Winter Wonder Berry Tea/FarmHouse Teas from St Fiacres Farm

About a year ago or so,  I took a solid look at my tea stash and realized I had way too many teas that I had been neglecting and cancelled all of my tea subscription plans. I adored the teas I was getting, but decided that I really needed to buckle down and drink what I already had.  The only subscription I kept was Sipsby because, well for $15, you can’t really go wrong with their offerings no matter how much tea you have.

Fast forward to the present day and I’m happy to say, I’ve drank down a considerable amount of my tea stash and decided it was time to pick up one tea subscription plan.  I have done Plum Deluxe, Blend Bee, 52Teas and a few others in the past, but I wanted to go a different route.  Right about that same time when I was trying to see which one I wanted to go with, I received an email from the lovely people at St Fiacres Farm about their new FarmHouse Teas.  I checked out the site and remembered that St Fiacres Farm offered a tea subscription plan.  Each month you are sent one of their teas (1oz) and a few goodies.  So far, I’m super impressed with what I’ve received but this blend I devoured in just a few sittings.

Winder Wonder Berry Tea is a blend of green rooibos (my favorite!), peppermint, spearmint, berries, and a few other inclusions.  Besides this tea smelling amazing, the look of this tea is just wonderfully comforting.

I prepared this tea with with fresh boiled water and allowed to steep for 6 minutes, then allowed the tea to cool for about 3 minutes.  Took my first sip and was in heaven. Fresh blueberries with mint and a honey background with notes of a sweet tartness probably coming from the vanilla extract and hibiscus.  This tea has it all.  It is refreshing, crisp, and down right amazing.

Green rooibos teas really don’t get much better than this and this is one tea that I’m going to need to get more of STAT. I can’t wait to try this tea as a cold brew if I can save some for the upcoming summer months.

And what where my treats to go along with this blend? Glad you asked. The most amazing toffee I’ve ever had.  Ever heard of cashew almond toffee? Or do I just need to get out more?  This treat was simply heaven and one that if I do place a larger order soon to get more of this tea, you bet there will be a few toffees thrown in to go along with my tea!


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Green Rooibos
Where to Buy: St. Fiacres Farm
Description

Brew’s up a light greenish brown color with hints of pink from the berries. A slightly tart berry flavor greets you before surrounding you with minty freshness from the peppermint and spearmint.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Blueberry Muffin from Davids Tea

On a whim, I picked this herbal blend up from DT during our annual pre-Christmas pilgrimage to Chicago this past weekend. I’ve been craving more interesting herbals lately to sip in the afternoon and evenings (because mama loves her black tea, but caffeine does not reciprocate the love past 3 PM, friends), and this one fit the bill.

On first sniff, it smells… like a blueberry muffin? I get the cakey crumb of a warm muffin here, with whiffs of vanilla and berry. YUM. Let’s get this one a-brewin’, shall we? This tea is practically all chunk and no leaf (which is no surprise, as a tisane), but I can see how it will go by quickly with this much heft to it. That said, it’s a beautiful mix with visible fruit and even veg pieces– looks like some carrot and even beetroot for that beautiful bright pink we’ve all come to know and love!

Upon sipping, I’m torn. I definitely get the blueberry muffin notes that I sniffed pre-brew, but it’s almost overwhelmingly overpowered by (you guessed it) hibiscus tartness. I’m not a hibiscus hater across the board, but this one took a lovely, creamy cup and turned it on its head. I’m not going to lie, I’m a bit disappointed. A second steep and the tartness has gone, but as is fairly typical with most herbals, the creaminess and nuance of flavor from the first steep is gone with it. It’s a decent re-steep, but not perfect. I’m not giving up on this one yet, because while the flavor didn’t perfectly match the scent, it was an enjoyable cuppa. Perhaps as a coconut milk latte, or with a shorter steep time I’d find the cup I know is in there somewhere. In the meantime, David– maybe call this one a blueberry tart instead of a muffin next go-around, mmmk?


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Davids Tea
Description

With apple, raisins, carrot and blueberries, this tea is the breakfast of champions.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!