“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!
Grand Keemun/Simple Loose Leaf. . . .
Kee-mun, Kee-mun, Kee-mun…tell me…ya love me! Grand Keemun from Simple Loose Leaf Tea Company is a mighty fine…no muss-no fuss…sort of black tea to start your day!
I’ve only had a few teas from Simple Loose Leaf and so far I have enjoyed all of the ones I have tried.
Grand Keemun black tea comes from the Qimen County of Huangshan City, in China. The name Keemun comes from an older spelling of Qimen, pronounces “Chee-men”. Learn something new every day, eh? But what about the ‘senses’ of this tea?
This is a lighter black based tea with stone fruit – peach, maybe – and slightly smoky notes on the nose with a gentle, malty, non-astringent taste reminiscent of unsweetened cocoa.
This is the sort of black tea that would most likely please the masses. I would be proud to have it in my ‘share with friends’ section of my tea collection – any day of the week!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Simple Loose Leaf
Description
Grand Keemun black tea comes from the Qimen County of Huangshan City, in China. The name Keemun comes from an older spelling of Qimen, pronounces “Chee-menâ€.
Keemun is a lighter tea with characteristic stone fruit and slightly smoky notes in the aroma and a gentle, malty, non-astringent taste reminiscent of unsweetened cocoa. Best served hot with a spot of milk.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Blood Orange Herbal from Simple Loose Leaf. . . .
I purchased myself a subscription to Simple Loose Leaf because I simply did not have enough tea in my house. *
* (Full disclosure: this is a filthy, no-holds-barred lie).
My most recent package had an Earl Grey tea, a genmaicha, an oolong, and this herbal tea, which I think is a nice, well-rounded mix. Lots of flavor profiles. Great intro, especially to someone who perhaps doesn’t know tea very well.
The Blood Orange Herbal contains “Rooibos, Orange peel, Hibiscus, Rosehips, Apple pieces, Safflowers, and Rose petals with Orange, vanilla, and lemon flavor.” Simple Loose Leaf says this is a summery blend, which I totally agree with, so I decided to ice it to accompany my dinner.
I’m glad I did! The sweetness of the rooibos and apple play nicely against the tang of the orange and hibiscus. A velvety sweet lemon balances gallantly atop the tableau, almost an afterthought, a kiss.
This tea is essentially a maypole dance of flavors. It has me looking forward to when the spring/summer finally comes. This tea gives me hope that sunshine is around the corner!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Simple Loose Leaf
Description
Blood Orange is a melody of orange and apple with the earthy flavor of rooibos as the backdrop. It will remind you of summer no matter the time of year.
Ingredients: Rooibos, Orange peel, Hibiscus, Rosehips, Apple pieces, Safflowers, and Rose petals with Orange, vanilla, and lemon flavor
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
White Tipped Oolong from Simple Loose Leaf. . .
This tea is like an academic who hikes then comes home to write an academic paper on his worn leather couch. The flavor here is earthy, but sophisticated. There’s that sharp, deep flavor that calls forth dark tweed blazers with patched elbows.
The description on Simple Loose Leaf’s site indicates a “nutty” flavor, but I’m not sure I’m getting that. Believe me, I’ve spent several minutes trying to find it. I’ve been swishing the tea around in my mouth. My teeth are yellower for it.
That said, I’m good without the nutty flavor. The flavor that is here is a winner. It’s a tongue-lingerer, which means I get to keep it for a while.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Simple Loose Leaf
Description
White Tipped Oolong is an open leaf full body oolong that has a smooth taste. When brewing look for earthy notes along with slight a nuttiness from this oolong. Like many oolongs, White Tipped Oolong will evolve over the course of the tea’s temperature changes – so let the cup of tea cool as you drink to to experience the changing flavor profile.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Mint Chamomile Rooibus from Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Roiboos
Where to Buy: Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Description:
Our Mint Chamomile tea will put a smile on your face regardless of the day you are having. Brew a cup of this floral, sweet and soothing tea and enjoy a wonderfully fresh finish of this beautiful cup of tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Mint and Chamomile seems to be an unusual combination – I think I’ve only ever tried one other similar blend. Based on that experience, I’d say that this surprises me. It sounds a little odd to begin with, for sure, but they’re ingredients that do actually work well together. I used 1 tsp of leaf for my cup, and gave it approximately 5 minutes in boiling water. I made no additions. The dry leaf itself is very herbal-looking – there are whole yellow chamomile flowers, green shreds of peppermint, red rooibos leaves, and a smattering of creamy white chamomile petals. The scent is predominantly minty, with an underlying sweetness from the vanilla flavouring.
The main flavour to taste is, interestingly, the chamomile. It’s sweet and almost thick-tasting, with the characteristic flavour of honey and hay. It’s a flavour I find instantly calming, whatever I’m doing and wherever I am when I taste it. Underlying the chamomile is the sweet creaminess of vanilla. This pushes it almost to the point of too-sweet, and the mid-sip is slightly cloying. Thankfully, though, the mint emerges at the last moment and completely saves the day. It cuts through the sweetness instantly, adding a cooling, refreshing edge that sets this tea back to rights. The combination lingers in the aftertaste, where it unmistakably resembles the flavour of a buttermint. Delicious!
I was expecting to taste more of the rooibos base, given that the liquor is a tell-tale bright red-orange, but I actually can’t pick it out at all amongst the other flavours. I do find rooibos a little woody sometimes, so its absence is no bad thing in my book. I think it’s testament to how well blended this tea is, also, in that the flavours are allowed to shine without interference. I was also expecting the mint to be the main flavour, but I’m pleased that it didn’t take over – the three together are a good pairing, and are balanced enough that they complement rather than compete.
I thoroughly enjoyed this tea, and it’s definitely one I’d consider adding to my cupboard for late evening drinking or just times of stress. It’s a sweet, calming cup with hints of candy – a real winner in my book.
