Continuing on our fall/spooky theme- I thought I would try a tea that I have quite a bit of- Autumn Mist Green. Autumn Mist Green tea is a blend of gunpowder green tea, dried apples, and creme brulee flavoring. Once I saw that- I think my excitement won over vs my wallet and I ordered the big bag.
But since I took a bit of a hiatus from tea, I hadn’t really taken a moment to enjoy the blend. So over the weekend, I brewed up a pot to enjoy while watching a few spooky movies.
Brewed with water at 180 and allowed to steep for a few minutes- this tea is a unique blend that I can’t really say is what you would think of as a fall blend, but nevertheless, I really enjoyed it.
First sip in and you are greeted with a sweetness that masks the smoky flavor you usually get from gunpowder green tea. The sweetness reminds me of caramel more than creme brulee but I’ll take it. I do see the big chunks of apple and what I’m assuming is cinnamon but those notes are not really coming across. I wish they were, this tea would be a sensational caramel apple tea.
I did do a second steeping and I actually enjoyed this cuppa a bit better. The flavoring wasn’t as strong and the gunpowder notes were coming in a bit stronger. I still didn’t get any of the apple notes but the cinnamon did pop a bit more.
I’m planning a proper cold brew for this blend and I’m excited to see how it turns out.
All in all, a great tea if you are looking for an alternative to the typical chais or pumpkin flavored teas you usually see during the fall.
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Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Description
Autumn is a season of transition. For many, it marks the end of summer break and the start of the school year, for others a transition from shorts and tank tops to warm sweaters and blankets. It’s when the leaves start to change colors and when farmers switch from the growing season to harvest. For many tea drinkers, it also marks the shift from iced teas to hot, from tall, cool glasses to steaming, palm-warming mugs. So fill up your thermos, put on your best flannel, and get ready to fall for fall. It’s tea time, y’all.
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Strawberry Lemon Matcha/Mantra Matcha
Flavored matchas. . .through trail and error I have found that not all matchas are the same. I’ve had amazing matchas where I just can’t get enough and other matchas where no matter how I prep the cuppa, the matcha and I are just not going to be friends.
Recently Mantra Matcha reached out to us to check out their matchas and after checking out their site, I knew we had to check them out. The flavors sounded so intriguing- Cinnamon Goji Berry Matcha, Strawbery Lemon Matcha, Banana Cacao Matcha and so many more. I couldn’t wait for the goodies to arrive so I could check out these flavors first hand.
Strawberry Lemon Matcha was the first that caught my eye. This matcha’s ingredient list is simple: Organic Super Premium Ceremonial Matcha, Organic Strawberries, Organic Lemon Juice and Organic Maltodextrin. (Maltodextrin is added to prevent hardening of the matcha powder).
First up- I tried the matcha cold. I have several blender bottles that I use for protein powder and scooped two portions of the matcha with the scoop provided into my bottle and filled the bottle to the top. Shook the contents of the bottle for about 30 seconds and poured the matcha over a glass of ice.
Took my first sip and was greeted with an amazing burst of flavor- smooth vegtal notes with soft berry flavor and a lemon finish. Wonderful refreshing and the perfect companion to my afternoon. The matcha blended up beautifully for just being shaken in a bottle. No clumps, absolutely light and frothy, and smooth. I’m incredibly impressed.
Next was to try the matcha hot as a latte. I scooped two servings into my Breville frother, added oat milk, and let the frother do its thing. (Usually I do use my whisk and go the more traditional route but since I was up against a meeting, I went this route. ) A few minutes later, I was greeted with a delicious matcha latte that again was smooth, light, refreshing. Each sip was eagerly enjoyed.
I do think I enjoyed the matcha prepped more cold than hot but both were very enjoyable.
All in all, I’m very impressed with this matcha and am excited to make overnight oats or even oatmeal. The prep for this matcha is so simple and convenient, which is great for me when I’m in a ton of meetings but need that jolt to keep me going for the rest of the day. Highly recommend and can’t wait to check out their other flavors. Thank you Mantra Matcha!
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Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: Mantra Matcha
Description
This is what a lively sunny day would taste like if it was captured in a cup. Few things are more refreshing than a crisp, fresh-squeezed glass of lemonade, especially one infused with organic strawberries. When combined with fresh matcha, you’ll want to make our juicy lemon heaven your main squeeze everyday. This invigorating matcha blend provides a flavorful superfood kick that can brighten any day. Sip to restore, rehydrate, and energize naturally.
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East Frisian/Harney and Sons
I purchased this tea to use as an enrichment lesson for some young ladies to whom I am teaching elementary German. Tea and cookies make for a fun lesson! And who knew that if East Frisia was a country instead of a region, they would have the highest per capita consumption of black tea in the world?
