Everyone has that one (or if you’re me, like, a thousand) weird stories from your childhood. Now, most aren’t going to go sharing them for all the world to know– but sometimes, in the name of tea, awkward stories must be told.
As a younin’, I LOVED all things fruit– real and fresh– of course, but fake fruity flavors, as well. All of it. Gimme.
Around the age of 3 or so, I came down with a bad cold and needed some medicine. Knowing I’d spit out that nasty bubblegum flavored medicine in a heartbeat (sorry, mom), my mother played to my strengths and picked up a bottle of Grape Dimetapp. You know the type– bright purple, tastes nothing like grapes off the vine? That’s the stuff.
Anyways, my three-year-old palate, having no idea this was medicine and not candy, slurped my little plastic dosing cup down willingly. A few hours later, when my mom asked my sisters and I what we wanted to drink with dinner, I of course enthusiastically replied, “DIMETAPP!”
I got water instead. (Thanks, mom. Sorry, mom.)
All of this to say: you guys, I still love that fakey fruity flavor. I am allll about it. It’s not real grape, of course. But it’s delicious nonetheless. And what does this have to do with tea, you ask? On ice, this tea is a Dimetapp dead-ringer. Slightly more adult, mind you– hints of the green tea base in the background, not nearly as saccharine-sweet– but otherwise, spot on. Is it an everyday tea for me? No, probably not. But it is a fun summer treat, harkening back to the quirky palate of my youth? Yup. And it’s a tasty one, at that.
Now if you’ll excuse me– I have a dinnertime beverage to pour for my inner child.
Here’s the scoop!
Where to Buy: DAVIDsTea
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Tangerine Green from Prestogeorge. . . .
Ahhhh! Another TWO firsts for me! This is the first time I have tried this tea and the first time I have tried any teas from THIS company! Tangerine Green from Prestogeorge! Come to find out Prestogeorge is based in Pittsburgh which is just under 3 hours from where I live. WHY haven’t I known this before now?
I will say that the aroma of this flavored green tea is VERY mellow. Barely-there, even! I was expecting something more potent. But it all worked out! I mean this is a nice flavored green tea eventho the aroma and the flavor is on the mellower side.
Prestogeorge says its the goodness of pan fired green tea paired with orange peel, safflowers, marigolds and orange tangerine flavor. I will say that I think the pan fried green tea leaves were of exceptional quality. Just the way I like them! Pressed to perfection! Again – the orange-tangerine flavor whispered its way thru the cuppa but certainly made my tongue HAPPY!
I’ve been told by more than one person that this is excellent iced or hot. I, for one, can agree that my HOT cuppa certainly STOOD UP! Next I would LOVE to try it iced but I already know I will adore it! YUM!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: Prestogeorge
Description
The goodness of pan fired green tea paired with orange peel, safflowers, marigolds and orange tangerine flavor. Excellent iced or hot!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Charge from Wild Leaf Active Teas. . . . .
Around 2pm is when I’m grabbing for something to keep me going for a few more hours. This little ditty has been saving me from grabbing a sugary snack for the past week and I am completely in love with it.
Wild Leaf Active Teas offers a line of teas with a healthy thought behind each tea. I regularly drink their Slim tea in the mornings and adore that rich jammy earthy flavor. I’ve found in the mornings that I do have more energy but I do drink a few servings of this tea before hitting the road in the morning. I can’t say I’ve noticed any other side effects but I drink this tea more for the flavor and the energy, not so much the weight loss or boosted metabolism.
So this last time when my subscription was about to be shipped out, I emailed Wild Leaf Active Teas and asked if I could add in a tin of their Charge tea. Their Charge tea is a conventionally arranged eye opening tea bag full of green tea, yerba mate, and mint.
Brewed up hot, this tea provides a refreshingly energetic way to get rid of those 2pm heavy eyelids that I seem to get. The flavors mingle so well. Earthy yerba mate combined with a buttery green tea that as a slight vegetal feel with a cooling refreshing finish. A smooth cuppa to enjoy for sure.
