I have heard such amazing things about this tea. It seems to be loved by so many people on Instagram and it has taken years for me to get my hands on some since it always seems to be sold out. However, our sister, CuppaGeek came through for me with a sample of this tea.
I brewed the sample per the NecessiTeas recommended steeping parameters. I steeped the tea in boiling water for 5 minutes. The smell of cotton candy filled the air.
I think it is safe to say that given the hype and the smell, I had pretty high expectations going in. Unfortunately, it did fall a bit short for me. It’s top note is definitely a sugary candy. It could be cotton candy but it could also be pixie sticks. It’s a nostalgic flavor. However, it is not the only flavor. There is a lot more fruitiness here that I did not expect. Under the sugary top note, I am getting a lot of the apple flavor. That apple flavor is a touch waxy and thus distracting.
At the end of the day, this has a bunch of potential and I can definitely see why people enjoy it. However, I would want to explore some other steeping parameters and brewing techniques to coax out more of the cotton candy while toning down the fruitier notes.
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Leaf Type: Herbal/Fruit Tisane
Where to Buy: The NecessiTeas
Description
Ohh Sugar Sugar
Cotton Candy reminds me of the county fair. The long strands of pink and blue spun sugar are a special treat. My kids and I have always been fans of the sugary novelty which inspired me to create a tea blend that would be just as delicious and sweet.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Birthday Cake Infused Hot Chocolate/DAVIDs Tea
DAVIDsTEA’s Birthday Cake is actually the very first tea that caught my attention. It is the tea that got me curious about teas and made me drive my mother crazy until she drove me over to a DAVIDsTEA store. It is the tea that started it all and if I am being honest, I didn’t even like it that much when I first tried it.
The idea of a Birthday Cake tea just sounded too good to pass up. I mean, all the flavor of delicious birthday cake and none of the calories…Who could say no to that?! So, I went to the store and since I had no clue what I was doing I bought about 50 grams of the Birthday Cake tea and 50 grams of about 15 other teas. Of course I tried Birthday Cake first and only tasted sweet rooibos and was left disappointed. Among the 15 others, I found some I loved and some I didn’t but I found myself always coming back to Birthday Cake. Even though it wasn’t the best tea, it was the first and for that reason alone it had a special place in my heart.
When I discovered cold brewing, that is when my love for the Birthday Cake tea really bloomed. Cold brewing pushed aside the rooibos flavor, making room for the vanilla frosting deliciousness to shine. Cakey and amazing.
Well, DAVIDsTEA has taken now their beloved Birthday Cake tea and made it even more lovable. They infused their tea in a chocolate cube filled with sprinkles that sits at the end of a stick. Atop the tea-infused chocolate cube is a colorful confetti marshmallow. Submerge this delight in a cup of hot milk and stir until the chocolate is melted and the marshmallow begins to melt. What do you get? A super fun hot chocolate. And, if you are anything like me, you add just a touch more fun with a dollop of whipped cream on top. Yum!
As for the flavor of this hot chocolate…well, it is creamy and rich. It has a smooth, melted milk chocolate flavor that you can only get from real chocolate. More than the chocolate though is the birthday cake flavor. I was skeptical of whether it would actually come through but between the sprinkles and the marshmallow you definitely get a burst of birthday cake sweetness and a touch of vanilla caramel frosting from the tea.
Marshmallowy and full of sprinkle sugaryness, this might be a bit on the sweet side for most but this could make for a very special treat for any kid…or kid at heart.
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Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: DAVIDs Tea
Description
This combo of tea/chocolate is not longer available but the loose leaf tea is.
This sweet and festive rooibos tea brings the taste of birthday cake to your cup any day of the year – rainbow sprinkles and all. Its creamy vanilla twist is just as craveable as the real dessert. And with all the goodness of rooibos and next to no calories, this caffeine-free infusion lets you have your cake and eat it too.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Vanilla Almond Pu Erh/Fusion Sweets. . . .
This powerful punch of vanilla tastes like a wedding cake. A nice, moist (ewwww, did she say “moist”?), expensive nuptial dessert. The pu’erh adds a deeper swirl to the affair, maybe a little bit of chocolate or nutella.
I’m actually transported back to my own wedding cake, which was orange and purple with an ocean theme. Its creamy flavor was marzipan FOR DAYS.
My dress was too tight because I’m the only person on earth who GAINS weight for a wedding, so I wasn’t able to fit much in my tummy, and whoosh, it was all gone. My friends are LOCUSTS.
Well, I get my vengeance now. I can have my cake, and drink it, too
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Leaf Type: Puerh
Where to Buy: Fusion Sweets
Description
The rich flavor of fermented pu erh tea is sweetened with vanilla beans and the scent of almonds.
