Snickerdoodle/The NecessiTeas -Ashmanra

Photo Credit: The NecessiTeas

I had a large sample pack of this, enough for a small pot of tea and not just a cup. Since it is caffeine free I thought it would be perfect for some after dinner snacking and would satisfy the sweet part of my sweet + salty cravings! The base is honeybush, thank goodness, and not rooibos. I don’t usually sweeten my teas and this already contains both white and brown sugar, but I am going for dessert here so I don’t mind.

The instructions call for a seven minute steep. I thought that was perhaps to give the cinnamon chips time to melt. It is worth waiting for! If you could melt a Snickerdoodle cookie (one of our favorite kinds) and pour it in a cup, this is exactly what it would smell like and taste like. The aroma was so incredibly sweet that I thought it was going to be TOO sweet for me, but it wasn’t. I am glad it was paired with popcorn and not a sweet dessert, though, because that would have been too much sugar for me! This was so rich, full bodied, and full of cinnamon goodness! The cinnamon is sweet and not hot. The brown sugar gives it real mouth-roundness, as Graham Kerr used to say.

I should have added a touch of milk, in retrospect, to get that dunked cookie vibe! This would also have made an astoundingly good latte. I may have to get my hands on some more to try that!


Want to Know More About This Tea?

Leaf Type: Honeybush

Where to Buy:  The NecessiTeas 

Description

Snickerdoodles are the perfect holiday cookie. Packed with that classic cinnamon and sugar flavor, this tea will quickly become a family favorite!

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Let’s Detox/The NecessiTeas

I don’t buy Detox teas. I don’t buy weight loss teas. I don’t buy any teas that claim magical health benefits. I understand some teas can help with some ailments (i.e. ginger teas and peppermint teas can help settle a stomach and chamomile teas can have a calming effect) but I don’t like when teas are marketed specifically for the purposes of curing people and detoxing people because, to me, that marketing strategy is tantamount to the work of a snake oil salesman. With that said, I do want it to be clear that that is just my personal opinion and I understand that for many, detox teas do help them feel better. That is why even though I wouldn’t pick them for myself, when a detox tea does cross my door, such as this one, I usually will try to have them at a time when I feel bloaty or have been having too much junk food because on the off chance they do work, I want to reap the benefits.

The past couple of nights I have been drinking and going out for meals and so if any time was a time for a detox, this would be it. I woke up at 6:30 am and brewed up this tea comprised of honeybush, rooibos, lemon myrtle, lemon peel, star anise, ginger, licorice root, juniper berries, lemongrass, marigold, stevia, birch leaves, willow bark, and natural and organic flavors. Essentially a lot of ingredients I tend to avoid (basically, I am not this tea’s target audience and thus this review should be taken with a grain of salt).

This tea tastes the way a Lush store smells. That is the best description I got. Hopefully you have been in the store Lush and can understand the reference but if you have not, Lush is a store that sells fresh handmade cosmetics. It is fragrant and pungent with a whole plethora of scents that come together in one semi-sweet, semi-medicinal cloud of fragrance.

Surprisingly, it is not as bad as I expected. Between the star anise, the licorice root, and the stevia, I was expecting a cloying mess. Though this does have that sweet licorice root/stevia top note that sort of coats your tongue, there is a nice ginger burn underneath which reigns in those sweeter ingredients just enough that they are tolerable. I get some lemon and some licorice. A little of this and a little of that but nothing distinct enough to give this a truly discernible flavor.

I will say my stomach, which was a bit queasy, is slightly settled. I think the ginger has a lot to do with that and to be honest, I would probably have preferred to just drink a ginger tea for this health benefit. However, it did help which means this does have some merit to its claim that it will “make you feel good from the inside out”. Plus, it is one of the more tolerable tasting detox teas I have tried.

 


Want to Know More About This Tea?

Leaf Type: Herbal

Where to Buy:  The NecessiTeas

Description

This wellness blend will make you feel good from the inside out. This antioxidant rich blend of organic honeybush and rooibos is combined with marigold, birch leaves and juniper berries to promote a healthy immune system and cleanse away the effects of harmful toxins.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Tea Rex/Adagio Teas. . .

This tea is designed to “help you roar louder, roam wider and grow up big and strong, just like a real T. Rex.” WOW, GUYS. THAT SOUNDS LIKE A PRETTY GREAT PLAN.