Brewed up cold, this ice tea just gives and gives. Again you get all of those same earthy yerba mate notes and that same green tea feel, but it seems like the mint flavor is richer and more intense. So refreshing and cooling. I see this as being a perfect tea for those warm summer afternoons heading our way or even a fabulous ice tea to drink while at my parents’ pool.
I’m a huge fan of green tea, yerba mate, and mint, so I knew this would be a huge hit for me. What I hadn’t expected was how much my family would dig this tea. My dad actually asked me to get him some of this tea and my hubby has asked me to give him this tea in the mornings as a cold brew.
Charge is another widely loved tea in my family. So far there hasn’t been a tea from the Wild Leaf Active Tea lineup that I haven’t loved. Slim is still my favorite with this one and Smart following right behind. Even though these are bagged teas, they are so full of flavor that I find myself grabbing them more and more, especially when I’m at work or am in a bigger hurry than usual.
For me, Wild Leaf Active Teas are full of flavor, love, and that added zip that I need to get me thru the day.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green/Yerba Mate
Where to Buy: Wild Leaf Active Teas
Description
Power up with invigorating whole leaf Yerba Mate, Green Tea and Peppermint. KA-POW! Ain’t nobody got time to crash. Win the war on naps with this bold, dark, invigorating tea because we have things to accomplish!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Comparing Two Taiwanese Oolongs from #TeaAve and #Teavivre. . . . .
I’m going down the rabbit hole here with two Taiwanese oolongs, like Alishan Wonderland. The first time I visited a “Star-ba-ke” in China, I tried ordering a “tea with milk”. But they said it was too gross, several times, and they wouldn’t make it for me. I thought they had to be joking! They weren’t. My friend later told me I was insisting that “cheese” chai was a thing at American Starbucks. I could have died from the mix of embarrassment and jet lag.
Not too far away from that, around 1200 meters up Ali mountain on a foggy island with low temperatures, both the Osmanthus Oolong from Tea Ave and the Alishan Jin Xuan Milk Oolong from Tea Vivre were born to have complex flavor profiles, but nothing like cheese, I was assured. It is literally translated as Golden Daylily. I tried both these teas without adding any sweetener.
The Tea Vivre Jin Xuan Milk Oolong was so clean tasting that at first I wasn’t sure I steeped it, but the body of it feels thicker than 
just water and when the fruity aftertaste lingered, I was completely blown away. The flavor really crept up on me! I was able to resteep this naturally flavored tea several times and the fresh-then-orchid combo never failed to delight.
Osmanthus Oolong by Tea Ave was an equally light colored infusion but had more flavor at the front end instead. A very clean apricot flavor greeted my taste buds with this fuller bodied brew. The floral aftertaste was somewhat tannic but not as long lasting as the original flavor style. One aspect I really liked about this brand were the specific instructions for each brewing style, down to the grams for tea and mL of water. The scientist and the tea lover in me both wish I was Canadian so I could order more of this brand.
Overall a lovely experience with two drink-all-day oolongs. The best part is that now I don’t have to cringe at my bad memory when I hear the phrase “milk tea”.
Hidden Meadow from BlendBee. . . . .
Hidden Meadow from BlendBee caught my eye as I starred at my stash of tea under my work desk recently. I opened the bag and mentally transported into that Hidden Meadow this tea speaks of.
This is a flavored green tea folks! And a great one at that! It contains China Green Tea, sweet Marshmallow Root, creamy Vanilla, and fresh spearmint! This flavor combo makes for a creamy, dreamy, minty-fresh, sweet treat!
It’s creamy upfront followed by a welcomed sweet-mint flavor combo and the mint lingers nicely well after the sip is complete. This is a fantastic flavored green! I think…NO…I KNOW I’m in LOVE.
This is one of those that I would gladly share with friends but also frown when I run out of it. It’s tasty hot or cold. A pure delight!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: BlendBee
Description
Breathe deep & fall in love…A simple yet intoxicating blend of green tea, marshmallow root and fresh spearmint delicately infused with warm vanilla. This is a creamy, minty & dreamy green tea blend for you to savor.