BERRIES BERRIES BERRIES. Berries near! Berries far! Berries drank from a jar!
Berries sipped in a car!
Berries berries on your tongue; berries are for everyone!
This berry blend is so berry-licious that I had to slip into a rhyme trance. I’m back now, though, to let you know that wow, this is a lot of berries.
It’s a blend of wildberries, blackberries, and raspberries. They ooze into one thick (slightly NyQuil-like) mix.
Iced, the berries are more sweet and less medicinal, but they’re still pretty strong.
I definitely prefer this iced. It’s got a lot of a perky kick that works better cold than hot. If you’re a berry fanatic, you’ll love this BERRY MUCH. But if you’re on the fence, this might be a little much.
You need to reach in your heart. To thine own self be true. Berries here, berries there, berries are everywhere! Berries are pals I love the most! Berries have taken over this post!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Simpson and Vail
Description
This outstanding berry blend is a combination of strawberry, blueberry and blackberry flavors. It brews to a deep amber cup with a fresh picked berry aroma and a taste that explodes on your taste buds. Delicious hot or iced, it’s the perfect cup for a relaxing summer day!
Ingredients: black teas, wildberry flavor, blackberry leaves, raspberry pieces, and malva (mallow) blossoms.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Lemon Raspberry Rooibos from Simpson and Vail. . .
Interesting tidbits about this tea blend before I get to my review part…one being that Simpson & Vail has the name Lemon Raspberry Rooibos trademarked and the other being that this is a black tea and rooibos based blend.
Ingredients include Black teas, Rooibos, organic lemon peel, organic raspberry leaves and natural flavors.
The lemon is truly lovely here and more prominent than the other flavors which I love about the offering. The rooibos contributes to the sweet in the sip but it doesn’t speak too loudly. The ratio is ‘just enough’. The black tea in this loose leaf is of medium strength and paired with the rooibos gives it the beautiful color in the cup once infused. The raspberry leaves give it that hint of herb that seems to bring it all together.
I was reading where someone suggested to add a bit of this to vodka to make a sweet and fruity cocktail. I just might have to try that. Until then – I will enjoy this both hot and cold! You really can’t go wrong with Lemon Raspberry Rooibos from Simpson & Vail…and remember…it’s trademarked…so it MUST be good, right!? RIGHT!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Simpson and Vail
Description
We have blended this “miracle tea” with black teas and herbs to create a wonderfully refreshing beverage. Enjoy hot or cold.
Ingredients: Black teas, Rooibos, organic lemon peel, organic raspberry leaves and natural flavors.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
China Cangyuan Yunnan Organic Black Tea from Simpson & Vail. . . .
China Cangyuan Yunnan Organic Black Tea from Simpson & Vail…oh…how I adore, thee!
I’m not going to hide it! I’ll shout it from the rooftops, folks! I think this is a fantastic loose leaf wonder!
It’s been said time and time again that Yunnan teas are particularly delightful as breakfast or early afternoon teas. I would have to agree! When I first experienced this lovely cup it was bright and early in the morning and it surely slapped my butt and got me moving and ready to face my day!
This tea is described as an exquisite organic tea that is grown in Cangyuan county which is a remote location in western Yunnan. To give you a visual of this loose leaf is has long black, tippy leaves ‘interspersed with ample golden buds’ (S&V’s phrase – not mine – but I couldn’t think of a better way to put it). This lovely tea brews to an amber colored cup with the slight aroma of pipe tobacco and a smooth, creamy, slightly sweet full-bodied taste. That pipe tobacco aroma reminds me of my grandfather and brings back some of memorable quirks that I will NEVER forget!
This is more than a cup of tea for me. It’s flashes and flickers of my grandfather with his smirky grin, his joking around, his strut, his overall being. It’s funny what aromas trigger, isn’t it?
Thanks S&V for this trip down memory lane – and a terrific cup of tea – to boot!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Simpson and Vail
Description
Yunnan, known as the birthplace of tea, is a province in southwestern China that borders Vietnam, Burma, and Laos. Yunnan translates literally to “south of the clouds”. Its diverse landscape offers everything from tropical rainforests to mountainous terrain and is home to a wide variety of plant species. The Yunnan region focuses heavily on agricultural production.
