These Are A Few of My Favorite Teas!

Continuing the Birthday Par-TEA (yep- you can call me a nerd now), I thought I’d share some of my favorite teas that I’m currently obsessing over.  Earlier this morning I wrote a post about my favorite vessel for brewing tea- The WALL Tea Infuser from Boreal Wildcraft.  So I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to chat about the teas I’ve been enjoying with this brilliant mug.

(1) Peeps Genmaicha from A Quarter To Tea. . 

I recently did a review of this tea and am still drinking this tea on a daily basis.  I’m a HUGE fan of genmaichas so when you combine that gorgeously toasted tea with a marshmallow flavor. . .I’m 100% on board!

This tea is part of A Quarter To Tea’s Spring Collection. . one that I had to pick up several ounces of.  If you are a fan of floral teas, you have to check out Lauren’s Honeyed Apricots and Amonds Chun Mee.  After one sip of this tea, I was back on the website buying 2 oz.  I’ll be reviewing this tea shortly on its own but just had to share the love for this spring inspired blend.

(2) Graveyard Mist from 52Teas. . .

This blend of marshmallow root, green tea, spearmint, and vanilla provides such a lush and haunting flavor that I’ve declared this tea as my ultimate favorite tea.  Graveymard Mist is one of those teas that relaxes me and I’ve found so much comfort drinking this brew.  From having sinus infection to having a bad day at work, this tea delivers a spot on flavor that just creates a soothing and relaxing feel.  Luckily, our beloved Anne (aka LiberTeas) recently reblended this tea so I was able to get my hands on a new batch.  (Thank you, Thank you Thank you Anne!)

My husband and I shared a pot of this tea the other night and this new batch delivers all those same feels as the blends that Frank blended a few years ago.  I feel a petition needs to be created to keep this tea in stock at all times.

(3)  Any tea from Wendigo Tea Co.

Wendigo Tea Co is one that really opened my eyes to what a high quality straight tea can deliver.  All of Skye’s teas are ripe with amazing robust flavors and the fact that they are all named after different mythical creatures makes these teas even more alluring to me.  Highly recommend these teas and they brew up gorgeously each and every time.   Plus, the fact that you are able to enjoy these teas for multiple steepings. . .you can’t go wrong.

My personal favorites are Yeti, Bigfoot, and Nessy, but the King Dragon Oolong is something to behold.

(4) Extinction Event from Tea Historic

Can we just take a moment and chat about this tea company? I mean c’mon. . .combining marvelously high quality teas with dinosaurs. . .it’s such a great match! The logo alone gets me every time. A Dino Tea Party!

Extinction Event is a blend of black dragon and white jasmine pearls.  The flavor is phenomenal. Rich and robust with lingering notes of a floral finish.  This is another tea I’ve spent many tea sessions with.  To make sure that you get an equal flavoring of both teas, Tea Historic has even prepackaged the teas for you for easier preparation.    I’m excited to check out the rest of the line of teas they offer.

(5)  Custom Blended Teas from The NecessiTeas and BlendBee

Being a sucker for a green tea mint combo, I am always on the hunt for different ways to spruce up this combination. And that is where they amazing ladies at The NecessiTeas and BlendBee come into play.

Linsey at The NecessiTeas has graciously reblended and created different blends for me based on her current lineup of teas.  She takes dessert teas to a new level! With teas like Strawberry Cheesecake, Carrot Cupake, and her new blends- Jelly Bean and My Peeps. . .I’m gobbling these teas down like it is nobody business.

For being flavored teas, I’m able to even pull out up to three steepings.  Flavors are spot on and even though you do have to buy in larger quantities from her site, trust me. . .it is worth it.  Her hand blended beauties are teas you just can’t get enough of.

If you don’t follow Linsey on Instagram, I highly encourage you too. Her pictures are amazing and incredibly drool worthy!

BlendBee offers customized teas with fresh quality teas and inclusions that are second to none. Jamah’s attention to detail on each of her blends is outstanding and her customer service is amazing. I’ve had several conversations with Jamah through email where I’ve felt like I’m being a bother and a pain because I’d like this blend this way or this blend that way and she is always so incredibly courteous.

