My birthday is in March and this year it felt like gifts were showered upon me. And I guess a lot of people are picking up on my tea obsession because 90% of those gifts were tea-related, with a fair amount of them being sent or organized by the wonderful CuppaGeek. In fact, the day before my birthday, four tea packages arrived, among them a flat box with a colorful label and my name largely displayed in the center – the March myteabox.ca monthly subcription box had arrived. It was a gift I didn’t even know I wanted but I was very pleased to get to try a new tea company and incredibly grateful to CuppaGeek and the Sororitea Sisters for making it happen!
I opened the box to a lovely handwritten note where I learned that “Every ‘first’ box includes a couple ‘extras’ – some disposable steeping bags, and a teaspoon.” As I tore back the tissue to discover what I was sent, I found three teas, a tea description card, a roll of teabags, and a cute spoon with a teapot on one end and a little note, tied on with a bow, that said “For You”. The presentation was adorable and made me all the more excited to try the teas.
I started with Sugar Shack Smokey Maple, a black tea – brewed hot as per the recommended steeping instructions – because I loves me a sugar shack (at least I think I do. I have never actually been to one. The concept really appeals to my foodie side though) and smoke and maple are one awesome pairing. In fact, a tea friend once told me that if you are drinking a smokey tea, a dash of maple syrup takes it to a whole new level. Unfortunately, I always added just a little too much maple syrup to my smokey teas so it is nice that the flavors were combined for me in this blend. Made up of black tea, safflower petals, natural flavors, and maple syrup, the tea is simple but quite nice. I noticed the smoke in the scent of the dry leaf was strong but I am happy to report for those who fear smoke that it is tame once brewed – distinct but not in-your-face. The maple is also noticeable but for my sweet tooth, I wish there was just a bit more. For me, this is a smokey and slightly brisk black tea with maple, which with a name like Sugar Shack Smokey Maple, I expected the maple to have been the shining star and not a supporting character.
Next was a Peppermint Matcha Pick-Me-Up latte. All of my flavored matcha experiences have either been with Red Leaf Tea (now the Matcha Outlet) matchas or DAVIDsTEA matchas and I believe both those companies add sugar to their offerings. The ingredients listed here are simply “Luxury green tea and peppermint leaves”, so you may sweeten (or not sweeten) to your tastes. Mixed in with milk, this makes for one smooth and creamy treat, with a refreshing peppermint finish. The matcha is mostly hidden, a fact that I prefer as I don’t typically love the grassy flavor associated with this type of tea. Personally, I am happy to reap the caffeine benefits of a matcha latte while enjoying just the creamy, minty deliciousness that is this tea.
Lastly is the caffeine-free fruit tea, Strawberry Sunshine, which I decided to ice. Comprised of apple pieces, rosehip pieces, orange pieces, hibiscus petals, calendula petals, and natural flavors, this mix is pretty standard in terms of fruit tea composition. No actual strawberry is listed here which is an interesting choice for a tea called “Strawberry Sunshine” though I suppose that is where the “natural flavoring” can come into play. Nonetheless, I can taste strawberry here, a flavor more true-to-the-fruit than strawberry candy, which floats above the apple-y base so commonly found in fruit blends and below a hint of citrus brightness from the orange. However, that all gives way to the familiar rosehip and hibiscus tartness that finishes the sip. It is good and I can see this being nice in the summertime but I also can’t help but feel like I have had this before.
All in all, I really enjoyed my experience with the March box for myteabox.ca. At $25/month, the price may be a bit steep for some, but the offerings are well-crafted and deliver on flavor without loading up the blends with sweeteners and chemicals. Plus, it provides a great variety among its three teas given that I got a black tea, some matcha, and a caffeine-free option to enjoy. Not to mention it all comes in one fun and exciting package.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Monthly Tea Box
Where to Buy: Myteabox.ca
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here! And for more info, check out their blog!
Hazelberry Pu’er from Simple Loose Leaf. . . . . .
Valentine’s Day has come and gone but this tea feels like it would have been a perfect fit for such a sweet, romantic day. This tea contains cocoa nibs,hazelnut flavor and strawberry flavor. The hazelnut flavor is what I taste the most, with a finish of chocolate and strawberries. It also has a slight roasted, earthy flavor from the pu’er tea itself which goes really really well with the other ingredients. I used to love hazelnut lattes back when I drank coffee, so this tea is a real treat. I tasted it plain before adding anything, and it’s pretty sweet on it’s own. It also has natural cream flavor, so it’s got a little bit of sweet and creamy all on it’s own.
