Gentle, warm, and soothing are 3 words I would use to describe Buttered Spiced Rum Green Tea from 52 Teas. Oddly…these are the same 3 words that 52 Teas used to describe this tea, too!
Organic ingredients include green tea, oranges, cinnamon, ginger, clove, allspice, nutmeg and natural flavors. 52 Teas doesn’t mess around! At least they don’t mess around with top quality ingredients. They might just have a little TOO much fun when it comes to blending the flavors but there’s NOTHING wrong with that, is there? No. I didn’t think so.
As much as I hate the phrase ‘mouth feel’ I can’t think of another adjective at the moment to describe the way the buttery-goodness of the green tea base swirls around in my mouth. The spices aren’t overly loud but act more like a merry-go-round with the buttery green tea. The citrus notes juice it up nicely, too!
This is delicious hot or cold! A flavored green I would drink time and time again.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
Hot Buttered Rum is a traditional winter drink – something that will help warm you up when it’s cold outside. As I’ve often mentioned, I’m not much of a drinker of alcohol – tea is my drink of choice – but I still enjoy the idea of a warm, soothing cup of hot buttered rum – so I decided to create a tea that brought those flavors to life while still enjoying my favorite drink.
I chose a buttery Chinese Sencha as my base because I felt that the natural buttery tones of the tea would highlight the ‘buttered’ part of the buttered rum. Then I added a few spices: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. The spices aren’t overwhelming because I wanted a gentle, warm spice flavor but not something that would overpower the flavors of creamy butter and rum. A couple of the recipes that I found online for Hot Buttered Spiced Rum called for orange zest – instead, I added some dried orange segments. The orange flavor is delicate here, just a touch of orange to brighten the cup. As I already mentioned, my goal was to highlight the buttered rum flavor so I didn’t want those flavors overwhelmed by other profiles in this blend.
The result is a gentle, warm, soothing beverage. Something that makes me want to curl up next to a crackling fire and read a good book. This one’s really nice!
Taster size is approximately 15g
organic ingredients: green tea, oranges, cinnamon, ginger, clove, allspice, nutmeg and natural flavors
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Pomegranate Black from 52Teas. . . .
Let me start by saying I love flavored black teas. Fruity, chocolately, spicy, you name it. So, I was stoked to try this one. It’s certainly not anything that will blow your socks off, but is more of a solid contender for a daily spring or summer tea.
Flavored teas are really only as good as the base upon which they’re built, so I was glad that this black tea base had a mild flavor. The pomegranate is a light, clean berry-ish flavor that’s more of a scent of the tea rather than a full-blown flavor. I also added just a touch of agave to bring out the sweetness of the fruit. It was a nice complement to the irresistible, ever-famous boxes of cookies that the little girls in green peddle each year around this time.
Overall, Pomegranate Black by 52 Teas is a simple, non-adventurous tea that begs to be paired with sweets for a mid-afternoon treat or as slight twist on iced tea to be served at lunch with friends.
I would certainly drink it again!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for the black flavored teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Turmeric Chai from Pumeli
I was (and still am) a fan of the TV Show Will & Grace. It used to crack me up when “Karen” used to walk into a room and say things like “You guys know how I’m into Gangster Rap, right?” Well I have been having those kind of moments when it comes to Turmeric the last couple of months. You guys know how I’m into to Turmeric, right? Well, if not…now you know! I just can’t get enough of it. That’s why I was super excited to try Turmeric Chai from Pumeli. I doubt I would have been as excited to try this rooibos had it NOT had Turmeric in it.
Having said that…Turmeric Chai from Pumeli was pretty darn impressive. Pumeli’s website states it’s a ‘warming, caffeine free herbal tea blend of organic & fair trade turmeric, red rooibos, and cinnamon. I will certainly agree with that statement. The aroma is primarily that of red rooibos and cinnamon. The flavor – once infused – is also intensely red rooibos flavor followed by a fair amount of cinnamon. The turmeric was a nice addition. Turmeric is more of a visual ingredient for me rather than a flavor ingredient. Sure it can turn just about anything yellow/orange. But it’s hard to pick out the flavor of it in some cases because it’s more mild. Some people think that Turmeric is a bit bitter and others think it’s more of a ginger flavor which makes sense because it is related to Ginger. But I think it has a flavor all of its own that is hard to describe unless there are large amounts of it in something.
