I’ve never been called one “Hot Mama” before but I felt like one while sipping on Hot Mama by Tea & Tins. Okay…maybe that was a stretch but it made for a good review opening, right?
There have been teas I have sipped on that provide that childhood memory of fireballs and Hot Mama from Tea & Tins is very reminiscent of those days and memories. It might not be exactly that hot but it could be put in the same conversation, I suppose.
Even tho I didn’t find any cinnamon hearts in the loose leaf mixture that I infused I didn’t feel slighted. The cinnamon flavor and spices were just fine and dandy the way they were. I also enjoyed the orange peel chunks in this flavored black tea.
Hot Mama by Tea & Tins is perfect for a fall or winter day or a night by the fire.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Flavored Black Tea
Where to Buy: Tea and Tins
Description
Loose leaf black tea, super hot and spicy! For cinnamon lovers!
Ingredients: black tea, cinnamon, spices, peppercorns and cinnamon hearts
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Jump Start from Adagio Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black/Mate
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Tea Description:
Mate, Kola, and Black tea make up this well-caffeinated blend to make your mornings deliciously efficient. Blended with toasted mate tea, black tea, cocoa nibs, cinnamon bark, kola nuts & safflower
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Last time I was in Chicago for work, I couldn’t help but run right to Adagio Teas. Where I live there really isn’t a tea shop so whenever I get close to one, my heart skips a beat. Jump Start was the first blend I picked up.
Presented in a lovely tin with vibrant colors and a rooster (love that!), this black tea/mate blend is one that will do what the name suggests. This tea packs a punch and helps you get a jump start on your tea in a refreshing bold and delicious way.
First- this tea is a brilliant take on coffee. If you are a coffee drinker, then I have a feeling you would love Jump Start. Brewed up at 212F and allowed to steep for about 4 minutes, this blend provided gorgeous notes of creamy cinnamon that mingled nicely with the silky black tea base. The mate provided that roasted/toasted flavor that is similar to a fresh roasted coffee. I don’t pick up any chocolate notes but that could be where that silky texture is coming from. All the flavor without that coffee bitter aftertaste. Really delicious and fresh.
The best part of this tea is that you can get several infusions out of the mix and this tea is forgiving as all get out. I oversteeped by about 10 minutes and I swear that just heightened all of the flavors. The cinnamon was stronger and that creaminess even better. Perfect for the first cuppa of the day.
The more I drink Jump Start I realize this is a blend that is dying to be a latte. I’ll be trying that out in the morning for sure!
Holiday Happiness from Aka Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Aka Tea
Tea Description:
Don’t you love the smell of warm sugar cookies and cinnamon? How could that combination go wrong? This tea was inspired by winter loveliness, glistening white snow, a good book by the fireplace, and the ambiance of laughter. This tea is just waiting to celebrate holiday happiness with you!
Holiday Happiness – Green tea ( Mao Jian ), cinnamon, hibiscus, jasmine, spearmint, rosehips, peppermint, anise seed, rosemary, and natural flavoring
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
After trying to unsuccessfully make a protein matcha smoothie, I needed something to refresh my tastebuds. When I noticed in my tea stash that I still had a serving of Holiday Happiness from Aka Tea, I was giddy! I had reviewed a lot of their teas a while back and didn’t realize that I still had one left. I have already reviewed Holiday Happiness on my blog-CuppaGeek, but I wanted to see if my thoughts were the same.
Right out of the pouch you can smell the minty baked good aroma that reminds me of peppermint sugar cookies. What a treat!
Brewed this up per the instructions Aka Tea provides on their site-175 F and steep for about 3 minutes. The brew turned a lovely shade of pick almost instantly. Made my heart happy!
What I really love about this blend in particular is the amount of tea vs inclusions. There seems to be a happy medium of both. The tea isn’t overwhelmed by the inclusions and the inclusions are not overwhelmed by the tea. There is a lovely partnership between the ingredients blending together and creating a wonderfully unique flavor.
First sip in and I am once again in my tea happy place. Warm sweet cinnamon notes mixed with a slight tart minty background. Rich buttery green notes followed by a sweet flora note. Thru the entire sip, there is a spiced undertone that really mixes well with the rest of the flavors. Sure this tea is sort of all over the place, but it is one journey I love time and time again.
As odd as those flavors sound, this blend really works. There is an almost winter feel to the tea, but I have no problem drinking this in the middle of summer and am looking at buying a larger size. Holiday Happiness from Aka Tea is a tried and true flavored tea that never disappoints!
