Oh plum oatmeal squares, where art thou? Pastry, fruit, and vanilla tea- you’ve already won me over. I love anything that is described as having “pastry notes”. I am one of those people who could cook an entire slab of pastry dough, and just eat it with some cinnamon and sugar. I have loved pastry dough since I was a kid. I utilize it whenever possible in my cooking, and of course in my desserts. The name “Plum Oatmeal Squares” definitely peaked my curiosity. We’ve all had those Quaker Oatmeal Squares as a quick breakfast or snack, but how would they translate into tea?
The answer to that, my friends, is “quite well”. That’s how! Yeah, I am really enjoying this. The first thing I taste when I take a sip is the fruitiness of the plum. Next, is the warmth of the vanilla. Lastly, this tea finishes with strong notes of pastry and oat! It is so good. Personally I would prefer to drink this on a crisp fall morning, but the fruity notes do make it suitable as a summer beverage. Although, i’m not sure how well the pastry and oat flavors would transfer iced. I would stick to drinking this hot, because it is dang delicious!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
Temi’s perfect muscatel notes are blended with rich dessert flavors: plum, pastry, and vanilla butter. A warming dessert tea, perfect for this (or any other) season.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
April Siesta from 52Teas. . . . .
Okay April Siesta, I see you, okay. Now I want to start off this review saying that my love of this tea was 110% unexpected. The ingredients are not my usual (aside from chamomile- because unlike a lot of people, I actually am a fan of chamomile). However, the ingredients of lemon, orange, and licorice definitely scared me. Licorice, not as much as lemon and orange. I am not usually the kind of girl that wants tart tea or citrus flavors. When I smelled the dry leaf, I could smell citrus and it definitely made me second guess trying it and just writing it off as a “no”. But- I forged on and made myself a cup. I have always loved chamomile. I just think it is a great herb, not only because I love its honeyed taste, but because it is just so soothing. I get a lot of anxiety and a lot of nausea, especially when I am stressed. Chamomile always helps, even if its in a small way, there is always something positive that I receive from a cup of chamomile tea.
I tried this tea sans agave at first, and while I don’t think that it actually needed any sweetener I still added some. I probably wont next time because it really isn’t needed (I am known for accidentally over-sweetening my teas!). The first thing I noticed was the smell of orange and lemon- lemon more so than the orange. Meh. I really dislike citrus. Thankfully the smell is more powerful than the taste. The citrus is still there, but its tolerable. The next taste I notice is definitely the honeybush and chamomile! Both have sweet, honey, herbal qualities about them. Yum! The last thing I notice is the licorice and also the star anise, which of course have qualities all their own- sweet, but in a different way. I don’t normally like the flavor of licorice, but I think it all depends on what it is. There are these Italian black licorice candies that i’ve tried and they taste horrid. But I’ve tried licorice flavors in teas and I don’t always hate them. I guess it all depends on what it is and what it’s mixed with and how it’s done!
This tea was done really, really well! I really did enjoy it and I really did find it so relaxing! I may even order a larger bag because I think this is something I would drink as part of my nighttime ritual. The citrus aspect gives it a light, fluffy, “spring” feel. The licorice and star anise give it a unique twist. The honeybush and chamomile give it an herbal/honey feel. Definite A+ from me! A must try before it is gone.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
I have a confession (although, for anyone who has read many of my reviews from back when I was a tea reviewer – this probably isn’t much of a confession) – I’m not particularly fond of chamomile. Oh, I’ll drink it (on a rare occasion) but it’s not a tea/tisane that I’ll grab enthusiastically. It’s not something I’ll brew every day – I certainly don’t like it that much.
That said, I don’t hate it either. I’m just kinda ‘meh’ about it. Not my favorite thing – you know?
I’ve crafted one blend with chamomile during my time as the Mad Tea Artist of 52Teas – At Play in the Fields of Love – which I blended as a VIT for a special customer. Now, I’m crafting my second chamomile blend – and I’m blending it with one of my very favorite flavors: Licorice! I absolutely love licorice and all herb-y things related to licorice, like licorice root, anise and fennel. But interestingly enough – this is my first time blending a licorice blend. (Although, I did use licorice root in the Butter Beer reblend.) I have refrained from using licorice as a primary flavor in my blends up until now because I realize that it is a somewhat polarizing flavor – most people either love it or hate it – and it seems like it’s a even balance between those that like it and those that don’t. It’s kind of hard to create a winning blend with a featured flavor that is so polarizing.
But I’m hoping that with this blend – I’ve done just that.
One day while cruising through the internet – I stumbled upon a recipe for a cocktail called “April Siesta.” The cocktail features Absinthe which is a licorice-y liqueur and Curacao which is a citrus-y liqueur. These two liqueurs are combined with Cava (Spanish sparkling wine) and simple syrup and topped off with a lemon twist.
