Adagio Teas is where I credit my loose leaf tea beginnings. They have a variety of teas for both beginners and experts, but their success comes from their lively fandom blend community. There’s a themed-blend for every movie, book, and video game out there. I know I’ve had a great time designing my own flavors, and I’m always interested in trying new blends from other tea lovers.
My favorite summer blend of late has been Forest Friend by Leslie Kiesler. This blend is a homage to the main creature in the film, My Neighbor Totoro, of Studio Ghibli fame. To me, Forest Friend is tea-blending at its best. It is mixed from Adagio’s white strawberry, white pear, and rooibos jasmine flavors. On their own, none of these teas are really my favorite: I found the strawberry to be a bit too sweet, the pear to be a bit too earthy, and the rooibos jasmine to be overwhelming floral. But when mixed together in these proportions, I can’t seem to get enough of this tea. It’s magical, like finding out you have a big fuzzy, forest friend as your neighbor.
I prefer this blend iced, with our without sugar depending on my mood. This is a blend mainly made up of white tea leaves, so keep your water temperatures a little cooler than usual to avoid any harsh notes. The strawberry makes this a delectable summer blend, almost like sugary kool-aid, but the pear and white tea gives the sweetness just enough grounding that it doesn’t become too much like candy. The rooibos jasmine is amazing when added to a blend in smaller quantities. It adds some tart, herbal rooibos flavors, and relaxing floral overtones. There are even blue cornflowers and golden marigold flowers in the dry leaf to make the blend look vibrant in my pitcher as it brews.
Top off the great taste with Leslie’s cute label on the tin and you’ll realize why it is so hard to resist this blend. Forest Friend is always in my wish list for when summertime comes around and I need a sweet, magical way to cool down and brighten my day.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White/Rooibos
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Description: There’s a friend waiting for you in the forest, but he’s snoring the day away. Wake him up with a cup of tea so you can begin a magical adventure!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Strawberry Shortcake from The NecessiTeas. . . .
This tea isn’t so much strawberry shortcake the food, but Strawberry Shortcake the character. It is so cute. It’s sweet and tiny and a little bit of strawberry for flavor/excitement. There’s a green base to this, yes, but it’s subtle, in the background. Because green’s good for you, it adds to the wholesome vibe of this tea.
It’s a GREAT intro-tea. I’d hook a n00b up with this any time to give them an idea of what’s possible in teas besides earl grey or chamomile.
This is a tea you totally could give a kid. Maybe not right next to bedtime (White tea has a little caffeine), but in the afternoon. Maybe ice it. Maybe put in a splash of vanilla soy milk to brighten it up a little more.
I don’t really want kids, but I think I would make a great grandma. If I could somehow skip straight over the kids-of-my-own thing, that’d be great.
I could teach a kid to crochet, to appreciate libraries, and to appreciate tea. I’d start them off with straightforward, sweet little numbers like this, and gradually ease them into the scene as they got older.
Every year, as I ticked my way into a creaky, pleasant old age, I would receive teas-and-yarn kits from my grandkids. Great little companies like the NecessiTeas would, of course, still be around. The NecessiTeas’ Robot Delivery Service 3000 would bring fresh tea to my doorstep with notes from my grandkids about how much they love me. They’re having a great time at the Mars Colony and will use Facetime Hologram with me when they get back to Earth.
What fun the future will be.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: The NecessiTeas
Description
Angel food cake perfectly combines with a light layer of sweet cream and juicy strawberries to create this guilt-free dessert. Enjoy hot or poured over ice.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Raspberry Champagne from The Love Tea Company. . . . .
Love Tea Company purchases have been making the rounds of me and my friends lately. It all started when Nichole (Cuppageek here on the site) sent me a Tea It Forward care package. So I sent a few to my friends. And then bought samples. 25% of net profits go to the Flagg Foundation for Mental Wellness.
So I’m of course already in a good mood just looking at the packaging and getting a cup going. Plus, the idea of Raspberry Champagne is very appealing to someone who’s on a diet. Helping people! Drinking but not really! FIVE STARS.
I made this one iced as a dinner accompaniment. I’ve cut soda (for real this time!) (I think!). So I’m learning a little more on iced tea to fill in when I need caffeine.
I’ve made this one before hot, and thought it was pretty good, but ICED, my friends, is where it’s at.
