Blue Sky Blend Black Tea from J. Atkinson & Co

BlueBlendTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy: J. Atkinson & Co

Tea Description:

Renowned as we are for our Earl Grey Extra we thought we’d add another member to our citrus flavoured black tea family. With the addition of Orange already taken up on the market in the delightful form of Lady Grey, we looked to the next size up from Bergamot, which one only ever seems to find in Earl Grey, and settled on the Grapefruit. In creating this blend we decided to go for the sweeter more distinctive Pink Grapefruit. With the delicate decorative embellishment of Blue Cornflower petals we warmed to our theme of creating a cheery ‘Recession-busting’ refreshment. Blue Sky Blend was born and was so enamoured by the Judges at the North West Fine Food awards that they gave it a Gold Medal on its first outing into the wider world. Under the premise that ‘another cup of tea’ is the greatest procrastinator to the creative process, we would recommend that if you’re looking to do some Blue Sky Thinking get Blue Sky Drinking! (I obviously need to go and do just that…!)

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

Also known as “Grapefruit Earl Grey”, this Award Winning blend certainly packs a citrus scented punch. Whilst raw it has a wonderful grapefruit, rose and floral scent that is very refreshing but super citrusy at the same time.

In flavour this is lightly sweet with moderate grapefruit and rose petal tones which offers a refreshing taste compared to it’s dark black tea base. Somewhat perfumed but in a wonderful way! Every time I drink rose petals in tea it makes me feel beautiful, and this tea holds no exception. Behind the floral and citrus notes is a dark, malt base which holds the lighter flavours together.

Throughout the flavours remain consistent, even as it cools, and I would say that the balance of flavours was delightful! An inventive twist on the classic Earl Grey but a blend that keeps itself ‘close to home’.

Overall I would say this makes a pleasant change from your classic Earl Grey but keeping the elegance and debonair vibe it has accustomed over the years. While it may not take the place of some of my beloved Earl Grey blends on my shelf, I admit the grapefruit is a wonderful extra in the early afternoon!

So, grapefruit in an Earl Grey? Yes please!

Tropical Green Tea from Octavia Tea

Tropical-GreenTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Green

Tea Description:

This tea is so much more than what “tropical” might conjure in your mind. There’s sweet tropical flavours for sure, but there’s also an amazing floral character that envelopes the entire tea, a fun citrus finish that blends well with the vegetal notes of the green tea. So hard to describe, you should probably just try it.

This tea is available from Amoda Tea.

Learn more about subscribing to Amoda Tea here.

Taster’s Review:

It seems to me that most tea companies out there that offer flavored tea selections offer a ‘tropical’ flavored tea.  Some might offer a tropical flavored black tea, some might offer a tropical flavored white tea, and some might offer a tropical flavored green tea.  But it seems to be a very popular flavor profile.

And these tropical flavored teas may be a little different from one another.  They might have any flavor combination of coconut, pineapple, mango, papaya, banana or passion fruit – or other ‘tropical’ fruit.  The name ‘tropical’ leaves the door open very wide for interpretation.

But even though the base might be different and the fruit combination different, it seems to me that most of the tropical flavored teas that I’ve tried in the past (and I’ve sampled quite a few in my years as a tea reviewer!) … well, most of them blend together into a very abstract sort of painting that represents the many different tropical fruit flavored teas that I’ve tasted.  Not many of them really stand out as a memorable tropical fruit flavored tea, not many of them really step forward in my memory as one that is uniquely different from the crowd.

Until now.

This.  This Tropical Green tea from Octavia is deliciously different.  Uniquely different.  Memorably different!

It’s the grapefruit!  The grapefruit adds a really lovely note to this tea that is quite unlike any other tropical fruit flavored tea that I can remember.

The passion fruit and mango are two sweet fruit flavors and they are beautifully contrasted by the tart and slightly bitter notes of grapefruit.  The grapefruit adds a bright element to the cup that really perks up the flavors and keeps the tea from tasting like your average, every day tropical tea offering that you’ll find from other tea companies.

