I’m a green tea drinker for the most part. When I do drink black tea, it’s usually Chai, or some other spiced/flavored black tea. I guess for the most part I just find plain black tea a little flat and boring.
I tried this tea two different ways. One cup was plain, with a little coconut sugar. It’s a lightweight black tea, and the floral notes are very subtle, but they’re there. I actually enjoyed this cup more than I expected, and would drink it that way again. It also has a slight sweetness to it, so I used less than a teaspoon of coconut sugar. If you don’t like very sweet tea, you’d probably love it alone!
The second cup I tried was with the same amount of coconut sugar, and a splash of coconut milk. Now this is what I need in the morning! It was sweet and creamy and just really pleasant. I feel like not only did it give me a little morning pick me up, but it also put a smile on my face.
Think Earl Grey, with a little less floral aftertaste. Very nice for a crisp morning!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tocha Tea
Description
The fragrance of purifying Osmanthus flowers is the perfect complement to the subtle sweetness of whole leaf black tea. Quench your thirst and revitalize your spirit with this smooth, full-bodied blend; ideal for kick-starting your morning or uplifting your afternoon.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Blue Lady from Zest Tea
Blue Lady from Zest Tea instantly caught my eye with the modern packaging and the idea that there is extra caffeine in the blend. I have tried Zest Tea in the past and have really loved the tea. I had high expectations for this blend.
Black tea, cornflower petals, hibiscus, orange, lemon, and passion fruit flavors are lovely packaged into each sachet. This blend has a lovely citrus slightly fruity note while steeping. I steeped the tea with boiling water and allowed the tea about 3 minutes to create the lovely brew.
My first sip was a solid sturdy black tea presence with subtle hints of citrus and a nod to a tartness that I enjoyed. Sip after sip, this tea sachet delivered a sturdy full bodied flavor. Here is my only complaint with this tea. Drink this tea while it is warm, because as the tea cools, the black tea becomes very astringent and the hibiscus starts to overwhelm with tart notes.
Even though I did enjoy this tea hot, I think this tea would be best presented as an iced tea. By cold brewing I think the tart and astringent notes would calm giving way to a softer and gentler tea.
All in all, yes this is a solid tea to keep on hand, but I can’t say this would be an every day tea for me. But this could be that great tea to keep in your desk for when you start to feel that 2pm crash start to happen. . .. . .
Here’s the Scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Zest Tea
Description:
Our Blue Lady Black blends a sultry South Indian black tea base with an aromatic mix of orange, lemon, passion fruit, and hibiscus. A peppering of vivid blue cornflower petals and bits of orange peel make for a visual spectacle. Blue lady will excite all of your senses. No wonder this is a favorite among hot and chilled tea drinkers.
Learn more about this tea here.
Chamomile from Hope & Glory
I love my chamomile teas but find that I rarely drink it. I should drink more of it. Chamomile doesn’t so much make me sleepy but I do find that I am more relaxed. With having such a busy and stressful job, 4 kiddos, and all the other mom duties that go along with it, the last tea of the day I enjoy should be a chamomile. And it might be after having this Chamomile from Hope & Glory.
What I find I love about chamomile is that baked good honey flavor that helps promote that relaxing atmosphere. These sachets from Hope & Glory fit that bill perfectly. These easy to use sachets that are individually wrapped give an air of luxury. All that is needed is to boil and prep the water, unwrap the sachet, and allow the tea to steep for about 6 minutes. I actually left my tea sachet in the whole time I drank the time and there were no issues.
The taste of these sachets are fresh and full of that baked good honey flavor. Perfect for on the go or when you don’t want to mess with loose leaf tea. I’m on my second cuppa with this tea bag and the flavor is still as wonderful as when I first steeped the tea.