The flavor is a mix of sweet and tart. It has the sass of the raspberry with the gentle playfulness of a white. There’s a bite that I guess I could associate with champagne, but also has a bit of a green apple vibe to it. The white tea has JUST enough caffeine to keep you coasting, but not enough to keep you up at night.
All in all, a lovely blend for a sparkly afternoon.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: The Love Tea Company
Description
Our White Raspberry Champagne is a great alternative to the real thing! Our wine inspired blends create a character so versatile you’ll get all of the fun of a “fancy drink” without the boozy qualities. The pairing of champagne and raspberry flavors dates back centuries and we’ve mastered it here in this wine evoking tisane. You won’t be disappointed this is a luxurious treat any day of the week.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Summertime White from 52Teas. . . .
90% of the time, I’m not really a white tea fan. It’s kinda floral, it’s a little too light for me, I’m not entirely sure I’m fancy enough to be able to claim it as my own– etc., etc. But the other 10%? Meaning, the few months out of the year that I bust out my white tea sample backlog and put it on ice? White tea and I are bffs, you guys.
This particular blend from 52 Teas claims to be orange-cream-y, a bit fruity, perfect summertime sipping (as the name would suggest). It may have just been my sample, but I’m not positive that I picked up on the orange/cream, but there were delightful, fresh and summery hints of citrus undertones, a slightly vegetal-honeyed note that was at once light and reminiscent of syrup-y gold. I paired this iced cup with a splash of lemonade, which only enhanced those notes, and friends– it was to die for.
Leave it to 52 Teas to make a white tea believer out of me yet!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
My Morning with Blooming Teas from Flower Pot Tea Company. . . . . . .
Lately I’ve noticed that my tea loving heart has been craving more lush green and vibrant white teas than anything else. With having a more stressful job right now, I’ve found that these particular teas have a way of calming me in the afternoon, letting me know everything will be okay.
Recently, The SororiTea Sisters received a gracious sample box from Flower Pot Teas, a company that mainly focuses on floral teas and blooming teas. I have to say, blooming teas and I haven’t always gotten along. I love the flavor but can never get them to bloom correctly. I know the problem has to be how I brew the tea, even though I brew the tea exactly the way the steeping parameters are provided. But I thought a pretty pot full of blooming tea goodness was exactly what I needed to perk up my morning. So I was determined to get my teapot to look like one of their gorgeous pictures to put me in a better mood. . .
I didn’t quite achieve that look, but I also wasn’t using a fluted glass. I think for once, my blooming tea actually bloomed! Now the tea pot I used was more wide where this blooming tea probably needed more of sleek tall brewing vessel, but I’m good with what I was able to yield. This particular attempt to create those gorgeous blooming teas turned out to be incredibly pleasing. The first blooming tea I tried was their Brilliant Berry.
Full of gorgeous rich vegetal tones (probably because I oversteeped for a few minutes, but the flavor worked!), this blooming tea gave me all the tea feels. The berry flavor is light while the floral notes are also subtle. For the most part, blooming teas that I’ve had in the past have either been just overly floral or overly flavored. Not this tea. The actual tea is the centerpiece. I was able to get a few different infusions out of the tea with the flavor just slightly diminishing with each session.
The second blooming tea I tried from Flower Pot Tea Company was their Lush Lavender. I was a bit worried because I’m not a huge lavender fan but loved how this tea was described on their site:
Our Lush Lavender Tea relieves tension and anxiety with soothing aromas to cleanse the mind and the well-rounded earthiness of refreshing white tea.
Exactly what my adulting soul needed.
Brewed this tea up per the parameters provided (boiling water-steep for 5 minutes) and found myself just as enamored with this offering as the Brilliant Berry. Again, a brilliant balanced tea where the tea is the spotlight and not so much the flavoring. Earthy bright notes create such a satisfying sip without any floral or flavored overtones. Just marvelous spot on tea. I was again able to use the same blooming tea for a few times before the tea leaves gave out. I was actually sad when the flavor started to give because I was greedily devouring cuppa after cuppa.
For blooming teas, I will say, these two offerings definitely are some of the better ones I’ve had. Plus the fact that they actually bloomed. . .that just makes me giddy. Gotta love a tea that tastes amazing, soothes the soul, and looks gorgeous in your tea pot!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Flower Pot Tea Company
Description
Flowers blossom in your cup, unfurling elegant color and flavor before your very eyes.
A cup of this juicy tea is sure to add a little pop of color to your day. Keep them for up to 5 days as a striking centerpiece for your table or desk!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
