Arabian Kismet from Swallowtail Tea. . . .

I love black tea with unusual combinations of spices, so I was very excited to try Arabian Kismet from Swallowtail Tea.  This is a blend based around orange pekoe special Assam black tea with added sage and cardamom.

The full flavors of the black tea itself pair perfectly with the fresh and earthy sage, and the sweet and mellow cardamom.  This is one of those teas that will work for any occasion. It has classic black tea for those staunch pekoe drinkers and a little bit of spice for chai lovers.  But without the classic chai spices like cinnamon and ginger, this tea is much more versatile and unexpected.

Sage always makes me think of Thanksgiving, so this feels very much like a fall tea to me.  The cardamom helps that image, bringing up spicy visions of the upcoming winter spice cookies.  This tea smells like a classic kitchen or herb garden, but its flavor combination in a tea blend is a new and exciting change of pace for me.  Great for breakfast or afternoon, or anytime you want to feel a little cozy and a little dreamy.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Swallowtail Tea
Description:

This delightful blend of Assam, sage, and cardamom might make you believe in Kismet after all.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Arawak Chai / Pasion Tea

Back in April I went on a mom-cation with my sister.

On the island of Nassau one of my main missions was to find a traditional tea or tisane.

Thanks to Google I found two different stores that sold tea but there didn’t seem to be a specific Nassau blend at either.

I picked up a chai at the first shop and didn’t like the sales tactics used at the second shop so didn’t buy anything there. At the time when I bought the chai I didn’t know what Arawak was.

Apparently the Arawak are a group of indigenous peoples of South America and the Caribbean who, unfortunately, are believed to be extinct (though I am sure some of their heritage lives on in that of their ancestors). Why they decided to name this chai that I am unsure of though.

As far as I can tell it has the same ingredients as most other chai, though the dried cardamom and black pepper pods seem more pronounced. The taste and dry aroma are lovely. A steeping time of at least four minutes is advisable though.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Pasion Teas
Description:

The website is currently under construction

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Persian Plum Rose Black from Blossom. . . . .

I’m TOTALLY LOVING THIS TEA! So much so that I slapped it on one of my personal TOP TEN LISTS even before I gave it a proper review!

The tea I’m referring to is Persian Plum Rose Black from Blossom! It smells AMAZING as soon as you open the bag! I ALMOST didn’t want to infuse it – it was THAT amazingly-scented!

But I did – and I’m glad I did! It was incredible! Persian Plum Rose Black from Blossom is an exotic black tea blend with sultry notes of plum and rose petals, and a pleasant finish of cardamom spice. Organically Cultivated Ingredients – to boot!

The Plum was more like a Sugar Plum…but naturally-so! The cardamom was of gentle to gentle-medium on the flavor scale and done to perfection! The rose gave it a subtle floral-cream flavor to even everything out. This is terrific hot but dandy cold, too! I always drink my tea straight-up with nothing added but I could only assume it would be just as special with rock sugar. I’m thinking it would be the equivalent of a Rose Marzipan but with plum!

This is VERY delicious, memorable, and amazing! I’m totally in LOVE with Persian Plum Rose Black from Blossom!!


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Black Tea
Where to Buy:  Blossom
Description

An exotic black tea blend with sultry notes of plum and rose petals, and a pleasant finish of cardamom spice.

Organically Cultivated Ingredients*:
Black Tea*, Cardamom*, Roses*, Natural Plum Flavor.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Passion Dragon Green Tea from Mountain Witch Tea Co.

passiondragonTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Green

Where to Buy: Mountain Witch Tea Company

Tea Description:

Passion Dragon Green Tea is one of our bestsellers at the farmer’s market. Green tea flavored with passion fruit, lemon and a pop of spice. Especially great as an iced tea. 

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

Being such a fan of Mountain Witch Tea Company, I couldn’t wait to try another green tea of theirs.  I have had a couple in the past but have found that I tend to like their flavored black teas better than their flavored green teas.

First off, I love the logo for this tea.  The beautiful artwork is so fun and really eye catching. The loose leaf tea is the same way.  The gorgeous green tea looks amazing along side the giant chrysanthemum that was in my sample.

Brewed up like a green tea, this tea sent a lovely tropical green tea aroma thru my desk.  I really loved how this tea smelled. First taste and sadly this tea is not for me.

This tea delivers on a nice bright green tea flavor but there is an odd taste in there that makes this tea tart and not taste right to me.  I’m not getting lovely buttery notes or any of the berry/passion flavors.  I pick up the lemon and the cardamom and something else I can’t really put my finger on.  What I can really pick up on is how very astringent this tea is.  This tea may be one that needs to be cold brewed or enjoyed more as an iced tea to get those flavors to mingle together and give that passion fruit a chance to pop.  Another one that I might need to go back and experiment with.

As much as I adore Mountain Witch Tea Company, I know this tea can be dynamite.  Just need to figure out the best way to get those flavors to work for me.