Chocolate Chamomile Curiosity Brew Black Oolong from Verdant Tea

chocolate-chamomile-curiosity-1588-LARGETea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black/Oolong

Where to Buy:  Verdant Tea

Tea Description:

This blend is inspired by the connection we see between fine chocolate and fine tea. Our Laoshan Black and Wuyi Big Red Robe have strong natural notes of cacao that we wanted to bring out and play with. The end result is a rich, sweet and sparkling brew that brings out the best in both the tea, supported by the cacao nibs. Marigold provides a richness that complements the sweet flavors of chamomile, cinnamon and fennel, while the mint gives just enough of a clean sparkle to counterbalance the flavor of raw cacao. Enjoy this curious brew hot or cold and add a touch of buckwheat honey for a real treat.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

Thanks to my SororiTea Sister TheLastDodo for the sample! I’ve actually been quite curious about this one for a while (pun not intended), but Verdant isn’t a company I’ve had much chance to explore and I’m wary of blends with chamomile so getting the chance to try a small quantity of this one was just perfect!

The dry leaf smells faintly of milk chocolate, and has even fainter fennel and mint notes as well. I know from the ingredients list that the mint in this blend is Spearmint; but based on scent I wouldn’t be able to differentiate.

Steeped this one up hot; it’s a lot softer than I expected and very, very smooth. The chocolate is the focus here and it’s accented quite nicely by the cinnamon and the fennel which are subtle but add a delicate, sweet spicyness. The natural malt from the Laoshan Black is delicious; and the spearmint creeps in right at the finish to add a lovely, refreshing coolness. Also, thankfully, I can’t taste the chamomile!

All in all, this was a great tea! It had a rich flavour, but not an in your face one and with the chocolate and mint pairing it made me think of a really fancy, well executed tea version of an After Eight chocolate. Mmm!

Dreamy from heartfeltMenagerie

dreamyTea Information:

Leaf Type: Herbal

Where to Buy:  heartfeltMenagerie

Tea Description:

Organic Herbal Tea, homegrown and carefully hand blended to please the palette and soothe the soul. The healing herbs used in this blend are helpful in relieving stress, digestive discomfort, and promoting a cozy night’s rest.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

I love chamomile teas.  I drink a lot of them too.  At night there really isn’t anything more soothing than to drink a nice glass of chamomile tea, relieving the stress of your day.

I picked up a couple teas from this adorable shop on Etsy.  This was the second one I’ve reviewed for SororiTea Sisters and this one I am extremely pleased with.  This tea originally has lavender in it.  I have yet to find a lavender tea that I really like.  So I emailed the owner and she was able to remove that from the blend.  Score one for Customer Service!

I first had this one hot the other night with my boyfriend.  We liked it, but it honestly tasted like a lot of chamomile teas.  The chamomile really took over.  The rest of the flavors just played to the side a bit and created a nice pleasing quality to it.  Overall I did like it, but I can’t say it would stand out among  other chamomile herbal teas.

So I dropped the tin in my work backpack and figured I’d try it at work.  This is where the tea that was the wallflower tea really stood out to me! Iced this is fantastic! It tastes like a sweet lemon dessert with hints of mint.  There is also a creaminess to it.  I am loving it.  I think iced is the one to go with this one. I recommend this one for a tasty afternoon treat or even in the morning if you are going caffeine free.  Glad I ordered two tins of this!

Green Nightly Calm® from Twinings Tea

GreenNightlyCalmTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Green

Where to Buy: Twinings Tea USA

Tea Description:

A comforting green tea perfectly balanced with soothing chamomile, cooling spearmint and the subtle flavor of lemongrass.

Learn more about this tea here

Taster’s Review:

Ever had that kind of day that you just couldn’t wait to get home to make yourself a cuppa and veg? That is the sort of day I have been having all week.  I am ready to pop my feet up and watch some Big Bang Theory, Elementary or Daredevil with my boyfriend.

One of my favorite rituals that my boyfriend and I do is that each night I make up a pot of tea for us to enjoy while we watch our shows.  He isn’t picky.  I always ask him what he wants and he always tells me to pick something good. So tonight, I went the easy way out and threw 3 teabags into my Breville and hit the green tea option.  About 3 minutes later I was filling our mugs.

