Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Description:
Our robust South Indian black tea meets the intoxicating flavor of summer blackberries in this rich and decadent tea. A touch of white sage completes the blend, balancing the plump, juicy flavors of berries with its mystical, earthen essence. With each sip of this deliciously ethereal tea, find yourself closer and closer to true awakening.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s customized subscription program here.
Taster’s Review:
Recently, I was offered a chance to try out Simple Loose Leaf’s subscription program, and this is Blackberry Sage Black Tea Blend is the first tea that I received as part of my fully customized subscription.
So before I talk about the tea, I want to talk a little bit about how the subscription works. You start by checking out the vast selection of teas that Simple Loose Leaf offers (and it’s quite an impressive selection!) Find a few teas that interest you. This shouldn’t be hard, because like I said, the selection is impressive! Put the teas that you want in your cart (Simple Loose Leaf recommends a starting point of 3 – 6 teas), and pay once – including one shipping charge (I was charged $7.50 for six teas to be shipped over the course of the next six months.) In the comment field at check out, you can list the teas in the order you’d like to receive them.
That’s it! Once a month, you’ll receive a package from Simple Loose Leaf containing the tea you selected for that month. (You can also request to have two teas shipped per month rather than just the one.) It is definitely a simple process, and I like the idea of getting a new tea every month like this.
If I were to offer a criticism of the program from what I’ve experienced thus far, it would be this: I would like for Simple Loose Leaf to offer its teas in 1 ounce portions as well as the 2 and 4 ounce portions that it offers. Especially with so many unique flavors, a smaller size would allow customers the opportunity to try it before they commit to a larger amount. In addition, I think it would be a nifty idea if they chose to include a small (one serving size) sample so that customers could try something new and possibly add on to their wish list.
Now, on to the tea for this month: Blackberry Sage Black Tea!
The dry leaf is beautiful with lots of dried blackberries tossed in with black tea leaves and torn pieces of white sage leaves. The aroma is enticing with its strong fruity presence and notes of earthy sage.
The flavor is really enjoyable. The blackberry is sweet, and the sweetness of the fruit is cut by the savory elements of the sage, making this a sweet yet savory cup. Really delightful! The black tea is rich and tasty. No bitterness, but I don’t think it’d be a good idea to over-steep this tea … because I think it could become bitter if it’s oversteeped. (I steeped this at 205°F for 2 1/2 minutes in my Breville One-Touch.) The tea is moderately astringent.
I’ve tried this tea both iced and hot, and I personally prefer it hot (which makes me really glad that it’s autumn! Hot tea tastes so much better when it’s chilly outside!) The flavors of sage and blackberry really pop when the tea is served hot, and as it cools, these flavors become somewhat muted and less distinct.
Overall, I’m very pleased with this first month’s selection for my six month subscription with Simple Loose Leaf! Next month: Earl Grey Assam! I can’t wait!
Peppermint Ice Custom Black Tea Blend from Adagio Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Tea Description:
I wanted something to help break away from the heat and humidity of summer so I opted for cool peppermint candy (candy cane) tea. I also wanted to be enveloped in a silky creamy sweet dream so I added cream and vanilla flavored black teas. I want this to be comforting, relaxing, a tea that can transport you to fresh powdered snow atop a serene mountain. An escape from reality to a place you dream of.
Learn more about this custom blend here.
Taster’s Review:
This Peppermint Ice Black Tea Blend from Adagio Teas is a custom blend created by one of my favorite Adagio Tea custom blend creators, Rachana Carter. I’ve “chatted” with her a few times via Steepster, and she’s one of the coolest people that hang out at Steepster (and that’s saying something because there are a lot of cool tea drinkers who hang out at Steepster! I call Steepster the facebook for tea drinkers, which probably makes me more nerdy than cool, but that’s OK, I guess.)
Anyway, I’m not really sure how long I’ve had a sampling of this tea on hand, I was going through some of my stash and came across it, but I’ve got to say that it’s held up very well over the course of time. This is really tasty.
