This tea smells so delicious when you open the package! Even though I associate papaya with summer weather and tropical vibes, this tea has such a warm aroma. It’s totally acceptable as a Fall tea!
This tea reminds me of trail mix. The aroma and flavor have that nutty-fruity flavor combo that you find in a good quality trail mix with the big chunks of dried fruit. I do love a good trail mix!
Not every flavor blends will with rooibos, but this one is perfectly balanced. Rooibos has a mild sweetness and a slight nutty flavor with just a hint of vanilla; all perfect flavors to blend with almond and papaya.
If you haven’t checked out Dollar Tea Club, give them a try. It’s a convenient and inexpensive way to explore the world of tea and try new tea types and flavors. Watch for upcoming reviews on a couple of their other blends!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Dollar Tea Club
Description
Almond Papaya, What a tea! Premium Moroccan almonds give the German inspired marzipan a magnificent boost. Rooibos and marzipan were meant for each other.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Organic Gold Ceylon/Teakruthi -skysamurai
A bit underwhelmed by this one at first. My first go at it was in my favorite mug, water at 140, steeped for around 2 minutes. Definitely not enough time.
Then tried again at around 4 minutes. Still not quite what I was hoping for… Ah. But wait. As the taste of my cereal subsided the flavor of the tea truly came out.
It is a true Ceylon with its slight tannic after taste. Good woody and slightly earthy notes. Second round will be 150 F in a smaller glass cup.
Change in temp hasn’t affected it as much as I was hoping. A bit more tannic, which is to be expected in the second brew of a CTC tea.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Teakruthi
Description
Savour the taste of a deliciously strong flavoured tea with this Organic Broken Orange Pekoe Special (BOPSP). This single estate tea high grown in the Dimbulla region which has been producing premium quality teas since the 19th century. The certified organic tea is grown using traditional organic-only fertilisers and labour-intensive yet traditional methods of harvesting where the growers’ hand pluck only the bud and top two tender leaves, giving you the finest quality of tea grown here. The tea is processed to give you a strong flavoured brew that has a deep amber brownish-gold colour and woody, slightly burnt after notes.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Hot Mama Jama/Bird and Blend Tea Co -variaTEA
The weather is quickly cooling down and though I am glad to see the humid days behind me, I am going to miss not having to walk a half hour in the freezing wind to get to/from campus. In light of this conflict over the weather, I went with a hot/spicy tea that also has a tropical vibe, Hot Mama Jama by Bird and Blend Tea Co.
This tea is a Chinese green tea blended with lemongrass, lime leaves and pieces (large pieces at that), chili seeds, hibiscus, rosehip, apple pieces, orange peel, passion fruit pieces, mango pieces, and flavoring. I steeped it for 3 mins in 175F water and I am drinking it plain.
The chili has a strong scent as I lift the mug to take a sip and though the flavor is definitely present in the cup, I wouldn’t say this tea is particularly spicy. Instead I get the flavor of chili upfront and a tiny bit of warmth in the back of my throat throughout the sip. That chili flavor melts into a (mostly tropical) fruity flavor that comes out exceptionally sweet in contrast. Sweet but not cloying. The lemongrass can be more prominent than I like at times but mostly there is just a bright citrus note thanks to the lime and orange. I also definitely get a lot of mango with some bursts of passion fruit here and there. The foundation flavor here keeping everything grounded and underlying the entire sip is the familiar hibiscus/rosehip flavor that is found in so many fruity teas/tisanes. Thankfully it is not strong here as it typically is.
This makes me think of a mango sprinkled with chili powder as the two flavors are both present and compliment each other just as well in tea form as they do when enjoying that treat. With that said, this isn’t necessarily the highest quality tea or the best tea but it is unique and tasty. It is the type of tea that I can enjoy every now and then because it is something different than my usual go-tos.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Bird and Blend Tea Co
Description
Turn up the chilli tea heat and join the tropical carnival with a cup of Hot Mama Jama chilli green tea. But be warned… this blazing remix of refreshing reggae limes and calypso chilli beats will have your taste buds dancing all night long.