I decided to gild the lilly and add a little coconut sugar and coconut milk and sipped away. It was heaven. This would be an amazing tea to have with breakfast, or even a delicious dessert tea. When I closed my eyes and sipped, I almost felt like I was drinking a chocolate covered strawberry!! This tea really is perfectly balanced, because it would be really easy for these flavors to be cloying, but they so aren’t. They make for a nutty, fruity slightly chocolate-y tea that is pretty dang close to perfection. I loved every last drop of this tea, and can’t wait to have another cup.
Whether you make it for a loved one or yourself, it is a delicious, tasty treat!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Pu’er
Where to Buy: Simple Loose Leaf
Description
This tea is no longer available on their site but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
A Dark Night Orange Spice Pu’erh from Plum Deluxe. . . .
I’ve always been a black-tea-with-milk-and-sugar kinda girl (thanks, semester abroad in London!). Now, as the years have passed, my tastes have matured, and I’ll happily venture out to less traditional teas and more traditional preparations, but there’s something about a bold black tea paired with creamy + sweet that gets me right in my cozy, nostalgic heart.
So you can imagine my bummer when I was recently put on an allergy test for to be without my beloved coconut milk (the only “milk” left that I could tolerate) for thirty days. SOB. As there’s a silver lining to every cloud, this has (finally!) opened up a category of teas that I all-too-often avoid: black teas that taste best SANS milk. Gasp! Who am I?
When this tea arrived in my monthly tea subscription from Plum Deluxe, I knew it would perfectly fit this new category in my tea-drinking life. A mellow pu’ehr with notes of orange, cinnamon, ginger, rose and anise, with fruity hibiscus? Yes please. It brews a beautifully robust almost walnut-y brown, with just a hint of pink from the hibiscus. Sweetened with a touch of honey, it’s a cup that is absolutely un-put-downable. Spicy and sweet, fruity and robust– like no other tea I’ve ever had. The only downside I can find is that a re-steep of the same leaves just doesn’t produce the same vibrant cup with similarly complex flavors as the first, but that can be a tall order for such a nuanced dry leaf.
Normally, I finish my tea of the month and move on to the next month’s bag without too much love lost. But with my newfound love (and need) for milk-less black teas, this one will be reordered as a permanent fixture in my tea cabinet.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Pu’erh
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
Description
This tea is only available to members of the Plum Deluxe Monthly Subscription Plan. Please click below for the other teas they offer or to learn more about joining their monthly tea membership.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Winter Almond Rooibos from Tea Sparrow. . . . .
Well…it’s Winter. It took a while to get here in the snow belt…but I’m NOT complaining! I found it fitting to review Winter Almond Rooibos from Tea Sparrow to get into the wintery spirit.
Winter Almond Rooibos is an herbal tisane that is full of aroma and flavor! I didn’t see any dairy in the list of ingredients so I thought I would try it. Ingredients listed were Redbush Tea, Almond Pieces, Chocolate Pieces (that were made up of sugar, cocoa powder/mass, almond flavor, and sunflower blossoms.
I was expecting this to be an almond and chocolate flavored red rooibos but it ended up being more than that. It was much like a Chocolate Almond Cookie in a cup! It was delicious! The Red Rooibos wasn’t as stereotypical as you think it would be which leads me to believe the amount of almond and chocolate flavoring was pretty top notch!
This was part of the December Tea Sparrow teas that were shipped. I’m VERY excited and grateful I was able to try it. If you are into non-dairy dessert teas and tisanes this is one I would keep an eye out for next time it’s available! It’s sure to please!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Tea Sparrrow
Description
Find out more about all Tea Sparrow has to offer below!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Passion Peach Tea from Teavery. . . .
This tea managed to work its way into the bottom of my tin, lying in wait until the perfect moment. Today was such a moment. I’ve been vaguely dizzy and tired all day (I think my medication levels might be wonky) and drank this with lunch, iced.
Boom. Back on point. Full precision. This is my sipping companion in its Giant 30 Oz Water Bottle of Super Hydration and Daylong Peeing. I am very awake and able to concentrate again. My typing is loud. I am a laser-beam of focus.
This blend is a zippy peach black with saucy berry and zesty citrus notes. There’s something about it that sticks in the mouth even after you’ve swallowed. Something sweet. I think it’s the rose hips or passionfruit. Oh, and the black tea. There’s a lot of caffeine in this. It may give you a heart attack. But you’ll love it.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black & Rooibos
Where to Buy: Teavery
Description
Teavery offers four monthly teas each month in their subscription plan. Check out what all they have to offer in the link below.
