Vanilla Sugar Cookie Herbal Tea/Plum Deluxe

This tea couldn’t have come at a better time. All this stormy weather makes you just want to stay at home with a cup of tea. And I don’t think I could have picked a better “comfort” tea for today.

I usually reserve spiced teas for the holidays. They can be overwhelming year round and aren’t my favorite during warmer weather. But this tea is very lightly spiced and smells amazing—like someone just pulled a tray of snickerdoodles out of the oven. (And it has me really wanting some of my mother-in-law’s snickerdoodle cookies right now!)

This is the perfect tea to brighten up a cold or rainy day. While it smells pretty spicy, the taste is very mild. Just a tiny bit of cinnamon with a vanilla flavor that takes the edge of the spice. It’s made with green rooibos and nothing containing caffeine, so it’s also a nice evening tea if you’re sensitive to caffeine.

The tea itself is lightly sweet on its own, but I added a tiny bit of orange blossom honey to my second cup. I steeped my first cup for 6 minutes and the second cup for 8 minutes. The second cup was spicier, but beyond that, there wasn’t a noticeable decline in flavor, which was nice. I was afraid the light flavors might quickly go bland, but it held up just as well!

This one should definitely go on your list of teas for a rainy day (literally and figuratively!). It’s comforting, even heartwarming, and is just the thing to brighten up an otherwise unpleasant day.


Want to Know More About This Tea?

Leaf Type:  Green Rooibos

Where to Buy:  Plum Deluxe

Description

We’ve heard some of our teas described like a cookie-in-a-cup, but this tea is exactly that! Everybody loves a classic sugar cookie tea. This one is inspired by our staff favorite – snickerdoodles! – we created a calming herbal tea perfect for an evening night cap or just a smooth afternoon pick me up.  We use our favorite herbal tea – green rooibos – paired with a variety of vanilla extras and a unique spice blend that comes together perfectly.  It’s just lightly sweet and lightly spiced, making for a great cookie flavored tea.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Severe Consequences from Riddle’s Tea Shoppe

In case you haven’t already noticed, I’m a fan of all things tea and Harry Potter, and lucky for me there are a multitude of amazing small tea shops that specialize in fantasy-inspired tea blends. I tried several teas from Riddle’s Tea Shoppe, and loved the tins and labeling for every single one.  I ordered Severe Consequences blend to complete a set, not sure if the flavors of the tea would suit my palate. Much to my surprise, the blend turned out to be my favorite flavor of the bunch.

This blend is named after one of the favorite things of strict and unscrupulous Professor Dolores Umbridge.  Like her outwardly pink and kitten-loving appearance, this tea is sweet and fragrant. Red fruit flavors of cherry, strawberry, and raspberry are as lush as breakfast jam against the black tea base.  Vanilla flavoring adds a buttercream dessert finish after all the fruit. The careful addition of rose petals make this tea feel extra fancy, suitable for afternoon tea, without taking over the blend with their floral scent.

You can order this tea with or without rose gold sugar pearls.  When brewed the pearls melt and add sweetness to the brew like a sugar cube.  I recommend including the sugar pearls– they make the dry leaf look even more precious.  Besides, you know Umbridge herself would not limit her indulgences. Brew this strong and sweet and serve it in your favorite dainty tea set.  Just don’t let your teatime cosplaying get out of hand, or there will be Severe Consequences.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Riddle’s Tea Shoppe
Description:

Severe Consequences is the preferred tea of Dolores Umbridge, and is a cherry, cream, and rose tea with strawberry and raspberry pieces. Floral, sweet, and perfectly lovely to look at, the optional light pink sugar pearls will keep you in line while you avoid telling lies…

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Red Chili from MEM Tea. . . .

To put it simply, I first picked up Red Chili tea from MEM Tea because it involved chocolate.  What can I say, I have a sweet tooth! This black tea blend is made up of a healthy dose of cacao shells, and smelled so lush and sweet in the tin I had to try it.

When I got the tea home, I really began to notice how beautiful and enticing the loose leaf looked: with shiny, blood-red ancho pepper skins, pale pepper seeds, the warm sienna tones of the cacao shells, and the dark, twisty black tea leaves.  As you might know, I’m a fan of chai teas, so I love to see lots of variety in color and shape in my blends. Red Chili is another great entry into the spicy black tea category on my shelf.

