“When you play the Game of Thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground,” Cersei famously said in the first season of Game of Thrones.
If you think fighting for dominance isn’t for you, try Empress Rajini. She seems to have her tea game on point. Think of all the tea you could have if you were in charge. Delicious, delicious tea.
I steeped this cup to go along with a donut I procured from the break room. (Why are there never, say, apples in there?)
The blend looked flowery and rich and dark, a perfect compliment to my chocolate-frosted confection.
And BOOM, I was right. This rose-lavender-fruit confection was the perfect counterpoint to the black tea in the blend and the chocolate from the donut. The whole thing was an IMMACULATE pick-me-up. Delicious. Wonderfully balanced, sweet, and ladylike.
I suspect Rajini is a fair and beloved empress.
If you don’t want to risk your life to rule, you could just buy the tea from Real Simple Loose Leaf, I guess.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Simple Loose Leaf
Description
Black tea, lavender, and rose petals with mango and peach flavor
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Reading Nook Blend Organic Black Cream Loose Leaf Tea from Plum Deluxe. . . .
Feeling fretful and restless, unable to decide which of the many tasks at hand I ought to start, frustrated over adulting and situations that are somewhat out of my control for now, and tired of the rain, rain, and more rain, I decided not to do anything for now, but to pick a tea that needed reviewing instead. The chores will wait for me.
As I went through my box of tea, the title of this one grabbed me and said, “This is exactly what you need right now. A great book to escape into and a great cup of tea.”
I always listen when tea talks to me, so I headed over to the internet and downloaded a book I have been wanting to read for ages and made a whole pot of this beautiful blend.
Before I even started drinking it, I was already feeling more relaxed. The top of my infuser basket held the loveliest colors of pink rose petals, little lavender blossoms, and golden bits of chamomile floating lazily over the black tea leaves. An aroma wafted up that felt like a gentle hand patting the shoulder with a “there, there.” Now, feet up, tablet on lap, one chapter down, and two cups in me, I have a new attitude.
Ah yes, this was just what I needed, indeed. Every element of the tea is nicely balanced and making me feel more peaceful. The black tea is soft and smooth but still strong enough to make a nice “real tea” base for the blend. The floral elements are soft and sweet. I added nothing to this and it doesn’t need a thing in my opinion. The rose is sweet and creamy and adds roundness to the texture, the lavender is soothing and so much more interesting than just lavender by itself, and the chamomile would be the lightest touch here to me, adding to the sense of peace, as I associate it with unwinding and letting go of worries and cares. The tea says, “Breathe.” So I do, deeply and slowly.
The overall effect is just what I desperately needed – enough of a break to relax and restore the strength to do what needs to be done next. But not tonight. Tonight is going to be just me and a good book and a full pot of Reading Nook Tea. Breathing.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black/Herbal
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
Description
The reading nook blend is our signature organic tea created for enjoying while perfecting some of our dearest passions: reading, writing, and enjoying conversation with friends.
One needs a touch of caffeine to keep the conversation flowing, the pages turning, or the pen on the move, so we start this blend with a wonderful cream black tea. We then added rosebuds for creativity and sustenance, lavender for flavor and aroma, and top it off with a bit of chamomile which adds a calming balance to it all. Customers often tell us this is our prettiest tea!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Bad Wolf from Geeky Teas. . . .
What a clever tea! For those who don’t already know, Bad Wolf is a pop culture reference from the long running British tv show, Dr. Who. The Doctor’s companion in that series was named Rose. She was a street smart, brave, adventurous working-class British girl.
If you have seen the full Bad Wolf series, you know that Rose is no shrinking violet. (See what I did there?) So a tea named Bad Wolf can NOT be a foofy, princessy teatime blend. It has to be STRONG! But it has to have the essence of Rose, too, and the love that never, ever died.
Don’t go into this tea expecting a Victorian romance novel. They named it Bad Wolf, not Rose!