Hot Mama Jama is well-loved by our fans in the Brighton Gospel Choir for its amazing abilities to soothe a sore throat. It is the ultimate sore throat tea and when you mix it up with lemon and honey, see sore throat tea recipe it is the best natural remedy for a sore throat that you can find!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Pumpkin Chai Maple Latte/DAVIDs Tea -variaTEA
Being in the midst of Fall, pumpkin is everywhere. So is Chai. DAVIDsTEA decided to bank on the two beloved flavors at the same time when they combined the two in their Pumpkin Chai tea blend complete with cute little pumpkin sprinkles. This tea has been a fan favorite for years which has led to it being incorporated in several recipes on the DAVIDsTEA blog. One of the recipes, the Pumpkin Chai Maple Latte, caught my eye.
The recipe includes the following ingredients:
1 Perfect Spoonful of Pumpkin Chai tea
1½ cups 95°C/200°F water
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground ginger
1 cup canned coconut milk (coconut milk from a carton will make the latte thinner)
½ cup canned pumpkin puree
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp maple syrup or to taste
It is a fairly simple recipe. The steps are as follows:
1. Add water, tea and spices to a small saucepan and bring to a slow boil.
2. Lower heat and simmer for 8 min.
3. Add coconut milk, pumpkin puree and maple syrup, and let simmer for another 3-5 min.
4. Strain into mug(s) and enjoy!
One thing I will note is that the last step, straining the mix, is not easy if you don’t have the right utensils. I tried my gravity steeper but that almost immediately got clogged. I think I had to use about 4 strainers from my nordic/perfect tea mugs and slowly let the tea drain out as I stirred the mix in the strainer to push it through. In the end, I got about 12-16 ounces out of the pot and the rest was stuck in the steeper and strainers.
So with that in mind, is it worth the straining disaster? Well, that depends…do you like pumpkin? This is like a rich, creamy, sweet pumpkin soup – a little touch of spice from the cinnamon and ginger and a lot of sweet from the brown sugar and maple. It is very thick which is what is making me think soup as opposed to a beverage, which means it is also very filling. If I am being honest, I’ve never had pumpkin pie, but if someone took the filling, slightly liquefied it and added some ginger to make it a touch more savory, this is what I imagine the result would be. Except with some caramel maple syrup drizzled on top.
For me, this is a little bit weird. I think the slight hint of the pumpkin puree texture that still remains is making me feel like I am trying to drink something that I should be eating with a spoon. It also has a disconnect between the sweet and spice. At first, I get the pumpkin’s natural sweetness with spice but then caramel and maple pop out at the end of the sip and though they are nice flavors, they don’t blend smoothly.
For me, this is likely a recipe I won’t repeat. I have never been a HUGE pumpkin lover and this was too much work (after all the cleaning especially) for something I didn’t love. It was certainly fun to try though.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: DAVIDs Tea
Description
The forever fall must-have. This rich premium black tea is the perfect way to kick off the season. It’s got all the warmth of cinnamon and cloves, plus the sweetness of caramel and pumpkin candy. For a truly unforgettable pumpkin chai latte experience, top it up with steamed milk and stir in a spoonful of brown sugar.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
52Teas Sipdown -cuppageek
As some of you may know, I’ve taken a step back from my tea shop to get myself back on track health wise. What some of you might not know- I literally stopped drinking tea all together. I think between being such a huge tea fan and blending my own blends- my taste buds just weren’t feeling tea anymore. So I sadly packed up what tea I had (which was a lot), knowing that one day I would be back at it. . . and I’m happy to say after taking a couple months off- my taste buds are back where they should be.
I wanted to greet my tastebuds with something amazing right from the start and knowing that I had a lot of 52Teas in my stash, I knew Anne’s blends would be exactly where I needed to start my journey back into tea with.
If you aren’t familiar with Anne/52Teas, I implore to check her site out. She literally makes some of the most amazing blends that I’ve ever had and beyond that, she is just an amazing person. I’m quite honored to call her a personal friend as well, tho I never let that cloud my reviews of her blends and she knows that as well :).
