Do yourself a favor and visit the website for this company. I betcha you’ll be drooling before you read half of the descriptions. Have someone hide your credit card first and change your Paypal account password if you are weak or you’ll be broke tomorrow.
Plum Deluxe has a monthly tea subscription available, a blender’s choice special so you can try a surprise tea at a special price, and of course, teas to order as you wish.
Today I tried their Pomme Blossom White Tea, a delightful and flavorful blend featuring white tea, rose hips, jasmine, apple pieces, hibiscus, safflower, ginger, cinnamon, orange peel, rose petals, and pomegranate essence. CALM DOWN HIBISCUS HATERS. There isn’t enough hibiscus to change the color of this tea to pink, so you know there is hardly any here. I could smell the rose hips and hibiscus but the tea was not tart. It WAS full of delicious, fresh flavor and was fantastic both hot and iced. Even the cinnamon is quite muted, just adding a sparkle to the cup.
What impressed me about this tea blend is that there is SO MUCH in it, but it is very well balanced and the end result is a really refreshing tea.
Sadly, this blend is not available at present, but no matter. Looking at their site, I’d say there a number of teas to fall in love with here.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Kokomo Cooler from Fava Tea. . . .
So I know that this one is probably supposed to be drunk iced, but I was too lazy and too impatient today to ice it. I like cooling the tea down a lot before pouring it over ice, otherwise the ice melts and its too watered down. Anyways, the reason I ordered this tea was because of course the name made me think that it would be a great summer blend, and also because of the ingredients. I’m always down to try something different and unique. Black tea with blueberries, pineapple, coconut, caramel, and freeze dried yogurt pieces all sounded like a combo I haven’t tried before. The only thing that made me hesitant and slightly disappointed right off the bat was the inclusion of hibiscus. I have only tried one tea that included hibiscus that I enjoyed thus far. Anytime hibiscus is listed I usually don’t buy it, but Fava didn’t use “tart” as a descriptive word to describe this blend so I decided to give it a try.
Once steeped I could smell the caramel, pineapple, and coconut. It smelled like DAVIDsTEA’s Caramel Corn blend. In all honesty it tasted like it, too, except with blueberries. I was immediately in love after the first sip and I know for a fact I will be stocking up on this one. It is fantastic hot and I am now eager to try it iced!
The first thing I notice is how creamy it is and I wonder if that is from the yogurt pieces. The next thing I notice is that I would not peg this as a black tea blend, it tastes more like a fruit infusion and I love it! It is creamy, fruity, nutty, and not the least bit tart. It isn’t overly sugary though, and I did add agave still. The blend of pineapple, coconut, and blueberry is so good and so unique. The added ingredients of caramel and yogurt pieces give the blend a smooth, creamy, and sweet aspect that leaves you wanting to continue going back for another sip. It’s addicting because there is so much going on in each sip that you have to keep trying it! I really really like this one. I know I say it a lot, but this is truly a must try this summer…no matter what you think you like or what flavors you usually gravitate towards, everyone should try this at least once.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Fava Tea
Description
This black tea blend will set you thinking of palm trees and beach-side afternoons. The flavors of pineapple, blueberries, and coconut all complement each other in an endless circle of deliciousness. It’s refreshing and perfect for porch lounging, or for mermaids drinking tea in their lagoons!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Dragonfruit Fusion Teabags from Simpson and Vail.. . . .
June was National Iced Tea Month so I thought a few Iced Tea attempts were surely in order! To kick things off I brewed some Dragonfuit Fusion Tea Bags from Simpson & Vail.
As many of you know Hibiscus scares me and Rosehips are creeping on that list as well. When I saw how intensely pinkish-red this was after brewing I ASSUMED it was going to be that dreaded tarty-sour Hibiscus I was so frightened of. BUT…I don’t know how S&V did it but it worked well here! It wasn’t overly tart or overly sweet. Perhaps it was the Green Rooibos base that helped even it out?
Ingredients include Organic green rooibos, organic rosehips, organic hibiscus, organic orange peel, organic lemon peel and natural flavors. I will say that I could taste the citrusy peels mentioned in the list of ingredients and that seemed to really contribute to the overall flavor of this tea!
