Today is one of those days where a rose oolong was just what the doctor ordered. It has been raining non stop since Friday and we are starting to experience water in the basement and seeing flooding in our community. So as the rain continues and the thunderstorms start up, a flavored oolong sounds like perfection.
This particular Rose Oolong is from Indias Tea. The dry leaf of this blend is intoxicating. Fresh floral notes fill the air while this tea starts to steep and creates a gorgeous blend that I couldn’t wait to check out.
Gorgeous sweet floral notes mingle marvelously with that familiar oolong flavor that I can always count on. This tea aromas translate into this wonderful floral flavor. As the tea settles and cools, those lovely rose notes develop more and more. Such a warm, soothing, and comforting tea on such a spring rainy day.
Rose Oolong is one that I can see snuggling up to with a good book and letting the stresses of the day wash away. Something I’ll be doing for sure soon!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Indias Tea
Description
This invigorating brew captures a deliciously romantic mood, that sparkle on your palate, with the freshness and beauty of Roses. With its light and gently flavored quality, it sets in your mood for the perfect occasion.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Chocolate Stout Brownies. . . A Quarter To Tea Blend
My birthday just recently passed and with that came a lot of people asking “what do you want for your birthday?” This seems like a simple question yet I have a bit of an impulse control problem so I tend to buy the things I want as soon as I see them, which makes it surprisingly difficult to request reasonable gifts. However, this year I knew just what to ask for…the monthly subscription to A Quarter to Tea! Every time I read about their new teas of the month, my mouth waters and now that they deliver to Canada, I knew it would be the perfect gift.
My first box arrived days ago and everything sounded awesome so today I just grabbed one tea and got brewing. I ended up pulling out the Chocolate Stout Brownies tea, a Temi black tea. The smell of the dry leaf was so fragrant with notes of mouthwatering chocolate while the flowery hops were speckled about. Amazingly, the smell of the dry leaf transfers over to the taste. There is a great does of honey from the base (so much so that I had to double check that I didn’t accidentally grab another tea from the box, Boxty with honey) that quickly melds with the silky chocolate undertones. I can pick up notes of the hops in the scent and it lingers underneath everything in, a bit citrusy, a bit savory, and certainly a seamless transition to the slightly bitter base tea which remains only noticeable in so far that it’s contrast to the other flavors highlights the sweeter and creamier notes present in the mug. The flavors come together perfectly to be both reminiscent of a stout (well the idea of a stout, with less coffee notes and bitterness) and a fudgey brownie, though leaning more towards to brownie side of things.
I am not sure how Lauren at A Quarter to Tea masters these flavors but this is one unique blend. I am quite pleased with this introduction to her monthly subscription boxes and if the teas in the box are anything like this one, I know I will continue to be pleased. This is certainly a birthday gift I will not regret asking for and I look forward to the next few months of boxes that are in store for me.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
Rich chocolate pastry flavored Temi rounded with a touch of dryness from German hops and raspberry leaf.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Green Tea + C Ginger Citrus from Sencha Naturals. . . .
In college, my friends and I used to have a habit of drinking those vitamin C drink mixes like they were going out of style. Looking back, I recognize now that they were maaaybe nothing more than glorified Kool-Aid, but we felt pretty smug as Well Hydrated Persons with Extra Vitamin’d Superpowers.
I’m not going to claim that this Sencha Naturals drink mix packet isn’t also slightly more than glorified Kool-Aid, but at the very least, this one’s got the addition of antioxidant-rich green tea in it, so I’m at minimum a little bit ahead of where college-Mary was in her vitamin-powered beverages.
I opted to mix this one up in cold water, 18 ounces instead of the prescribed 8-10. I found this to be a perfect balanced– a bit like iced tea, but still some kick from the flavor. If I’d made this one in half the water (as instructed), I think I might’ve felt it far too sweet. But diluted? It still had plenty of citrus-gingery flavor without the super-overdone sugar. The flavor was tart, but potent, with a bit of stevia aftertaste that I wasn’t super wild about, but also wasn’t the most offensive I’ve ever had. It was refreshing and would be the perfect quick summer iced-tea substitute, with the zing of the ginger taking it a notch above a store-bought iced tea bottle or mix.