I like this one for a bagged tea.  The green tea flavor is first and foremost. It isn’t the best green tea I’ve ever had but it is decent.   It seems to have a more grassy green tea flavor profile versus the rich buttery flavor I usually enjoy.  The chamomile and lemongrass are lightly there and the spearmint is the last flavor I’m coming across. All in all it is good.  I can’t say that I will always need to have this on hand but when I come across it at the store I will probably grab a box or two.

All my boyfriend said about this one was that it tasted like Wrigley gum.  I’m not sure if that is a good thing or bad.

This is just an easy tea to make after a rough day where you don’t have the energy to make a proper pot.   And now its time to relax and watch Elementary.

DigestTea from Raizana Tea Company

DigestTeaTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Herbal

Where to Buy: Raizana Tea Company

Tea Description:

You shouldn’t have eaten that monster burrito or third slice of pizza, and you’re paying for it now. Get relief from gas, bloating and sensation of fullness with DigestTea, our natural remedy for digestive problems.
DigestTea is gentle enough to soothe stomach problems in children. Raizana uses natural herbs sourced in California to provide all-natural support for gas and other digestive problems.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

I have issues with eating certain kinds of food and then feeling disgusting, heavy, and bloated.  This especially happens when I have any kind of carbs.  So lately I have been doing a lot of research to see if there was some herb or tea that I could drink that would help.  That is how  I stumbled upon this company, Raizana.  They have several different kinds of herbal remedies for what “ails you”.  I don’t necessarily believe that there is a skinny tea out there but I do believe that some herbs can make you feel better.  So I decided to take a chance and pick up their sampler.

Now to be honest, I am a huge fan of herbal teas.  I love chamomile and adore lemongrass in teas.  I’m also a huge mint fan and tend to like most mint teas I come across.  The biggest reason I picked this tea up was because it had cilantro in it.  I had never even heard of a cilantro tea before.  I have a love affair with cilantro and sneak it into as many foods as I can.  The ingredients also list dill weed and passionflower.  I just had to try it!

When I popped open the bag, holy sweetness is all I can say! This definitely has a very sweet bakery smell to it which I think comes from the papaya flavoring and stevia.  I steeped this one up per their parameters and was pleasantly surprised.  This is one of the sweetest herbal teas I have ever had.  And it isn’t that artificial sweet taste.  This has an almost dessert quality to it.  Like a freshly baked treat. I don’t taste the cilantro at all but definitely pick up the minty notes and chamomile.  The lemongrass is also prevalent and letting itself be known but not in an obnoxious way.  I even tried this one iced and still had the same outcome.  A lemony baked treat. Yum!

Now to whether or not it helps with my digestion, that I really can’t say.  I have completely overhauled my diet as of late and am cutting junk food out all together, which was a major cause for a lot of my discomfort.  All I can say that this is great for when I have that sweet tooth craving and am looking forward to having this one again.

Shamrock Iced Green Tea from Southern Boy Teas

sbt-green-shamrockTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Green

Where to Buy:  Zoomdweebies

Tea Description:

Shamrock = Peppermint, spearmint and a HINT of vanilla Premium Organic green tea with organic flavors.

Learn more about this tea here.

Learn about SBT’s subscriptions here.

Taster’s Review:

HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY!

I’ve had this Shamrock Iced Green Tea from Southern Boy Teas for a little while now, but I held off trying it until it was closer to St. Patrick’s Day for a couple of reasons:  1) when I originally planned to write a review of it, I saw it was out of stock and I thought I’d wait to see if they restock it, which they did; and 2) I thought it would be cool to wait until St. Patrick’s Day.

This is a chilled glass of YUM.  The green tea is light and buttery.  The minty notes are crisp.  The vanilla is smooth and creamy.  Together, the three components create a tea that tastes fresh and sweet and delicious.

To brew this, I heated 1 quart of water to 170°F and steeped the tea bag for 1 1/2 minutes.  Then I heat a second quart of water and resteeped the tea bag for 2 minutes.  I combined both of these quarts into my favorite 1/2 gallon iced tea pitcher and then I put the tea bag into a airtight container and put both in the fridge.  (I can resteep the bag for another 1/2 gallon of tea later!)

This is a really refreshing iced tea.  I really love the green teas that Southern Boy Teas is coming out with – and I’m looking forward to the Banana Peach one … I hope that will come out soon!!!