Day 8!
Today’s tea is French Vanilla Marshmallow Assam Black Tea. I’m already excited seeing the name, because I love what 52Teas does for marshmallow teas, whether it is the marshmallow root or a little extra flavoring, they always taste great. Even in the bag, the creamy vanilla scent is so welcoming and relaxing.
When the holidays are keeping you busy and you want a pick-me-up like a cup of hot chocolate, but you don’t want a chocolate-flavored tea, this blend can really hit the spot. It has plenty of black tea robustness and caffeine, but is coated in marshmallowy goodness. Feel free to add milk or actual marshmallows to your mug to make a pseudo-hot-chocolate.
This would make a nice house blend to have on hand and bring out for tea parties or guests. The vanilla is classic and creamy without being too sweet, and the black tea base is pleasantly malty and full-bodied. For when you want a cup of tea with a familiar, comforting flavor with a touch of fancy French vanilla.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description:
I started with a blend of Assam teas that includes a first flush Assam as well as a second flush Assam. Together, these two Assams create a rich, flavorful, fruity and malty cuppa. It’s a powerful blend of Assam teas – it’s going to get you revved up in the morning – or revive you in the afternoon when you need a perk-me-up. To these teas, I added some vanilla beans and marshmallow root as well as some French vanilla extract. I also added some cornflower petals to make it pretty (but not enough to add a strong floral note.) The vanilla and marshmallow notes soften the edge of the Assam nicely – you still get that robust black tea flavor but you also get this sweet, soft, fluffy vanilla-y/marshmallow-y note that is quite divine. And it’s also organic, VEGAN, gluten-free & allergen free!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
52Teas’ the 12 Teas of Christmas – Day 7-Spoilers!
Day 7!
Have you had any figgy pudding yet this season? How about fig newtons? If you like figs, you will love today’s tea: Sticky Fig Oolong. This tea is also our first oolong of the 12 Teas of a Christmas set this year.
This tea has plenty of the bright, mineral taste oolongs are known for. These flavors are the right match with the sweet-yet-fresh fig taste. Beneath all the oolong brightness, the tea has a bit of complex, roasted, caramelized taste, making the fig part of the blend feel more like a candied dessert.
I’m always a bit intimidated by unflavored oolongs, so having a touch of holiday dessert flavor mixed in made this oolong more approachable for me. The sticky fig flavor isn’t overpowering, so if classic oolongs are your favorite teas, you will still find this blend to be very enjoyable.
I haven’t run into many fig tea blends so this is a great unexpected flavor for a holiday tea set, rounding out the Christmas theme.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description:
This tea was inspired by one of my customers who is also a frequent poster on Steepster, who – in one of her posts – mentioned that she’d like to see a fig tea from me. So here it is (and it won’t be the last, fig is one of my favorite fruits, I just haven’t gotten around with experimenting with fig in tea yet . . . but now that I have, I think I’ll keep it up because – YUM!)
So I started with these three ideas in mind: Holiday tea, Oolong tea & Fig tea. I crafted a blend of Oolongs – Ruanzhi, Wuyi and Qingxin cultivars – which I chose because I wanted the Oolong to be a little more fruity and a little less floral. To this lovely Oolong blend, I added some figs. For the holiday element, I added some cinnamon. For the final touch, I added a little honey essence.
Really lovely – this tea. The oolong is smooth and sweet. It has pleasing notes of fruit with just a hint of floral. The fig is well-defined and the honey compliments the fig nicely. The cinnamon is warm and inviting without overwhelming the cup. As I say: really lovely! It’s also organic, VEGAN, gluten free & allergen free!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
52Teas’ the 12 Teas of Christmas – Day 6- Spoilers!
Day 6!
It’s not Christmas morning yet but today’s tea is a great blend to have at breakfast: Banana Pancakes Black Tea. Put your nose in the bag, and you’ll see that the tea smells like your favorite diner or breakfast restaurant, with plenty of maple syrup flavor and a whiff of sliced banana.
Brewed, there is a pleasant starchiness in the black tea that suits the natural starchiness of the banana and adds to the pancake feeling. The maple and banana flavor combination reminds me of banana nut muffins or banana bread. This is a fun, sweet blend on its own but it would also go great with a few mulling spices for a banana chai, or with some coconut milk or nut milk for an almost banana nut cereal taste.
