After not sleeping so great the last few nights, I made time in my work day for tea time. I know that doesn’t seem to out of character for someone that adores tea like I do, but after starting a new job about a month and some change ago- I’ve been more focused on onboarding than enjoying my daily cuppas.
But not today. Today I knew would be the perfect day to enjoy a cuppa from Paromi Full Leaf Tea along with my new snack of pumpkin spice graham crackers.
Paromi Full Leaf Tea has been a company that I have wanted to try for some time but due to my overstocked tea stash, I always left those teas on my wish list. So when Paromi Full Leaf Tea reached out for a review of their teas, I was delighted and couldn’t wait for the teas to arrive.
Today I brewed up a lovely cuppa of their Organic Bourbon Vanilla Black Tea (single sachet) and I couldn’t be more pleased! This tea has a lovely soft brisk black tea base with a beautiful layer of sweetness that more reminds me of a red rooibos than vanilla. The description of this tea notes a buttery aroma and that is a spot on description. Not only do you pick up on those buttery notes in the aroma of the steeped cuppa but the tea itself has this buttery feel that leaves you wanting more. The touch of the caramel like notes just provides a wonderful dessert overtone. I am already imagining this tea as a latte tomorrow morning for my traveling companion when I take the kiddos to school.
Do want to point out that as the tea cools, the briskness of the Assam tea does pick up- I would recommend enjoying this tea while the tea is on the hotter side.
All in all, a perfect simple but very enjoyable cuppa to enjoy to break up the day or to give you the oomph you need to get you through the afternoon. I spied a Pumpkin Spice tea on their site. I think its time to make an order!
Thank you Paromi Full Leaf Tea for the lovely tea to check out!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Paromi Full Leaf Tea
Description
Vanilla tea? The beauty of vanilla is that it builds up the flavors around it; nature’s equivalent of that friend who gives you lots of well-deserved compliments. We blend bourbon vanilla beans from Madagascar with our full-bodied Assam black tea and a delicate note of caramel to bring out this brew’s intensely smooth, decadent side. Even before your first sip, its buttery aroma will have you saying “vanilaaah.”
Organic Bourbon Vanilla Black Tea is the perfect balance of full-bodied black tea and mouthwatering vanilla from Madagascar.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Frogula Fruit Blend/ Stylin’ Tea Blends
Eventhough, Frogula Fruit Blend from Stylin’ Tea Blends, is no longer listed on their site I thought it was still worth a mention because it made a mighty fine iced tea!
The ingredients of this rooibos and honeybush blended base also contained apple pieces, raisins, candied papaya, carrot, beetroot, pumpkin pieces, cardamom, cinnamon, close, rose petals, nutmeg, and vanilla bits.
The honeybush and rooibos played nicely together and made it to you couldn’t really tell that one was overpowering the other. This leads me to believe that if the ratio wasn’t 50/50 it may have been pretty close.
The spices were mellow. Just a hint or spec of each. This also worked well. The fruit is what shined here! The two fruits that were more prominent were the apple and candied papaya. I found that I really liked this flavor duo.
The vanilla bits, rose, pumpkin, and beetroot hung out in the background and seemed to contribute to the aftertaste more than the first taste.
All-in-all I enjoyed this one. Iced Tea – for me – was key!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Where to Buy: Stylin’ Tea Blends
Description
No description is available but click below for all of the tea blends that Stylin’ Blends currently has to offer.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Bai MuDan/Teavivre – Ashmanra
Someone told me once that white tea just tasted like a cup of hot water to them. I probably would have agreed early on in my tea journey. When your tastebuds are accustomed to strong root beer and sweet, fizzy, highly flavored soda it takes a while to train your palate to find subtle flavors, at least it did for me. Perhaps the real foodies “get it” right from the start.
I haven’t had unflavored white tea in a while and decided that today would be a good day to take a cup of Bai MuDan outside and enjoy its simplicity while sitting in the sunshine, a rare treat in late winter. Though very windy, it is warm and the sun is welcome after many days of rain.
The packet called for two grams of leaf for twelve ounces of water, which I thought seemed to far too little at first. I used my new Upton Digital Tea Scale since large leaf white tea can be tricky to judge. Teavivre recommends five to eight minutes, and I steeped for about five because I was ready for my break!
First, this is a beautiful golden cup of tea. The color is rich and deep and it actually LOOKS full bodied in the cup. The flavor did not let me down. No one could mistake this for a “cup of hot water!” The flavor lingers for quite a while, too.
I see a lot of white tea described accurately as tasting like sunshine on hay, mainly Shou Mei, but this Bai MuDan tastes like golden stalks with a hint of spring in the air, with the scent of distant flowers laid over, and maybe even a little soft, sweet vegetable like snow pea or sugar snap peas.
I think this is going to be my go-to quiet time cup for a while.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Description
Teavivre’s White Peony Bai MuDan tea is farmed and produced on Mt. Taimu, using material from Dabaihao tea trees. While this is a slightly oxidized white tea, it is produced with the same minimal processing as Silver Needle white tea, with the main difference between the two being that silver needle uses only buds, while bai mudan includes opened leaves as well.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
2017 Wild Arbor Bai Mu Dan/Verdant – Skysamurai
The best part about a portable gaiwan is that you can bring it places that would be too awkward for other tea accessories.
Nothing quite like a good session on the beach. Though our MN sand is kinda rough. 1st steeping. Couple of minutes.
Light yellow liquid. Mellow with no astringency.
Beautiful fuzzy leaves and gorgeous pale green leaves. Velvety and oddly floral in aroma. Or maybe more akin to a very dark chocolate?
Flavor is earthy. Slightly rough on the tongue with the third steeping.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: White Tea
Where to Buy: Verdant Tea
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Snickerdoodle/The NecessiTeas -Ashmanra
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!