Eventho I don’t think this has an in-your-face Turmeric flavor I would still say that Turmeric Chai from Pumeli makes my taste buds and body happy! It offered more than just your stereotypical red rooibos flavor and that is what I was hoping for! I’m VERY happy with this offering! And if you are looking for a way to increase your turmeric intake this is a great way to do it!
Taking a little side-trip or side-panel from the Turmeric Chai specifically and talking a bit more about Pumeli as a whole…I think this company is really great when it comes to gifts! I can’t say as tho I have seen anything like some of their gift sets before! And here at Sororitea Sisters we LOVE to highlight the UNIQUE. If you take a look at the PURE HARMONY Ayurveda Gift Box from Pumeli you will see that Turmeric Chai is the featured tea/tisane in the box. The box also includes Mullein & Sparrow Cleansing Powder, Soy Blend Candle, Hand Carved Elephant Wood Block, and Recycled Cotton Journal which is tree-free. So if you are looking for GREEN gifts for the environmentally conscience people on your list you are going to want to check out Pumeli!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Pumeli
Description
- Turmeric Chai :: A warming, caffeine free herbal tea blend of organic & fair trade turmeric, red rooibos and cinnamon
Learn even more about this tea company and what they offer here!
Lishan Tian Fu Oolong Tea from T-Oolong Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: T-Oolong Tea
Tea Description:
This high quality Lishan Tian Fu Oolong is handpicked, handcrafted and produced from Qingxin Oolong varietal grown in the mountain areas of Li Mountain. The aroma and taste of the tea are intensely floral, sweet, fruity and rich with honeysuckle-like flavors. The aftertaste is very sweet and long lasting, and this tea stands up very well to multiple infusions. It is very rich, smooth and delectable with almost no bitterness and astringency.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
There are few tea times more enjoyable than when I brew myself a cup of LiShan Oolong tea! And this LiShan Tian Fu Oolong Tea from T-Oolong Tea is so amazing!
I combined five infusions in one Yixing mug, and the combination of the infusions produces a sublime flavor of sweet, exotic tasting flower with hints of fruit. It is an intensely flavored cup. The most prominent note is that of the floral tones, which is reminiscent of the essence I would experience from the springtime air at my gramma’s house when I was young.
You see, she had a very prolific honeysuckle vine on the rear corner of her house, right next to one of the bedroom windows. And when the weather was warm during those later spring days, the window would be open, and the breezes from the Santa Ana winds would filter through the honeysuckle plant and then the breeze would enter the window. That’s what I’m experiencing as I sip this tea! I just love how tea brings these fond memories to life.
Beneath the sweet and floral honeysuckle-esque notes I taste faint vegetative notes that have a slight buttery intonation to them. There is some creaminess to this cup, but it isn’t a strong creamy note, nor does it seem to build or intensify as I continue to sip. It’s a subtle creamy taste and texture that melds with the vegetal tones.
Toward the end of the sip, a hint of fruit emerges … just faintly. It is a sweet note that reminds me of a crunchy apple, but without the tartness that I usually associate with an apple. As mentioned in the above review, I notice no bitterness, and no astringency.
And while this particular tea is not currently in stock on T-Oolong Tea’s website, I think it would be worth the effort to keep checking in occasionally to find out when this tea will be restocked. It’s a LOVELY tea, and if you love Oolong, it’s one you should try!
Halo Tea from The Persimmon Tree
Tea Type:
Flowering Tea/Blooming Tea (White Tea)
Where To Buy:
Direct link to this tea in their store: http://www.persimmontreetea.com/halo-tea.html
Product Description:
A beautifully hand-crafted blooming white tea that displays a ring of jasmine and amaranth flowers, with blueberry and peach essence.
* Characteristics Mild * Flavors Fruity * Steep Temperature 180˚ * Steep Time 3-5 mins
Tasters Review:
Halo from The Persimmon Tree Tea Company is just outstanding and AMAZING!!!
It perfectly opened/bloomed the first time around without any imperfections whatso-ever and smelled of blueberry and peaches and that’s on top of the floral aroma…how awesome is that for a blooming tea!!??
I could taste the blueberry, peach, and flowers and it’s very yummy!
I tried a 2nd infusion on this and it was still very tasty! The only notable difference was the 2nd infusion was more floral. It was still an overall wonderful flavor tho!
This is probably one of my favorite blooming teas or flowering teas I have tried to date! This is VERY special!