CuppaGeek’s Review:
Simpson & Vail is one of my favorite tea companies to review. The crew is passionate and incredibly in tune to what the tea community wants and needs. They provide amazing customer service and deliver fresh teas with flavors that are crisp and bright.
Green Guava is one of their “summer” blends that they have been featuring. Vibrant sweet tropical notes are what I’m picking up from the pouch. The tea itself gives you such a summer feel. I love how the bright colors pop against the green tea base.
Allowed to cool for just a few moments and I was greeted with flavors that are recommencement of a sweet jam you would pick up at your local farmer’s market. Fresh sweet with a tiny twinge of tartness. Buttery green tea base brings out a wonderful balance and completes each sip with such a full bodied feel. To bring out the tropical feel I really wish there was almost a hint of pineapple or mango thrown into the mix. There is almost a note of a flavor that is missing.
All in all, this flavored green tea is really nice. Subtle, gentle, and not in your face. One that could bring a soothing tone to a hectic day or even as an afternoon tea.
If you haven’t checked out the fabulous line of teas at Simpson and Vail- please do! I’m sure you’ll find at least five teas that will instantly hop into your cart.
What do learn more about this tea?
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Simpson & Vail
Tea Description:
A wonderful afternoon tea! This fabulous blend of delicious fruits is melded with colorful herbs and our delicate White Monkey tea. The pale ecru cup emits a scrumptious fruity taste that is certain to please.
Learn even more about this tea here.
Filthy Human Plant Juice from Geeky Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: Geeky Teas
Tea Description:
Green tea, cocoa nibs, natural chocolate mint, and peppermint flavor give us a tea that well, tastes like a thin mint cookie.
Girl Scouts beware! I will fling my pig of greased up squigginess at you!
Now we sing the doom song
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Geeky Teas is one of my favorite tea companies to check out. I love the compassion for all things geeky that they embrace. They have been busy too with moving to a new location so I haven’t had a chance to chat with Donna in a bit. I do believe that Filthy Human Plant Juice is one of about 3 or 4 remaining tea samples I have left from Geeky Teas. Looks like I may need to order more soon. (I mean c’mon- there is a Deadpool Oolong Blend!)
So right off the bat, this tea has a dessert feel to it. The description on Geeky’s Teas says it best-this tea does have a remarkably strong resemblance to Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookies. And who doesn’t love a Girl Scout cookie?
Brewed with the packages recommendations-Steep at 180F for 2-3 minutes, I was literally drooling with the idea of this tea. I am not a chocolate fan by any means but I have always loved Thin Mints. Especially after having them frozen in a freezer for a few months and enjoying them on a hot day. There is nothing better!
First sip of this tea and I could see exactly what Geeky Teas was trying to accomplish, but to me, it missed the mark a bit. The green tea has a more vegetal feel than I had hoped. That could be from a oversteep. I was hoping for more of a buttery silky tone and texture. The chocolate and peppermint also didn’t quite sit well with me. The flavors didn’t seem to really mingle well together and create the palate refreshing notes I was looking for. This blend just really seemed to want to contrast itself every step of the way. Maybe as a cold brew, this tea would bring out the notes I am looking for.
Even tho this particular blend didn’t sing true with me, there are so many others that do from Geeky Teas. I love the combo of fandom and tea. Just makes my geeky tea gal’s heart happy!
Fig Formosa Oolong Tea from Stylin’ Tea Blends
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Stylin’ Tea Blends
Tea Description:
Full whole leaf quality Taiwanese oolong is the perfect base for the rich taste of Smyrna fig. The addition of cornflower and poppy flower petals add rich color and a natural sweetness enhancing the visual and taste character.
This blend is a complete departure from your typical cup of dark oolong tea and a pleasurable experience whether served hot or cold.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Fig Formosa Oolong from Stylin’ Tea Blends is a tea that I should have tried a long time ago. This lovely blend is soothing my tired soul today!
I have been on an oolong kick lately. This one caught my eye with the flavoring of the fig promise. I have to say, the promise delivers but in a different way than expected.
First off, lets chat about the dry leaf. The dry leaf is a lovely sweet candy like aroma. Almost like candied figs. That was the first thought that came to my mind. So did this tea deliver on the promise of the sweet candied figs? Yes and no.
