Waterfall Mist Honeybush Tea, a relatively Plum Deluxe blend made of honeybush, orange peels, and peppermint. Now I am familiar with this brand but have never personally ordered from them and when I came across this sample in a traveling teabox, I was intrigued.
Since the sample was generous, I decided to experiment with this tea though all cups were steeped in 200 degree water for 3 minutes.
First, I brewed it hot, my typical go-to method for all new teas. The hot cup tastes first and foremost of mint. Cooling peppermint, in fact. Honeybush is the next thing I pick up, tasting a sweetness typical of this base but also a slight wood note. Finally, if I focus, I can catch a bit of orange pithiness here and there but mostly it is drowned out by the other ingredients.
Next, given the summery and cool flavors of orange and mint, I thought this would make for a nice iced tea. Giving it a try now, I can say mint is still the most prominent note but it is certainly toned down when compared to the hot cup. That allows for some more bright orange/citrus flavors to come through. The base is also more subtle in the iced tea, though still contributing its trademark honeybush sweetness.
Finally, as per the recommendation on the packaging, I made a second iced tea and added a splash of lemonade. Since this was my first time adding lemonade to tea, I was excited to see how it would turn out but if I am being honest, I am not a fan. The lemonade makes the tea flatter, or I suppose it weighs it down making for a thicker mouthfeel that is less refreshing and more heavy. Plus, while I was hoping for some zing from the lemonade to pull out the orange in the tea, it was no where to be found. The lemonade lost its usual tartness while the tea lost most of its flavoring besides mint. Combined with the lemonade though, that mint is more medicinal than in the other two cups. To me, it seems the whole is less than the sum of its parts. Perhaps my “splash” of lemonade was more than what Plum Deluxe had in mind?
Ultimately, this was an alright cup of tea. Well cups, I suppose. Nothing mindblowing but still quite solid. I think it is best iced and can see it being a delightful companion on a hot and humid day.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
Description
First featured in July 2016, the Waterfall Mist is an gentle, exacting combination of orange and mint. This tea has a similar feeling of refreshing simplicity. Enjoy it iced, as a sangria infusion, with a splash of lemonade, or frozen into tea popsicle!
All Organic ingredients. Honeybush Tea, Orange Peel, Peppermint. No caffeine. Steep 1 tsp in boiling water 3-5 minutes or cold brew overnight.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Three Reasons Why I Loved This Month’s Zen Tea Bar Box. . . .
With back to school shopping and my work schedule, this month has flown by. It’s time again for that somewhat disorganized rush morning schedule of getting the kids up, making everybody’s lunch, reminding the kids to get up, reminding the kids to get dressed, remind the kids. . . . I think you get the picture.
All of that rushing around and my increased working schedule has been reaching for a good cuppa tea more and more. I think my tea intake has increased by ten fold, which cracks me up since I was already drinking pot fulls of tea each and every day. This is where this month’s Zen Tea Bar Box fell wonderfully into my tea routine.
If you aren’t familiar with Zen Tea Bar, I highly encourage you to take a moment and check them out. For about $10 a month, Zen Tea Bar will send you a sampling of different teas each month- ranging from loose leaf teas to tea bags. This month’s box was full of such a great assortment, but three teas really caught my eye.
Alpine-Berry- Two Leaves and a Bud
Alpine Berry is a lovely tea pyramit/sachet full of fruit tisane goodness. Hibiscus, apple pomace, rosehip shells, and sweet blackberry leaves with a few other ingredients provide this tea with a gorgeous sweet-slightly tart flavor that soothed my crazed heart. Brewed up hot, I wasn’t sure if I would like this tea seeing how much hibiscus was in the tea sachet, but honestly- the sweet flavor really countered the tartness well and I wasn’t left puckering after every sip. Just a simple but very balanced herbal tea that I can only imagine would be a delight iced. I didn’t even have to use honey. I’m looking forward to picking up more of this particular tea.
Pukka Tea and I have a love hate relationship. I seem to either love or really dislike their teas. But this particular blend fell into the love category. Chamomile, hibiscus, rose, and vanilla Flavoring are the key ingredients in this blend.
The most prominent note from this tea bag brewed hot is a smooth vanilla rose flavor with a hint of a tart finish. I drank this tea until the lovely herbs couldn’t give anymore. Womankind was probably my favorite tea included in this month’s box.
Typhoo Tea is a tea company that has always caught my eye while I’m doing a bit of shopping on Amazon, but I’ve never taken the step to add the tea to my cart. Personally, I do not drink a lot of bagged black teas and find myself more of a green and white tea kinda gal.
Brewed up hot, this tea reminds me of my childhood when I was sick and my mom would make me up a cuppa black tea (typically Lipton) with a touch of honey to make me feel better. My mom is a strictly decaf black tea-Lipton- lady who doesn’t stray from her brand. Growing up, she would always bring her own little baggie of Lipton tea bags and her own sweeteners to restaurants. When the waiter would ask her what kind of tea she would like after she ordered hot tea, she would sweetly respond- “None. I brought my own- I just need the water”.