The rebel that I am – I sipped a half of a cup of this tea hot before icing and it was pretty good hot, too!
I have a very large thermo container that I will be traveling with a lot this summer and I can see myself keeping iced teas in there very soon! I’m looking forward to Iced Tea Season. Are you?
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal/Tisane
Where to Buy: Simpson & Vail
Description
Perfect for lazy summer days, this organic herbal blend brews to a ruby red color with a tropical fruit taste. Caffeine free and bursting with flavor, this “tea” will be enjoyed by young and old alike. Add a little sweetener or seltzer to brighten up the taste!
Ingredients: Organic green rooibos, organic rosehips, organic hibiscus, organic orange peel, organic lemon peel and natural flavors.
To brew:
Put teabag in a gallon container. Pour boiling water over the teabag to cover, steep for 5 minutes then remove the bag. Add cold water to fill the container and stir. Refrigerate. Serve over ice as is or with your choice of sweetener.
Iced tea in the refrigerator may turn cloudy. If this should occur, pour a little boiling water into the tea after removal from the refrigerator.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Hazelnut Mate from Fava Tea. . . . .
I really enjoy the flavor of hazelnut. When I was a coffee drinker I would always get a hazelnut macchiato or hazelnut iced coffee in the summers. I know that mate is very energizing, and I really would like to enjoy it. The mate blends I’ve tried thus far weren’t too pleasing to me. Although they were good blends, and i’m sure that others would enjoy them, they just weren’t my taste. When I came across Hazelnut Mate on Fava Tea’s website, I thought i’d give it a try. I figured I may enjoy the hazelnut flavor, since for whatever reason mate tends to come closest to a coffee substitute out of all the tea types, next to black tea of course. There’s something about the richness of the mate blends I’ve tried that really reminds me of coffee, plus the energy boost is pretty awesome too.
Upon smelling the dry leaf of this blend I noticed that the cocoa scent was strong, although that didn’t translate as strong to the taste of the cup. I was thankful for that because I didn’t want a blend that was too chocolatey, I wanted it to be more nutty/hazelnut. I immediately liked this tea as soon as I sipped it. This is the first mate blend that I couldn’t put down. It is so smooth and its not too heavy or thick. I have tried many hazelnut black teas, and the difference between them and this mate blend is that the mate has absolutely no bitterness and it isn’t as bold and in-your-face as black tea can be. Its really smooth and almost a little grassy, but the hazelnut component adds some nuttiness and that flavor that I know and love from my coffee-drinking days. I really enjoyed this tea and it has made me curious about other mate blends. Whether you’ve had mate before or not, if you like hazelnut you should try this!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Yerba Mate
Where to Buy: Fava Teas
Description
Nutty, smooth and packed full of vitamins and minerals this is the perfect choice for an enlightening lift! Roasted yerba mate leaves blended with hazelnuts, cocoa nibs and cornflower blossoms. And finally because sometimes you feel like a nut…. Blends well with Chocolate Cream Rocks.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Zesty Ginger Lime from Storehouse Teas. . .
Summer is pretty much exclusively iced tea season for me– and frankly, if it can’t be cold-brewed, it probably isn’t going to get much love in my tea cabinet during the warmer months.
So when this little unassuming gem showed up in my most recent sample stash, it wasn’t even a question that I’d be brewing it cold. The ginger and the lime immediately pop in the cold brew, with hints of lemongrass lingering behind.
This one lived up to its name (“zesty” indeed!) and was fantastic with a splash of lemonade stirred in right before sipping. It’s the perfect addition to my summer iced tea stash– and definitely one I’ll be sipping again soon!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Rooibos
Where to Buy: Storehouse Teas
Description
Organic Green Rooibos from South Africa combined with zesty lime citrus and soothing ginger is refreshing and delicious, excellent for digestion and relaxation. Zesty Ginger Lime is stimulating yet caffeine-free, with anti-oxidant rich, hydrating and skin care enhancing properties. Great iced!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
