A box of samples from the Sisters is a lot like Christmas! It is so exciting to paw through the teas and see new blends to try and companies you have never heard of. What a surprise to look up this company and find that they are fairly close to me, just a couple of hours away.
We are having a little cold spell so I tried this hot first while sitting by a warm fire. The sencha base is not too grassy, and while you definitely taste the green tea the overall impression from this tea is a light and lovely fruitiness. I don’t know that I have ever had gojiberry by itself, but what this reminds me most of are pomegranate blends I have tried. There ARE pomegranate seeds in this, so I may be tasting those plus some natural flavoring or it could be that gojiberry tastes a lot like pomegranate.
This is SO light and fruity that I could almost feel a spring breeze caressing my face and I knew I needed to make a pitcher of iced tea with it as well. Here in the South we drink iced sweet tea all year. The golden tea is so pretty as is, but in summer I would serve this with a few frozen berries swirling in each glass. This would be a wonderful picnic tea, or refreshment for an afternoon tea party!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Tea Barr Company
Description
This is a fine, pure combination of fresh Sencha tea, masterfully infused with juicy goji berries, and decorated with bright cornflowers. This tasty combination creates a unique and healthy treat.
Ingredients: green tea, goji berries, lemongrass, pomegranate seeds, cornflower blossoms, and natural flavoring.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Mediterranean Blend Sumac Tea/Staghorn Tea Company -Just Tea-Zen-
I remember when I was younger, visiting New Jersey, the giant sumac trees with the beautiful dark red clusters were all over the place where my family lives. I was terrified of them because my cousins had me convinced that they were poison sumac. It was years later that I found out that they are two completely different trees. It’s a good thing…because I’m about to drink some sumac!
Staghorn Tea Company plucks those beautiful bundles from the sumac tree and blends them into a very interesting and delicious tea. They say “It’s remarkably tangy and wicked good!” and that is completely true! The tartness reminds me a little of hibiscus blended with a citrusy flavor. There’s something else in the flavor that I can’t quite associate with anything, but I can tell you it is amazingly delicious. This particular blend had orange and lavender which gave it a smooth and relaxing flavor. It is quite tangy, which is great just the way it is, but when I sweetened just a little with some agave syrup, OH MY! This REALLY enhanced the flavor! It’s like no other tea I’ve experienced before and if you haven’t tried it, you are definitely missing out.
Their tea bags have enough in them for a 12oz cup which, is a healthy sized cup of tea. I sipped a little less than half and then I put the rest in the refrigerator…I just have to try this over ice!
Health fact: sumac is at the top of the herb list for antioxidant power. BONUS!
I wish I could come up with a better explanation on the flavor of this tea. I guess you’re gonna have to find out for yourself! It’s just SO amazing!
Pop on over to their website and learn about this tea. Order plenty of sumac tea because once you try it, you’re gonna be hooked!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Staghorn Tea Company
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Ginger Peach Snowcone/T by Daniel -Ashmanra-
This is a tea shop I would love to visit in person someday! The website promises that new visitors to the shop are greeted with a curtsy and a twirl, and I could really use that kind of enthusiasm right now!
Ginger Peach Snowcone is a blend of White Monkey Chinese tea, sunflower blossom, and natural flavors.
It has only been two days since I bemoaned to a friend that almost all peach teas add ginger, which is fine in small amounts but too hot for this gal in any significant amounts unless I add lots of sweetener. I really love straight peach flavor or peach and vanilla.
Sniffing the dry blend, I detected no ginger and figured I was home free. Sniffing the steeped tea I detected no ginger. Sipping the tea…no ginger.
Now, this is really great in my book, but if you were looking for a punch of ginger you won’t be happy.
The funny thing, even the peach is incredibly light and what I taste is the white monkey base, a nice dose of floral taste from the sunflower, and the lightest hint of peach, making this a truly delicate and refreshing blend. I tried it hot and unsweetened and as an iced sweet tea.
What is this reminding me of? Come on, think!
