There is nothing better than sharing a hot cuppa with hot ladies. Wait, did that came out wrong? I mean strong, independent, educated ladies. Yeah, that’s who I’d have tea parties with! So, I invited two amazing students from my “Women’s Contributions to Science” class for a tea party. And, what better tea to drink than one inspired by the author of Little Women, Louisa May Alcott.
Simpson and Vail created fandom teas for several authors, and this green blend has a soft spice scent with the dried apple bits – is it nutmeg that it reminds us of? Pine? As we brew up this pumpkin pie colored treat, we bring up recent TED talks, STEM, swiping right… Hey, just because we love Autumn doesn’t make us totally basic! And neither is this literary tea – it’s good for multiple infusions and it builds flavor as you drink it. There is a midweight mouthfeel, and a certain sweetness from the Rose that lingers into the aftertaste.
It’s a heartwarming blend, and we have high spirits for the coming equinox, including brainstorming for Halloween costumes. If our Louisa May tea was alive today, we picture her costumed as T.Swift in a flannel, and this tea is the perfect embodiment of that. Now if you’ll pardon me, I’ve been inspired to go crochet a scarf for some eligible but aloof bachelor.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Simpson & Vail
Description:
Early in Little Women, while visiting a sick Laurie, Jo says that her sister Meg’s blancmange is made “very nicely.” Later, her own attempt turns out “lumpy” and accompanied by strawberries that were “not as ripe as they looked.” Our blend follows Meg’s example and is almost, as Laurie says, “too pretty to [drink].” Combining almond and strawberry flavors, this blend brews to a delicious tea that is fruity and aromatic. It manages to be both sweet and light thanks to the Chunmee green tea base and the gentle floral notes added by the rose petals.
Ingredients: Green tea, apple pieces, flavoring, strawberry pieces and rose petals.
Certified Kosher
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Bonfire in a Cup: Smoky Spice from 52Teas
As we endure the last cold nights of the season, it seemed the perfect time to brew up a cup of Smoky Spice from 52Teas. This blend combines two of my favorite cold-weather sensations: woodsmoke and cardamom. Nothing quite makes me feel as cozy and nostalgic as holding a hot cup of spicy tea, with the smell your neighbor’s wood stove on the wind.
Growing up in New England in a family with an Eastern European heritage, it seemed like we were always having winter bonfires and mulled cider or tea, celebrating some equinox or natural deity. These winter memories hit hard when I stuck my nose in the bag of these tea leaves, and I was caught up in the heat of the fire and the warmth of the spices.
52Teas does a great job with their smoky blends, the smoke is not too savory or bacon-like, just the perfect charcoal-nutty waft of roasting logs on the fire. The smoke is this blend is balanced, with a solid black tea base and a generous scoop of cardamom pods and vanilla beans, with no one flavor coming on too strong.
Drinking this tea is like sitting next to the fireplace and eating snappy spice cookies, or sipping on a spiced tea from your thermos out in the snow, watching a bonfire crackle away. I know I’ll be keeping an eye out for this blend when the weather turns again in the fall and you smell that first wisp of wood smoke on a crisp, cool day.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description:
This tea actually began as my Masterpiece Chai. While I was blending the spices, I toasted my cumin and I think either the cumin was especially fresh (not a bad thing at all) or I used too much cumin (much more likely) but the resulting blend ended up tasting strongly of smoky cumin. So I decided to add some Lapsang Souchong to amplify the smoky notes and create a Smoky Spice blend. This is a chai with a pleasant smoky tone – it’s not overly smoky – which is fine with me because I’m not a huge fan of a strong smoky essence. This has just the right level of smoke with a pleasant spicy note that isn’t too spicy, and it’s a little sweet and a little savory. It’s really nice.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Apple Sage from Simpson and Vail- A Holiday Experience
Fall flavors are usually dominated by pumpkin and cloves and cinnamon and spice, but Apple Sage from Simpson & Vail focuses on the less obvious sensations of the season. With fresh apple and savory sage, this blend should definitely be in everyone’s fall rotation. Apple pieces in the dry leaf immediately give off a fragrance that transports me to my hometown orchard: juicy, sweet-tart fruit, maybe paired with a cinnamon honey-stick from their local honeybee hive. The apple pieces are numerous, and provide a true, luscious, apple flavor.
What really makes this blend unique is the sage. I can’t say I’ve tried a tea with sage before, even if I have used the herb in other places in the kitchen. Sage is a smell I associate with Thanksgiving dinner, an herb that goes well with turkey and stuffing or with chicken pot pie. When brewed hot, this tea is both sweet and savory, almost like taking bite of everything off your holiday dinner plate.
