Talbott Teas: Cocoa Cardamom Seduction

 

Steep time: 3-5 minutes

Ingredients : All natural premium ingredients: Full-leaf black tea, cacao nibs, cinnamon, cardamom, almonds, natural chocolate, almond and cinnamon flavors.

Aroma: Dry tea smells like a gourmet chocolate shop. After steep tea smells like a rich exotic hot chocolate. The aroma is intense, and wonderful.

Packaging: Packaged in a beautiful tin.

Tea Leaf Quality: Rich dark large tea leaves, sizeable pieces of cacao, slithers of almond, cinnamon slices, and chocolate pieces.

Taste:   I will start by saying I was ready to be disappointed with this tea. Given the last not so wonderful chocolate tea I tasted, I didn't have high hopes. I was pleasantly surprised by the rich chocolaty velvety flavor I got. It was warm, smooth, flavorful and decadent. I am in LOVE. I added milk and honey like the packaging suggested and was so in obsessed with this tea, I didn't even get to take a picture of the tea after the milk was added. I could not stop myself from inhaling this tea. I burned my tongue, but I didn't even care - until after anyway. I would suggest this drink to anyone anytime, but especially with the winter season on the brink. Get your hands on some.

Aroma 10/10
Packaging 10/10
Value: 9/10

Taste 10/10
Tea Quality 10/10

Overall 10/10

Talbott Teas: Cocoa Cardamom Seduction

Harney & Sons: Holiday Tea

 

Steep time: 3-5 minutes


Ingredients : "Our Holiday Tea is a black tea spiced with citrus, almond, clove and cinnamon. Delicious hot or iced. Wonderful for a holiday table, a cold winter morning, or any time you crave a holiday-inspired brew."

Aroma: Dry tea smells like the perfect mix of holiday spices. After steep tea smells like an amazing warm evening at my grandma's for Christmas dessert. Just mmmm.

Packaging: Packaged in a dark resealable package. Perfect for keeping the tea fresh.

Tea Leaf Quality: Beautiful large rich tea leaves, slices of almond, pieces of cinnamon. 

Taste:   Amazing! I would say this tea is amazing year round, but I like that it's saved for the holidays. It tastes like a great mix of cinnamon, clove, and other exotic spices. I can taste the almond, it's warm and inviting. I wasn't too crazy about the taste at first, I am sensitive to clove, but I added milk and honey like the package suggested and I was in heaven. Like a cinnamon honey latte - minus the brash coffee taste plus the amazing high quality black tea taste. I wish for a snowstorm just so that I can drink this tea while watching the snow fall by a fire. I doubt I will get my wish in central California.

Aroma 10/10
Packaging 10/10
Value: 9/10

Taste 10/10
Tea Quality 10/10

Overall 10/10

Harney & Sons: Holiday Tea

Choice Organic Teas: Rooibos (Red Bush Tea)

Steep time: 3-5 minutes


Ingredients: Herbal teas & Vanilla is all I could find.

Aroma: Dry tea bag smells like an earthy mix. After steep smell is the same.

Packaging: Packaged in a recyclable material, keeps the tea leaves fresh. Tea bag is made of fiber and sealed with a staple.

Tea Leaf Quality: Small tea flakes.

Taste:  Very earthy. Honestly tasted like what I would assume a bush tastes like. Yes, laugh it up. It's a smooth red tea bush in a cup. With vanilla and honey this tea is pretty good. Just not exactly my cup of tea.. I'm so witty.

Aroma 6/10
Packaging 8/10
Value: 9/10

Taste 8/10
Tea Quality 7/10

Overall 7.6/10

Zhena's Gypsy Tea: Vanilla Orchid Darjeeling Black Tea

 

Steep time: 3-5 minutes


Ingredients: Darjeeling black tea leaves, natural vanilla flavor.

Aroma: Dry tea bag smells like a vanilla flower. After steep, tea smells like a natural vanilla perfume. Fantastic, we all know how crazy I get for vanilla, so I won't dive into that again.

Packaging: Packaged in a recyclable material, keeps the tea leaves fresh. Tea bag is my favorite-named couture triangle baggie. I love the natural fibers, it looks luxurious and is planet friendly.

Tea Leaf Quality: Decent sized leaf pieces, after steep tea leaves are impressively large and I love the amount that comes inside.

Taste:  I love Darjeeling and I love vanilla (surprise surprise!). I am super impressed by the flavor of this tea. Smooth like you wouldn't believe, the flavor is intense and subtle at the same time. I am in love with this tea. The flavor tastes natural, not that chemically sweet stuff. It was a perfect ending to my day. I wish I could bathe in this tea, and I want to drink it for the rest of my life.

Aroma 10/10
Packaging 10/10
Value: 10/10

Taste 10/10
Tea Quality 9/10

Overall 10/10

Zhena's Gypsy Tea

Earl Grey Tea Cookies made with-Miro Tea: Earl Grey de la Creme

Decided to do something a little different today! I also made peanut butter, and vanilla sprinkle cookies, but no tea was involved so I will just post these!


Recipe:
Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons Earl Grey tea leaves, from approximately 6 tea bags (I used Miro Tea: Earl Grey De La Creme)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Directions
 
Pulse together all the dry ingredients in a food processor until the tea leaves are pulverized. Add the vanilla, 1 teaspoon water, and the butter. Pulse together until a dough is formed.
 
Divide the dough in half. Place each half on a sheet of plastic wrap and roll into a 12-inch log, about 2 inches in diameter. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
 
Heat oven to 375°F.  
 

Slice each log into disks, 1/3 inch thick. Place on parchment- or foil-lined baking sheets, 2 inches apart.

