Warm Fuzzy – Hand-blended tea from PaperBoxGoodies

Today’s blend, Warm Fuzzy, comes from Etsy shop PaperBoxGoodies. This teabag came with a cute tag and tea charm, helping remind me that each bag is hand-filled by the small Etsy shop.

Warm Fuzzy lives up to its name,  With fuzzy chamomile blossoms and green tea, this is a cozy, relaxing blend.  The grassy green notes pair easily with the floral, lemony chamomile.  For a tea with blend of herbal ingredients, this was gentle and sweet, definitely not bitter or medicine-like.  I think this blend is best with touch of honey to bring out the natural sweetness in the chamomile. I prefer teas with a bit more spice or boldness, but this is a kind, comforting brew for when you need to calm down and drink something nice-and-easy.

I don’t see Warm Fuzzy in stock on PaperBoxGoodies’ Etsy shop, but there are other intriguing flavors with names like Purple Snozberry, Bluesfest Green, or Passionmint Green.  After the quality of Warm Fuzzy, I look forward to trying other blends from PaperBoxGoodies.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: PaperBoxGoodies
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Orange Spice from PaperBoxGoodies. . . .

One of my favorite things with the cold weather is being able to add spice to everything: cinnamon, cloves, ginger, the more the merrier!  One of the best partners to all this spice, is juicy orange and citrus flavors. I love the idea of decorating my home with clove-studded oranges for the holidays to release their sweet and spicy aromas throughout the house.  Not to mention, a nice slice of orange is the perfect garnish for a chai-based hot-toddy, with honey and lemon.

These are all the delicious orange and spice combinations I think of when brewing a cup of Orange Spice from PaperBoxGoodies.  I’m not entirely sure what all is in this brew, since it’s not currently active on the PBG Etsy shop, but I believe it is an herbal blend from its amber color and sweet taste.

The best part of this blend is that the dry leaf does not contain hibiscus, so the tangy, pink herb can’t take over the blend.  The orange is the main ingredient, adding plenty of sweet and tart flavor.  This fruity, juiciness is balanced by a large helping of cinnamon, adding its warm, herbal tones.  I think I see bits of ginger in the dry leaf, but the flavor is very gentle in the actual brew.

Juicy orange is the main flavor, closely followed by warm cinnamon.  Neither ingredient gets too tart or too spicy, and they don’t overpower each other.  It’s hard to go wrong with a classic taste combination like orange and cinnamon, so support a special tea Etsy shop and give one of the PaperBoxGoodies teas a try today.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: PaperBoxGoodies Etsy shop

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Chocolate Candy Cane from PaperBoxGoodies

Just because the holiday season is behind us doesn’t mean that the time for holiday-themed teas is over!  In the spirit of keeping the good holiday vibes going, I brewed up a cup of Chocolate Candy Cane from PaperBoxGoodies.  I don’t see this flavor listed on the PaperBoxGoodies Etsy shop so I’m not sure of the ingredients, but it looks to be an herbal blend with mint, chocolate chips, and licorice root.

 

I was excited about the herbal nature of this blend.  I love candy cane teas, but they all seem to have a black tea base which makes it hard to drink when I don’t need all the caffeine.  Having an herbal decaf option was just the tea I needed when relaxing and recovering from the busy end of the year.

 

Brewed, this blend is smooth, sweet, and minty.  The dry crispness of the mint is lessened by the licorice root.  Any herbal harshness that sometimes comes with pure mint teas is lessened by the rich chocolate chips.  Minty candy cane is the main flavor, followed by a mild cocoa aftertaste.  The licorice root doesn’t impart a specific flavor, but adds a natural sweetness and a smooth mouthfeel.

 

This is one of those teas that would benefit from a strong brewing and then made into a latte with whipped cream.  I didn’t quite have enough in my sample to go the whole latte route, so I’ll have to try it next time.

 

Overall this was a great decaf candy cane blend that I would try again next holiday season.

 

 

 


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: herbal

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Purple Snozberry from Paper Box Goodies. . . .

Anyone who has ever read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or watched the famous film has heard of a Snozberry. I mean “The snozberries tastes like snozberries” line is one of the more popular since it left people wondering, “what the heck is a Snozberry?!” Here’s the thing…DO NOT GOOGLE WHAT A SNOZBERRY IS unless you are willing to have your childhood ruined. The internet gave the term all sorts of disgusting meanings that make that line a little dirty for a PG-rated film. So, what I recommend instead is to either (a) come up with your own meaning for the word, or (b) accept the flavor of this Purple Snozberry tisane by Paper Box Goodies as an accurate interpretation of what a Snozberry is and move on with your life.

Just looking at this steep, you can see it is rather whimsical as the Butterfly Pea Flower slowly releases its purple coloring into the water. The end result is a color that I wish I could accurately describe because it is beautiful. I went searching for the right name and came up with the following descriptions: A dark plum, a deep red wine but with blue undertones as opposed to red, and Pantone 2449 but a little more purple added to it.

Tastewise, I would say that snozberries have a hibiscus tartness upfront. That tartness melts away to a sweeter berry flavor at first. Alas, the more you have, the more the tartness builds on your tongue. Underlying the hibiscus, is a slightly vegetal flavor, as if there were a bit of green tea here, yet I know this to not be the case. Perhaps that is the pea flowers contribution? Personally I do not have much experience with this ingredient so it is something I would like to explore more.

Anyways, while I enjoyed the nostalgic quality of this fun little teabag, beautifully packaged with a lovely little tea tag, I find the tart hibiscus to be too overbearing. I used 200F and steeped for the recommended 5 minutes though I imagine if this were steeped for less time, that may tame the tart or perhaps a larger mug would help in that respect? I think there is potential here but when not brewed properly, it is like a berry that’s still too sour to enjoy.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Herbal
Where to Buy:  Paper Box Goodies
Description

Weird name, right? Well, it is a magical blend of Wonka-esque proportions. This blend is made of Butterfly Pea Flower, strawberry, and hibiscus, and it brews up(you guessed it) PURPLE!! The prettiest tea you’ve ever sipped.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Dragonberry from Paper Box Goodies. . . .

When I think of dragonberry, I think of something sweet and berry flavored. Maybe a mix of raspberry, strawberry, and blueberry…or perhaps a blueberry, mango, and papaya blend with a little coconut thrown in. At least that’s what I would do if I was to create a “dragonberry” tea. Upon opening my little sample baggie I noticed that this tea was in a tea bag (ie: not loose leaf) so I inspected the leaves through the bag and they looked and smelled very herbal-y. On scent, I didn’t detect much berry scent. Interesting.

I steeped the tea for 2-3 minutes as suggested on the tea bag’s tag. I smelled the steeped liquid and again, detected no berry but instead there was that herbal scent again. It was herbal and had just the slightest hint of lemon. When it comes to the taste, I would say that the scent translated over very accurately. Its initially very herbal tasting and then some slight mint flavor comes into play followed by a hint of lemon. The first thought that came to mind for me was that it was quite refreshing. I bet it would taste yummy iced. Although this isn’t what I think of when I hear the word “dragonberry”- it was still a good tea that was a definite thirst-quencher!


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Green
Where to Buy:  Paper Box Goodies
Description

his high-antioxidant blend is both tasty and good for you! Goji berries, Dragonwell green tea, and lemongrass make this a zesty, vegetal, and slightly sweet green tea

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!