This is a bold black tea base with a hint of rose, the peppery kind of rose, running beneath. I have found that when rose flavor in tea is subtle, it tends to lend subtle sweetness rather than tasting full on floral. That’s the case with this tea for me. The lingering aftertaste is a little sweet, but not overly floral or cloying.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Geeky Teas
Description
Black floral rose tea
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Rose Dragon Ball Black Tea from Teavivre. . . . .
When I lived in Montreal there was a tea from a local tea store, Camellia Sinensis, that I loved. I usually am not one for florals but that blend, Des Roses et Des Bonbons was absolutely amazing. Unfortunately, that tea was discontinued.
This tea is reminiscent of that great rose flavor, even if it does lack the “bonbons” candy element. Nonetheless, it’s sweet and floral making for a delicate treat. The black tea base contributes a silky smoothness with a great deal of malt and a dash of smoke. The base and rose flavor combine quite harmoniously to make a lovely everyday sort of tea where there is enough flavor to keep things interesting but not too much that you will bore of it quickly. With that in mind, it’s probably a good transition tea for those trying to make the jump from flavored to straight teas (or vice versa).
Plus, this is also a fun tea to watch brew. The large pearl comes filled with rose flowers. As the black tea blooms, the roses inside float to the top making for a one beautiful looking brew. Could be the tea to go with when you want to impress a friend or perhaps if you just want something relaxing to watch for a few minutes.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Description
The materials of Rose Dragon Ball Black tea are from Yunnan arbor old tea trees combining with Phnom Penh Rose, expertly rolled into a large pearl-like shape. Phnom Penh Rose is a specialty among the categories of Yunnan’s edible foods. Compared with other roses, the Phnom Penh Rose has a smaller appearance with light taste, but it presents a more delicate sweet taste and fragrance. Because of this reason, it’s capable of covering the strong taste and sometimes even some extent of bitterness from the old tea trees.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Lewis Carroll’s Black Tea from Simpson & Vail
Is there anything in the world better than snuggling up under a blanket with a good book and a cup of tea?
Right. I didn’t think so.
So when this tea arrived for me to sample on the SAME day as my copy of the new book, Heartless, by Marissa Meyer (a reimagined origin story for the Queen of Hearts from Carroll’s own Alice in Wonderland) I knew they had to be paired together.
Now, I’m going to be honest– I’ve never read Lewis Carroll’s original Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (GASP).
But I am familiar with the movie, and any story centered around a tea party is a-okay with me. I do, however, know that no matter what– if there are any ties to Wonderland, there needs to be some whimsy. And both this tea and the book deliver on all accounts!
This delightful blend from my beloved Simpson & Vail elevated your traditional black tea with bright, floral notes and a little ethereal sweetness. The perfect cup to sip while reading all about Lady Catherine’s (that’s our Queen of Hearts, in her pre-royalty days) journey from young and in love to cold, calculating and off-with-their-heads-ing all around Wonderland.
I preferred this tea with milk and a touch of sweet– and if I’d had my way, I’d have had the Hatter outfit me with some fanciful millinery for my own little tea party. Maybe on my next trip down the rabbit hole!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Simpson & Vail
Description:
The man who would become Lewis Carroll was born as Charles Lutwidge Dodgson in January 1832. He spent his happy childhood under the tutelage of his Reverend father, and enjoyed creating fantastical stories for his ten siblings. It was not until after he had graduated university and became a lecturer of mathematics that he met Alice Liddell. He would entertain her and her sisters with the absurd stories that he later published as Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. His most famous novels conveyed a childlike look at the seemingly arbitrary rules and customs of adult society.
A tea party plays a memorable role in Carroll’s most celebrated novel as the setting for Alice’s nonsensical meeting with the Mad Hatter and the March Hare. “A large rose-tree stood near the entrance of the garden” where, as the Mad Hatter told Alice earlier, “it’s always tea time.” To make our Lewis Carroll blend, we added our fragrant violet flavor to an Indian Black tea and Rose Congou tea, a China black that has been scented with rose petals during the drying process, to create a deep amber cup with an incomparable bouquet and a flavor that is absolutely heavenly.
Ingredients: Black Tea, Rose Congou tea, flavoring, malva flowers.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