This tea didn’t exactly have a fig like flavor but what this tea does deliver on is an almost earl grey like oolong. I know, peculiar, but that is what this reminds me of. There is a resemblance to earl grey that is just too hard to ignore. I can’t say I pick up beramot oil per say. But if I didn’t know better, I would think this was an earl grey oolong! (Which I typically don’t care too much for. But this was is simply brilliant!)
The tea has a sweet yet floral like flavor that swirls on your tongue and plays with your senses. The oolong has a silky buttery feel that really lets the other flavors become the star. Really lovely. A great mix of a sweet yet floral tea with a lush decadent background that leaves you wanting more.
Like I said, this tea is really soothing my soul today and giving me all the warm feels!
Chocolate Covered Banana Honeybush from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
I was inspired to do this blend because one of my all-time favorite 52Teas blends from way, way back was Chelsea’s Chocolate Banana Rooibos. And as much as I loved that blend, there was always a part of me that lamented the fact that it was a red rooibos base and not long after Amethyst acquired 52Teas, I decided that I needed to “reinvent” that blend into either a Honeybush blend or a green rooibos blend. Ultimately, I decided I needed to first try Honeybush – but I do plan on trying a green rooibos blend eventually too.
Mmm! The naturally nutty-sweet flavor of the honeybush works nicely with the flavors of chocolate and banana. The overall flavor reminds me a bit of the frozen chocolate covered bananas that you might get at an amusement park – the kind that are sprinkled with chopped nuts before the chocolate has a chance to set. I get sweet, fruity notes of banana, the creamy, rich flavor of chocolate and a hint of nutty flavor from the honeybush.
Tasty!
organic ingredients: honeybush, freeze-dried bananas, cacao nibs, cacao shells, mini vegan chocolate chips and natural flavors.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Chocolate Covered Banana Honeybush. . . As much as I love my banana flavored teas, chocolate banana teas I seem to be more hesitant with. I am just not a huge chocolate fan, but I do find that I love the honeybush that 52Teas using as their base, so I had to try it. My first impression of the dry leaf was rich dark chocolate notes with a bright and vibrant banana flavor. Still hesitant, I prepped the tea up and took my first sip.
A rich decadent baked good flavor greeted me. A nutty almost cookie note with a lush dark chocolate hint here and there. Add in the fresh banana flavor, you have a tea that really pops. This is one of those decadent teas that are rich, simple, yet full in flavor. And I’m greedily gulping mine down. I can’t get enough. Since I only have a taster size of this tea, I think I’ll save the rest to try a cold brew. I can see how this could be an amazing treat on as an iced tea on a warm summer day.
This is one of those decadent banana teas that screams dessert tea. One that I hope to be enjoying for some time now. This tea is still available from 52Teas so I highly recommend checking it out! Chocolate Covered Banana Honeybush will be a tea I will be dreaming out!
Makaibari Bai Mu Dan from Tea People
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White Tea
Where to Buy: Tea People
Tea Description:
This fine White Darjeeling tea is from the organically certified Makaibari tea estate located in the town of Kurseong. In the local language ‘Kurseong’ means the land of the white orchid. This tea is made from the delicate unopened leaves and yields the palest liquor with a light chestnut flavour.
Learn more about the white teas that are offered here. This particular variety does not look to be on the website any longer.
Taster’s Review:
Makaibari Bai Mu Dan from Tea People is my first voyage into the lineup of what Tea People has to offer their customers. Lately, I’ve been in a flavored tea rut, not enjoying straight teas like I should. So I thought this would be a great start in forcing myself to try new straight teas.
First of all, I have to say the packaging, website, and the presentation of this tea and tea company are very well done. After doing a bit of research, this is a company I’m going to take another look at the next time I’m buying tea. Their packaging really catches my attention.
So let’s chat about the tea itself. What I first noticed was that the dry leaf really didn’t call my attention or have any defining notes. I was surprised by this but went about steeping the tea per the instructions provided by Tea People.
From what I can gather from the description, this tea is supposed to have a rather light chestnut flavor. That is a note that really does come thru, but that isn’t the attribute that I pick up from this tea. Mostly what I find myself picking up is this lovely whole mouth feel of astringent notes that really captivates the senses. Sure the lovely nutty flavors are quite nice, but that astringency says “Hello! Check me out!”.
So my final thoughts? I can’t say that I love this tea as much as I would love a floral white tea, but this Makaibari Bai Mu Dan was a real treat. I’m really enjoying this cuppa!