I am not a fan of plain rooibos, but I have found a few flavored tisanes that use it as the base that are quite good. (I am speaking of red rooibos when I say the cherry flavor is too medicinal for me most of the time. Green rooibos is another animal entirely.)
This blend is really tasty! It smells great and the dominant flavors I get up front are lemon myrtle, lemon, and honeybush. The rooibos really comes as an aftertaste and is not unpleasant. The lavender and marigold are a nice side note, and if I am tasting pomegranate I must be honest and say I wouldn’t recognize it but it isn’t a flavor I am terribly familiar with.
This reminds me a bit of those lemon drops that come in a little tin. Thumbs up for me and I can’t wait to try it iced because it is going to ROCK as an iced tea!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: The Love Tea Company
Description
There’s a reason why we call this a brilliant blend. Remember that Lemon Chiffon cake that Grandma made? It’s like that, without the cleanup or pinches to your cheek. A rooibos blend that smells like you could eat it straight out of the jar. Since it has no caffeine, it’s the perfect compliment to any after dinner treat.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Chocolate Mint by The Love Tea Company. . . .
Today we have a wonderfully minty black tea up for review!
This company’s website states that they donate 25% of their net profits to the Flagg Foundation for Mental Wellness, so buying this tea supports a great cause!
Another great thing about this company (in addition to offering great tea) is that their tea comes in cute little plastic canisters that you can either reuse or recycle. This is great if, like me, you’re getting tired of having to throw all those loose leaf tea bags in the trash because they’re made of paper (or plastic) fused with foil so you can’t recycle them or wash them out–or even if they’re just simple plastic bags, your city won’t accept them and you have to somehow recycle them separately (biggest inconvenience ever!). So this company is socially responsible and their tea packaging is eco-friendly (or at least convenient to be eco-friendly with . . . )!
For this tea session, I steeped 1.5 teaspoons of this chocolate mint tea in about 8oz of water (at just under boiling) for about 4 minutes. It smells nice and minty even before steeping, with a smooth creamy undertone from the chocolate.
While steeping, a reddish-brown cloud settles to the bottom of the cup. It starts to smell warmer and chocolatier. By the end of the steeping process, it’s reddish cedar-y in color, darkish but still see-through.
First sip: Very minty–like actual mint tea. There’s a distinct difference between a mint flavor from mint extract/flavoring and the actual flavor of actual mint leaves (mint leaves have some vegetal undertones and the possibility of bitterness if you oversteep, which the “extracts” don’t have). And sure enough, the ingredients list specifies that there are mint leaves in this, so kudos for that–we have actual mint here. And because the tea comes with bits of chocolate in it, this is a very naturally flavored chocolate mint tea.
With milk: it’s creamy, no surprises here. I use whole milk, which tames the mint quite a bit. It doesn’t bring out the chocolate as much as I was hoping, but it’s still quite yummy. I think next time I’ll need to be more careful to actually include chocolate bits in my spoonful of tea leaves.
In conclusion, I really enjoyed this tea and we’re basically friends now. And I really appreciate the Love Tea Company’s social efforts and recyclable tea packaging, not to mention that their branding is really cute–I love the colors!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: The Love Tea Company
Description
Did you know that February 19th is chocolate mint day? The combination of chocolate and mint is one of the most delectable pairings known to human kind. Its origins are unknown, but surely it was created a long, long, long time ago. This scrumptious Black Tea Blend is a real treat, just don’t steal all of the chocolate pieces before steeping! Brew up a nice hot pot and add a splash of milk and a dash of sugar and enjoy all of that chocolaty, minty goodness. Surely February 19th must be the tastiest day of the year!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
A Unique Pumpkin Chai from Love Tea
As soon as the weather turns a little cooler, or when I just get tired of summer, I decide that it’s pumpkin season and start looking for all things pumpkin spice. I love the warming cinnamon and ginger, the herbal clove, cardamom, and allspice, and the general sweet juiciness of pumpkin puree. Each pumpkin spice product has its own blend of sweet and spicy, which makes it all the more fun to try them all.
This time, I tried Pumpkin Chai from Love Tea. I got a chance to try this company’s more summery blends earlier in the year, and really enjoyed what they had to offer, so I thought I’d try their version of my favorite fall flavor. This Pumpkin Chai really stands out from other teas and coffees with the same name. Love Tea’s blend has lots of chai spice and pumpkin flavor, but it also has prominent citrus flavors.
In addition to the crisp black tea base and warm spices, this blend has hibiscus, orange, rosehips, and lemongrass. These ingredients set this apart from other pumpkin blends, and it offers a great change of pace to have the tart kiss of citrus alongside the usual herbs and spices. The hibiscus bring enough tart red fruit flavor, that this almost feels more like a mulled wine-flavored tea. The oranges and cloves together make for a delicious cold-weather flavor combination that often pops up in winter-themed candles and baked goods as the season goes on.
