Here is this week's featured tea from 52Teas. It's a black tea and honeybush blend. I had high hopes for this one, and it fell a little flat. The description of this tea made it sound like it was a smokier evolution from a chai, however, this didn't taste like a chai to me at all. Nor did it taste like tea. It tasted like I steeped my spice cabinet. It tasted heavily of cloves and cumin, and I am taking serious consideration to taking the rest of the sample and using it as a meat rub.
I know a lot of people that like their teas really savory, so if you're one of those people, give this one a try. And if you don't like it, it will probably go great on the barbecue!
Rating:
2/5 stars
Buy this tea here:
Smoky Spice
Price: $12.00/2 oz
This is another tea that I received in my Steeped kit. I've never been much of a straight up Earl Grey fan, but I heard great things about this tea, so I was anxious to try it.
Supposedly this is the tea that Steeped founder Tonia Jahshan tasted that inspired her to start the company. Powerful tea!
I steeped it just below boiling for 3 minutes. I decided to give it a few sips before sweetening or adding anything to it. It had a nice, mellow, creamy flavor. I then added a little sugar and a little milk to it, for the classic English cuppa. The milk and sugar really brought out the mellow flavors. It's not one of those teas that makes me say, "yay!", but it's one I will go to when I want a simple, hot cup of tea.
Rating:
3/5 stars
Buy this tea here:
Earl Grey de la Creme
Price: $7.00/1.76 oz
I received this tea as part of my Steeped Tea starter kit. I was intrigued by the name...After Eight, like an After Eight dinner mint. I like dinner mints! So, I gave this one a whirl.
I steeped it for 3 minutes at 200 degrees. I sweetened it a bit with some rock sugar. Verdict: WOW. It really does taste like an after-dinner mint! I've been drinking a lot of this stuff ever since, and this is one of those teas that I need to make sure that I always keep on hand. I have started adding a touch of sweetened condensed milk for some creaminess, and it's delicious that way. This tea is a must-try if you like minty things.
Rating:
5/5 stars
Buy this tea here:
After Eight
Price: $7.50/1.76 oz
I have been drinking this tea periodically for years. I’m not the hugest fan of black teas, but the aroma of this tea is inviting. I love blackberry, and the tartness of the blackberry and the grassiness of the sage bring out the tannins in the tea without it becoming too bitter (unless you oversteep, of course). This is one of the few teas that I just do not enjoy iced. I always drink it hot. It becomes a bit more bitter when iced.
I steeped 1.5 teaspoons of it in 200 degree water for 3 minutes. I added a teaspoon of sugar to sweeten it up a bit.
I do have this tea in loose-leaf, which is a little harder to find than the tea sachets. The good thing about Republic of Tea is that their teas taste pretty consistent between loose-leaf and sachets, so it's all a matter of preference or convenience.
Rating: 3/5 stars
Price: $10.00/3.5 oz loose-leaf
Buy this tea here:
Blackberry Sage
This is a tea I've had in my stash for awhile. Sadly, there's not much information on this tea online, including where to buy it. I bought it at an HEB when I was living in Texas, and two things drew me to this tea. First, the flavor...litchi (or lychee) is one of my favorite flavors. If I go to an Asian market or an Asian aisle in a supermarket, I'm looking immediately for anything lychee flavored. Second was the price. I remember purchasing this box of tea for less than $2.
I finally had a chance to brew some, and I think it was a good value. Since it was a black tea, I steeped it at 212 degrees for about 3 minutes and added a teaspoon of rock sugar. I had a few sips of it hot, and the lychee flavor was delicate, not as strong as I normally like, but still very pleasant. I saved the rest to drink cold, and I am enjoying it now. The flavor is more subtle when it is cold, which is normal for teas...heat helps enhance the flavor of most teas. It's lovely, refreshing, and tasting. I might steep a bag of this along with one of my Tangerine Orange Zinger bags at some point...I think the blend of those two would be tasty.
Rating:
3/5 stars
Purchasing information is unknown. This flavor is currently unavailable on Amazon.
Price: approx. $2/box of 25 bags
I purchased this tea in a sampler set of four mini tins of flavored black teas from Zhena's. I brewed it hot in 212 degree water for 3 minutes with a teaspoon of rock sugar.
The peach flavor was subtle and the ginger was a bit more pronounced, but both flavors were not represented strongly in this tea. I like my tea to be really bold and flavorful, and this tea missed the mark by quite a bit. However, if you are the type of person who likes more subtle flavors emerging in your tea, this may be more your style.
Rating:
2/5 stars
Buy this tea here:
Peach Ginger (Black Tea Stackable Set)
Price: $8.99/set of four tins of different flavors, 4 sachets per tin
Steeped Tea is a direct sales company that specializes in teas, tea accessories, and snack mixes that go well with teas and tea parties.
I stumbled upon the Steeped Tea website and immediately contacted a consultant in my area. My consultant, Tracy, was quick to drop a catalog and brochures in the mail, and with those, she included TEA SAMPLES! Yay!
The Toasted Almond black tea was the first sample I tried. All of the samples Tracy sent were loose leaf (a few varieties that Steeped Tea sells are available in pre-packed triangle bags), but she also sent a fillable bag with each sample. I decided to go ahead and use the bag, as my single-cup ball is missing at the moment.
I brewed the black tea hot in 212 degree water with 1 teaspoon of rock sugar. I took my first couple of sips like that, and was impressed by the nuttiness of the tea. The almond flavor was neither too subtle nor too overpowering. It was like adding a drizzle of amaretto to a basic black tea without the alcohol taste. I added some vanilla almond milk to finish my cup, and the addition of the vanilla almond milk just further enhanced the almond flavor. I really savored this cup of tea! Divine! I honestly didn't think I would like this tea that much, but I was thoroughly impressed.
Rating:
4/5 stars
Buy this tea here:
Toasted Almond
Price: $8.50/1.76 oz
