This isn’t a review but an advertisement (sorry guys!) No, we don’t usually advertise here on this site – this is an anomaly – but because one of the founding SororiTea Sisters is now the Mad Tea Artist behind 52Teas, she gets the privilege of deviating from the norm.
And 52Teas has a Holiday Pre-Sale going on right now on Kickstarter! This isn’t a typical “fundraising” Kickstarter campaign, instead, this is a chance for you to get some Christmas shopping done early while it helps us keep things just a little more organized by keeping our pre-sales separate from our day-to-day sales activity.
52Teas is offering 5 unique, limited edition teas for this promotion – these teas will be available only during the season and once they’re sold out, they won’t be reblended until next Christmas!
Here’s the specs on those five VITs (Very Important Teas):
- Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire – This is a special blend of black teas with a hint of Lapsang Souchong to give it that smoky touch that you’d experience from an open fire. Flavored with chestnut and caramel and just a hint of spice to give it that winter-y kind of appeal.
- Gingerbread Houjicha – I love the flavor of gingerbread and I think that the roasty-toasty, nutty flavor of houjicha would offer a delightful base to these flavors.
- Eggnog Chai – A Chai blend (black tea with a touch of honeybush) flavored with notes of custard-y eggnog with an extra dash of nutmeg to enliven the cup. This would make a great latte to serve Santa on Christmas Eve!
- Cranberry Orange Cider – A blend of red and green rooibos that’s been flavored with cranberry, orange and apple with a medley of holiday spices.
- Peppermint Marshmallow Melting in Hot Chocolate – For this blend, I chose a special black tea blend (crafted with teas from our friends at Verdant Tea) for the base that has a rich, natural cacao flavor with hints of malt. Peppermint, marshmallow and even more chocolate-y flavor to create a deliciously delightful cuppa.
YUM! So please take a moment to visit the 52Teas Kickstarter Holiday Pre-Sale and get some of that early Christmas shopping done early! The campaign closes on October 27th so your card won’t be charged until that date, and the teas will be shipped in plenty of time for gift giving!
Thanks for taking a moment to read this . . . now let’s get back to the reviews!
Vampire’s Kiss Tea from Herbal Alchemy Teahouse
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Herbal Alchemy Teahouse
Tea Description:
This black tea has everything in which to woo an unsuspecting pallet – roses, chocolate, damiana and rich spices, but like every vampire’s kiss this tea is blood red and has a tiny bite…of cayenne red pepper.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about the MidWest Tea Fest here.
Taster’s Review:
This Vampire’s Kiss Tea from Herbal Alchemy Teahouse is the third of the teas that were sent to me by the organizers of the MidWest Tea Fest: Herbal Alchemy Teahouse is one of the featured vendors at the festival! After a quick glance at the list of scheduled vendors at the festival, it makes me wish that I was able to attend! It looks like it’s going to be an awesome tea fest!!!
This blend is a combination of black tea, rose, chocolate and spices. The tea brews up to be a dark, burgundy red – like a blood red color which makes me wonder if there’s hibiscus in this? I didn’t see a full ingredient list, so I’m not sure, but if I were to wager a guess, I’d say that there’s either hibiscus or something ‘beet’ in this blend because of the color.
It doesn’t taste strongly of hibiscus, but I do get a slightly thick texture that I would normally experience from hibiscus. That could also be from beet. And because of the spicy notes, I’m not detecting anything that’s obviously tart from hibiscus or obviously sweet from the beet, so I’m not really sure what’s supplying the strong color, but I’m suspecting hibiscus because the flavor tastes more like hibiscus to me than it does beet.
So what do I taste? I taste chocolate. But it doesn’t taste like a creamy, rich kind of chocolate flavor, it tastes more like cocoa powder that’s been added to a spiced herbal tisane. Or like cacao nibs/shells that have been added to a spiced herbal tisane.
I taste the spice! The spices build gradually, staring out rather delicate, but after a few sips, I’m getting a warm burning sensation toward the back of my palate.
I also taste an odd, herb-y sort of flavor that I can’t really describe except to say it tastes sort of medicinal, but not in an unpleasant way. It tastes like an herbal tea and as I continue to sip, I’m tasting more hibiscus-like flavors too.
