Sweet & Spicy Tea & Herb Blend from Good Earth. . . .

by Mary

This particular tea seems like one that just comes standard in all tea collections. Right there nestled up next to a standard English Breakfast, Chamomile, and Constant Comment is a bag of this classic blend, just awaiting someone looking for the perfect quick cuppa.

I’ll admit– I’m one of those tea people. I picked this lone bag up from who knows where (a dental office, maybe? A yoga studio? The Narnia-esque back recesses of my tea cabinet?), and it’s been sitting in my office stash of loose tea bags for quick brewing for about a year now. Oops.

The packaging looks older, which, upon doing some internet research, makes me believe that this has likely been sitting in *someone’s* stash for a while even long before mine– I recognize the new packaging from my local supermarket and Target aisles, meaning it’s been changed for at least a few years, now. So while my cup may have not been the freshest it could’ve been, I’m pleasantly surprised for a tea that I’ve just kinda ignored for a few years.

It claims to be a black tea, with a whole plethora of interesting ingredients– including, but not limited to: rose, cinnamon, chamomile, lemongrass, papaya, peppermint, jasmine, a whole host of herbs and oils… the list goes on and on. Really, what I taste the most is cinnamon. The black tea is super light, almost golden in color. It has the hint of natural sweetness that usually comes with cinnamon and licorice flavors, requiring no added sweet to the cup. Overall, I’m a fan, ish. I’m not going to likely reach for this one above many of my favorites (especially my loose leaf), but it’s nice to have on hand in your office stash for a rainy Wednesday. I’d pick it up at the dentist. Or the yoga studio. I’m sure another one of these is going to show up in my cabinet via tea-Narnia again sometime, and I’ll drink it happily.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Black
Where to Buy:  Good Earth
Description

With sweet bursts of orange that playfully mingle with spices, these signature teas are sure to satisfy and delight.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Mary

Hi there! I'm Mary, a 27-year-old mental health professional living with my fiancé and our quirky kitten in the Midwest! I've loved tea for as long as I can remember-- in fact, I have vivid memory of being four or five in a tea shop and being mesmerized by all the tea flavors and proclaiming that I "was going to be kind of adult who drank tea, not coffee." A stint living (and tea-drinking my way through) London and twenty-some years later, I'm still channeling that sassy four-year-old and loving my tea habit. When I'm not sipping a cuppa, you'll find me reading, doing yoga, traveling, exploring my own city, planning our wedding and experimenting with different healthful and healing foods in my kitchen.

This post was posted in Black Tea, Good Earth

Plum Oatmeal Squares from A Quarter To Tea. . ..

by Sophia

Oh plum oatmeal squares, where art thou? Pastry, fruit, and vanilla tea- you’ve already won me over. I love anything that is described as having “pastry notes”. I am one of those people who could cook an entire slab of pastry dough, and just eat it with some cinnamon and sugar. I have loved pastry dough since I was a kid. I utilize it whenever possible in my cooking, and of course in my desserts. The name “Plum Oatmeal Squares” definitely peaked my curiosity. We’ve all had those Quaker Oatmeal Squares as a quick breakfast or snack, but how would they translate into tea?

The answer to that, my friends, is “quite well”. That’s how! Yeah, I am really enjoying this. The first thing I taste when I take a sip is the fruitiness of the plum. Next, is the warmth of the vanilla. Lastly, this tea finishes with strong notes of pastry and oat! It is so good. Personally I would prefer to drink this on a crisp fall morning, but the fruity notes do make it suitable as a summer beverage. Although, i’m not sure how well the pastry and oat flavors would transfer iced. I would stick to drinking this hot, because it is dang delicious!