Anyway, back to the tea goodness. . .
So over the last few days, I have enjoyed a TON of 52 Teas blends and was able to sipdown a few. Below are my thoughts on these blends that are sipdowns. . .
Blood Orange Butterscotch Black Tea– A blend with Black Tea, Blood Oranges, Calendula Petals & Natural Flavors- This blend, I have to say, was amazing however, I didn’t really pick up on the blood orange or the butterscotch. What I loved was the black tea that Anne used in this blend. The flavor was rich and smooth and even tho I didn’t really pick up any of the flavors, the black tea notes were more than enough for me to call this blend a winner.
Boy! Oh! Boy! Black Tea– A blend with Black Teas, Watermelon and Natural Flavors- To me, watermelon is a flavor best enjoyed cold so I cold brewed this one. That may have been a mistake. I didn’t love the blend and now I’m wondering if I would have enjoyed this one hot- would some of the flavors popped a bit more. . All I really could pick up was watermelon and being not one of my favorite flavors. . this one wasn’t my favorite. Still good.
Michola Chai Black Tea w/Honeybush– I would list the ingredients for this one but there is a laundry list of delights used to make this blend so I will some this one up with saying the normal chai ingredients with marshmallow root, vanilla bean, and honeybush. Let’s just start this note by saying sorry, not sorry. I literally gobbled up all the remaining inventory for this blend earlier this week (I believe and if there is more- I call dibs). This blend is one if not the BEST chai blend I have ever had, and I am not a fan of chais. Brewed up with hot- this blend had notes of chocolate, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg. . but want I literally searched for in each and every sip was the awesome ginger notes that stole the show. Not being a huge ginger fan- the amount of love I have for this blend is really interesting. So many flavors that normally I am not all about. I greedily drank/gulped this tea down in no time flat and have to say it is simply amazing. All the ingredients mingle so well. If you have this one in your stash, check it out. You won’t be sorry.
Gooey Butter Cake Black Tea– Black teas, lemon myrtle, calendula petals & natural flavors- Brewed up hot, this tea is literally like sipping on a cake. The cake notes are perfect in the spotlight with the tail end of the sip reminding you this is a black tea. Really delightful and one that I was happy to enjoy. Where I went wrong with this blend was brewing this one cold. Sadly the lemon myrtle took over and I didn’t enjoy the cold brew as much as the hot. Was still good, just not as good as the hot brew.
Walking on Sunshine White Tea– White Tea, lemons, marshmallow root & natural flavor- This white tea blend calls my name over and over. Marshmallow Root, white tea, and lemon are one of my favorite combinations and this tea was no exception. I truly enjoyed this blend hot as well as cold. This blend is currently available on the site and if I was enjoying white teas more, I would have gobbled up all of this blend too.
Ginger Lime Butterfly Tea– Butterfly Pea Flower, Lemongrass, ginger root, limes & natural flavors- Oh this blend. I truly truly love this blend. This blend has been my companion for a while since I cold brewed this delight and just keep adding water. The blend reminds me of a slightly floral, slightly spiced, limeade with chunks of lemon. I don’t really know how else to describe this one. I still have to hot brew the remaining bit I have left over, but cold brewed, this one is a winner.
Grapefruit Creme Brulee Green Tea– Green tea grapefruit, calendula petals, vanilla bean & natural flavors- This one is another sorry not sorry. I also nabbed the remaining inventory of this blend earlier this week because this is the blend that truly sang my name and prompted me to even buy a new tea kettle. This blend has it all- the lovely sweet notes of the vanilla bean, the semi tartness of the grapefruit with the vegetal background of the green tea. I can’t express how much I love this one and I have a feeling this one might be one I beg Anne to reblend for me as a custom order. It truly is that good.
Sipdowns are amazing but can also be sad. It is always nice to make room for new blends but sometimes it is sad to say goodbye. . .especially to blends from 52Teas because once some of these teas are gone. . .they are gone for good. Lucky for me, I have myself a pretty good sized 52Teas order on its way to me.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Herbal/Chai/Black/Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
