too impatient today to ice it. I like cooling the tea down a lot before pouring it over ice, otherwise the ice melts and its too watered down. Anyways, the reason I ordered this tea was because of course the name made me think that it would be a great summer blend, and also because of the ingredients. I’m always down to try something different and unique. Black tea with blueberries, pineapple, coconut, caramel, and freeze dried yogurt pieces all sounded like a combo I haven’t tried before. The only thing that made me hesitant and slightly disappointed right off the bat was the inclusion of hibiscus. I have only tried one tea that included hibiscus that I enjoyed thus far. Anytime hibiscus is listed I usually don’t buy it, but Fava didn’t use “tart” as a descriptive word to describe this blend so I decided to give it a try.
Once steeped I could smell the caramel, pineapple, and coconut. It smelled like DAVIDsTEA’s Caramel Corn blend. In all honesty it tasted like it, too, except with blueberries. I was immediately in love after the first sip and I know for a fact I will be stocking up on this one. It is fantastic hot and I am now eager to try it iced!
The first thing I notice is how creamy it is and I wonder if that is from the yogurt pieces. The next thing I notice is that I would not peg this as a black tea blend, it tastes more like a fruit infusion and I love it! It is creamy, fruity, nutty, and not the least bit tart. It isn’t overly sugary though, and I did add agave still. The blend of pineapple, coconut, and blueberry is so good and so unique. The added ingredients of caramel and yogurt pieces give the blend a smooth, creamy, and sweet aspect that leaves you wanting to continue going back for another sip. It’s addicting because there is so much going on in each sip that you have to keep trying it! I really really like this one. I know I say it a lot, but this is truly a must try this summer…no matter what you think you like or what flavors you usually gravitate towards, everyone should try this at least once.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Fava Tea
Description
This black tea blend will set you thinking of palm trees and beach-side afternoons. The flavors of pineapple, blueberries, and coconut all complement each other in an endless circle of deliciousness. It’s refreshing and perfect for porch lounging, or for mermaids drinking tea in their lagoons!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Ooh Peppermint! – Harlow Tea Co.
When I received the Oo’ Peppermint Tea from Harlow Tea Co I first thought, “Oh man, this is going to be another one of those teas that extremely overpowered.” For any kind of peppermint tea the creator of said tea uses the oil from the peppermint plant and you can easily overpower any creation with just a tad over the amount of oil that was intended. But Harlow Tea didn’t depend on oil but instead the peppermint plant itself! Which, in fact, makes for a delightful flavor.
But this tea is not just peppermint leaf, its base is actually oolong tea (which gives meaning to the “Oo” in Oo’ Peppermint) with the accompanying flavors of tulsi leaf, almond, and vanilla bean. And I believe that this tea is blended to perfection for its splendid flavor is smooth and comforting. And that means a lot coming from a tea drinker such as myself for I usually try to stay away from vanilla. Paired with the almond makes the two most powerful flavors, the vanilla and the peppermint leaf, agree with each other to a point where you can have a cup that is too strong or too sweet.
Now on to the details about this tea. Harlow Tea Co. is an Etsy run shop and their prices are pretty fair indeed. For this particular cup it is $4 for 1 oz, $6.49 for 2 oz, and $10 for 3 oz. They also offer samples of all of their teas for a mere 50 cents. So if you are curious I would take advantage of their fair pricing.
All in all this will be a tea that I will keep stocked in my pantry. It will be a perfect tea to accompany me in illness or in health. I can’t wait to try more teas from this company for they have already won me over. And just as a side note, to all of you that are aware of/love Twinings Buttermint I would say to try this on for size.
See you for the next cuppa!
Kara
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Harlow Tea Co
Description
Do you love peppermint, well I hope so! This tea gives a kick of peppermint that lingers long after that last sip is taken! Oolong has long, pun intended, been known as an all around pleasing tea for those who may find green tea too bitter and black tea too strong. Love both, then oolong is a perfect combination of the two!
Oo’ Peppermint offers hints of almond and is balanced with pieces of vanilla bean. You may even see some vanilla bean seeds in your tea!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Dragonfruit Fusion Teabags from Simpson and Vail.. . . .
June was National Iced Tea Month so I thought a few Iced Tea attempts were surely in order! To kick things off I brewed some Dragonfuit Fusion Tea Bags from Simpson & Vail.
As many of you know Hibiscus scares me and Rosehips are creeping on that list as well. When I saw how intensely pinkish-red this was after brewing I ASSUMED it was going to be that dreaded tarty-sour Hibiscus I was so frightened of. BUT…I don’t know how S&V did it but it worked well here! It wasn’t overly tart or overly sweet. Perhaps it was the Green Rooibos base that helped even it out?
Ingredients include Organic green rooibos, organic rosehips, organic hibiscus, organic orange peel, organic lemon peel and natural flavors. I will say that I could taste the citrusy peels mentioned in the list of ingredients and that seemed to really contribute to the overall flavor of this tea!
The rebel that I am – I sipped a half of a cup of this tea hot before icing and it was pretty good hot, too!
I have a very large thermo container that I will be traveling with a lot this summer and I can see myself keeping iced teas in there very soon! I’m looking forward to Iced Tea Season. Are you?
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal/Tisane
Where to Buy: Simpson & Vail
Description
Perfect for lazy summer days, this organic herbal blend brews to a ruby red color with a tropical fruit taste. Caffeine free and bursting with flavor, this “tea” will be enjoyed by young and old alike. Add a little sweetener or seltzer to brighten up the taste!
Ingredients: Organic green rooibos, organic rosehips, organic hibiscus, organic orange peel, organic lemon peel and natural flavors.
To brew:
Put teabag in a gallon container. Pour boiling water over the teabag to cover, steep for 5 minutes then remove the bag. Add cold water to fill the container and stir. Refrigerate. Serve over ice as is or with your choice of sweetener.
Iced tea in the refrigerator may turn cloudy. If this should occur, pour a little boiling water into the tea after removal from the refrigerator.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Rosé All Day from DAVIDs Tea. . . .
“Whoa. This tea smells like…”
“Wine?” My fiancé laughed, finishing my sentence for me.
Yes, dear reader– this wine-inspired tea (Rosé All Day– David’s Tea, your marketing team sure is on point with the trends) smells like– you guessed it– wine. Like, for real. There is an astringent, slightly alcoholic grape-i-ness behind all the fruit in this infusion. It’s lightly pink and perfectly fruity, but with a hint of something MORE that just screams “ice cold alcoholic grapes!” to me. Brewed (which I’ve only done cold so far, because, hello– wine without the alcohol that I can drink during the workday, gimme), it’s that same scent brought totally to life– perfectly reminiscent of an icy glass of pink goodness. I think this one would be as excellent on its own as it would mixed with some chilled prosecco– or would be an excellent mocktail for someone avoiding alcohol but still wanting in on the fun! Perfect to have in your summer-sipping arsenal– and totally Instagram-worthy (just make sure you hashtag that #roséallday for maximum trendiness).
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: DAVIDs Tea
Description
This delicate and mildly fruity pink tea tastes just like a chilled glass of rosé wine.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!