Zesty Strawberry from Tea & Tins. . . .

by VariaTEA

I have now had a couple of teas from Tea & Tins, one black tea, Miss Figgy, and two green teas, Spritz of Glitz and Zesty Strawberry (this tea). All have been nice enough teas, though of the three, I think this is the one I have least enjoyed.

Similarly to Spritz of Glitz this is a light and fruity tea with just a hint of a vegetal flavor coming from the base. Unlike Spritz of Glitz, which was a stonefruit tea, this is a strawberry blend with a “gentle zest of ginger”. A zest that is far too gentle for my liking since I am not tasting much ginger, if any at all. And though there is a fruity sweetness, it is more generic than distinctly strawberry.

Though there is nothing offensive in this tea, I do not find it all that memorable either. I enjoyed this cup well enough and I will try experimenting with the rest of the leaf I have, however, brewed according to Tea & Tin’s recommended steeping parameters, this tea is simply okay.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Green
Where to Buy:  Tea & Tins
Description

Ingredients: green tea, strawberry with a gentle zest of ginger.

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 Green Tea, Tea and Tins

White Pina Colada from Tea and Tins. . . .

by Sophia

I have kind of been on a roll here, trying all sorts of pina colada and coconut flavored teas. I have said it before and ill say it again, they both really are my favorite flavors in the summertime. I can honestly say, with 100% certainty, that thus far this White Pina Colada tea is hands down the best i’ve tried. I am SO GLAD I bought two ounces of it.

irst off it smells like pina colada mix, so right off the bat it is realistic and giving me visions of me laying on an island beach in a bikini catchin’ some rays. Second off, when it comes to taste- I swear my taste buds are dancing. The white tea is fluffy and creamy, the coconut is nutty and sweet, and the pineapple is subtle and fruity. Altogether, it forms the most amazing pina colada tea. The taste lingers long after the sip is gone, and it leaves me wanting more. This hot cup is so fragrant and enticing. I literally could close my eyes and pretend I was laying poolside sipping a pina colada! I guarantee this blend would be ahhh-mazing iced in the middle of summer. I also have the bright idea that with a splash of milk, this would be an awesome frozen tea-pop. This is definitely a must try, everyone.

The perfect summer beverage!

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Tea and Tins
Description

Ingredients: Bai Mudan white tea, shredded coconut, pineapple bits, coconut and pineapple flavor.

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 Tea and Tins, White Tea

Pig Sprinkles in Tea! Fig Flavored Tea from Tea and Tins. . .

by VariaTEA

PIG SPRINKLES!! CUTE LITTLE PINK PIG SPRINKLES!! Okay. I am done now. Darn sprinkles get me every time. I see them in a tea and nothing else matters, the tea is just tossed into my cart. Here, however, I was intrigued by the fig flavor and was personally quite a fan of the name. This tea is all sorts of kitschy and I love it.

Now, I should probably start off by saying that I don’t think I have ever had a fig but for some reason fig jams and fig teas and other fig-flavored foods call to me. So, with that out there, it should be clear that I am maybe not the best judge on whether this tea accurately captures fig flavor. However, I will say that this does taste how I imagine a fig would taste and is comparable to other fig items I have had. Mildly sweet and only a touch astringent. The base and flavor combine to create a thick, round mouth feel, one that lends itself to a more syrup-like beverage.

Since CuppaGeek was so generous in the sample she provided, I also made this tea iced so I could see how it compares to the hot cup. The first thing I notice with the iced version is that it is a lot lighter and therefore less syrupy. Somehow that brings out more astringency while dampening the fig component. And yet, fig builds in the aftertaste so the lingering flavor is akin to what I imagine a fresh fig tastes like. So that is interesting but maybe not worth the weird flavor while drinking the iced tea.

So, I enjoyed this tea though it is maybe not one I need to keep stocked in my stash. I have had worse fig teas and I have had better but none of those have had adorable pig sprinkles so that is a huge plus for this blend. It is cute and certainly a novelty tea with a nice enough taste to back it up.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Black Tea
Where to Buy: Tea and Tins
Description

Loose leaf black tea, nicknamed Miss figgy!

Ingredients: black tea, fig taste with dried figs and pink pig sprinkles.

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, Tea and Tins

Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel from Tea and Tins. . . . .

by Mary

Upon first glance, you might be thinking I’ve maybe misplaced my calendar. Or I’m a time-traveling, tea-drinking reviewer who has accidentally jumped from the winter holiday season to late spring without realizing it. I assure you– I am not. (Although HOW COOL would that be. If there’s a Time Lord out there reading this in need of a new companion: hit your girl up.) But I’m also not such a purist that a Hanukah-themed tea can’t occasionally find its way into my cup post-Daylight Savings Time, and spoiler alert: I’m glad it did!

This dry leaf, to start with, is adorable. Blue stars, glittery gold orbs, and tiny mini marshmallows round out a straightforward black tea, and it brews up quite nicely, if not a bit plainly. The brewed cup smells strongly of mini-marshmallows, and upon the addition of a tiny bit of coconut milk, it’s all I can taste. In the best way possible!

This tea is all marshmallow, all the time. I can’t get much of the caramel flavor that the description claims, but this is toasty, pillowy marshmallow goodness atop a nice robust-but-not-acidic black tea base. I’d highly recommend this tea with some sort of cream or sweet, but note that this really amps up the dessert-like quality, whether that’s what you’re gunning for or not. Overall, seasonally-appropriate or not, this is a great one to sip year round when you’re looking for a treat. Or when you’re trying to track down the nearest TARDIS to catch a ride through time and space. Either or.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Black Tea
Where to Buy:  Tea & Tins
Description

Loose leaf black tea, nicknamed Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel ! It has a spicy and warm taste (if you like “Star Dust”, you should definitely try this one!)

Ingredients: black tea with warming taste of caramel, marshmallow and Star of David sprinkles.

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, Tea and Tins

Almond Cookie from Tea & Tins. . . .

by Sophia

Lately I have had a serious obsession with pistachio ice cream. Like, I have eaten almost 3 quarts of it in the past 2 weeks. Well, pistachios themselves have a very mild flavor. Subsequently, the ice cream itself is actually flavored with almond. Have you ever noticed that pistachio ice cream kind of smells like biscottis? Well, that’s because of the almond flavoring.

Unfortunately, I haven’t seen many pistachio ice cream teas circulating around in our little “tea-world” as of late. So, when I saw Almond Cookie by Tea & Tins I figured that it may help curb my craving for pistachio ice cream because of the almond flavor.

Upon opening the bag, the sweet smell of almond and coconut filled my nose. Yum! I could see coconut shreds and almond pieces scattered about the green tea. Once steeped the smell of cookie was much more prevalent, but the almond and coconut was still very much there. I steeped this tea with hot water for about 3 minutes. It was very smooth and light, with a prominent taste of green tea. I added agave to add some sweetness, but it was also sweet on it’s own. I could taste the coconut and almond flavor, but unfortunately the flavor of “cookie” did not translate from smell to taste.

Nonetheless, this tea was still very well done and tasty. I don’t think I could say that it will be replacing my love for pistachio ice cream, but it is something that I will continue to enjoy and would purchase again. Another “win” for Tea & Tins!

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Green Tea
Where to Buy:  Tea & Tins
Description

Loose leaf green tea with almond and coconut.
Ingredients: green tea, almond coconut taste with grated coconut and almond flakes, and flavoring.

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 Green Tea, Tea and Tins