If you think you have tried every pumpkin spice that the world has to offer, try Pumpkin Chai from Love Tea. Even beyond the Halloween, the orange and spice flavors will warmly guide you into the winter season.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Love Tea
Description:
Our 2016 Brillliant Winter Blends started with this one. Put your Pumpkin Chai Latte on notice! This is all the flavor without the coffee. A black tea blend with Izmir Chai Spice all rolled into the perfect winter warmer. Serve this with a splash of milk (or flavored creamer) and a dash of sugar and your friends will never believe you are drinking tea. Start your holiday shopping now and get in the spirit with us.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
White Thunder from The Love Tea Company. . . .
White Thunder by The Love Tea Company, a mint white tea that also happens to be the last of the three teas sent to me by CuppaGeek as part of the Tea It Forward program. I have mentioned it before and will mention it again because Tea It Forward is a great program that allows you to let someone know they’re loved and in doing so, a $1 donation to The Flagg Foundation for Mental Wellness is made in your name.
The tea utilizes a Bai Mu Dan base with peppermint and spearmint on top. This makes for a more full and floral tea thanks to the base. It is sweet and mild and despite the strong mint ingredients, the flavoring remains gentle and smooth. Overall it is very fresh and clean while also being very natural tasting. The Love Tea Company says the White Thunder name is drawn from the Boom and Crack sounds of your taste buds loving this blend but to me the natural and fresh taste of the tea is more comforting and reminiscent of the feeling one might get while sipping on tea and listening to the cracks of thunder outside (as a storm lover, this is a very calming scenario for me).
Since The Love Tea Company was so generous with their samples, I was also able to try this iced and see how it compares to the hot cup. My first impression of the iced tea is that the bai mu dan is far more floral iced than hot. I think for me, it is too floral here as the mint is more of an after thought as opposed to a partner. It is not bad, but it is more like drinking just a plain bai mu dan than a flavored one and given white teas are not my favorite, I am finding that I prefer the hot cup of this more.
This tea definitely has some high quality ingredients and the flavors are nicely balanced in the hot cup. It is a delightful tea that is flavorful enough to be interesting while also remaining mild enough that it is easy to drink and drink and drink. As someone who doesn’t love white teas, especially bai mu dans, I was surprised I enjoyed this like I did. Thank you CuppaGeek for sending this one to me to try and even better, I am glad in doing so that you also helped a great cause!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: The Love Tea Company
Description
Bai Mudan, also known as White Peony is a type of white tea made from pluckings of one leaf shoot and two immediate young leaves. Bai Mudan is sometimes preferred by white tea drinkers for its fuller flavor and greater potency than other major types of white tea. For an extra kick, peppermint and spearmint are added to this blend. Boom, crack, that’s the sound of your taste buds loving this blend.
Caffeine: Medium
Steep 2 teaspoons @ 195° for 3 – 5 minutes
Ingredients: White tea, bai mu dan, peppermint, spearmint
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Raspberry Champagne from The Love Tea Company. . . . .
Love Tea Company purchases have been making the rounds of me and my friends lately. It all started when Nichole (Cuppageek here on the site) sent me a Tea It Forward care package. So I sent a few to my friends. And then bought samples. 25% of net profits go to the Flagg Foundation for Mental Wellness.
So I’m of course already in a good mood just looking at the packaging and getting a cup going. Plus, the idea of Raspberry Champagne is very appealing to someone who’s on a diet. Helping people! Drinking but not really! FIVE STARS.
I made this one iced as a dinner accompaniment. I’ve cut soda (for real this time!) (I think!). So I’m learning a little more on iced tea to fill in when I need caffeine.
I’ve made this one before hot, and thought it was pretty good, but ICED, my friends, is where it’s at.
The flavor is a mix of sweet and tart. It has the sass of the raspberry with the gentle playfulness of a white. There’s a bite that I guess I could associate with champagne, but also has a bit of a green apple vibe to it. The white tea has JUST enough caffeine to keep you coasting, but not enough to keep you up at night.
All in all, a lovely blend for a sparkly afternoon.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: The Love Tea Company
Description
Our White Raspberry Champagne is a great alternative to the real thing! Our wine inspired blends create a character so versatile you’ll get all of the fun of a “fancy drink” without the boozy qualities. The pairing of champagne and raspberry flavors dates back centuries and we’ve mastered it here in this wine evoking tisane. You won’t be disappointed this is a luxurious treat any day of the week.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
