There’s something magical that happens whenever I get a new tea from Plum Deluxe. It’s like Andy and his fantastic tea blenders just have a wire straight to my brain and know JUST what kind of tea I’m craving at any given moment. (Seriously, you guys. How do you do it. HOW.)
When this fruity, fragrant tea of the month showed up at my doorstep, I was a tiny bit cranky from this random week dreary getting close to spring time kind of days — and little did I know, a fresh cup of fruity iced tea was just what the doctor ordered to cure me of my let’s get winter over -crankyness.
This delicious oolong & black blend brews up with mild, fruity sweetness in the brewed cup, and is a perfect combination with a splash of lemonade (my favorite way to serve it) or paired with a hint of sparkling water. But you guys, if we’re being honest? I’ve been hoarding the dry leaf to sniff instead of brewing it because it smells OH SO VERY GOOD. Do you remember the sweet and delicious tang of strawberry fruit snacks as a kiddo? This tea is a DEAD RINGER for that delightful flavor-memory, but sans any of the chemical-ick.
Frankly, it’s the only cure I’ve found to remedy the crankiness that is born of cold dreary days. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go pour a cup and stick my nose in the dry leaf and enjoy.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong & Black
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
White Berry from Naked Teas Galore. . .
I keep calling this tea Berry White, perhaps because I think it should be named for the singer or just a fun pun. However, its White Berry which is more descriptive than anything given this is a tea made up of White Peony, Silver Needles, rosehips, blue cornflowers, flavoring.
I had just enough in my sample pulled from a traveling teabox to try this both hot and iced. Both methods were steeped for 4 minutes in 175F water, as per the company’s recommendation.
I started with the hot tea since that is the more standard brewing method and thus my control for flavor. Though it is a pretty smooth, summery tea, it lacks the berry flavor I hoped for. Instead this, to me at least, tastes vaguely floral.
Iced, this is even more floral and that I attribute to the white peony base. In fact, if I didn’t know any better I would have thought I was drinking a glass of iced white peony tea as opposed to a flavored white tea. Though that might not seem like a bad thing for those who enjoy this type of tea, it is not what I have been promised and so I find myself disappointed.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Naked Teas Galore
Description
Smooth, light & refreshing berry tea!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Elderberry Blend from Storehouse Tea. . . .
Lately I’ve had a few medical issues pop up where I’ve been a bit more careful about the tea I drink. I’ve found myself more and more drawn to herbals. Herbals and I have always had this weird love hate relationship. I’m not a fan of extremely “herbally”flavored teas that are just too spiced ie have lots of ginger. So when I was going through my tea stash and came across Elderberry Blend from our friends at Storehouse Tea I was delighted.
Elderberry Blend is a fun mix of hibiscus, elderberries, dried currants, raisins, rosehips and other natural flavors. As you can imagine this tea is tart but tart in a good way.
Brewed hot, this tea gives so much tart loving that just hits the spot. Tart fans rejoice! This tea delivers a wonderfully tart berry flavor that doesn’t get to the point where you are puckering your lips, even after the tea started to cool. I destroyed my first cuppa and went greedily for a second.
Cold brewed overnight, this brilliant pinkish hue tea gives that same tart feel but in a more refreshing way. You again have that same familiar tart flavor but the tartness just has this crisper feel that I felt was way more satisfying than when this tea was brewed hot. I also found that the berry flavors had a larger role and weren’t hidden behind the hibiscus as much. I added a touch of spearmint into the cold brew mix and I couldn’t have been happier with the results.
Storehouse Tea is another one of those hidden gems on the internet when it comes to tea shops. I’ve been impressed with the majority of the teas I’ve tried from them and after trying this one, I’m waiting to try more of their offerings.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Storehouse Tea
Description
This succulent blend of Caffeine Free herbs and fruits imparts a refreshing deep berry flavor, tart with a subtle sweetness creating a satisfying deep dark red infusion. Contains powerful anti-oxidants which may help expel toxins, relieve sore throat, and shorten the flu cycle. Excellent iced.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Berry Maple Waffles from Naked Teas Galore. . .
Everything about the name of this tea made my mouth water. Berries? Yes! Maple? Oh boy! Waffles! GET IN MAH BELLY!
The directions call for steeping it for three to five minutes and I kept it on the light side at three and a half because I saw the word in the ingredients that makes me cringe a little. Okay, sometimes I cringe a lot. Hibiscus.
There can’t be much hibiscus in here though, because even a minuscule amount can turn a tea bright red instantly, and this really doesn’t have a pink hue. Between the hibiscus, cranberries, and blueberries, this is a little tart if you are drinking it solo. I bet some milk would smooth it out a little but it is a really sweet tasting blend and for me sugar would be a bit much with it. To each his own.
With pastry and cookies, however, the tartness subsided and took a back seat, making it much more enjoyable. I smell maple flavoring in the dry leaf but I don’t get a lot of it in the taste.
It is great to see more and more available in organic options! If you like tart berry flavor without the wang of artificial flavors, this might be right up your alley.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Naked Teas Galore
Description
Cup Characteristics: Loaded with berries & maple flavour with a hint of cream.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Red White and Blue Black Tea from 52Teas. . . .
My desire for berry flavored teas is relatively new. I don’t usually gravitate towards fruit. I don’t know why but lately ive had a craving for berry teas! Ive actually had this sample for a while that I received with one of my orders from 52 Teas and I figured that my being in the mood for berry was a good opportunity to try it.
Something I have noticed about 52 Teas is that their black tea is very bold. If you dont generally care for bold black tea, then you may feel like it tends to overpower the cup. Try steeping it for less time. I steeped this for the recommended 2 1/2 minutes, but next time I may try 1 1/2 or 2 instead. I did find that the most dominant flavor here was black tea, shortly followed by blueberry and raspberry. Coconut was lost on me, unfortunately. I love coconut and it is one of my favorite flavors, so I was a little disappointed that it was undetectable to me. I think that the black tea was so bold, as was the raspberry and blueberry, that the coconut was just overpowered.
One thing I do appreciate was that this blend was made as a patriotic/Fourth of July celebration tea, and I love how different it is compared to going with something typical like “apple pie”. I think that it would be delicious iced and sweetened in the summertime. In fact, I think I would have enjoyed this 100% more if I had iced it. If you like bold black tea flavor and if you like berry, you will definitely love this blend. As for me, I am definitely going to finish off the rest of my sample, but this time im going to ice it! Yum!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.
