Teakruthi kindly sent me a bunch of tea to review for them. Which almost scared me at first when I received the shipping notification because I thought someone was using my account to order themselves tea.
I was surprised to find that this was not a tea bag as expected but full of gorgeous moringa leaf and lemon peel bits. But then I was hit by the aroma. This smells like Windex. Or that commercial cleaner they use in some hotels. And now I can’t get that out of my head. I’ll let that thought be so I can try to enjoy the flavor.
I’ve never had moringa before and I’m not much for herbals so… here goes. The liquor color is dark, clear, yellow. Kind of pretty in its own way. Steeped for about four minutes. Couldn’t take that smell any longer. The flavor is highly citrus with what I am assuming is the herbal flavor that comes off smooth and lightly medicinal. Cleansing.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Teakruthi
Description
Looking for the perfect refreshing and healthy herbal drink? Look no further than our Moringa Lemongrass herbal tisane tea. Highly nutritious and healthy, dried Moringa leaves are infused with lemon and lemongrass. While Moringa improves the immune system, controls blood sugar and blood pressure, lemon is a mood enhancer that helps with digestion. Together, the three produce a powerful herbal infusion that is free of caffeine and with a host of health benefits. The prepared brew has a dark yellow colour and a zingy lemony taste for you to devour.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Tea Care Packages/Brewed in Solace -variaTEA-
Brewed in Solace recently reached out to me via our Instagram asking me if I was interested in one of their Tea Care Packages. My answer was a very fast and excited, “YES!”
The package features a very simple but very pretty teacup and saucer. It is available in a bunch of colours including pink, blue, green, purple, yellow and white. When Brewed in Solace informed me I would get to pick which colour I wanted, I struggled because they are all beautiful. I ended up going with purple, and I am not disappointed.
That was not the only choice I was asked to make. The tea care package I was sent also came with a tea filter in either gold or silver, a candle that was either in fresh linen or lavender, and two different teas. Also, included was a candle label of anything I wanted and a personalized note. These options to personalize make the gift suitable for someone close to you, but it could also work for someone you aren’t as close with since the options are still general enough they should appeal to all!
As for the teas, they are fairly generic tea options. I went with Black Peach and Summer Rose. Nothing truly unique about either, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Today, I am enjoying the Black Peach tea and it is very smooth and with a distinct peach flavor. Basically what you would expect from a tea called Black Peach.
The package costs $65. Given that a teacup and saucer can easily be half that amount, if not more, I would say the price is fair. You get a whole lot of bang for your buck. In fact, the filter was one of the things I was most excited for since I tried to buy something similar and it was going to run me about $20 just for that.
What I really liked about this gift idea was that it was packaged with so much care and love. From the minute I opened the box that it was shipped in, I felt like I was being treated to a beautifully wrapped gift, complete with flowers to make it feel more fun and festive.
The company itself was wonderful to work with – very kind and accommodating. They kept me updated each step of the way, something I did not ask for but made the experience that much better.
So, if you didn’t gather it from this review, I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND Brewed in Solace for your tea gift needs if you are looking for something fun and a bit different for anyone on your list!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Package
Where to Buy: Brewed in Solace
Description
All of the coziness in one care package. Included in the care package: tea cup & saucer, gold floral teaspoon, two loose-leaf teas, 2oz natural soy wax candle with custom quote, gift message & tea poem.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Dark Rose/Little Wood Herbals -ashmanra-
With rain pelting down since before dawn and the forecast predicting more of the same for the whole day, I decided to try something new. This sample was sent to me by the Sisters a while back and it seems a good day to try it!
I always try to look up a new company and read about the tea I am going to drink if it is new to me. I wasn’t sure if this was puerh, dark tea, or black tea. When I went to the puerh tea heading this wasn’t listed. I checked under black tea and again, not listed. There was a heading for floral teas and there it was, but the description still didn’t tell me for sure what my base was. Let the nose decide!
I took the tiny pressed heart out of the package and sniffed. Based on the sniff test, I would have guessed it was puerh. Tea that is processed more or less like puerh but is not from Yunnan is called dark tea in China, so perhaps that is what I have here, and that is how it was labeled, but I wanted to be sure. (Black is called red tea or hong cha in China which is confusing to some because red tea in the west is what a lot of people called red rooibos.)
I placed the heart in a large infuser basket from my Curve teapot and set it in a large mug. I pouring boiling water over it and watched as the heart softened quickly and lost shape. The water was rapidly turning a deep shade so puerh or dark tea is still my guess.
The rose is nice but not overwhelming if you are not into florals. The tea base is dusty/musty and earthy with a gentle scrape of unsweetened cocoa on the tongue – the sensation of cocoa but not the flavor.