A great after dinner dessert tea that tastes like marzipan with none of the calories!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Fruit Salad/Bird and Blend Tea Co
Fruit Salad by Bird and Blend Tea Co. is inspired by “Fruit Salad chews – the glorious childhood penny sweet!” according to the Bird and Blend Tea Co website. I actually realized that just now because when I purchased it, I thought it was inspired by an actual fruit salad. Having never even heard of a Fruit Salad Chew before, I did a bit a research and it would seem that they are chewy candies with raspberry and pineapple flavoring.
Obviously I have never tried Fruit Salad Chews before but brewed hot, this tea has a bit of an artificial waxy quality that Starburst minis tend to have. That is where the similarities between this tea and a chewy fruit candy ends. This is not all that sugary or sweet. In fact, it almost would be better if Bird and Blend was trying to recreate an actual fruit salad because this is a generically fruity and tart tea, more akin to a melange of fruit than fruit chews. Definitely nothing distinctively raspberry or pineapple here, at least in the hot tea.
I also cold brewed this tea to see how that would compare to the hot brew. It was left in the fridge for approximately 24 hours. Cold brewed, this tea is a little sweeter than the hot tea as some of the hibiscus is tamed by this brewing method. I also get more apple flavors among a melange of fruitiness. Again, not much in the way of raspberry or pineapple though and not as sweet as one would expect from a tea inspired by candies.
This to me is like many fruit teas out there. They all have a similar flavor profile with apples and hibiscus. A little sweet and a little tart. With that said, this is less tart than other fruit teas I have had but also has a fair amount of lemongrass flavor. It is nice enough but nothing particularly special. Easy to drink but easy to forget.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Fruit Tisane
Where to Buy: Bird and Blend Tea Co.
Description
No not the healthy ‘dessert’, the glorious childhood penny sweet! Still a much-loved classic, still wrapped in the iconic orange and pink striped wrapper and still paired with those dastardly Black Jacks (who ever liked those!?) Fruit Salad chews really were the best!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Birthday Cake Rooibos Herbal Tea: UNICORN VIBES/Tea Vibes
Just the Facts
Caffeine Level: None
Brewing Instructions: ½ teaspoon tea for every 6 ounces of water.
Brew 3-5 minutes (longer for iced tea). Aroma: fresh baked vanilla cake, with moments of citrus and berries.
Color: Amber Color
Ingredients: rooibos, flavors, cornflower petals, confetti sprinkles. Vegan. Description: Caffeine-free magical rooibos loose leaf tea infused with vanilla berry birthday cake and rainbow sprinkle vibes.
Tasting Notes: fresh baked birthday cake, browned butter, whipped cream, vanilla, ice cream, citrus, blueberries, blackberries, honeycomb.
The Review
Unicorn Vibes is a name that induces images of limitless whimsy and flavor-filled fun. So, while I approached the tea with the giddy enthusiasm of a ten year-old with a hula hoop in one hand and a bubble wand in the other, my adult skepticism told me to quell my inner child.
As of late, most rooibos teas with exciting names seemed to overpromise and underdeliver. I tend to like my tea on the medium-strong side so I increased the steeping time to 6 minutes. The moment the infuser hit the water a light amber hue began to emerge, deepening in tone until it became a deeper peachy amber color at the final steeping time. Initially, as the tea steeped, the aroma of vanilla gave way to a vanilla-berry scent that caused me to salivate.
I had never been this excited for a rooibos in my life! My inner child was winning, she knew this was going to be good and couldn’t wait to get her hands on it. I tried the brew without any sweetener and was astonished at the natural sweetness it exuded. I then tried the tea with regular sugar and then honey. Honey overpowered the vanilla and made it cloying. White sugar made it sweeter than it needed to be but was pleasant enough.
My favorite way was definitely au naturel since I could easily see this being great as an iced tea and a starter tea for children. I couldn’t stop drinking the tea in part because the flavor was as exceptional and unique as the name it bore. Mostly, my inner child kept goading me to have a little more as memories of childhood tea parties with friends, ice cream trucks circling the block, making cupcakes doused in sprinkles and the local candy shoppe came flooding back with each sip.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Tea Vibes
Description
UNICORN VIBES is a caffeine-free magical rooibos loose leaf tea infused with vanilla berry birthday cake and rainbow sprinkle vibes. This is such a unique tea because it’s part of our “dessert tea” line. That doesn’t mean it’s super sweet; it just means it’s naturally sweet in a subtle way.
When brewed, UNICORN VIBES is a gorgeous amber color and gives off the comforting aroma of a fresh baked vanilla cake, with moments of citrus and berries.
Steep a cup or two of this dessert tea at night time or after meals to help fight sugar cravings. The creamy finish of vanilla, berries and citrus satisfies your sweet tooth and your mind will be like “That cake was delicious!” – but guess what? – with no calories. We highly recommend this tea with a splash of milk or cream for the full “cake effect”. Enjoy!