I’m not a big fan of Adagio Teas, as I’ve mentioned at least once or twice. Their black tea base that they use for their flavored black teas tends to be very … aggressive and harsh tasting. However, I’ve found that when the flavors are blended like they have been in this Peppermint Ice blend – a blend of candy cane, cream and vanilla flavored black teas – the black tea tends to taste less harsh. I’m not sure why that is. But, it’s been my observation, and so far, of the various teas that I’ve tried, I’ve found this to be true more often than not.
This is a lovely blend of sweet creamy, vanilla-y flavors and just a hint of peppermint. Really, with a flavoring like peppermint, that’s all that’s needed because peppermint can really overpower a blend very quickly. Here, the peppermint is soft and while it does have that crisp, minty taste to it, it doesn’t overwhelm the cup nor does it give the cup a mouthwash-y sort of taste. It’s really nice.
The black tea is strong, but with this flavor combination, I’m not finding it to be a harsh tasting black tea base. Invigorating, sure. But not so astringent that it leaves my palate feeling as though it’s been dried off with sandpaper. (Yeah, that’s the way sometimes a black tea can taste from Adagio. Fortunately, it wasn’t the case here.)
Overall, I’m finding this to taste a bit like someone had melted a scoop of peppermint ice cream and then added it to my morning cup of black tea. It’s rich, smooth and creamy. Minty and fresh! I like this one – another great blend from Rachana Carter!
Jennifer’s Chai – a Custom Blend from Ovation Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Ovation Teas
Tea Description:
Black tea blended with cinnamon chips, cloves, ginger, cardamom, almonds, nutmeg, black pepper, and safflowers with chai flavoring and almond & vanilla extract.
Taster’s Review:
I debated with myself whether or not I should write this review, because I recently learned that Ovation Teas is closing their business. I am very saddened by this news for several reasons. The first, and most obvious to many of you, I’m sure, is the fact that they’re a tea business and I don’t want tea businesses to go out of business! They are a local company, and I love to support the local businesses. But one of the main reasons I’m sad is that Ovation Teas had some pretty spectacular blends … and I barely scratched the surface at trying them all (and yes, I wanted to do that!)
I ordered this particular custom blend just before Christmas as a gift for a recipient in a gift swap in which I was participating. My recipient liked chai, vanilla flavored teas and almond flavored teas, so I asked Ovation teas if they could combine all of the above in one amazing blend! And they did … AND in addition to the full-sized portion that I ordered for my recipient, they were nice enough to send me some of the tea to try too!
It brews up dark and fragrant, smelling of alluring spices with hints of almond and vanilla with a rich backdrop of earthy black tea. And that’s what I taste, too. The black tea has a strong presence here, and I appreciate that because often with chai blends, the black tea tends to take a back seat and is often overwhelmed by the spices. That didn’t happen here, and I’m glad. The spices are very harmonious … the cloves do stand out a bit which kind of surprised me, because usually with chai blends it’s either the cinnamon or the ginger that is prominent. Here, the other spices seem pretty evenly matched, with the cloves coming out as the prominent flavor.
And these flavors are nicely accentuated by the flavors of vanilla and almond which offers a sweet, creamy, nutty note. I like that the nutty tones of the almond are further highlighted by the nutmeg in the chai … a really nice touch (I think that this might have been an addition that I requested, and I think I did right to request it, this blend would not be the same without the nutmeg).
This is a really delicious chai that I’m enjoying served straight with just a little bit of turbinado sugar to emphasize the spices a bit. It doesn’t need a lot of sweetening though, because the sweetness of the vanilla and almond are very satisfying. And because of the creaminess of these two flavors, it doesn’t need milk to make it taste creamy … although this would be very tasty with a drop or two of milk just to enhance the creamy tones.
To Ovation Teas, I lift my tea mug up and toast you, I will miss you!