Not to say that those tropical teas are not tasty – I enjoyed most of what I tried.  But this one is on another level.  And the grapefruit has made all the difference.

I don’t taste much of a floral note from the rose, but that’s alright.  The rose can be there just to beautify the blend and make it visually interesting.  I’m alright with that.  Because the grapefruit makes this tea a delightful tasting tea that it doesn’t need anything else.  There is a tantalizing sweetness from the passion fruit and mango and there is appealing contrast from the grapefruit.  Perfection!

I’ve enjoyed the other teas that I’ve tried from January’s box from Amoda, but this tea elevated the box from really good to GREAT!  Have you subscribed to Amoda yet?  If not, why not?  What are you waiting for?

Boomstick Black Tea from Butiki Teas

BoomstickTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Butiki Teas

Tea Description:

Our Boomstick combines tangerine, grapefruit, and bergamot flavors with our Kenyan Obsidian tea and orange peel pieces for a citrus lovers dream. Each citrus flavor can be detected on its own but is also cohesive. This tea is a bit of an adventure as each sip has a different dominant flavor. The citrus flavor is not overly aggressive, with just a mild tartness. We highly recommend Boomstick as a breakfast tea.

Read more about this tea on Steepster.

Taster’s Review:

This review is scheduled to be published just after Butiki announces their final sale.  Yes, I’ve said it a couple of times on here, very soon, Butiki Teas will soon be no more.  And while that does make me sad to say goodbye to a truly great tea company, I am happy that this company came to the decision not because they needed to close due to slow sales or anything like that, but because the owner, Stacy, wants to focus on other things now.  In her announcement to Steepster, she said:

When I first started this company, my husband asked me to come up with a goal of how much in sales we could ever dream of making in a year. Well, thanks to you all, we have quadrupled that number! I would have never imagined we would have become this successful and I am so grateful to all of my customers for making us what we are today. Thank you so very much.

Reading that brought a smile to my face.  In this age when it seems like so many companies are struggling to stay out of the red, it’s great to read that a small company did so well.  And a tea company at that!  It’s truly inspiring.

And it would seem that I am – at least partially – the inspiration for the creation of this tea!  When she mentioned that she had bergamot, grapefruit and tangerine flavors, I suggested that she combine these three flavors with a black tea base.  At the time, I was thinking she use her Sansia black tea base – having enjoyed it so much with the Chocolate Chili Truffle tea – I thought that the strong honey tones of the black tea would pair nicely with the citrus fruits.

Instead, Stacy chose her Kenyan Obsidian as a base which Stacy describes as “grapefruity, malty, and woody.”  I also taste a sweetness to this and I don’t know if it’s the tea itself or the combination of the tea plus these particular flavors but I do get a light honey note that’s quite pleasant with the citrus fruit.

I thought about adding a dollop of honey to the cup to enhance those tones, but, I kind of like this straight up.  It’s sweet but not too sweet, and the citrus gives it a tangy flavor – tart … but not pucker-y tart.  Just enough tart that I can feel my taste buds sort of perk up (especially in the finish) from the tart.

This is a really lovely celebration of citrus flavor.  Butiki suggests this as a breakfast tea.  It would make a wonderful breakfast accompaniment (perhaps instead of fruit juice!)  But I also found that this is LOVELY iced.  It’s very refreshing.

This will be my final review of Butiki Teas here on SororiTea Sisters (I do still have a couple of teas of theirs that I’ll be drinking and talking about over on Steepster!) so I wish Stacy all the luck in the world with whatever adventure she takes on next.  I raise my teacup to her and say, Bravo!  And thank you for bringing us so many wonderful teas – you (and your teas!) will be missed.

And … as you head on over to Butiki Teas to see what’s on sale (and what’s left!) be sure to add some of this tea to your cart.  You’ll be glad you did!