Yes, this may just be a chamomile sachet but its one of the best ones I’ve ever had!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Hope & Glory
Description:
This smooth, mellow tisane is 100% organic and naturally caffeine free. Only the finest whole chamomile heads have been selected for this infusion, producing a light & delicate brew.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Morning Pick Me Up From Tocha Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tocha Tea
Tea Description:
The fragrance of purifying Osmanthus flowers is the perfect complement to the subtle sweetness of whole leaf black tea. Quench your thirst and revitalize your spirit with this smooth, full-bodied blend; ideal for kick-starting your morning or uplifting your afternoon.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
A few months back, I won a contest that Tocha Teas was having on their Instagram page. I was ecstatic! I didn’t know a whole lot about their teas, but just by the name alone, I couldn’t wait to try them. Morning Pick Me Up was one of the blends I was sent.
First lets start this off by saying Tocha offers their line up in tea sachets, not as a loose leaf tea. I rarely drink anything but loose leaf. There are times-I will admit-that a tea bag or sachet is just easier to steep than loose leaf. But these sachets are full of gorgeous looking tea blends. Especially this one!
Morning Pick Me Up is a blend of black tea and osmanthus flowers. Almost a floral black tea if you will. But this tea isn’t a dainty floral tea by any means. My container of this tea is just about empty and I can feel myself wanting to buy more!
Steeped like a black tea with the recommended parameters offered on the package, this tea yields a gorgeous dark liquor full of malty notes mingled with a sultry subtle sweetness that yields almost a floral hint now and again. Really well done and one that gives you that full-bodied experience you look for in a brilliant black tea blend. I’m quite surprised by the fact this tea is a tea sachet and not a flavor I’m getting from a loose leaf. These pyramid sachets are packed full of robust marvelous black tea flavor that sticks with you.
So what I’m trying to say is what a gorgeous way to start your morning or afternoon off right- I need to steep up another cuppa to finish off my day for sure!
Pomegranate Mojito from Zest Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Zest Tea
Tea Description:
ZEST TEA ENERGY BLENDS
Winner of Best New Product at the 2015 World Tea Expo, Zest premium energy teas offer the same kick of coffee without the negative side effects. Despite our teas having comparable caffeine levels to coffee-about three times the levels of traditional teas-the amino acids in Zest help create a steady and prolonged alertness, instead of the jitters and crash of other caffeinated products.
All of our full-leaf blends are enhanced with natural caffeine from tea leaves & packaged in biodegradable sachets, making for the perfect healthy coffee substitute.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
At work it seems sometimes it is easier to grab a bagged tea than a loose leaf tea. I have all the instruments and vessels to brew up a proper cuppa but it can sometimes come down to time. When I don’t even have time to grab lunch, brewing tea isn’t always on the top of my things to do.
Today was one of those days so I grabbed a tea that I had recently picked up from Amazon. This tea sounded amazing. A Young Hyson green tea mixed with pomegranate, mint, and lime with an added caffeine boost to keep you going thru your day. Sounds pretty fantastic to me. I have actually tried this tea both hot and cold. And I have to say, one way is way better than the other and it completely surprised me.
This tea just screams “Make me into a nice ice tea” but I have to say, it isn’t what I hoped for when I cold brewed this tea. The tastes are lovely and the smells you get from the dry leaf mix in the sachets is to die for. It smells exactly how it is described. I thought for sure this would be a lovely tea that would remind me of a gorgeous sunny summer day.
Brewed in my water bottle for a few hours with ice and two sachets, this tea delivered a sound flavor but it almost had a dirt tasting finish. I was a little surprised by that. You can taste all of the lovely ingredients and the taste was ok when you first take a sip, but then there is a weird dirt aftertaste.
So after that experience, I tried this tea hot. And wow, did it every blow me away. Who would have thought hot this tea would have been stellar. The green tea gives off a nice bitter green note that helps calm the tart pomegranate and lime flavors and the peppermint leaves you feeling refreshed. Really well done and the fact that this is a tea bag makes prepping it easy and no fuss. Gotta love that. And that dirt flavor wasn’t present in this style of brewing.
I have a feeling that maybe with a touch of sweetener, this tea would make an amazing iced tea. Glad I have a few more tea bags to experience with!