This is like a tangy orange creamsicle! Not the sweet kind, but the kind with a little bit of zesty bite. I suspect that this comes from the tamarind, a substance I’d never heard of until this tea.
According to this site , tamarind a tree-growing legume that is: “Sweet but tart, and sometimes very sour, tamarind is potent. A little goes a long way. While tamarind pulp can be eaten alone, it is most often mixed with sugar and/or diluted to mellow the strong flavor.”
Isn’t it kind of amazing that the world is so vast and full of things you’ve never tried (or perhaps even heard of)? Biodiversity. OH MY GOSH. It’s so cool, guys. Trying teas has turned into Planet Earth for me. Soapberries, tamarind, bergamot: who knew? (Don’t you DARE tell me you knew. Shush.)
ANYTHING can be put into a tea. And A Quarter to Tea has done it! Thank you, friends!
This tea is not available at present, but a Google search for “tamarind tea” yields plenty of results! GO FORTH, MY PRETTIES! TRY IT TODAY!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Orange Dreamsicle from Wise Ape Tea Co. . .
I have searched and for the most part in vain- for a tea that tasted like an orange dreamsicle. Growing up, that was my favorite summer treat so to have a tea to remember those summer childhood memories without the calories, well that would be just dandy!
Upon first sniff, this tea smells all sorts of citrus and vanilla. I couldn’t wait to see if the sweet alluring aromas matched how this tea would taste.
Brewed with fresh prepped water and allowed to brew for about 5 minutes, I eagerly took my first sip and WOW! This tea pops of fresh orange and vanilla creamy like notes with this gorgeous herbaceous undertone. First you get a true orange flavor, nothing artificial or chemical tasting, with this swirling lush vanilla twist with this chamomile herbal finish. Sip after beautiful sip, this tea is perfection in a cup!
This tea tastes exactly like it should with a name like Orange Dreamsicle with a chamomile finish that I’m adoring. If you haven’t experienced teas from Wise Ape Tea, I highly encourage you to. Their teas are fresh, full of flavor, and are good for you. Each blend has special herbs and inclusions that help make these teas more like what I consider wellness teas. A lot of these teas in this category really do not have the best flavor, but these blends just hit the spot. Plus, these teas all benefit different charities with how Wise Ape Tea Co pays it forward.
I’ve always been a big fan of their Chocolate Hustle and now with the new teas added to the line up, I adore them even more! I can’t wait to cold brew this delight for those hot summer days right around the corner.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Wise Ape Tea Co.
Description
A dreamy blend of chamomile flowers with subtle hints of orange and cream, combined with adaptogenic super-herbs to support your nightly zen. This relaxing elixir is designed to calm the mind, ease the body, and help you sink into a restorative night’s sleep.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Oregon Breakfast from Plum Deluxe. . . .
There’s something about a hazelnut tea that just feels like the ultimate decadence– rich, creamy, nutty and dark, blends beautifully with a whole host of flavors. How can you go wrong? And for certain– Plum Deluxe has not got it wrong in this beautiful blend.
If this is what breakfast in Oregon is like– nutty, bright and citrus-y, a beautiful balance between caffeinated black tea and mellow honeybush– then let me hop a plane, because I am SO here for it. This tea makes for a spectacular latte, but is just as comforting and indulgent served black, as well. It reminds me just the tiniest bit of dessert, but this unique combination of flavors simultaneously tastes like nothing I’ve ever had before. Oregon, if the rest of you is as lovely as this breakfast tea, I think it’s time I make a trip!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
Description
This breakfast tea is how Plum Deluxe folk like to start their day. The earthy base of black tea and honeybush teahelps center you; the ping of orange helps wake you and get you excited about today’s possibilities. It’s a simple tea and yet it is rich with subtle flavors.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
The Harvest Collection from The DAVIDs Tea. . . .
The Harvest Collection, DAVIDsTEA’s Fall lineup of teas focuses fresh farm-to-table inspired blends. These teas have some new and exciting flavors that certainly had me intrigued. I brewed them all up hot, as per the company’s recommended steeping parameters.