Brewed, this tea is sweet and decadent on its own, no sugar or milk required.  There are surprising amounts of both creamy vanilla and deep chocolate, all wrapped up with a warming buzz of hot pepper heat at the end of each sip. This is a great blend if you enjoy mexican-style hot chocolate, both creamy and spicy all at once.

Despite the hot pepper notes, this is very much a dessert tea, and I would recommend it even to those tea lovers who aren’t too excited about spice.  I find myself gravitating towards Red Chili tea after a meal when I want a little something devilish and sweet. It is a delicious blend for any chocolate and tea lover.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy:  MEM Tea
Description:

This beverage is smooth, creamy, and well-balanced with a pleasantly lingering heat.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

52Teas’ the 12 Teas of Christmas – Day 8-Spoilers!

Day 8!

Today’s tea is French Vanilla Marshmallow Assam Black Tea.  I’m already excited seeing the name, because I love what 52Teas does for marshmallow teas, whether it is the marshmallow root or a little extra flavoring, they always taste great.  Even in the bag, the creamy vanilla scent is so welcoming and relaxing.

When the holidays are keeping you busy and you want a pick-me-up like a cup of hot chocolate, but you don’t want a chocolate-flavored tea, this blend can really hit the spot.  It has plenty of black tea robustness and caffeine, but is coated in marshmallowy goodness. Feel free to add milk or actual marshmallows to your mug to make a pseudo-hot-chocolate.

This would make a nice house blend to have on hand and bring out for tea parties or guests. The vanilla is classic and creamy without being too sweet, and the black tea base is pleasantly malty and full-bodied. For when you want a cup of tea with a familiar, comforting flavor with a touch of fancy French vanilla.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description:

I started with a blend of Assam teas that includes a first flush Assam as well as a second flush Assam. Together, these two Assams create a rich, flavorful, fruity and malty cuppa. It’s a powerful blend of Assam teas – it’s going to get you revved up in the morning – or revive you in the afternoon when you need a perk-me-up. To these teas, I added some vanilla beans and marshmallow root as well as some French vanilla extract. I also added some cornflower petals to make it pretty (but not enough to add a strong floral note.) The vanilla and marshmallow notes soften the edge of the Assam nicely – you still get that robust black tea flavor but you also get this sweet, soft, fluffy vanilla-y/marshmallow-y note that is quite divine. And it’s also organic, VEGAN, gluten-free & allergen free!

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

52Teas’ the 12 Teas of Christmas – Day 5-Spoilers!

Day 5!

The 12 Teas of Christmas has had a nice variety of tea types and flavors so far, so I am never bored with the flavors in store for me. Today is a green tea with fruity, creamy tones: Blackberry Custard Tart Green. There nice purple dried blackberries in the dry leaf and plenty of juicy dark fruit scent in the bag.

Brewed, the creamy, vanilla pudding flavor of the custard comes through more strongly, adding a smooth mouthfeel alongside all the delectable dessert tastes. I appreciate that green tea was used as the base for this blend to give the blackberry and cream more room to shine. A black tea might have taken over with its own tartness and tannins. The green tea adds a gentle vegetal note that compliments the berries, and a bit of nuttiness that feels like the fruit tart cookie crust.

This is a nice blend for midway through your day, when you want something with a little pep but not too sweet or caffeinated. It is bright but decadent and the perfect way to treat yourself during the busy holiday season.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description:

One afternoon as I was perusing through my Pinterest feed, I found a recipe for Blackberry Custard. It looked exceptionally good and whenever I see a dessert recipe that looks exceptionally good, I immediately think about how I’d translate that recipe to a tea flavor. Yep, I’m kind of nerdy like that. So I thought … hmmm, blackberry custard sounds like a winning idea for a tea. Then I remembered that there was already a Blackberries & Cream Shou Mei so how different could a blackberry custard really be?

So, I thought, what if it had a delightfully buttery pastry crust? Well, then it would be a Blackberry Custard Tart.

So that’s what inspired me to make this with my green tea base (a blend of organic Chun Mee and organic Gunpowder). I added blackberry, custard and pastry flavors. Then I tossed in some of those big, beautiful freeze-dried blackberries. This is really good!

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!