When I was a kid I had an obsession with pina coladas. As an adult, I still do. I actually have a funny story about them. I was at a restaurant with my parents and I was probably 6 years old. I ordered a pina colada. My parents used to always try it first, just in case the bartender put alcohol in it by accident. Well, that one particular time they didn’t taste it because we actually knew the owner of the restaurant and I guess they trusted that his bartenders were competent. Well, I was drinking my pina colada and I told my parents that it tasted yucky. Low and behold, there was alcohol in it! Go figure. As a 6 year old I was very freaked out and upset. Anyways, I got a new pina colada and all was forgiven!
Back to tea- I have never had a pina colada tea blend and was excited to try this one. I’ve said it before, but I really enjoy honeybush much more than rooibos. It is definitely a tea I gravitate towards when I am looking for caffeine free. Upon smelling the steeped liquid I could detect the honeybush and pineapple. I couldn’t really smell the coconut. Upon tasting this cup I could sort of detect pina colada flavor, but it was really light. I’m not sure if I would have screamed “pina colada” if you didn’t tell me the name of this tea. But when I think about it and try to detect it, I can.
Unfortunately, I did not get something that screamed creamy pina coladas from this blend. It was very light and I could mostly taste the honeybush. That said, it was still enjoyable. I think if someone is new to flavored teas and wants something light but yummy, this would be the tea for them!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This tea is no longer available but below are the teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Vista Blend from Plum Deluxe. . . .
There is so much Yes going on with Plum Deluxe! I discovered them when my Sororitea sister sent me a surprise cuppa their Pomme Blossom White tea. It’s a discontinued exclusive so I won’t tease you with too much detail. This was a very colorful blend with some “furry” white leaves. What was so exceptional was that the second steep tastes even better!!! Which is usually not my experience with flavored white teas.
I ordered another, not sold out, white tea blend of theirs called Afternoon “High Tea”, which is a peach and pear blend that also held up to resteep. It was a completely different taste profile than the Pomegranate and berries that I fell in love with earlier, but it was still very posh tasting. All their teas are made with organic ingredients — no sulfites, no artificial chemicals, and non-GMO. Eco-Friendly for the Win!
I ended up subscribing to Plum Deluxe’s tea of the month club. It’s only $10 for one exclusive bag of hand crafted tea, plus access to their amazing Facebook community. And Yay for supporting local PNW businesses!
The real star from this month’s shipment was a sample of their Vista Blend Herbal Tea.
This definitely tastes like the uncaffeinated sister of the Pomme Blossom. I’m not sure what the common element is, but it could be the Love and Gratitude they blend into their creations? This company likes to send out smiles.
The infusion slowly turns the color of a summer sunset, and the beautiful sight is complemented well by the apricot flavor. A creamy lavender taste leads into a mellow citrus that lingers nicely for quite some time after drinking.
The naturally sweet Honeybush base made a scrumptious treat cold brewed, and no sweetener was needed, which for me is saying something. Double win! I don’t want this cup to end, so I will definitely be buying more of this with next month’s mystery blend.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
Description
The apricot + lavender “Vista Blend” is inspired by one of our favorite things about nature — the views. This tea reminds us that we can have a beautiful view wherever we are, if only we slow down to appreciate it.
We use a base of earthy honeybush tea, paired perfectly with Oregon lavender and apricot essence. The fruit and floral pair to create a calming influence. It’s just delightful — and especially refreshing on ice. Originally this tea was a seasonal-only blend but based on your demands, we’ve elevated it to a signature blend so you can get your Vista cuppa anytime of year.
All Plum Deluxe teas are hand-blended and infused with love in Portland, Oregon. Each 1oz packet makes 15-20 cups. All organic ingredients — no sulfites, no artificial chemicals, non-GMO
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
#FanaticFriday: Peach Cheesecake Honeybush from 52Teas
I’m a huge fan of 52Teas. Always have been. So I thought I would take over SororiTea Sisters today and chat about a few new offerings from 52Teas!
Today I was just craving a dessert tea and I have to say this one hit the spot perfectly for me!
52Teas creates an amazing line of dessert teas that satisfy any sweet tooth. With the leaves starting to fall and almost at the end of September, I was craving a tea that had a fall touch and a dessert feel.
Peach Cheesecake Honeybush has a lovely gathering of fall like spices with a honeybush background. The tea itself has even a fall look with the lovely large chunks of peach and pops of lighter yellows on a bed of brown honeyhbush. Doesn’t get more fall than that!
Brewed with fresh boiled water and allowed to steep for 5 minutes, this tea had a lovely spiced peach aroma that made my mouth water. I couldn’t wait for the tea to finish steeping.