I’m always a fan if banana teas, so I was more than happy to go bananas over this brew!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
52teas
Description:
I don’t think it’s any big secret that I love banana teas. So when I go a couple of months without releasing a banana tea – I really start to miss them. And it seems like it’s been quite some time since I’ve done a pancake tea (actually, I haven’t done a pancake tea since the famous Pancake Breakfast tea which I reblended back in January of last year.) So, I’m thinking – why not bring these two flavors together in one tea?
I started with a fantastic blend of black teas from China: an Assamica from the JingMai Mountains, a Fujian Black and a Yunnan Gold. Then I added some bananas along with pancake and maple essence. But don’t worry, it’s vegan and gluten free – and depending upon how you serve it, its also sugar- and fat-free!
Take a sip on this and experience a stack of banana-filled pancakes dripping with maple syrup! Yummy!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Mountain Bliss Green Tea from Balcony Tea #VeganMoFo2016
Mountain Bliss Green Tea from Balcony Tea is our featured tea of the moment and also a Vegan MoFo tie-in for the day! Today’s Vegan MoFo Daily Prompt is “How To Make Friends” and/or “What’s Your Go-To Meal”. I would say that Mountain Bliss Green Tea from Balcony Tea is one of those go-to teas to share with friends! Here at SororiTea Sisters we have tea friends from all over the world and celebrate each country and region for their teas, ingredients, culture, and/or LOVE for tea and tisanes!
What’s REALLY interesting with Mountain Bliss Green Tea from Balcony Tea are the ingredients it contains. Not only does this have a green tea base Balcony has blended it with Greek Mountain Tea – as well as – Juniper Berries, Wild Thyme, Apple Pieces, Olive Leaves, and Calendula Petals. Therefore, this tea is – your guessed it – VEGAN.
I really LOVE that Mountain Bliss Green Tea from Balcony Tea is a Mediterranean Inspired Teas and those are the teas that Balcony specializes in! All of the ingredients are extremely fresh and flavorful! The Chinese Green Tea is delicate and light. It’s NOT heavily floral or vegetal but still has a nice flavor. The Greek Mountain Tea is gently herbal. The Juniper Berry gives it a slight pine aroma and flavor. The Thyme contributes to the wildness and herbal notes for sure. The apple pieces and flavor kick it up a notch but don’t make it overly fruity…it’s ‘just enough’. The olive leaves and Calendula petals are more visual that anything but overall makes this a remarkable cuppa!
Mountain Bliss Green Tea from Balcony Tea offers wonderful notes of herbal, vegetal, fruit, sweet, and pine. The ingredient and flavor ratio works out perfectly. It all meshes well and not one ingredient over-powers the others. A lot of thought and love went into this cup and I think it would WOW friends and family. It would be a great tea to share with old (and new) friends, too!
Oh! I should also mention that Mountain Bliss Green Tea from Balcony Tea was noted “Great Taste 2015” by the World Tea Expo!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Balcony Teas
Description
This blend is inspired by flavours and aromas that bring back childhood memories of walks through Mediterranean valleys. An invigorating blend of green tea, sweet apple and mountain herbs.
Ingredients:
Chinese Green tea – Delicate and light. Greek Mountain Tea– The best-kept Mediterranean secret. Juniper Berries – For a light pine aroma. Wild Thyme – Our thyme is wild-harvested in the Mediterranean to ensure its intense aroma and taste. Apple Pieces & Flavour – Fruity goodness. Olive Leaves – A Mediterranean treasure used in traditional Mediterranean medicine. Calendula petals – A beautiful splash of sunshine yellow.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Chocolate Mint Black Tea from 3 Teas
During today’s tea samples I have been sipping on some pretty odd flavors and needed to cleanse my palate a bit this Chocolate Mint Black Tea from 3 Teas seemed to do the trick!
Chocolate Mint Black Tea from 3 Teas smells amazing! Just what you think it would smell like…chocolate, mint, and black tea. The flavor is incredible! Again, it tastes like a perfect combo of chocolate, mint, and black tea! The ratios are done nicely. One ingredient doesn’t seem to overpower the other ingredients. It tastes like a Girl Scout Cookie THIN MINT. There doesn’t seem to be any dairy in this which is great for those of us who don’t consume it but still want to be spoiled by that chocolate flavor! Ironically, THIN MINTS are also vegan so that’s awesome! Just a little hint for you!
If you are looking for something minty-fresh, mint chocolate, or just to fill that void of chocolate in your life and want it in the form of a cup of tea – give Chocolate Mint Black Tea from 3 Teas a try! It’s pretty darned tasty!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 3 teas
Description
Luscious chocolate and refreshing peppermint. Taste like your favourite after dinner mint!
Black tea, Blackberry and Peppermint leaves, Natural flavors