I wanted to be as authentic as possible and did a test run today. Their “Teetied” is different from any other.
First, a large piece of rock sugar (Kluntje) is put into a porcelain or china cup. Then the rich tea is poured over it and the rock sugar should crackle. After the tea is poured, a small ladle of cream is added to the tea gently, pouring along the side of the cup so that the cream makes a cloud (Wolkje) in the tea. You must never stir!
It is considered polite to drink at least three cups of tea, although more than that is fine. When you finished, you place a spoon (the one you definitely did NOT use to stir your tea!) in your cup or you can turn your cup over on the saucer.
The tea is usually a strong Assam blended with a bit of Darjeeling and some Ceylon. This one is very dark, earthy, and bready. It is a tad brisk but less so than I expected.
The cloud in the tea fascinated me and really made this Teetied a mindfulness session as I watched the cloud roll and change shape after each sip. The cream coats your lips and takes the edge off the strong tea, then the tea dominates, and at the last you get a small sip or two that is incredibly sweet. The rock sugar should be large enough to last through all three cups of tea and each cup that you drink should be finished completely so that the subsequent cup doesn’t look muddy when you add the cream.
I think this lesson will be a success, and I can hardly wait to try it again with some cookies or pastries!
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Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Harney & Sons
Description
Fortify yourself with East Frisian, our popular full-bodied black tea blend of Darjeeling, Ceylon and Assam. It’s named for East Frisia, Germany’s cold, wet, and dreary North Sea coast – the ideal spot to drink hot tea, and the East Frisians do! They consume more black tea than anyone else in the world. They do drink it with cream and crystalized sugar.
(Credit- Harney & Sons)
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Bai MuDan/Teavivre – Ashmanra
Someone told me once that white tea just tasted like a cup of hot water to them. I probably would have agreed early on in my tea journey. When your tastebuds are accustomed to strong root beer and sweet, fizzy, highly flavored soda it takes a while to train your palate to find subtle flavors, at least it did for me. Perhaps the real foodies “get it” right from the start.
I haven’t had unflavored white tea in a while and decided that today would be a good day to take a cup of Bai MuDan outside and enjoy its simplicity while sitting in the sunshine, a rare treat in late winter. Though very windy, it is warm and the sun is welcome after many days of rain.
The packet called for two grams of leaf for twelve ounces of water, which I thought seemed to far too little at first. I used my new Upton Digital Tea Scale since large leaf white tea can be tricky to judge. Teavivre recommends five to eight minutes, and I steeped for about five because I was ready for my break!
First, this is a beautiful golden cup of tea. The color is rich and deep and it actually LOOKS full bodied in the cup. The flavor did not let me down. No one could mistake this for a “cup of hot water!” The flavor lingers for quite a while, too.
I see a lot of white tea described accurately as tasting like sunshine on hay, mainly Shou Mei, but this Bai MuDan tastes like golden stalks with a hint of spring in the air, with the scent of distant flowers laid over, and maybe even a little soft, sweet vegetable like snow pea or sugar snap peas.
I think this is going to be my go-to quiet time cup for a while.
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Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Description
Teavivre’s White Peony Bai MuDan tea is farmed and produced on Mt. Taimu, using material from Dabaihao tea trees. While this is a slightly oxidized white tea, it is produced with the same minimal processing as Silver Needle white tea, with the main difference between the two being that silver needle uses only buds, while bai mudan includes opened leaves as well.
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Agave Chai/Spice & Tea Merchants – TeaEqualsBliss
Agave Chai from Spice & Tea Merchants was MADE with vegans and diabetics in mind! I have to say I was thrilled because I’m vegan and my father is diabetic and we are both tea fans!
This black tea base hails from Australia and contributes to this unique black chai. It’s blended with healthy natural ingredients – without any additives or preservatives. It’s a chai created with vegans and diabetics in mind because it has low GI, is fully consumable by vegans, and is a healthy substitute for diabetics.
One thing I did notice and knew right away I had to mention is upon opening the package of loose leaf there was a stickiness to the leaves and other ingredients but I knew this was because of the agave in the mix. Just a heads-up in case it takes you by surprise!
Ingredients include: Ceylon back tea, organic light agave syrup, cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, peppercorns, cloves, fresh ginger, and salt.
I’m pretty sure the reasoning for the bit of salt is to do a nice yin and yang with the sweetness of the agave. It wasn’t noticeable…that is how little they used of the salt. The spices were nicely done. I wouldn’t change anything with the ratios of the ingredients they used.
This tea was TOTALLY worth it at $6.99 per ounce and was as fresh-as-fresh-could-be! Sweet, Semi-spicy, delicious!
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Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Spice & Tea Merchants
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