This doesn’t have the oily body of my favorite shu puerh teas but will do for breakfast. There is a hint of dry cedar, especially in the aftertase. The rose is a peppery rose flavor and may add a slight sweetness, but not much. I am finding it slightly medicinal somehow.
Although grateful to try it, this is not one that I would re-order. There are other rose puerh teas that I would prefer.
They have an adorable tea for two set on their site and some nice accessories and other interesting things to browse.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Puerh
Where to Buy: Little Woods Herbal
Description
This dark tea is medium to full-bodied and smooth.It has a delicious sweet, dusty rose flavor and aroma.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Litchi Chinesis Black Tea (featuring an Umi Tea Set teapot)
The wonderful people at Umi Tea Sets reached out to us on Instagram and were kind enough to send us a beautiful teapot and a bag of this tea, Litchi Chinesis Black Tea.
I steeped 1 perfect teaspoon of the tea (approximately 1.5 teaspoons) in the teapot, which holds about 7 ounces of water. I steeped the tea for approximately 2 minutes in 200F water.
The teapot, which is currently sold out, is dainty in looks but sturdy in make. It has lovely detailing on it and a unique shape that really adds a touch of beauty and intrigue to each steeping session. On the practical side, I really like the built-in filter on the inside of the spout, the large handle that makes pouring so easy, and the beautiful string used to keep the lid attached to the pot. While I might wish that the filter was a touch finer to filter more leaves, or that the pot itself didn’t get quite so hot when steeping (easy fix…just grab the handle), I really do love this teapot and am glad to have it as part of my collection.
As for the tea, it is so smooth. I was actually shocked when I took my first sip. Litchi teas can often have a touch of bitterness to it or an overwhelming floral note. This is floral and sweet but with a solid smooth black base. It’s the slightest bit malty and overall just a really easy drinking tea that is true to the fruit! My only cause for pause is the price of this tea. While I can tell it is excellent quality and it comes with a gift caddy package, it is almost $30 for 100 grams. If litchi black tea is your thing though, this is a great option!
Thank you Umi Tea Sets for your generosity! I would definitely recommend both the teapot and tea! Make sure to check out the Umi Tea Set website to explore all their other great options!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type:Black Tea
Where to Buy: Umi Tea Sets
Description
Lizhi Black tea is a black tea scented with the juices from litchis, one of Chinas most popular fruits, which give a sharp, almost citric, flavor: It may be enjoyed alone at any time of the day or evening. The Litchi Chinensis Black Tea, is from Guangodong Province in China, also know as Lychee Black Tea. It is treated with the juice from the lichee fruit, which yields a wonderful and sweet fragrance. Lichee black tea can also be enjoyed chilled.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Sakura & Berry/Lupicia -Stephenia-
Each year Lupicia Tea, a Japanese tea company, comes out with a Sakura collection to celebrate cherry blossom season. The collection changes each year and for 2021 the theme is traditional Japanese culture that has been handed down through the generations, such as crafts and traditional Japanese patterns. The collection is well balanced and features a green tea, a decaf tea, black tea, rooibos, even a sakura matcha! The tins this year are beautiful and feature a lovely floral motive. I have wanted to try teas from Lupicia’s Sakura collection for some time so I decided this year that I would order a few.
The first one I am reviewing is Sakura & Berry. This has a black tea base with salted cherry leaf, rose petal and flavoring. The description says that this has a “sweet strawberry flavor.” The dry leaf smells amazing and actually made me think of when my mom would make me strawberries and cream oatmeal as a kid. I steeped the tea up at 212 degrees for 3 minutes.
I really love this one. The first taste is a nice fruity strawberry flavor, nothing too strong. It actually has the same strawberry flavor as strawberries and cream oatmeal but without the cream aspect. On the second taste I get a hit of the black tea base, it is smooth and mellow. I had hoped that I would get taste of the salted cherry leaf however that didn’t come through in the flavor.
Overall this is a tasty strawberry tea in a beautiful tin and certainly worth trying if you love strawberry-flavored teas. I really enjoy Lupicia tea, in fact their rooibos-based honeydew melon tea is in my top 5 favorite teas of all time! If you are interested in the Sakura collection I would not wait as fulfillment for the US comes from the online Hawaii Lupicia store and they get very limited amounts of inventory on these special edition collections.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Lupicia
Description
We are happy to announce the arrival of our seasonal SAKURA & BERRY tea: A blend of Darjeeling and Nilgiri black teas with salted cherry blossom leaves, mixed with sweet strawberry flavor and aroma. Popular as a hot or iced tea, try it with a bit of milk! A LUPICIA Hawaii staff favorite. (Only available in limited quantity)