Carrot Cake Cheesecake Honeybush from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
In honor of my significant other’s birthday, I’ve created a dessert-y tea to celebrate two of his favorite desserts: carrot cake & cheesecake. I decided to use a honeybush base for this because I thought that the natural nutty flavor of the honeybush would work well with these flavors.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
One of the reasons I love 52Teas so much is the unique flavors they have. I mean who else would create a honeybush based carrot cheesecake. . .and thank goodness they did!
This is a brilliant tea blend with all the cinnamon, carrot cake, and cheesecake goodness you can hope for and more. The dry tea blend smells wonderful and it is one of those aromas you want to bottle up into a candle. That aroma would be amazing closer to the fall season.
I am not always a huge fan of honeybush based blends. Sometimes I feel like they tend to be a bit more like my arch enemy, red rooibos, but sometimes they are done just right. This is one of those blends that is done right.
Prepped per the instructions on the package, this tea comes out perfect each and every time. I have drank so much of this tea that I have gone thru a few tasters and am currently on a larger size pouch of the tea. I’ve tried the blend hot, iced, and cold brewed. Here is what I thought of this tea:
Hot: This tea sings cinnamon with a sweet creaminess mixed in. There is a subtle nuttiness that you get here and there but what you really get is this gorgeous cinnamon flavor. Not too overwhelming. Just very soothing, especially as a late evening cuppa. Simple soul warming cinnamon. Perfect to curb those late night cravings.
Iced: Probably my least favorite method. Again, the cinnamon was there are prominent but there weren’t any other flavors really popping thru either. Everything just seemed a bit muddled. I was sad and was hoping for more of a pop of a dessert flavor.
Cold Brew: This is the ticket to this tea. Cold brew this tea and you will be greeted with a lush creamy sweet yet tangy cinnamon slightly cake like tea. Do I have you drooling yet? I was surprised by how well this turned out. I didn’t get the cheesecake flavor but I loved and adored the flavors that were coming thru. Really well done and I made a huge pitcher of this tea and it was gone in no time flat. Both my hubby and myself thought this was the best of the three experiments.
Even tho I never picked up on the cheesecake notes from any of the three methods, I still am immensely happy with the flavors I did get. Can’t wait to enjoy more cold brew of this tea blend when I get home tonight!
Winter Wonderland from Simpson & Vail
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green Rooibos
Where to Buy: Simpson & Vail
Tea Description:
“Sleigh bells ring, are you listening
In the lane snow is glistening
A beautiful sight, we’re happy tonight
Walking in a winter wonderland…”A wonderful blend of green rooibos with cacao and cinnamon and flavored with Bavarian chocolate, cinnamon and hazelnuts. When we sampled this in our store we heard “Best rooibos ever!”, “A new favorite”, “Great everyday tea”. It brews to a golden cup with the delicious aroma and taste of cinnamon baked goodies (we were reminded of apple fritters). Smooth and warming, this blend has the more pronounced taste of cinnamon and hazelnuts, while the Bavarian chocolate is an underlying taste that rounds out the other flavors. Delicious in every season!
Ingredients: Organic green rooibos, organic cacao nibs, organic cinnamon pieces, flavoring, white and blue cornflower petals
Learn more about this tea here.
Tea Description:
I adore and love green rooibos blends. I have considered red rooibos my arch enemy for some time but there is something fresh, soothing, and delightful in green rooibos blends. I’ve had several Simpson & Vail blends but I have had my eye on their holiday blends for some time. So when they offered a chance for me to review them, I jumped all over the opportunity!
This particular blend is a green rooibos base with chocolate, cinnamon, and hazelnut. Um. . .sign me up!
I brewed this up at work and shared a cuppa with a fellow co-worker. 5 minutes later, we were each enjoying this treat.
First sip in and I was looking up and trying to justify buying more of this tea. For 2 oz at $4.25- this tea is a steal!
This flavor profile for this tea is this lush amazing decadent dessert tea that keeps you wanting more and more. My co-worker said it reminded her of apple pie. Me-it reminded me of a slightly honey cinnamon sweetness with hints of the hazelnut and chocolate towards the end of each sip. The more the tea cools the more hazelnut and chocolate become pronounced. There are subtle hints of a coconut goodness as well. Such a great mix of flavors. And just so good. This would be great to share and enjoy a cuppa with family and friends over the holidays. Another fantastic tea from Simpson & Vail. I really don’t think they have a bad tea to offer! Off to get another cuppa. This is going to be one I need to have on hand regardless of the time of year! Looks like I’m going to have to stock up on this delight!