It’s Day 5 of this countdown! That means that there are 20 days until that big day … and only 19 shopping days left! I really can’t believe that it’s already that time of year again. The time flies by quickly.
Today, I’m going to feature some artwork by one of the artists in one of the mail art groups I was active in a few years ago. This is another gift from a 12 Days of Christmas swap and it was crafted by Elaine Akers. It’s a fabric ornament that I display proudly on my tree every year.
Really cute, right?
Going through these old memories of the artwork that I’ve given and received for the 12 Days of Christmas mail art swap makes me want to get back into doing that again. Yes, I’m starting to feel a little inspired!
Maybe after the new year, I’ll be able to get myself back into the swing of creating. I hope so!
Today’s blend is one that will inspire some relaxation!
Herbal Spa Blend
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Teanzo 1856
Tea Description:
Ingredients: Chamomile, Hibiscus and Lemongrass.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
Sigh! Things were going so well with this calendar, and then … hibiscus. Ugh.
But, I’ll try to keep an open mind and try it. Hey, I might even like it, as I have found many blends with hibiscus in them that I’ve at least appreciated.
To brew this, I poured the contents of the sampler pouch in the basket of my Kati Tumbler. I noticed that there was quite a bit of hibiscus in the blend when I poured it into the basket, so I kept that in mind when I set the timer, and after pouring 12 ounces of hot water (195°F) into the tumbler, I set my trusty timer for 5 minutes and let it steep.
After tasting, I think that this blend could have done well with even a little less time. Maybe 4 minutes. That seems almost not enough time for a tisane to develop flavor, but the hibiscus is really prominent in this. Fortunately, at five minutes, I don’t get a heavy, syrupy texture which is the thing I like least about hibiscus. It is tart, though!
The tart hibiscus almost overwhelms everything else in this blend. The lemongrass is a little more discernible than the chamomile. The chamomile almost is lost in this. I can taste barely there, subtle hints of apple and honey-like notes from the chamomile, but these notes almost seem to be hiding behind the strong, berry-like tartness of the hibiscus.
The lemongrass is probably my favorite thing about this blend. It adds a soft citrus-y note that is a little sweet and buttery, so it helps to soften the hibiscus a little.
On the plus side: this tea tastes better iced. After finishing half the cup, I decided to try it iced, so I refrigerated it for a short while and I like this much better cold. It still has that strong, berry like taste from the hibiscus, but this profile seems to benefit from the chill.
I also think that this would be really good if you were to add some mulling spices to it while steeping. (Or perhaps, bring the water and mulling spices to a boil, let them steep for a few minutes while the liquid is cooling to the right temperature – 195°F – and then add the tisane to the steeping liquid and steep for another 4 – 5 minutes and strain off the spices and tisane. That would have a mulled wine sort of flavor but without the alcohol. A nice alternative from the usual holiday drink.
24 Days of Tea Holiday Countdown – Day 4 from Teanzo 1856
It’s day four! We are off and running as we count down the days until the big day arrives.
Today, I decided to feature something that I didn’t make, but it’s one of my favorite gifties that I ‘ve received in the past from a fellow mail-art artist. What’s a “mail-art” artist? Basically, a couple of years ago, I was actively involved in a few online groups that would send each other little pieces of art in the mail. It was fun and it was a great source of inspiration.
This piece was created by an artist named Kari McKnight-Holbrook. I love the texture of the piece. Every year, it gets a featured place on my mantle on its own tiny little easel. It’s just so festive and cute and fun.
Now it’s time for some tea fun!
Irish Breakfast Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Teanzo 1856
Tea Description:
A bold blend of leafy black teas from India and China with some golden tips.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
Reviewer’s Note: After writing this review, I found this tea on the website – I don’t know if it was an oversight on my part or if it wasn’t on the website at the time of writing the review. Anyway, it’s great that this tea is available now because it’s a good one!
I’m happy to have an Irish Breakfast Tea in my teacup – I love the bold, rich, malty flavor of an Irish Breakfast Tea!
And this Irish Breakfast from Teanzo has all that! It’s a bold tea with the strong, hefty character that I look for in a breakfast blend. It’s got a rich and satisfying mouthfeel and the sweet, malty notes that I like in my “first tea of the day.”
And it’s just what I needed this morning! Today has been one of those days when I found it difficult to shake the sleepy. I wanted to just stay in bed, curled up under the covers but I had things that I needed to do! This tea came to my rescue today.
The flavor is robust. It starts out sweet with notes of caramel mingling with the malty flavors. At about mid-sip, I pick up on a slight bitterness. It’s not a strong or unpleasant flavor, I think it offers a nice contrast to the sweetness at the start. The sip offers notes of fruit (I taste raisin and dried plum) and hints of floral. These floral notes are difficult to pinpoint, so I’ll describe it like this: imagine standing in a tea garden and off on a distant hill there are some flowers. When a gentle breeze sweeps through the area, hints of those flowers are picked up in the breeze and brought to where you are. Mere hints of what lies in the distance.
The finish reminds me a bit of freshly baked bread. Delicious and satisfying. There is a wee bit of astringency at the tail, but it’s more like a slight dryness, kind of like what you might experience after eating a piece of that previously mentioned freshly baked bread. There isn’t a lot of aftertaste to this, hints of distant flowers and a slight fruit note, as if it’s a continuation of what I experienced during the sip.