So this is my take on this cocktail that I’ve never actually tasted but was inspired by. I started with organic honeybush, added some chamomile (because when I think ‘siesta’ – the first herb that comes to mind is chamomile), added licorice root, star anise and some citrus (orange and lemon) wedges. I didn’t want the citrus to be too intrusive because I really wanted the licorice-y flavors to be the star of the show but I didn’t want the licorice to be so sharp that those who aren’t particularly fond of licorice might appreciate this beverage too.
I love this! I can honestly say that this is my favorite blend with chamomile in it – mostly because I can’t really taste the chamomile. Instead, I get sweet licorice with light citrus background notes. Yummy!
organic ingredients: honeybush, chamomile, orange, lemon, licorice root, star anise and natural flavors
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Green Caramel from Fava Tea. . . . .
Although this tea may sound simple, green tea and caramel flavor, it is actually quite complex! Not only does this blend include sencha green tea, but it also includes genmaicha, which is green tea and toasted/popped rice! Along with the green tea there is rooibos, cocoa pieces, caramel pieces, pineapple cubes, almond pieces, and marigold blossoms! Isn’t that quite a medley? Names can be deceiving and I am glad that I read the ingredient list because honestly it sounds delicious.
And it is delicious! The green teas are toasty, nutty, smooth and vegetal. The rooibos adds a little bit of an extra nuttiness. The cocoa pieces are there, but just barely gives a small hint of cocoa. The caramel is of course smooth and sweet and creamy. The almond adds to the nuttiness! All of them together create a yummy, healthy, and energizing blend that is reminiscent of caramel popcorn sprinkled with almonds and cocoa powder! I really enjoyed it.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Fava Tea
Description
Find gold at the end of every sip with this sweet and toasty blend of caramels and green tea. Creamy and perfect!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Wake Me Up Scotty! from 52Teas. . . . .
So, I have a wikid sweet tooth…like, bad. My favorite desserts include, but are not limited to: carrot cake with cream cheese frosting (sans raisins), warm chocolate chip cookies, anything salted caramel, banana cream pie, coconut cream pie, anything marshmallow, anything pistachio or almond, and molten chocolate cake (like that decadent one from Chili’s). Although butterscotch isn’t necessarily on that list, when I was a kid those Werther’s Butterscotch Candies used to be an addiction of mine! This is actually my first butterscotch flavored tea (not my first marshmallow tea though, of course…i’m a marshmallow fein!) so I was really excited to give it a try. The black tea base that’s used here apparently has a good jolt of caffeine- so that’s a double win!
The first thing i’m going to say about this blend is that the black tea is bold- DON’T OVER STEEP. I steeped this for 2 minutes (30 seconds less than recommended) and it was still almost bitter, like at the brink of that astringency. The second thing I will say is although that would normally be a turn off for me, the flavors of butterscotch and marshmallow mixed with my own addition of agave really helped balance the bold black tea back out and made me enjoy the blend. Creamy marshmallow and that distinctive taste and smell of smooth butterscotch….it’s just wow! An awesome combination with the energizing black tea! This is a definite must try and a fabulous morning blend!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Strawberry Cheesecake from The NecessiTeas. . . .
I love cheesecake. Before I moved in with my current boyfriend and had our daughter I actually lived right across from The Cheesecake Factory, and let me tell you I was there after work getting to-go cheesecake more often than i’ll ever admit! Classic cheesecake is plain with a strawberry sauce, and while I do usually go towards the more “wild” flavors like Oreo, key lime, or anything peanut buttery, I do love me a good ‘ol slice of classic strawberry cheesecake! Unfortunately, I no longer live close to a Cheesecake Factory restaurant so the next best thing to satisfy my sweet-tooth would obviously be tea! When I saw this one on The NecessiTEA’s website, I knew I had to try it!
I really enjoy strawberries in tea. I think that they add a nice fresh, crisp, sweet, and sometimes tart flavor that isn’t overly so. The smell of this blend is very much fresh strawberries. It is a black tea, and as I sip I kind of wish that it was green tea instead. I think that the flavors here would have been a lot better with a green tea base. Other than that, I am enjoying the cup. The flavors here are predominantly black tea and strawberries with a hint of cheesecake after the sip is gone. Like I said, I think I would enjoy this more as a green tea, but it still is a nicely done dessert blend. If you are looking for a tea to satisfy your sweet-tooth, this would be a good option!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: The NecessiTeas
Description
Now you can indulge in cheesecake anytime without waiting for a seat at the Cheesecake Factory. This blend is a rich, creamy, strawberry-topped showstopper and completely guilt-free!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!