Yunnan teas are particularly delightful as breakfast or early afternoon teas.
This exquisite organic tea is grown in Cangyuan county, a remote location in western Yunnan. It is comprised of long black and tippy leaves interspersed with ample golden buds. It brews to an amber colored cup with the slight aroma of pipe tobacco and a smooth, creamy, slightly sweet full-bodied taste.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Georgia Black Tea – Nagobilevi Village from Simpson and Vail. . .
If it’s a straight-up black tea – chances are – I’m going to have to try it! Georgia Back Tea – Nagobilevi Village – from Simpson & Vail – was one of those teas.
I know – I know…twist my arm, why don’t ya?
I was pleased to experience the extremely long, bold, jet-black, wiry leaves of this tea and more thrilled that they produce a light amber cup with a mild, smooth, full flavor, a mellow winy character and a lingering delicate sweetness.
I was equally excited to learn more about the teas origins which are rooted in the western area of Georgia, at the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains.
Pulling from the S&V Website they said the fertile soil, fresh running water, and clean air make exemplary growing conditions for this tea. Isn’t nature wonderful? It’s what really MAKES tea! That and all of the TLC from the Tea Farmers!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Simpson and Vail
Description
In the western area of Georgia, at the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains, the fertile soil, fresh running water and clean air make exemplary growing conditions for this tea. The extremely long, bold, jet-black, wiry leaves produce a light amber cup with a mild, smooth, full flavor, a mellow winy character and a lingering delicate sweetness.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Emily Dickinson’s Jasmine Tea Blend from Simpson and Vail. . .
I think it must be very rare to meet a tea lover who is not also a book lover. The Simpson and Vail Literary Blends are an incredible way to celebrate both of our passions – drinking tea and reading. Good books are always better with tea!
This blend is inspired by the flowers Emily loved to grow. The base is listed as jasmine tea, and my best guess is that this is a pouchong. There are jasmine flowers, rose petals, marigold petals, and blue cornflowers as well, making an absolutely stunning presentation. This is a tea that needs to be displayed on the table in a tea scoop or in a little glass before steeping, because it makes a beautiful display to begin your tea time, and shouldn’t tea time engage all of your senses? Your eyes will feast on this one!
The steeped tea is a medium gold color. It is a smooth and lightly brisk tea, which is very fitting for Miss Dickinson. The floral taste is surprisingly light. This isn’t a heavy jasmine and rose blend, but rather a confident green base with light floral notes sweetening it.
“Bring me the sunset in a cup.” Yes, thank you. This is lovely and comfortable with hubby and daughters sipping away and draining the pot as we wind down for the night.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Simpson and Vail
Description
Emily Dickinson was born on December 10th, 1830 and lived in a home that was central to Amherst political society thanks to her father and brothers. Growing up around powerful men prepared Dickinson for a life of the same, but society dictated that, as a woman, she was relegated to seemingly less meaningful ventures. Her anger at this slight comes across in her poetry and letters where she explored complex ideas of meaning and self while examining the smallest details of the world around her. She withdrew herself from society and lived in relative solitude until her death. Only a few of her poems were made public during her lifetime, but four years after her demise, a collection of poems was published and met with popular and critical acclaim. Her poems reveal a complicated mind that examined itself with as much attention to detail as it examined the world. Dickinson’s defiance of categorization and simplification make her a popular poet to study even today.
In the years she spent away from society, Emily Dickinson cultivated an extensive garden. In it, she grew jasmine flowers, cornflowers, roses, and many other flowers, plants and herbs. These flowers appear repeatedly in her poetry so our blend had to be floral. We created a delightful combination of jasmine tea and rose petals that brews to a light ecru cup with long green leaves and rose petal accents. This delicate tea hits you with a strong jasmine taste that’s sweetened and mellowed with the subtle flavors of the rose petals.
Ingredients: Jasmine tea, rose petals, jasmine blossoms, marigold petals and blue cornflower petals.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