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Black Tea
Where to Buy:  A Quarter To Tea
Description

Temi’s perfect muscatel notes are blended with rich dessert flavors: plum, pastry, and vanilla butter. A warming dessert tea, perfect for this (or any other) season.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Sophia

Hi, my name is Sophia. I am a first time mother to a beautiful little girl who will be 1 in July 2017. I spend my days at home with her and when I get a minute to myself, I usually spend that time making, drinking, or researching tea! My love for loose leaf tea is relatively new. When I was pregnant with my daughter, my mother (a tea addict herself) brought me to DAVIDsTEA. I enjoyed a cup of their Coconut Cream Pie Oolong and was instantly hooked! Since then, my addiction has grown to fill entire cabinets, and shows no sign of stopping. I am the creator of the Facebook group CommuniTEA where we have one big tea discussion. It is a great group for those new to the tea-world. I feel strongly about spreading the joy of loose leaf tea. I like making instructional videos and helping those that are new to the art of tea-making so that they, too, can share in the happiness that tea brings. I am excited to see where this hobby takes me and I will continue to spread the joy!

This post was posted in A Quarter To Tea, Black Tea

Vanilla Black from The Toni Glass Collection. . . . . .

by VariaTEA

Vanilla is one of those flavors that always make a tea sound better. It is a standard flavor note in a lot of dessert teas and can range in flavor from creamy to sweet to fresh to bright and so much more. Tea company after tea company have vanilla tea offerings and yet they can taste world’s apart.

This is The Toni Glass Collection’s take on a vanilla black tea. I steeped the tea sachet for 3 minutes in near-boiling water, despite a recommended steeping time of 5 minutes.

The tea has a great vanilla flavor, like fresh baked cookies. Unfortunately, the vanilla is overshadowed by an astringent black tea base. Every now and again I catch fleeting notes of a french vanilla but that gives way to a bitter and chemical black base.

It’s a shame the base takes over because the scent of the vanilla promised some deliciousness that this tea just did not deliver. I wonder if the steeping parameters played a role in the off-taste so if I were to have this in the future, I think I would brew it low and slow in hopes of taming the base and letting the vanilla flavoring shine.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Black
Where to Buy:  The Toni Glass Collection
Description

A nostalgic Black tea that is infused with all your vanilla memories. This great tea boasts a beautiful natural sweetness and mouth watering flavor

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

VariaTEA

Hey there! My name is Rachel. I’m a twenty-something from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who loves dogs and has a bit of an obsession with tea. As a child I hated the stuff since all I ever knew was Red Rose (no offense to Red Rose). However, a few years ago that all changed. I was on a diet and desperate for new flavors without adding calories and that’s when I turned to tea. I started off by going to DAVIDsTEA and Teavana for all their dessert-inspired flavors, and since I didn’t know any better, I bought 100 grams each of about twenty-something different teas. This was okay for the teas I liked but for those I didn’t I needed to find some way of getting rid of them. Enter Steepster.com. This is where I met some incredible tea friends, discovered tea swaps, and learned of so many amazing tea companies. My desire to try all the teas grew and since joining three years ago I have tried over a thousand different teas. I have learned what ingredients I love and I have learned what flavors I don’t like. I determined my go-to brewing method is Western-style with no added milk or sweeteners, though I also enjoy cold brewing, iced teas, teapops, lattes, and smoothies. I have yet to brew gong-fu style but I hope to do so just as soon as I get the proper teaware to do it. About a year ago, I actually stopped drinking tea but as my stash of over 200 teas started aging I decided I needed to respark my interest. I chose to take a 365 days of tea challenge on Instagram in which I post a new tea picture every day. So far it has been rather successful as I find myself drinking (and buying) more and more tea each day. Plus it enabled CuppaGeek to find me and invite me here to SororiTea Sisters.

This post was posted in Black Tea, The Toni Glass Collection

Strawberry Shortcake from The NecessiTeas. . . . .

by Sophia

One of my absolute, all-time, favorite summer desserts is strawberry shortcake. I have really, really fond memories of strawberry shortcake from when I was a kid. My nana and papa would always have BBQ get-together at their house and my nana would buy biscuits from the grocery store and we would pile them with cool whip and fresh strawberries. It was so good, so cool, and fresh, and summery. When I think of a strawberry shortcake tea, I want it to be crisp and fresh tasting…and of course, strawberry!

Upon opening my pre-packaged tin of Strawberry Shortcake by The NecessiTEA’s I smelled something really sweet, almost like cherry. I was really hoping for more of a fresh strawberry smell so this was a little different. I steeped it for three minutes and added a touch of agave. I’m still smelling cherry instead of strawberry which is slightly disappointing, but now I’m wondering if its maybe the vanilla mingling with the strawberry.