I’ve got it!
Suddenly the scent transported me back to my childhood, going to the beauty shop with my mother every Saturday morning, and smelling the sweet smells of all the shampoos and hairsprays and colognes. Something there smelled just like this tea and it just makes me feel so girly that I want to put on some cute low pumps, a sweet skirt, a little pearl necklace, and paint my nails pink.
Thanks for a lovely trip down memory lane! If I ever get to visit T by Daniel, I will return the curtsy and twirl!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: T by Daniel
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Feenduft/Floragold – VariaTea-
One of my tea friends was super kind and gave me a bunch of tea pyramids by Floragold. There was so much variety and while I typically prefer loose leaf, I’ve been enjoying the convenience of being able to grab a tea bag and brew up a cup with such quick clean-up.
If I am being honest, I had low expectations of the quality of the teas. I think there is an underlying tea snob in me that always expects less from a tea bag/satchet/pyramid than I do from loose leaf teas. However, these Floragold teas have been pretty good so far.
This tea, Feenduft aka Fairy Fragrance, is a green rooibos that is meant to taste like strawberry kiwi. Personally, I think that flavor is quite spot-on. The green rooibos base compliments those flavors nicely as well. All elements are present and floral and light, which makes for a nice cuppa.
Of the Floragold teas I have tried, this one is one of my favorites. It’s convenient and the flavors are lovely. It could be a bit stronger on the strawberry kiwi and a bit less base, but that is more a personal preference for my tastes. Besides that, I am a fan.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
TeaLady Grey/Rare Tea Company – Stephenia-
I admit it, I am obsessed with earl grey tea. Every morning is started with a cuppa of earl grey and many times I end my day with a caffeine-free rooibos version. I literally have over 40 different varieties of the stuff from all sorts of companies in my tea collection but I am always looking for THE holy grail earl grey. I think I may have actually found it!
I recently saw that Rare Tea Company released a new version of earl grey. If you are not familiar with Rare Tea Company it was founded by Henrietta Lovell. She wrote a fantastic book called Infused which recounts how tea has shaped her life and has been a constant companion through times of trouble. I can’t recommend the book enough, especially if you love tea! At any rate she created a new blend called TeaLady Grey. I was immediately drawn to it because of the addition of lemongrass. Lemongrass is perhaps one of my absolute favorite herbals and I especially love when it is added to earl grey. It helps to deepen the citrus notes of the bergamot. I ordered the tea during one of their free ship events. Make sure you are subscribed to their email because free ship events are offered several times a year.
The tea begins with a beautiful base. And really, a tea blend is only as good as the base used with it. I find so many companies start with an inferior base in hopes that the other ingredients will mask the fact that the tea leaves are not good. The base is black tea from the Shire Highlands of Malawi. It is a smaller cut leaf typical of teas from this region. The base is strong, malty and a perfect tea to carry the Sri Lankan lemongrass, Malawi lemon verbena and Italian bergamot. Because Henrietta has such a great relationship with her tea farmers she is able to secure the highest quality and freshest ingredients which translates to an exquisite tea experience. This is an absolutely perfectly blended tea and on par with all the other great teas I have had from Rare Tea Company. The layering of the citrus notes from the bergamot, lemongrass and lemon verbena create a perfectly bright and well rounded cup. If you are a fan of earl grey I highly recommend this version. This blend checks all the boxes for me and then some on what I am looking for in a perfect earl grey.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Rare Tea Co.
Description
This tea is our Rare Tea Lady’s (founder Henrietta Lovell) riff on a traditional Earl Grey; a more delicately herbaceous and distinctly lemon blend.
Instead of containing just black tea and the essential oil of bergamot that composes a traditional Earl Grey Tea – we’ve built up the lemon notes, not with more citrus but uniquely with delicious lemon herbs.
Rich yet elegant black tea from the Shire Highlands of Malawi blended with Italian Bergamot, Malawi Lemon Verbena and Sri Lankan Lemongrass.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