But, I’m not complaining because the cocoa and the spice play with these hibiscus-like notes in such a way that it tastes more ‘berry like’ than it does the tart, syrupy flavor that I usually dislike from hibiscus. It’s odd, it’s different, but somehow, it works!
My biggest complaint about this tea? I don’t taste much black tea flavor. I’m getting a strong presence of the other flavors here, but the black tea seems almost non-existent. I like that the chocolate is strong, I like that I taste notes of rose and even that hint of spicy cayenne pepper that builds on the palate. I like that warmth from the spices. I’m just wishing I had more black tea flavor here.
This seems a lot more like an herbal tisane to me than a black tea. It’s good, though. If you’re one who enjoys spicy drinks, this is something worth exploring!
And don’t forget about the Midwest Tea Fest! If you’re going to be in the Kansas City, Missouri area on June 6th – you should definitely visit! And if you can make the trip, GO! It’s a great opportunity for tea lovers to get more information about the beverage they adore and an excellent way for those who are new to tea to learn more!
Vanilla Mint Chai from Rishi Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh
Where to Buy: Rishi Tea
Tea Description:
Creamy, rich textured and inviting, this pu-erh based chai is unlike any other. Its delicate balance of silky and luscious vanilla bean, bright and soothing peppermint and sweet cinnamon transform this chai into something magical.
Tasting Notes: Decadent vanilla bean and sweet Saigon Cinnamon complement smooth, rich Pu-erh tea
Ingredients: Organic and Fair Trade Certified™ pu-erh tea, organic peppermint, organic cinnamon, organic vanilla bean, organic licorice root.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I have never had Rishi teas (at least not that I could remember) before nor have I had a lot of Pu-erh. So when I saw this the other day while I was online, I thought I’d give it a whirl.
Steeped this one up per the instructions on the box. 2 tbsp with 1 cup of boiling water on my stove top. Brought the mixture to a boil and then added a cup of almond milk and brought the mixture up to a simmer. Once I was at that point I removed the pot from the heat and let the tea do its thing and steeped for 3 minutes. After I steeped it for 3 minutes, I added some honey to my mug and strained the tea into the mug. Seems like a lot of steps for a simple cup of tea but this is anything but a simple cup of tea.
This chai mixture has pu-erh instead of black tea or green. I can’t say I’ve ever had a pu-erh chai blend before. I am a newbie when it comes to pu-erh so please bare with me.
First sip and I was immediately greeted with this beautiful blend of earth tones and sweet cinnamon spices. Sweet and savory at the same time. The vanilla just added to the sweetness/creaminess factor and the almond milk brought out more of the earthiness and gave the tea a well rounded balance. The mint gave the tea a refreshing after taste. It was very light and faint. I could barely pick it up.
I think I finished the cup in about 2 minutes flat. I really enjoyed this. My first voyage into pu-erh chai was a success. I think I may have to check out some pu-erh blends now.
Honey Vanilla Chai from theBeesTeas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black Tea & Honeybush
Where to Buy: theBeesTeas
Tea Description:
Black tea blended with the spiciness of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves, and the sweetness of honeybush vanilla. This tea is great hot and iced. Add a dab of honey and a splash of milk for a really tasty treat.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Chai and I really have a love hate relationship because I’m not the biggest ginger fan or a fan of overly spiced teas. I’m always looking at other peoples reviews in envy when they talk about the amazing chai blends that they are having, wishing I liked them. Kind of like red rooibos. I still haven’t found a blend I like that has red rooibos in it. I don’t get the rich dessert like quality out of those teas that everybody else gets. I always seem to get a medicinal weird flavor.
This tea though may change my out look on chai. This tea has a black tea base but also has a generous helping of honeybush vanilla to smooth out the flavor and bring a creamy factor to it. The ginger is there but isn’t the smack you in the face kind of ginger. The rest of the chai spices really mingle nicely together with the blend creating this beauty of a cuppa.
I did throw in some milk that I had froth and created myself a delicious latte out of this. I wasn’t adventourous enough to drink it without just yet. I plan to maybe later in the week. For me, I can’t see this being an everyday sort of drink but I can see this being the tea I grab for when I do want a chai blend.