You’d think that a tea named “tea rex” would be caffeinated, but nope, which means you can enjoy your transformation to King of the Upper Cretaceous Period at ANY TIME OF DAY. The sweetness of the honeybush mingles nicely with the tea’s chocolate & berry notes. It also, for the record, goes nicely with the donut I enjoyed this morning.

If you get a chance, you should go to Adagio Teas’ listing for this. It’s part of a decaf 3-set that also includes “Rocket Fuel” and “Monster Brew.” The packaging for all three of these tins is SO cute. There are tins with lovely, bright illustrations. This would make a great gift for a friend with kids. They can feel like they’re having tea like their parents, but without the caffeine. (The only thing scarier than a little T-Rex is a little T-Rex full of energy.) (Is it obvious I don’t have children?)

Wishing you all a lovely day full of roaring and conquering!


Want to Know More About This Tea?

Leaf Type:  Herbal/Honeybush

Where to Buy:  Adagio Teas

Description

A delicious tea to help you roar louder, roam wider and grow up big and strong, just like a real T. Rex.

blended with honeybush tea, apple pieces, cocoa nibs, dark chocolate chips (contains soy lecithin), raspberries, natural chocolate flavor, dried cherries, natural wild cherry flavor & safflower

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Pina Colada Honeybush from 52Teas. . . .

I have very few herbal or caffeine free blends. They tend to be…bleh. I find that so many of them just taste like chamomile and…whatever. Or they are red rooibos and let me tell you, honey, me and red rooibos just DON’T get along.

When I got this, I didn’t think of it as a caffeine free option for evening, but rather as a nice change for summertime drinking, and planned to ice it, but OH MY GOODNESS. I made my first pot of it tonight and it was so much more than I was expecting.

First let me start off by saying that I don’t think I have ever had a pina colada, though I am aware of the ingredients. Daughter and I sang a bit of the Pina Colada Song to set the mood. (I like Pina Coladas! And getting caught in the rain!) I think this should probably be made a prerequisite before being allowed to sip.

Oh, but that sip! What a nice surprise! Yes, it is a little boozy tasting, but it is a just right boozy taste. I had a rum raisin tea not long ago that would have set off a breathalyzer. Yuck! But this was just perfect to showcase the fruit and coconut. Because I really feel that the fruit, coconut, and booze flavors were in perfect balance. The honeybush base is so nice. Why, oh why isn’t honeybush used more?

It was brilliant without any sweetener of any kind. As a night time tea, this is important to me since I have occasionally noticed that sugar tends to keep me up as badly as caffeine does.

So I am going to need a lot more of this tisane because I am going to need some big old iced pitchers of it when the weather gets hot and sticky, and some big old pots of it to send me off to bed satisfied and chill. It is currently unavailable but hopefully will be hitting the website again REAL SOON.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Honeybush
Where to Buy:  52Teas
Description

This tea is no longer available but click below for the blends that are.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Day 21-Plum Deluxe Tea Advent Calendar. . .Spoilers!

Day 21 and I’m not going to lie, I was crazy excited about the tea blend just by the name alone. . .Banana Bread Dessert Tea! I mean seriously, does it get any better? I couldn’t wait to check this blend out so I prepped up freshly boiled water, allowed the tea to steep for five minutes and cool for an additional two.  I poured myself a huge cuppa and sat down to enjoy what I thought would be banana goodness.

Upon first sip, it seemed I didn’t really get much in the way of banana but more chocolate.  I noticed that while the tea was steeping I was getting some pretty heavy notes and didn’t really get much in the way of banana there either.  Though I was bummed I didn’t get the banana love I was hoping for, this tea is still rock solid and delicious.  The chocolate, honeybush, and cinnamon mingle together in a wonderful way providing this delicious flavor.

There is a subtle nutty flavor here and there and I think that is possibly where the chestnut essence is coming to play but with the bold flavors going on, I think the banana just isn’t there for me.  Now I do have to say, I’m a banana freak so I was hoping for a blast in your face banana flavor.

Even though this tea didn’t quite deliver the flavor on the label, I’m still devouring this tea down and have had several more cuppas. I’m going to say that Day 21 was a successful blend indeed!


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Honeybush
Where to Buy:  Plum Deluxe
Description

This tea is part of the tea advent calendar.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!