Duke of Earl from Blackbird Tea Co.

DukeEarlTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy: Blackbird Tea Co.

Tea Description:

Unstoppably smooth, much more so than his cousin, that stuffy 19th century aristocrat. Our organic black tea is infused with Italian bergamot oil and a little bit of swagger. Drink up for inspiration.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

Blackbird Tea Co makes some tasty teas and this one is no exception to that rule.

I brewed this tea up to treat myself to a hot beverage to warm me up from the cold office.  I swear our office is an ice box!

But this, that, and the other got in the way of my tea drinking experience so by the time I got around to this tea, it was cold.  I went ahead and took a sip and this tea is such a forgiving loving tea!

As an iced tea, this tea was perfect for the fans that like a light earl grey touch to their teas.  This wasn’t an overwhelming earl grey/bergamot oil flavor, but more of a kiss.  The black tea was subtle and didn’t become astringent.  Such a smooth iced earl tea to keep me going thru the day.

When I first started steeping this, the tea had a pretty strong earl grey flavor.  I’m curious now if this has a really strong earl grey flavor when hot but cooled the flavors are muted.  So nice to end my day with at the office.

And if you are keeping up with my sipdown adventures this is #15.  Woohoo!

Mocha Mate from Blackbird Tea Co.

Mocha_TeaTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Pu-erh Tea, Rooibos & Yerba Maté blend

Where to Buy: Blackbird Tea Co. or Black Bird Tea Co. Etsy

Tea Description:

In Argentina and Uruguay, maté is traditionally sipped through a metal straw in a cured gourd. Try that in rush hour traffic! Our interpretation is a blend of roasted maté mixed with rooibos, black pu-erh tea, and a kick of chocolate, lemongrass, cinnamon and ginger. Drink it throughout the day for a chocolaty, spicy pick-me-up. 

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

When this tea first arrived, I was so excited! I have a tea that I love from Adagio Teas that is a version of a Mocha Mate.  I can take that tea down in no time flat.

I quickly grabbed this tea and throw it in my Breville One Touch choosing the herbal setting (seeing how their is Mate in it).  Poured myself a huge cup of it and sat down to write the review and then it hit me.  The smell.  The smell of my arch enemy.  The smell one of the only teas I have trouble drinking.  Yes.  This tea had rooibos in it.

Unfortunately for me, I am not a rooibos fan.  We each have our own teas that we adore and love and then there are the teas that really aren’t our cuppa.  This one falls into the latter category.  From the other flavors I was getting when I did try a sip, this tea is phenomenal.  The spices and chocolate mix so well together and produce this vibrant and invigorating flavor with a sweet lemon like kick.

But with the rooibos in there, I think I need to find this darling a new home.  Rooibos and I just have never gotten along.  But from what I tasted, the rest of the tea is amazing.  If you like rooibos blends, check this one out.  I bet it would be delightful to you!

Marrakech Mint from Blackbird Tea Co.

marrakechmintTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Green

Where to Buy: Blackbird Tea Co website or Blackbird Tea Co Etsy Store

Tea Description:

If you’ve ever been to Morocco, you know the pleasure of drinking green tea with mint and ample amounts of sugar after dinner, or really, just about anytime. Our blend of loose leaf gunpowder green tea, peppermint and spearmint will help your meal settle – and the bonus? Fresh breath.

Brewing Instructions – Using water that hasn’t quite yet boiled (about 180 degrees Fahrenheit), steep 1 teaspoon of tea per 8 oz. of water for 2-3 minutes. Enjoy.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

I am exhausted right now so I wanted a tea that was both refreshing and invigorating.  I thought maybe a mint tea would do the job so I grabbed for a tea from a company I didn’t know about until recently.

Blackbird Tea Co has a presence both on Etsy and with their own website.  They have a gorgeous website.  Simple but beautiful.  I love how the pictures of the tea are not over done and they let their sleep package do the talking.  I was sold from the moment I saw their slick canisters.

Since this is a green tea, I just used the water for our coffee machine here at work and popped the tea into the water. As I sat waiting for the tea to steep, I enjoyed the delicious mint aroma I could smell.  I felt that bit of pep that I was looking for.

Let this steep for about 3 minutes and took my first sip.  This tea delivered on the taste I was looking for.  Brisk green tea with a soothing refreshing mint that really invigorates your senses.  Green tea with mint is a pretty simple tea but it has to be done right.  Sometimes the mint can really overwhelm the tea or go the opposite way and be hardly noticeable.  That is not the case with this blend. The peppermint and spearmint play nicely together in my cuppa and the green tea provides that smooth delicate feel with hints of a roasted flavor in every other sip or so.  Very nicely done.

This tea gave me exactly what I need today.  Just a bit of pep with a gorgeous mint background.  I’m excited to try this as a mint iced tea.  I’m thinking this would be a marvelous prepared that way.  I do have a favorite Marrakech Mint from Tealated that I adore but this one is right there along with that blend.  All the different aspects are just so fantastically present and not one flavor controls the flavor.  I hope all the Blackbird Tea Co teas are this fantastic!