Bake until the edges are just brown, about 12 minutes. Let cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks.

I added extra vanilla (yeah, yeah I am obsessed), and I think I may have overdone it. But overall a yummy recipe for anyone who loves Earl Grey *raises hand*.

Off to watch Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, Vampire Diaries (etc, etc)

Numi: Chocolate Puerh

Steep time: 3-5 minutes


Ingredients: Organic Puerh, organic cocoa powder, organic vanilla, organic Theo Chocolate cocoa nibs, organic Rooibos, organic orange peel, organic nutmeg, organic cinnamon.

Aroma: Dry tea bag smells like a vanilla malt, after steep tea smells like hot chocolate.

Packaging: Packaged in a biodegradable material, that seals in freshness, tea bag is made out of fiber, sealed with a staple.

Tea Leaf Quality: Small flakes, beautiful color variation.

Taste:  I was so excited for chocolate and vanilla tea. It sounds like it would be fantastic right? I let tea steep for the full 5 minutes (wanted the full flavor), and I was let down (oh so let down), it tastes like a watery chocolate drink. I even put fat free french vanilla in there, and it tasted like a watery french vanilla hot chocolate, the cheap kind you get for free at a cruddy car dealership - yeah I went there. It wasn't a bad or offputting taste, it just wasn't flavorful.

Aroma 9/10
Packaging 8/10
Value: 8/10

Taste 5/10
Tea Quality 7/10

Overall 7/10

Buy- Numi: Chocolate Puerh

The Boston Tea Company: French Vanilla Black Tea

Steep time: 3-5 minutes


Ingredients: Premium Chinese and Indian black teas, vanilla flavor.

Aroma: We all know how much I love vanilla (in case you don't it's a lot) This tea doesn't give off a strong vanilla scent when dry, and after steep you have to put your nose to the mug (picture me doing this please, go ahead and laugh) and really sniff to smell the scent, but when you do it smells like a warm vanilla sugar cookie.

Packaging: Packaged in an adorable tea bag sized hot pink box, sealed with plastic wrap, the tea bags are sealed in a paper package, no lining. The tea bags are made out of fiber, sealed with (sigh) a staple.

Tea Leaf Quality: Teensy tea flakes, a nice deep chocolaty color.

Taste:  I have loved everything I have tasted from The Boston Tea Company, so I was a tad disappointed by the flavor. I mean it definitely tastes like vanilla, but I tasted more of the actual tea. I tasted the distinct flavor of Indian tea for sure, and a little vanilla. It tasted a little fake for me, not what I expected.

Aroma 7/10
Packaging 7/10
Value: 9/10

Taste 6/10
Tea Quality 7/10

Overall 7/10
The Boston Tea Company: French Vanilla Black Tea

The Boston Tea Company: Pumpkin Spice

 
Steep time: 4-6 minutes


Ingredients: Ceylon Black Tea, Exotic Spices, Sunflower Petals, Natural Pumpkin Flavors

Aroma: Oooh la la. I unsealed the packet and was smacked-in-a-good-way with the powerful scent of spicy pumpkin! It took up my whole house, I felt like I had just opened a new season appropriate Yankee Candle.

The weather is still sunny in California (boo, I am a NY/NJ girl at heart and I love my four seasons), but this strong pumpkin and spice scent reminds me of the leaves changing colors, breaking out the cardigans and uggs (I know, I am so ashamed), and preparing for Halloween.

Packaging: While my sample tea comes in a clear plastic resealable bag, the tea for purchase comes in a dark resealable bag, which is great to keep the tea fresh.

Tea Leaf Quality: Beautiful deep tea and colorful sunflower petals. Large tea leaves.

Taste:  Yum! Like a calorie filled latte from an overpriced coffee lounge (used to be my fave). This tea is so so so flavorful! It tastes like the pie my grandmother used to make ..er buy (heavy in clove, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice) which is my all time favorite type of pumpkin pie. It is a fantastic taste, my taste buds were stunned. I added fat free french vanilla - because what good is pumpkin pie without whipped cream? - and I was in heaven. I will be making this all season long. 

Aroma 10/10
Packaging 10/10
Value: 10/10

Taste 10/10
Tea Quality 10/10

Overall 10/10

The Boston Tea Company: Pumpkin Spice

Salon Tea: Society Hostess

Steep time: 3-5 minutes


Ingredients: Naturally decaffeinated black tea leaves, vanilla.

Aroma: Dry Tea smells like a vanilla explosion, I go weak in the knees for vanilla. After steep, tea smells like a warm caramel-y vanilla.

Packaging: While my sample tea box was fantastic and so sexy (yep, I called the clear box sexy, I felt like an automatic cool kid), the tea comes in an awesome (trendy-in-a-good-way) tin.

Tea Leaf Quality: Deep, rich, dark flakes.

Taste:  Smooth. Oh so smooth, I love vanilla (yeah, yeah, you know) and this tea is a testament to my love of vanilla. A nice easy smooth warm vanilla taste. Not overbearing (is there really such a thing? I suppose..) but delightful. For fun I added my fat free french vanilla creamer.




Side Note: Tracy Stern herself answered my request to sample the tea. That doesn't happen very often, I like that no matter how amazing (look at the website, it's an awesome tea salon - and my next NYC visit will result in my going there and taking pictures like a tourist, and spending lots of money) her shop and website are, she is down to earth. Props Tracy on your fantastic tea salon, catchy website, and quality product.

Aroma 9/10
Packaging 10/10
Value: 9/10

Taste 8/10
Tea Quality 8/10

Overall 9/10

Salon Tea: Society Hostess