White Calypso Tea from White Lion Tea

WhiteLionLogoTea Information:

Leaf Type: White

Where to Buy: White Lion Tea

Tea Description:

Exotic white tea leaves with tropical temptations! Mango, sweet guava, and a splash of grapefruit gave this tea its island soul.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

Oh, YUM!  This White Calypso Tea from White Lion Tea is really tasty.

The Mango and guava are sweet and luscious, while the grapefruit notes are bright and uplifting.  It’s tropical, it’s sweet and a little bit tart, and it’s well-balanced.  It’s a taste of the tropics in a teacup.

I like that while the fruit flavors are strong, the white tea is not overpowered.  I’m not sure what type of white tea is used for this blend, but based on the color of the leaf, I suspect it’s a Shou Mei, or perhaps a blend of Shou Mei and White Peony.  The flavor tastes a bit more like a Shou Mei than a White Peony to me.

The mango and guava meld together seamlessly.  It’s a very unified flavor.  The grapefruit is the star of this fruit medley, in my opinion, because it shines bright.  The mango and guava tastes sweet and juicy, but the tartness (and that hint of bitterness) from the grapefruit bring this flavored tea to life.  The grapefruit seems to dance on my palate!

I steeped this tea for 4 minutes in 170°F water.  When it comes to white teas, I usually I use 1 1/2 to 2 bamboo scoops of tea to 12 ounces of water (I have a bamboo scoop similar to this one), however, with this tea, the leaves are cut to a smaller size so I only used 1 scoop of tea to 12 ounces of hot water, and this worked out perfectly.  A very flavorful cup!

This tea would be an excellent choice for mid-day, when you’re looking for a tea on the lighter side but one that will give you a little energy boost to keep you going.

Tropical Sunshine Herbal Blend from Simple Loose Leaf

Tropical-Sunshine-HerbalTisane Information:

Leaf Type:  Rooibos

Where to Buy:  Simple Loose Leaf

Tea Description:

Tropical Sunshine is an explosion of flavor amongst a rich backdrop of organic rooibos. With cardamom, red peppercorn, lemon grass, cornflowers, cinnamon chips, orange peel, cranberries, apples, papaya and grapefruit flavor, this elaborate tisane is as unforgettable on the palate as it is beautiful to behold. Outstanding both hot and iced.

Cardamom, Red Peppercorn, Lemongrass, Organic South African Rooibos, Cornflowers, Cinnamon Chips, Orange Peel, Cranberries, Apples, Papaya Flavor, Grapefruit Flavor

Learn more about this tisane here.

Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s Selection Club subscription program here.

Taster’s Review:

This tisane has a lot going on!  And while it may have a lot of ingredients, they all seem to work together in a very tasty way.  It is fruity, sweet, tart, and warmly spiced, and I love the contrast in flavors.

What I’m liking best about this particular tisane is that this is more like a medley of flavors rather than a focus on one or two.  The different components of this blend work together to create a seamless, unified taste that isn’t really distinctly one flavor or another, but more of a combined effort of all the flavors into one unique taste.

Notes of subtle spice are there from the cinnamon and cardamom.  These two spices offer a mellow, gentle warmth that accentuates the nutty flavor of the rooibos and the citrus notes of grapefruit, lemongrass, and orange.

The rooibos is not a strong flavor, but there are some nutty tones.  The papaya offers some sweetness, as does the apple, while the cranberry offers a light tartness that plays well with the citrus-y flavors.

It’s a harmonious blend of spices and fruit with hints of nutty sweetness.  A really tasty cup – this is the kind of rooibos blend that I tend to appreciate most, where the rooibos doesn’t present a strong flavor profile, instead it becomes part of a combined flavor.

A really tasty herbal that’s naturally caffeine free, it tastes great hot, but I like it even better iced!

Don’t forget to check out Simple Loose Leaf’s Selection Club subscription.  I received five different teas every month!  It’s an awesome deal!  And if you want an even better deal use the coupon code SISTERSELECTION25 when you subscribe to this club and receive a 25% discount when you sign up for the Selection Club!  This discount is applicable only to the monthly Selection Club subscription and not the retail selection of teas.