Would I drink this one constantly? Probably not, though it may have more to do with my general now-adulting desire to get my vitamins from whole food sources. But does it make a lovely quick & easily accessible on-the-go drink when you need a mid-day pick-me-up with the benefit of some added vitamins and antioxidants? Absolutely. College-Mary would totally have these stocked in her backpack.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: Sen Cha Naturals
Description
We believe that nutrition should come from whole food ingredients, versus synthetic vitamins. Whole leaf green tea, acerola cherry, coconut water, and supporting herbs to help you stay well. Serve hot for a gingery warm and citrus-y bright cup of tea
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Passion Mango Ginger Kombucha from Reeds. . . .
Reeds has been one of my favorite kombuchas for awhile. I came across a flavor I’ve never tried, passion mango ginger on a clearance sale at the grocery and bought five bottles. I knew that since it was Reeds it was a safe bet. I just tried one this morning, and man is it delicious!
The ginger flavor is a real stand-out, so if you don’t like ginger this is not for you. I taste ginger first, and then a wonderful fruitiness from the mango, passion and orange juice. Something that I like about Reeds kombuchas is that it’s made with a combination of oolong and yerba mate teas. I love yerba mate, when I was drinking caffeine on the regular, yerba mate was part of every morning.
Reeds kombuchas are nice and fizzy, and perfectly balanced. They aren’t too sweet, and aren’t too dry or sour either. I feel like Reeds would be a good starter kombucha for people who want the benefits, but are scared to try it. They would also be good for people who are trying to kick their soda habit. In all the places that I’ve purchased Reeds kombucha, I’ve never seen passion mango ginger flavor, and that’s a shame because it is absolutely delicious, and really unique compared to all the other kombuchas I’ve tried. I’m a huge fan of ginger, so anything with a ginger kick gets my vote.
I seriously cannot recommend this flavor enough. And as I mentioned all of Reeds kombuchas are absolutely delicious! It’s a super delicious way to get some probiotics in and improve your digestion!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Kombucha
Where to Buy: Reeds
Description
Since ancient times people have used cultured foods to improve health and promote longevity. Modern foods have had the life processed out of them. Our live raw organic Kombucha uses the finest Oolong and Yerba Mate teas brewed in spring water and proprietary culture to create a delicious beverage of healthful beneficial enzymes, probiotics and organic acids that detoxify, energize and balance with nutrition your body craves. Each of our creative flavors blend our raw Kombucha with ingredients that are uniquely delicious and very functional.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Orange Cookies Tea from Kent & Sussex Tea Co.
A few quick questions for you guys:
1. Is there anything more delightful than cookies dunked in tea? I think not.
2. Is there anything more delightful than tea that tastes like cookies-dunked-in-tea? NOPE.
3. Am I boring you with my incessant questioning? Wait. Don’t answer that.
If you could tell from my aforementioned poll-taking, this tea is delightful. Truly. The dry leaf smells like a confection straight from The Great British Baking Show (can you tell what I’ve been Netflix-bingeing lately?), and brewed, it’s even more delightful. This tea reminds me of a citrus chai, but with a warm, buttery-cookie element that really takes it to the next level. Often citrus and spice can be fairly one-note, lacking that depth of flavor that really heightens the tea drinking experience, but not this cuppa.
With a little milk and maple syrup, it’s the perfect level of decadence that levels up a traditional breakfast tea without overdoing it on the saccharine-sweet. I’d pair this one with some orange spiced scones. Or a cinnamon tea cake. Or some orange-glazed shortbread. Mmm. Either way, the dunkability on this tea is unmatched.
Get Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood over here, I think we’ve got a showstopper!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Kent & Sussex Tea & Coffee Co.
Description
Orange Cookies Flavoured Black Tea! A super new spicy loose leaf Tea. Combining pieces of Sweet Cinnamon Spicy Cardamoms Cloves and Fruity Pepper with lovely chunks of Sweet Apple pieces. A wonderful concoction with the scent of juicy Spanish Oranges. Orange Cookies Black Tea Ingredients: Black Tea, Apple pieces, Cinnamon bits, Coriander, Flavouring, Cardamom pods, Orange slices, Pink Pepper and Cloves.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!