Another home run from this company.
Cinnamon Wu-Long Tea from Shang Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Shang Tea
Tea Description:
This release of our cinnamon wu-long is sure to be one of your favorite teas! Comprised of our finest 2010 white tea wu-long and carefully selected, organic cinnamon bark, this tea accentuates the natural cinnamon notes in the wu-long while maintaining the sweet, butternut and acorn squash flavors of the tea leaves.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about the MidWest Tea Fest here.
Taster’s Review:
When I was approached by one of the organizers of the MidWest Tea Fest to review some teas from companies that would be at the festival, I was excited! Not only was it an opportunity to try some more tea (I’m always eager to do that!) but it was also about the festival itself. I am so happy when I see events like this happen for tea. I feel like there is so much misinformation out there about tea, so many people with uninformed views about tea that maybe events like this one can help to better inform and educate people about the greatness of TEA!
So, when I was presented with a list of different teas that I could try and I saw this Cinnamon Wu-Long Tea from Shang Tea on the list, I believe it was the first one that I asked for! Shang Tea is a company that I haven’t tried teas from in a while but it is a company that stands out in my memory for wonderful teas like their Bai Lin Kung Fu Red and Jasmine Snow Dragon – just to name a couple! And if memory serves me correctly, I believe it was my experience with Shang Tea’s jasmine white teas that helped me to realize that while I do love a great jasmine green tea – a jasmine white tea is even better!
Even though this Cinnamon Wu-Long is a blend of Oolong and Cinnamon, I decided to go ahead and brew it the way I would a pure Oolong – in my gaiwan! This is a darker Oolong, looking almost like an Oriental Beauty type of Oolong, even though the description suggests a gentle fermentation process. The leaves were almost the same color as the cinnamon bark pieces, so much so that I found it a little difficult to distinguish between the two!
After a 15 second rinse, I steeped the first infusion for 45 seconds and the second infusion for 1 minute. I combined both of these infusions into one cup and sat back to enjoy the splendid flavors!
What a lovely combination – the cinnamon is well-defined but not overpowering. Very often, cinnamon can overwhelm a tea but Shang Tea was careful when blending this tea to make sure that wouldn’t happen. I get a nice, gentle warmth and touch of spice from the cinnamon and I taste the sweet, fruit-like notes of the Oolong. I like the way these two flavors taste together.
The Oolong tea has an almost ‘peach-like’ flavor and with the cinnamon, it tastes a little bit like a bowl of fresh peach slices that have been lightly sprinkled with ground cinnamon. Nice! By the time I got halfway through the cup, I started to pick up on some more savory notes: notes of roasted squash and just a hint of pepper, just as the description suggests. I could even taste the faintest note of a nutty flavor. Imagine toasted walnuts mixed into that roasted squash with a hint of pepper. Quite intriguing!
My second cup (infusions 3 and 4) was even nicer than the first. It is here where the savory notes of squash are really strong. It tastes a lot like when I roast an acorn squash with a little bit of butter and a sprinkling of salt and pepper and finish it with a dash of cinnamon. I’m not getting as much of an obvious peach note, but the aftertaste is much more peach-like.
The tea is a compelling taste of sweet and savory with an emphasis on the savory. This tea reminds me a lot of autumn, specifically of Thanksgiving! This tastes like my squash side dish but maybe just a little nicer, because a) it’s tea; and b) I didn’t have to bake it for 45 minutes and scoop out the flesh of the squash from the hot outer shell. That is my least favorite part of squash. I love to eat the stuff but I don’t like scooping it out of the shell after it’s been baked.
A really lovely and unusual tea experience – this Cinnamon Wu-Long. This is something I’d recommend to all Oolong enthusiasts – it’s different yet familiar … and it’s also quite YUM!
And if you’re in the Midwest, do make it a point to check out the Midwest Tea Fest! Even if you aren’t in the Midwest, I still hope you can make it to the festival! It’s a really great opportunity for you to check out and become familiar with some top-notch vendors and even purchase some tea and tea ware as well as become better informed about tea through their educational presentations and TASTE some incredible teas! Sounds amazing to me!
Follow the MidWest Tea Fest on Facebook;
follow them on Twitter here.
Check out their Tumblr here!