I recently discovered The Love Tea Company while I was online and I was instantly enthralled with them. Their website, their message, their mission, and their overall theme just struck a chord with me.
The Love Tea Company was founded with the idea that companies should give something back. Using purposeful purchasing , The Love Tea Company is doing just that. In the vein of companies like Tom’s Shoes, The Love Tea Company has built their company around supporting Mental Wellness. Part of The Love Tea Company’s mission is to donate 25% of their net profit to The Flagg Foundation for Mental Wellness, a foundation created by The Love Tea Company.
If you are interested in learning more about The Love Tea Company’s efforts to help bring awareness to Mental Wellness, keep an eye out on their social media accounts and website. Since The Love Tea Company was founded in December of 2016, it appears they are in the beginning steps for both the foundation and tea company. It will be interesting to watch them grow and get their message out. Also to see the good they do with The Flagg Foundation. Mental Wellness affects or has affected so many people in so many different ways. To see a company trying to send such a positive message through tea is amazing and one that I’m going to help as much as I personally can.
I’ve personally already placed an order to send out some of their #TeaItForward boxes to friends and family members just to brighten their days and show I care and am thinking of them. It’s a wonderful service and I hope these boxes bring a smile to the recipient’s faces.
So, now that we’ve chatted a bit about the mission behind this tea company, let’s chat about their tea. The first tea I thought I would try was their white flavored tea, Raspberry Champagne. Raspberry is a tricky flavor. Do it right and you have a wonderfully sweet yet tart and tangy flavor that sings. Do it wrong and you are left with a bland flavorless brew.
First whiff of these tea leaves and I was drooling. There was a definite jammy berry aroma with a sweetness mingled in. I was quick to get my kettle prepping my water at 195 and allowed my tea to steep for 3 minutes. I haven’t had a flavored white tea in a while so this particular tea was really calling my name. After allowing the tea to cool for a few moments, I took my first sip.
Juicy tart raspberries with a sweet finish and a soft floral touch in a cup. That is how I would describe this tea. I can’t really speak to the champagne flavor but it has been a really long time since I’ve had any champagne. This is one of those flavored white teas that actually packs quite a bit of flavor. Fresh, crisp, and on point with a gentle soft side. Just delicious.
I went for a second steeping but this go around, I allowed the tea to steep for 6 minutes. I have to say, letting the tea steep longer is the way to go . All the flavors really pop and work so well together. I made quick work of my second cup and went on to my third.
Greedily, I want to gobble all of this tea up and try what I have left of my sample of this tea in a cold brew, because I can only imagine how the flavors would pop, sing, and make my taste buds happy . . . but alas . . .I will wait to enjoy the remainder of what I have left of this tea with my dad and sister-in-law. I know they would both enjoy this tea as much as I have. . . and I think that sort of sharing experience is exactly what The Love Tea Company is going for.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White Tea
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 . 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!
A Tea for Cold Winter Months. . .Spiced Mulled Wine from Simpson and Vail. . .
A wine tea? That’s a new one. I have seen cocktail-inspired blends. Even beer teas. Never wine. It’s a fun idea though and one I am very excited to try.
Well, this brews up the color of red wine, so that’s a good start. Also it manages to do so without hibiscus which is a plus since there won’t be that oh-so-familiar tartness hibby comes with. It’s also smooth, like a fine wine. It goes down easy and is rather comforting actually. I’m guessing that comes from the “spiced” component of this tea which is like a soft and gentle hug. There is also an underlying fruitiness in the mix but it remains in the background, adding to the overall flavor as opposed to trying to take over, just as the various fruit notes are in wine. The smell also captures wine, albeit with less of the alcohol content.
It’s definitely a unique tea and definitely has many parallels to the wine that inspires it. It’s not entirely accurate though I think that is preferable because a hot cup of wine is just wrong. A hot cup of wine-inspired tea is surprisingly right though and certainly something new and different.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Flavored Tea
Where to Buy: Simpson and Vail
Description
Looking for a winter concoction without the alcohol? Then, this brew is for you! The blend produces a reddish cup with a sweet fragrant aroma and taste. The tannic taste is reminiscent of red wine and it is perfectly complemented by the light spice taste and the earthy undertones.