In a way, it’s like the Willy Wonka 3-Course-Meal chewing gum! (Only without the disastrous blueberry-transformation consequences).
Sage evokes the taste of main course dishes like poultry or roasted potatoes, while the blackberry leaf adds a bit of tart berry like cranberry sauce, and finally the blend is topped off with sweet fruit flavors akin to apple pie. The black tea base is strong enough to hold its own with all these flavors and give the blend a hearty undertone to pull it all together.
I get so distracted by all the pumpkin spice and cinnamon eggnog flavors of the holidays, that I forget there’s more to the fall-winter palette. Apple Sage was an unexpected blast of Thanksgiving, apple pie, and all things fall. Definitely worth a taste at this time of year.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: black tea
Where to Buy: Simpson & Vail
Description:
The taste of sweet apple and fragrant sage blend together wonderfully. The amber colored cup offers a depth of flavor that is warming and refreshing at the same time. This tea complements foods such as hard cheese, salads, sandwiches, fruits and more.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Pumpkin Spice from Simpson & Vail
As with any seasonally-significant stereotype (I love them ALL, you guys), pumpkin spice is my jam. I’ve tried a fair number of pumpkin teas in my day, and let me tell you– they can be tricky to nail down. Too often, the pumpkin flavor comes across as fake, or barely-there, or the “spice” is way overdone, leaving no “pumpkin” to be found. I was eager to try this blend from Simpson & Vail as in my experience, they always knock it out of the park when it comes to flavors.
Did they capture a delicious flavor? Totally. Was it entirely pumpkin-y? I’m still not sure. This tea has absolutely none of the fake-y pumpkin flavor I’ve come to despise in my seasonal teas (woo hoo!), but it’s coming across more gingerbread-y to me in my first cup. Maybe my brain is just jumping ahead a season or two, but while the spices are on point, I’m having a hard time picking up pumpkin in my freshly-steeped cup. As it cools, however, the pumpkin begins to sneak in a bit more, and I’m greeted with a delightful cup of fall goodness.
Later, I try it as a tea latte with a scoop of pureed pumpkin stirred in and a splash of coconut cream and maple syrup, and BAM– there’s that autumnal flavor I was looking for! I’ll definitely be drinking this one again.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Simpson & Vail
Description
The stories of pumpkins, both in history and fables, make this fall fruit a staple in American diets. Their importance in American history began when the Native American Indians saved the Pilgrims from starvation by sharing this fall favorite. From fairies creating a pumpkin coach for Cinderella to Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater to the endless faces of Jack-o’-lanterns, we have grown up with pumpkins as a part of our culture. Every Fall I watch with delight as the pumpkins reach maturity, anxiously awaiting the tastes of pumpkin soups, pumpkin breads, and, of course, pumpkin pie!
This blend combines black teas with pumpkin and spice flavor to create a deep amber cup that is velvety smooth and aromatic. Its light, delicious taste is reminiscent of pumpkin custard. This tea, enjoyed year round, just adds another sensory delight to the mystique of the pumpkin!
Ingredients: black teas, pumpkin flavor and marigold petals.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Happy Pumpkin Tea from October’s Amoda Tea Monthly Box
It’s that time of year again: pumpkin season! I’ll admit, I’m a bit of a sucker for all things pumpkin spice, so it’s no surprise that I’m drinking pumpkin tea. But with all the ridiculous pumpkinacolpyse products that come out this time of year, let’s see how Happy Pumpkin Tea from Amoda teas holds up.
For one, this tea has actual pumpkin as a main ingredient. You can actually see orange pumpkin pieces in the dry leaf, and the starchy, sweet potato flavor is forward in the hot brew.
In addition to the usual spice suspects– cinnamon, ginger, and cloves– the blend also has allspice and cocoa nibs. The allspice builds on the traditional chai flavors, giving an unexpected peppery note, most prevalent in the fragrance. The cocoa nibs play well with the pumpkin, bringing out a brown sugar sweetness from both ingredients. Ceylon black tea gives this blend body and brews up surprisingly smooth.
Happy Pumpkin Tea is definitely worth a try for any pumpkin enthusiast.
We just wanted to take a moment and welcome MrsPremise to the SororiTea Sisters! We hope you enjoy her reviews as much as we do!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Amoda Tea
Description
-This tea was part of the October’s monthly box.