First up is Just Beet It, a mate blend that intends to highlight the beetroot, apple, goji, and blackberries. Personally of the five teas, this is one of two I was most worried about due to the mate base. Luckily for me, it doesn’t seem as though there is much of it among the dry leaf. Anyways, I brewed this up and it came out a beautiful clear reddish-pink color. I am pleased to report, the earthy rainforest note often associated with mate is not found here. Instead, this tea is light and fruity with clear berry notes (leaning more towards blackberry actually, though the raspberry is still very much present) and an apple sweetness. Tartness from the gojis pop up here and there which is a welcome distraction from the other, sweeter ingredients. I don’t get much in the way of beets, though other than that, it seems like DAVIDs aptly described this tea
Next is Pear Blossom, the other blend I was most worried about trying, this time due to the addition of stevia. This is a herbal infusion that hopes to bring out the flavors of pear, papaya, pineapple, and sunflower. It steeps up a clear yellowish tone and has a great pear scent. Unfortunately for me, as expected, the stevia is just too much for my tastes to handle. I get a touch of pear flavor and some distinctive peach flavoring and even a slight nod towards florals but that all devolves into the cloying sweetness of stevia.
Honeycrisp Apple, the one I am most indifferent about trying, is one I have tried before. Of the group, I believe this is the only returning tea. It is a green tea which is concentrated around apples, of course. Steeped, it is incredibly clear, with slight blush undertones. The flavor is also very light. Too light in fact that I find myself searching for anything at all more than just sweet. In the past when I had this iced, I remember it being more flavorful and representative of its namesake but as a hot tea it is just too muted and thus rather forgettable.
This next tea, Wild Strawberry, I found particularly compelling due to the rosemary. A herbal blend of strawberry, hibiscus, and vanilla, spiked with a sprig of the herb to keep things interesting. It brews up the color of all other strawberry/hibscus blends and also has a familiar taste. This reminds me slightly of DAVIDsTEA’s Strawberry Rhubarb Parfait, with a clear and juicy strawberry flavor that is a little tart, but with the vanilla giving it that creaminess as opposed to yogurt chips. Unfortunately, like with so many other DAVIDsTEA blends that boast a cream element, as this one does, there is also an artificial note that is offputting. On the other hand, the rosemary, though less prominent than I expected, does add a unique quality to this blend that I enjoyed.
Finally we have Orange Glow. Now I am not usually one for orange teas but this herbal blend of carrots, orange, and ginger smelled so good that I got a whole 50 grams of it, as opposed to my usual sample size (granted I got the 50 grams for free with the purchase of a Tea Press but still). So, with that much in my stash, I have my fingers crossed that this will be good. First thing I noticed, is it steeps up the usual deep purplish-red of a hibiscus-rich herbal. Here’s hoping that doesn’t transfer over to the taste… thankfully it does not. This is an interesting tea actually, one unlike other DAVIDsTEA blends I have had before. The orange is there in flavor but subtle and lacking its typical brightness while there is a lot of carrot sweetness but no actual carrot flavor. There is also a touch of ginger flavor but no spicy kick. If I am being honest, the combination of the components, while not bad per-se, falls a bit flat.
All in all, for me, this collection misses the mark. Each tea has its potential but none quite reach it. Perhaps more experimenting can help make these better but brewed hot, per recommended steeping parameters, none of these made a great first impression. The teas are worth a try given they are different than DAVIDsTEA’s usual Fall lines and I will say, of the lot I was surprised to enjoy Just Beet It as much as I did, but even that isn’t making it onto any favorites lists anytime soon.
Here’s the scoop!
Where to Buy: DAVIDs Tea
Description
Savour the sunshine with this collection of five fruity fall teas. With sweet apple and lively green tea, Honeycrisp Apple captures that orchard freshness we love so much. Orange Glow is a vibrant blend of carrot, ginger and orange. Pear Blossom tastes just like biting in to a juicy Anjou pear. Wild Strawberry combines ripe berries with a lively twist of rosemary. And with beetroot, goji berries and blackberries, Just Beet It is the perfect way to put some pep in your step
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Waterfall Mist Honeybush Tea from Plum Deluxe . . . .
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!