Ingredients: black teas, orange peel, beet root, spiced mulled wine flavoring and malva blossoms.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Spiced Mulled Wine from Simpson & Vail- A Black Tea for the Holidays!
When I first sipped this deep red tea, my first thought was, “what a tasty hibiscus blend.” Turns out, there isn’t any hibiscus in this, so apparently my palate has quite a way to go.
This tea ALSO lacks actual wine. Those of you who thought you could have spiked tea on the clock are going to be disappointed. Or, at least, I was. “It was tea, boss! I didn’t KNOW!”
What this tea DOES have is black tea (my bae), beet root (probably the source of the color & flavor), orange (citrus zing!), and malva blossoms (attractive!).
It’s super-rich, and has a sort of hibiscus/cranberry tartness that I really like — and that I associate with red wine. This bite, plus the black tea, gives off the low note that rich red wine does.
If you like wine, you’ll probably like this tea. Heck, I like this, and I don’t even like red wine all that much.
Plus, you won’t get drunk off this. I suppose that’s an advantage if you care about being a productive member of society. You’ll actually get things done instead of napping it off.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Flavored Black Tea
Where to Buy: Simpson & Vail
Description
Looking for a winter concoction without the alcohol? Then, this brew is for you! The blend produces a reddish cup with a sweet fragrant aroma and taste. The tannic taste is reminiscent of red wine and it is perfectly complemented by the light spice taste and the earthy undertones.
Ingredients: black teas, orange peel, beet root, spiced mulled wine flavoring and malva blossoms.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Black Currant White Peony from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
This tea is really tasty. The white tea is soft and smooth. It has a delicate, sweet flavor and it offers an interesting contrast to the tart and tangy flavor of black currant.
It’s a fairly simple blend – just white tea and black currants – but it tastes great!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I have been on a 52Teas kick lately. I can’t help it! I love the unique variety of flavors they have and offer. I am currently staring at my maple Cheesecake TieGuan Yin and wondering if I should splurge and dive into it or wait for another time.
Today I was more in the mood for a white tea so I went with 52Teas Black Currant White Peony, a tea where the dry leaf has has a very similar smell somewhat mulled red wine. I prepped this one at work so I thought I’d share a cuppa with my co-worker. She couldn’t wait to try it.
I prepped this up per the instructions on the package (water at 170F & steep for about 3 1/2 minutes) and I poured us a couple mug fulls. We both instantly remarked at how that mulled wine aroma was still there with the brew and how delicious it smelled.
We took our first sips and wow our eyes lit up. This is exactly the tea you want to be drinking on a dark and dreary day like we are experiencing today. This tea delivers a simple yet satisfying flavor of sweet yet tangy berries (from the black currants), slight notes of a flora hint now and again, all wrapped up with a lovely wine aftertaste. Really lovely. This is one I could see sharing with friends at afternoon tea with a biscuit or two.
Can’t really say enough good things about this one. A depature from the complicated and unique tea blends that 52Teas offers. As much as I love those teas, I love this one just as much. Sometimes the most simplest teas are the most satisfying.
Rose Royal from Lupicia
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Lupicia
Tea Description:
A black tea with enchanting aromas of sparkling wine and sweet strawberries. LUPICIA’s Signature tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
If you haven’t taken a whiff of this tea while its steeping, you are missing out. This tea had such an amazing sweet candy with an almost berry dessert wine profile.
I received this tea bag from a fellow tea pal from Steepster and was excited to try it. Lupicia has some amazing teas. With a name like Rose Royal, I just knew this had to be amazing.
Steeped this up like a traditional black but made an error. I left the tea bag in. This tea turned bitter quickly. The first few sips were fabulous. The taste matched the aroma I was loving. Sweet Berry Wine with a strong black tea base. Oh so good. Hit all the right notes. A flavored tea that isn’t overwhelming.
But then I got distracted with a phone call here and an email there. When I went back to the tea, it was a bitter sad brew. I could still smell that amazing aroma but the taste had turned on me.
Even tho my first jaunt with this tea didn’t turn out the way I wanted to, I still loved those first few sips. This tea will be on my list to pick more up once I sipdown some more teas. Which this is #14. Woot Woot!