Sweet & Sassy SororiTea From Uniq Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Uniq Teas
Tea Description:
Sweet caramel notes are accented with a touch of spice and hint of almond. This is LiberTEAS blend.
Learn more about creating your own blend here.
You can order this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
Not too long ago, we (the SororiTea Sisters) were contacted by Uniq Teas and invited to each create our own blend which we could then sample and review. Well, of course we took them up on it! It sounded like fun!
And it really is fun! The Uniq Teas website is so easy to use! You just create an account, then choose from their selection of 40 different Organic and Fair Trade teas to create a blend. You choose the teas, and you choose how much of each blend is used to come up with your own unique blend. Then, you name the tea, design the label, and you write the description. You even decide if you want the tea to be a public tea (available for everyone to purchase) or a private one.
It was a blast to put this blend together. It is a blend of black teas: Caramelicious, Black Chai, and Almond. I then chose the name Sweet & Sassy SororiTea because caramel and almond is sweet, and I thought that the spices would add a certain sassy attitude to the cup without coming off as being too spicy.
And I’m really happy with this! The black tea offers a strong background of flavor – it is rich, assertive and slightly astringent. I’m not experiencing any bitterness, but, I also think that this is a tea that you don’t want to over-infuse, because I think it could become bitter if it’s left to brew too long. I steeped this for 3 1/2 minutes and it came out just right.
And even though the black tea base is strong, it doesn’t overwhelm the flavors which I find to have just the balance I was looking for. The caramel comes through as the strongest flavor, and there are hints of almond in the background. The spices are loud and indeed sassy, but they aren’t overly spicy. It was my intention that even though a chai blend was being used as part of my tea blend, I didn’t really want it to come off as a chai. I wanted it to come off as a spiced caramel blend with a touch of almonds, and that’s just what I got! This blend is great served straight … but I like it even better as a latte as it helps to bring out the creamy notes of the caramel and the sweetness of the almonds.
I am definitely going to be returning to Uniq Teas in the future to create another blend … maybe a twist on Earl Grey next time!
Apple Hazelnut Green Tea from Design A Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Design A Tea
About Design A Tea:
Design a Tea brings choice to the marketplace. The simple concept of offering choices is the number one difference between Design a Tea and other artisan tea blending companies. Who doesn’t like choices in life? The feeling of creating and personalizing a product you order. We want consumers that deal with us to know they are dealing with a caring company. Caring, in that we hand package each order, and we pride ourselves on customer service. It doesn’t stop there.
Design a Tea even cares about the environmental issues around us. We use recycled paper products, labels, even environmentally friendly inks. We make every attempt to purchase from Tea Wholesalers that support Ethical Tea Partnerships (ETP) with the growers. We try and purchase organically grown teas when possible. All our flavorings are 100% from natural, organic and gluten free!!
Taster’s Review:
I’ve tried several of Design A Tea’s signature blends, but, I had not, until now, designed a tea for myself. And since they make it so easy to do so (it costs just $1.00 for shipping to create 2 of your own samples!) I decided to finally go for it.
This is the first of the two teas I created for myself – a green tea flavored with apple and hazelnut flavors. My “Pacific Northwest” blend. And it’s really yummy!
The apple flavor is reminiscent of a green apple, it’s a little tart and has a juicy, sweet apple-y flavor. The hazelnut is a bit more subtle, although I suspect I should have allowed the flavoring to settle onto the leaves a little longer than I did – I was just so excited to try it out! With my next sample, I think I’ll wait at least a couple of weeks before I try it, so that the flavors have a chance to absorb.
But as it is, the tea is quite delicious. The green tea tastes light, and there isn’t a strong grassy taste. Instead, it just tastes fresh and it marries quite nicely with the green apple flavor.
If you’ve not yet tried designing your own tea with Design A Tea … well, all I have to say to that is: What are you waiting for? It’s affordable and fun … and who knows, you might just discover a phenomenal new flavor combination!