That is why I loved this tea. The flavor was fine. I can’t say the tea itself stood out to me. Malty and sturdy, this tea was a typical no flair sort of black tea. I would have no problem drinking this tea again but I can’t say I would actively jump on the chance to buy more. Where this tea shined for me was it gave me a moment to reflect on memories that I had forgotten about. That is the sign of a good zen-ful moment with a cuppa tea.
I still have a few more teas to check out and enjoy from this month’s Zen Bar Tea Box, but I have to say, I’m already looking forward to September’s box!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Monthly Tea Subscription Box
Where to Buy: Zen Tea Bar
Description
The ZenTeaBar family is completely in love with our connection to nature!
Kelly, creator of ZenTeaBar.love realized there is more to just a cup of tea. The “ZEN” vibes you feel…that flowing mindfulness, the connection! We should Zenfully sample teas we love! During this process, a few questions came about:
-How can we select the perfect tea with all the tea options available today?
-How do we experience the true benefit of a tea leaf?
-How can we share the “ZEN” vibe?
Through this realization is how ZenTeaBar.love blossomed.
Our goal is to expand a new way for you to Zen-fully experience teas you love in the most comfortable, elegant way possible.
All of our boxes are individually stamped, folded, and packed by hand; and are infused with our team’s Aloha and good vibes.
We’d love to have you along on this ZenTeaBar venture with us!
Mahalo!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Vanilla Cupcake from the True Tea Club
It’s hard to resist a tea named Vanilla Cupcake, especially on a day when you just need something cute and sweet to brighten your day. This tea smells surprisingly fruity alongside the vanilla cake flavors, reminding me of fruitcake or banana bread. In a world of frosting-flavored, cake-themed tea blends, the amount of fruit flavors and fruity ingredients makes this blend stand apart.
The orange and papaya coupled with the vanilla, make this feel more like an orange-glazed sponge cake. Yum! The banana chips add their own full-flavored sweetness, but there is distinctly less of the traditional “frosting” taste, so if you want the extra creaminess, you should add a splash of milk to give the blend that dessert-like twist.
Because this is a decaf rooibos blend, it would be a perfect choice to brew up for a girl’s tea party. Who wouldn’t want a sip of a tea called vanilla cupcake? You could even serve it with real cupcakes and make a day of it!
In addition to all the fruit pieces in the tea, the leaves have at least two types of flower petals which makes the blend especially pretty to the eye. The bright and varied colors seem especially festive if you imagine this tea blend not just as a vanilla cupcake, but maybe as a “birthday cake” cupcake. This is a great blend for any day that needs a celebration.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Roobios
Where to Buy: True Tea Club
Description:
This Vanilla Cupcake Rooibos provides an exotic and smooth rooibos which provides a velvet-mouth feel. A dash of Banana chips amplifies this infusion into a heavenly status.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Oriental Beauty from Dachi Tea. . . .
These long twists, amber and brown with white tips, are stunning. They are also sort of difficult to measure out with my “perfect teaspoon.” So what you’re getting with this review is a BEST GUESS at how this should have been made.
Regardless, this is a sweet little number tastes like white grape juice. It tastes like sugar, and flowers, and grapes, and candy, and ribbon-dancing.
Do you remember ribbon-dancing? There was a product called Ribbon Dancer.
My mom wouldn’t let me have it, so I took a stick, tied some braided-up yarn to it, and made do.
This tea is like if I’d RECEIVED a Ribbon Dancer. I would have been the most graceful ribbon dancer of all time. This tea is has an airy, swishy ballerina vibe to it. I might have under-leafed it a bit, but I genuinely think that it’s meant to be delicate. (It says “delicate” on the bag. I’m cheating a little bit here.)
You can’t buy this tea directly from Dachi’s site, but you can take a moment to look around the site. (And consider a subscription!) The site has graphics that show not only the tea itself but what it tastes like. Which is a wonderful way for a visual learner like me to discover the properties of different tea. I mean, look at this.
I daresay that’s the Ribbon Dancer of tea photography.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Dachi Tea
Description
Premium-grade, single-origin, direct-trade tea delivered to your desk or door, month after month.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Malibu by Bruu Tea
Hello tea friends!
This comes straight from the Bruu Tea Club box from February. It isn’t available to buy on the website but it may in the near future.
The information card from the box mentioned this blend has a Pina Colada charm to it.
Ingredients: Apple, Rosehip, Pineapple, Coconut and Hibiscus.
Opening the packet I am met with a sweet fruit melody that screamed tropical punch as it filled my nostrils. It also had a creamy scent among the sweet and juicy fruit. In terms of blend the pieces are mostly medium sized.
Steeping Instructions: 1tsp – 100C – 6 minutes
Once steeped the tea is red in colour and bares a super tropical fruity scent with a touch of sourness.
The first few sips reveal an insanely sweet and fruity drink with a sour aftertaste. Pineapple and coconut were the dominant fruit flavours and the hibiscus lingered in the after taste with a touch of dryness.
It’s only a fruit blend but it’s very tasty, much stronger than I expected. Though sour, the hibiscus is acceptable and it dies down quickly. I think this would be nice mixed with a mild green tea.
It may not be Pina Colada but it’s tropical and tasty!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Bruu Tea
(This is not currently for sale)
Description: A dreamy fruit tea with lashings of coconut. Works great on its own, blended or as an ice tea.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