Once I was all set and the tea cooled for a moment , I took my first sip. Pops of vibrant fresh peaches spiced to perfection with cinnamon and a hint of ginger with a lush silky creamy finish.
This blend is sweet with just the right amount of spice to give the tea the much needed contrast. I’m crazy about this tea right now and have almost tanked out my taster size that I received in my monthly subscription box. This is one I’m going to have to think about getting a larger size.
Peach Cheesecake Honeybush is one of those perfect teas that has that subtle fall feel with those pops of vibrancy that give you all the tea feels!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal/Honeybush
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
When I was determining the tea menu for this month, I knew I wanted to do one last peach tea as the summer wanes. I also wanted to do a cream cheese type of tea because it’s been a little while since our last cream cheese offering. So I decided to bring these two flavors together to create a Peach Cheesecake Honeybush!
I started with organic honeybush – I thought that the natural nutty-like flavors of the honeybush would make a nice base for the flavors of peach and cheesecake. Then I added freeze-dried peach chunks and cinnamon and natural flavors to create a sublime, dessert-y treat. This blend is all organic, gluten-free, allergen-free and naturally caffeine-free – not to mention delicious!
Taster size is approximately 15g.
organic ingredients: honeybush, freeze-dried peaches, cinnamon, ginger root, calendula petals and natural flavors.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Waterfall Mist Honeybush Tea from Plum Deluxe
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
Tea Description:
A blend for refreshing body, mind, and soul. All Organic: Honeybush Tea, Orange Peel, and Peppermint. No Caffeine.
Learn more about tea’s available from Plum Deluxe here.
Learn more about Plum Deluxe’s monthly tea club here.
Taster’s Review:
Waterfall Mist Honeybush Tea is a lovely simple blend of honeybush, orange peels and peppermint. Plum Deluxe knows how to create the most wonderful flavors out of a simple concoction. Sometimes the most simple blends are the ones we hold dearest to our hearts.
So let’s chat about the tea! Waterfall Mist Honeybush brewed up with water at 212F and allowed to steep for 5 minutes is soul soothing and as comforting as tea gets. I added in a few fresh slices of lemon to complete the tea.
First notes you really pick up on are the rich lush silky honeybush, followed by an orange sweetness, and to finish each sip, the peppermint provides a touch of that familiar minty flavor. With the lemon wedges in the brew, the citrus notes are even more amplified.
All in all, this tea is exactly what I was needing today. Simple, sweet, and cozy. Doesn’t get much better than that!
Chocolate Covered Banana Honeybush from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
I was inspired to do this blend because one of my all-time favorite 52Teas blends from way, way back was Chelsea’s Chocolate Banana Rooibos. And as much as I loved that blend, there was always a part of me that lamented the fact that it was a red rooibos base and not long after Amethyst acquired 52Teas, I decided that I needed to “reinvent” that blend into either a Honeybush blend or a green rooibos blend. Ultimately, I decided I needed to first try Honeybush – but I do plan on trying a green rooibos blend eventually too.
Mmm! The naturally nutty-sweet flavor of the honeybush works nicely with the flavors of chocolate and banana. The overall flavor reminds me a bit of the frozen chocolate covered bananas that you might get at an amusement park – the kind that are sprinkled with chopped nuts before the chocolate has a chance to set. I get sweet, fruity notes of banana, the creamy, rich flavor of chocolate and a hint of nutty flavor from the honeybush.
Tasty!
organic ingredients: honeybush, freeze-dried bananas, cacao nibs, cacao shells, mini vegan chocolate chips and natural flavors.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Chocolate Covered Banana Honeybush. . . As much as I love my banana flavored teas, chocolate banana teas I seem to be more hesitant with. I am just not a huge chocolate fan, but I do find that I love the honeybush that 52Teas using as their base, so I had to try it. My first impression of the dry leaf was rich dark chocolate notes with a bright and vibrant banana flavor. Still hesitant, I prepped the tea up and took my first sip.
A rich decadent baked good flavor greeted me. A nutty almost cookie note with a lush dark chocolate hint here and there. Add in the fresh banana flavor, you have a tea that really pops. This is one of those decadent teas that are rich, simple, yet full in flavor. And I’m greedily gulping mine down. I can’t get enough. Since I only have a taster size of this tea, I think I’ll save the rest to try a cold brew. I can see how this could be an amazing treat on as an iced tea on a warm summer day.
This is one of those decadent banana teas that screams dessert tea. One that I hope to be enjoying for some time now. This tea is still available from 52Teas so I highly recommend checking it out! Chocolate Covered Banana Honeybush will be a tea I will be dreaming out!