Along with BlendBee’s pre-made blends, you can also create your own.  I’ve made blends like Orange Cranberry Yum (don’t judge my names, I’m terrible at being creative- ha!) and Honey Lemon Green.  The process is incredibly simple and the fact that you can include different herbals to add in a healthy kick makes the experience even better.  I drink BlendBee teas daily and have found myself consistently looking for these blends in my stash to share with others.  I’ve even served these teas at my nieces birthday parties and have shared several pots of these teas with my dad.

These are just a few of my favorite teas that I’ve been enjoying but that is what makes tea such an amazing experience.  There are so many different brilliant teas out there that I have yet to experience from companies that I have yet to meet.  I have so many different teas that really are my favorites that I keep on hand at all times, but these are just a few that have recently captured my love and affection.

Spicy Chocolate from Kusmi Tea

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Kusmi Tea

Product Description:

Black tea from China flavored with natural essences of chocolate and spices.

Taster’s Review:

I am so happy to be able to try this tea.  It is one that I’ve wanted to try for a long time, and it seems like every time that I am tea shopping, this tea is sold out!  Fortunately, my SororiTea Sister, TeaEqualsBliss, sent me a sampling of it!  Thank you Jennifer!

And the verdict?

I love it!

The chocolate level is nice.  Of course, it would be better with more chocolate, but that’s the chocoholic in me.  It has a nice amount of chocolate and it is in a pleasing balance with the spices here.  It tastes like a good quality dark chocolate.

Kusmi Tea does not specify what kind of spices they use in this blend (although I am sure that if I had the tin I could read the ingredients, provided they aren’t written in French!) but to me it tastes like ginger and perhaps a little cinnamon.  Maybe some cardamom?

The level of spice is not what I would classify as “spicy,” that is, I don’t find this to be overwhelmingly hot or spicy.  But that isn’t a bad thing, because I think that if it were spicier in this particular blend, it would overthrow the balance of flavors that I’m experiencing, and that WOULD be a bad thing.  I like it just the way it is.

The black tea base is a strong one and can be tasted with the other strong profiles.  There is a good deal of astringency to this tea, it clears the palate very well, leaving only a  faint note of pepper and of chocolate in the aftertaste.

It is not bitter, although I suspect it could be that way if it were steeped too long.  I steeped my cup for 3 1/2 minutes and it produced a delicious cup.  It doesn’t need sweetener, but, I found that a small amount of agave nectar helped bring out some of the sweeter notes of the chocolate.

This one is really good, folks!

Cherry Bomb Tea from Compass Teas

Tea Type: Green/Herbal/Yerba maté

Where To Buy: Compass Teas

Product Description:

Blast away that bad mood! This delicious cherry flavored tea is full of goodness and is sure to lift your spirits (especially since it tastes kind of like fruit punch when sweetened)
This blend contains Yerba Mate, which is a natural and nutritious stimulant that is said to help provide mental clarity, improve digestion, burn fat, relieve pain, enhance memory & immunity, and has a reputation for being a great energy & mood lifter.

Ingredients:
Yerba Mate- Mood lifter, weight loss aid, immunity booster
Green tea- Antioxidant rich, helps keep body hydrated, may help reduce your daily calorie intake which can lead to weight loss
Rose-hips- Vitamins A, C, D, E, antioxidants, immunity booster
Dandelion leaf- Mood lifter
Hibiscus- Vitamin C, immunity booster, weight loss aid
Cherry flavoring- Perfectly enhances the natural goodness of this tea
Rose petals- Accenting feature

Tasters Review:

Cherry Bomb Tea from Compass Teas smells great before, during, and after infusion…just like Cherry Candy or Juice, even!  This is really good if you like Cherry and I do…so ROCK ON!  Speaking of ROCKIN’ – I could resist adding a song/video to this post so don’t don’t forget to scroll down.

The Hibiscus is barely there and thank the tea gods for that – as many of you know my feelings about Hibiscus! It seems to be more there to just open doors for the rest of the ingredients and isn’t the leader of the pack!  Eventho this is VERY Cherry tasting – you can still taste the GREEN TEA.

I couldn’t post this review without accompanying it with a very fitting song…ENJOY your tea and ENJOY a little John Cougar Mellencamp!