A truly rewarding cup of Irish Breakfast. Thank you, Teanzo 1856, for including this in the Advent Calendar
24 Days of Tea Holiday Countdown – Day 3 from Teanzo 1856
Day 3 of our Holiday Countdown with Teanzo!
Since it’s that time of year and I’m an artist (who really NEEDS to get back into the swing of creating – I need some inspiration!) I decided to start featuring different holiday-ish designs of things that I’ve created in the past as well as pieces that others have created for me on my Holiday Countdown posts.
Today, I went back through some of my old pictures of artwork that I’ve created and I came across this Holiday greeting card that I made a few years ago. I thought it was an appropriate way to kick off this “parade” of holiday artwork as featured on a tea blog – and it gives me an opportunity to offer all our readers a cup of holiday cheer!
We really are very grateful to our readers that keep us blogging!
So, why don’t we get into the tea for day three?
Safari Rooibos
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Teanzo 1856
Tea Description:
This refreshing rooibos iced tea with hints of fruit, is a great caffeine free source of antioxidants and trace minerals.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is the first rooibos blend that I’m reviewing in this countdown. The small, needle-like rooibos leaves seem even smaller in this blend, as though they’ve been chopped to an even finer consistency. So, even though I haven’t been using the unbleached DIY loose leaf tea bags that were included in this Teanzo Advent Calendar box, I would strongly recommend using them for this tea (and perhaps any other rooibos blends should we come across more!)
I actually steeped this tea in my Kati Tumbler, but after steeping, I wished I had used one of those tea bags because the leaves are so fine that some of them fell through the very fine mesh sieve of the Kati Tumbler basket. To avoid “drinking” the leaves (nothing wrong with this, I just don’t like floaters in my tea), I strained the liquid again into another teacup after the tea was finished steeping. This action managed to eliminate the few leaves that made their way through the basket of my Kati. (Steeping parameters: 195°F for 10 minutes.)
And all that effort was worth it – because this is a really tasty blend. I’m usually somewhat ambivalent when it comes to rooibos blends (as many of my readers are already aware), but, I’m enjoying this. The rooibos has a honey-like sweetness and earthy, nutty flavors that are accented nicely with notes of citrus.
It’s not an overly flavored blend. I’m not tasting more citrus flavor than I’m tasting rooibos. There is a good balance between both of these elements. Usually, I’m all for it when the flavors are strong enough to conceal the flavors of the rooibos because as I said, rooibos is generally not my favorite taste, but, the flavors work well here. It’s enjoyable and it’s a nice, cozy drink for these cold, winter-y days.
I liked this served straight, but I think I like this one even better with a dollop of honey to bring out those natural honeyed flavors of the rooibos base. It’s soothing and comforting while it quenches my thirst.
24 Days of Tea Holiday Countdown – Day 2 from Teanzo 1856
Day 2 of the countdown! Have you finished your holiday shopping yet? Have you started? I’ve started, but it always seems that we’re waiting until the last possible minute to finish up.
I can’t help but think that these charming, bright red boxes of tea delights from Teanzo would make a great gift, possibly as a hostess gift for a holiday party. Even as a holiday present, even though the “Advent Calendar” part would no longer be of use, it would still be fun to have a different tea every day for 24 days!
I know I’m enjoying it!
After my review of the tea from Day 1, I received an email from Teanzo and they told me that they used “glue dots” to secure the teas into the boxes for a more attractive presentation. If you’ll recall, I mentioned in that review that the glue used was a very strong glue and maybe a bit too strong. I appreciate this input from Teanzo, and I do agree that the presentation of the packages that have been adhered into place is much more attractive than it would be to receive the sampler pouches shuffling loose in the box. I like the way the package has been positioned! So maybe the glue is but a small annoyance so that I can enjoy a beautifully arranged box of delicious teas!
I certainly do appreciate that Teanzo is so responsive! That they’ve taken the time to respond to this means a lot to me as a consumer. I like it when a tea company makes my concerns – their concerns!
I was very happy to see which tea was going to be featured today, because it’s another favorite of mine! So the tea for Day 2 of the countdown – there are only 23 days left until Christmas! – is:
Jasmine
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Teanzo 1856
Tea Description:
Immerse yourself if the intoxicating aroma of jasmine with our organic loose leaf Jasmine green tea. This green tea is not to be missed and is a crowd pleasing green tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Jasmine is one of my favorite tea “flavors” – so long as it’s not a “flavored” jasmine and is instead a properly “scented” jasmine. This tastes to me as though it has been properly scented. What does that mean, exactly? Well, to this taster, it means that the jasmine tastes clear and distinct without tasting overly floral, perfume-ish or soap-y.
And that’s what I’m getting from this Jasmine tea from the Teanzo collection. The jasmine is a well-defined note without tasting of soap or like something you should be “wearing” instead of drinking.
To brew this Jasmine, I grabbed my Kati tumbler and poured the contents of the sampler pouch into the infuser basket of the tumbler. Then I heated water to 175°F and poured 12 ounces of the heated water into the tumbler and allowed it to steep for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, the brewed tea is a golden amber color and the aroma is sweet and floral.
The flavor is a nice balance between the exotic jasmine flower and the sweet, buttery green tea. The green tea is smooth. There is no bitterness and very little astringency.
Typically, when it comes to Jasmine teas, I prefer the base to either be a white tea or a green tea pearl-type of tea. This Jasmine is neither – but I really like it. It’s one of the nicer Jasmine teas I’ve tasted in recent weeks. And do take the time to resteep the leaves! This one offers a couple of additional steeps with no significant loss in flavor.