The white tea is very light and a perfect base for the sweet flavors of strawberry shortcake. I think that I would have enjoyed this more if I wasn’t smelling that artificial cherry scent…but that’s not to say that it isn’t a good blend. I’m actually wondering if I would enjoy this better iced. The aftertaste is definitely vanilla with a hint of cake, so I do think this was half true to it’s name, but I wish there was more fresh strawberry flavor opposed to “cherry”. Either way, it is definitely worth trying and next time I brew it I will brew it over ice!

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  White
Where to Buy:  The NecessiTeas
Description

Angel food cake perfectly combines with a light layer of sweet cream and juicy strawberries to create this guilt-free dessert. Enjoy hot or poured over ice.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Sophia

Hi, my name is Sophia. I am a first time mother to a beautiful little girl who will be 1 in July 2017. I spend my days at home with her and when I get a minute to myself, I usually spend that time making, drinking, or researching tea! My love for loose leaf tea is relatively new. When I was pregnant with my daughter, my mother (a tea addict herself) brought me to DAVIDsTEA. I enjoyed a cup of their Coconut Cream Pie Oolong and was instantly hooked! Since then, my addiction has grown to fill entire cabinets, and shows no sign of stopping. I am the creator of the Facebook group CommuniTEA where we have one big tea discussion. It is a great group for those new to the tea-world. I feel strongly about spreading the joy of loose leaf tea. I like making instructional videos and helping those that are new to the art of tea-making so that they, too, can share in the happiness that tea brings. I am excited to see where this hobby takes me and I will continue to spread the joy!

This post was posted in The NecessiTeas, White Tea

Cinnamon Bun from Pinky Up. . . . .

by Sophia

This delectable tea was part of my first order from Pinky Up. I have to admit, I am so impressed with this company. Not only are their teas packaged in these adorable tins, but I also purchased a cute black kitty cat mug. Unfortunately, the mug was broken and I contacted the company. They sent me a brand new mug! It was really nice. Anyways, back to their teas. They sell loose leaf as well as blooming teas- which are tea leaves wrapped around flowers that literally “bloom” as you steep them. Today, however, I am reviewing their Cinnamon Bun loose leaf herbal tea.

Upon opening my tin I could immediately smell cinnamon rolls. I swear, while this tea is steeping your husband/wife/roommate/children/etc. will definitely think that you’re baking cinnamon rolls, so prepare yourself for everyone to come running! #hidethetea The taste is just as realistic as the smell. Cinnamon can either make or break a tea.

Depending on the kind of cinnamon and what else it’s mixed with, sometimes it can be too hot or spicy. In this blend though, it is absolutely heavenly. Just like in a sweet, ooey-gooey cinnamon roll. There is this underlying hint of sweet bread or pastry. Then the experience is topped off with vanilla icing. I feel like this is the liquid version of an actual cinnamon roll, minus the calories! Add a pinch of agave and some low-fat cream and you’ve got yourself a delicious and guilt-free dessert!

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Herbal
Where to Buy:  Pinky Up Tea

Description

Decadent baked goods tempting you at the bakery? Have no fear! Pinky Up’s aromatic Cinnamon Bun Loose Leaf Tea will satisfy that craving in no time, and it’s naturally calorie free!

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Sophia

Hi, my name is Sophia. I am a first time mother to a beautiful little girl who will be 1 in July 2017. I spend my days at home with her and when I get a minute to myself, I usually spend that time making, drinking, or researching tea! My love for loose leaf tea is relatively new. When I was pregnant with my daughter, my mother (a tea addict herself) brought me to DAVIDsTEA. I enjoyed a cup of their Coconut Cream Pie Oolong and was instantly hooked! Since then, my addiction has grown to fill entire cabinets, and shows no sign of stopping. I am the creator of the Facebook group CommuniTEA where we have one big tea discussion. It is a great group for those new to the tea-world. I feel strongly about spreading the joy of loose leaf tea. I like making instructional videos and helping those that are new to the art of tea-making so that they, too, can share in the happiness that tea brings. I am excited to see where this hobby takes me and I will continue to spread the joy!

This post was posted in Fruit/Herbal Tisane, Pinky Up Tea