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

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!

Mesozoic Malt from Tea Historic. . . . .

More times than not, I reach for flavored teas though every now and again it’s nice to have a plain black tea. I would have never said that when I first started drinking teas because every non-flavored tea I tried was just not for me. It is interesting how tastes change overtime.

This particular tea is accurately named: Mesozoic Malt as this is incredibly malty. It has a bit of a briskness to it that is good for the morning without getting bitter or astringent. The flavor, in addition to the malt and briskness, is sweet and reminiscent of molasses.

As the tea cools, the briskness does get stronger so for my tastes this is best hot. Nonetheless, it makes for a great pick-me-up.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy:  Tea Historic
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Fresh and Easygoing Green: Tian Mu Mao #FengGreen Tea from @Teavivre

There’s a lot of green teas out there: potent matcha, sour kukicha, toasted hojicha, or smoky gunpowder, to name just a few. After trying this offering from Teavivre, now I can add Feng Green tea to my list.

First of all, the leaves of Feng Green tea were unlike any of the green teas I mentioned. The Feng Green tea leaves were long and tightly curled, tangling into each other as I tried to scoop some tea into my teapot.  This was certainly a different shape than the rolled pellets of gunpowder green, or the flattened hojicha leaves, or the powdered matcha.

The Feng Green dry leaf smelled lightly floral and just a touch sour, like an aged forest floor.  There was just a hint of something spicier, like pine resin or citrus, almost making the leaves smell like a box of Christmas potpourri.  Brewed, the tea is well-balanced, with the expected grassy green notes, a hint of sour fermentation, and a full scent and aftertaste of sweet apple and green grape.
I don’t often reach for green teas, but Feng Green from Teavivre was so drinkable and naturally sweet that I found myself making a cup to help take the edge off my long afternoons.

Try Feng Green when you need something pleasant and easygoing, like sitting on your porch and taking in the fresh grass of spring and the fresh fruits of summer.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Description:

Organic Tian Mu Mao Feng Green Tea is one of the ten famous Chinese teas. This Organic Tian Mu Mao Feng Green Tea origins in organic tea base of Tianmu Mountain in Lin’an, Hangzhou. The organic tea base of Tianmu Mountain, has passed the organic certification of European, USA and Japan, is a significant base of planting organic dragon well and green tea. When brewing, it tastes light sweet and fragrance. In Chinese, Mao Feng refers to the hairy buds—to be covered by pekoes means a super quality of the tea leaves.
This Organic Tian Mu Mao Feng Green Tea is produced by traditional manual frying method and the idea of modern crafts of tea making. Combined with the advantages of organic tea and high grade tea, it is suitable for tea lovers of organic tea,

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Healthy Wellness Tea from Simpson and Vail. . . . Sacral Chakra (Swadhisthana) – Yoga Herbal Tea

I’ve been wanting to try Simpson & Vail’s Yoga Teas for a while so when a bag labeled “Swadhisthana” was in the most recent shipment from S&V I did a little ‘Snoopy Dance’ for sure!

The Sacral Chakra (Swadhisthana), the seat of life, is located in the center of the abdomen. It is associated with the color orange and symbolized by the six-petal lotus flower. The Sacral Chakra is the seat of our creative and sexual energy and is associated with what our bodies need.

When in balance, the Sacral Chakra, will enable us to accept and solve the challenges of life in a creative manner and allow us to feel compassionate and friendly. It will enable us to express our emotions and connect us to others through feeling, desire, sensation, and movement.

I have done a lot with a trio of chakras the past year or two. My personal trio is the Red, Orange, and Yellow! I have plant based resin coated balance crystals that I have necklaces made out of and also have the yellow and orange balancing cones on each end of my desk.

Some may think this is all ‘hippie dippie’ stuff but I don’t mind. I’ve been called a hippie on more than one occasion and I wear the label others give me with a smile on my face!

What I will say about this herbal tisane and yoga tea is that it’s a harmonious blend of herbs that features a golden cup with a light earthy, spicy flavor and a delicate lemon and mint aftertaste. Simpson and Vail suggests says to connect to this energy center by trying new ways of expressing yourself creatively through dance, art, writing or music which is pretty much my daily life in both work and play.

Ingredients include Orange Peel, Rosehips, Annatto Seed, Cloves, Allspice, Organic Peppermint & Organic Lemon Grass.

The Orange is what shines here – first and foremost – and rightfully-so! The seed, clove, and spice are prominent as well. The Peppermint and Lemongrass pair up for a creative take of its own. This was incredibly satisfying, comforting, bright, juicy, and energizing! LOVED IT!


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy:  Simpson and Vail
Description

The Sacral Chakra (Swadhisthana), the seat of life, is located in the center of the abdomen. It is associated with the color orange and symbolized by the six-petal lotus flower. The Sacral Chakra is the seat of our creative and sexual energy and is associated with what our bodies need.

When in balance, the Sacral Chakra will enable us to accept and solve the challenges of life in a creative manner and allow us to feel compassionate and friendly. It will enable us to express our emotions and connect us to others through feeling, desire, sensation, and movement.

This harmonious blend of herbs has a golden cup with a light earthy, spicy flavor and a delicate lemon and mint aftertaste. Connect to this energy center by trying new ways of expressing yourself creatively through dance, art, writing or music. 3 oz. box.

Ingredients:
Orange Peel, Rosehips, Annatto Seed, Cloves, Allspice, Organic Peppermint & Organic Lemon Grass.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Strawberry Flavored Genmaicha from 52Teas. . . . Sounds Delish!

I am a sucker for flavored genmaichas. I absolutely love them. Once I tried flavored genmaicha, plain genmaicha never tasted the same! So, of course, when I saw that 52 Teas had come out with a new flavor I definitely had to try it. I am not opposed to fruit blends but they’re also not my favorite. Strawberry is yummy, though, so I was excited for this.

Upon opening my taster packet I could just smell the strawberry and toasted rice! Yummy. There were also chunks of freeze dried strawberries throughout the whole blend which made me happy. I did notice there’s also flavoring that was added, which made me happy as well. For the most part, tea’s flavor usually comes from added flavoring. The pieces of dried fruit are mostly for show and dont give off much flavor when steeped, but I still like to see them in there.

I steeped this one for about 3 minutes with hot water and upon taking my first sip I knew I loved it. It had a subtle-but-there strawberry flavor and it mixed well with the green tea and toasted rice. The only thing I would say was that I wish there had been one more component and what came to mind for me in that respect was maybe vanilla. Like, a strawberries and cream genmaicha. Or maybe a strawberry shortcake gemaicha. Maybe Anne had wanted to just make this one simple, straightforward, and yummy- and she totally achieved that. But, for me, I feel like I was left wanting just a little bit more of “something”. Either way, this was still delicious and if you like strawberry, you’ll definitely like this!


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy:  52Teas
Description

This blend is no longer available but click below for blends that are.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!