Monthly Archives: April 2012

Review: Republic of Tea Coconut Cocoa

Posted on April 25, 2012 by | 2 Comments

Overall Rating

Taste: 4.5 of 5 tea leaves – quite a good cuppa!
Steepability: 5 of 5 tea leaves – this tea is easy to make!:

Abby says:

Temperature: @212 (boiling)
Steeped: 3 minutes
Served: Nothing added

Over the weekend Katie’s mom gave us this tea to sample – thank you Katie’s mom!

As it was steeping the heavenly sent of cocoa and sweet coconut drifted into the air – yum! The subtly sweet coconut and cocoa taste match the aroma to a tee. The flavor isn’t just sweet though, it has more complexity to it. I find there is a hearty undertone that balances the sweet. To me, the savory side has a rye bread aspect to it, but in good way. That may sound wierd, but it really is good. Teas that are just sweet loose my interest after a few sips, but this one is has more to it. There is a satisfying quality that I just love. After one cup I have already decided that I must, must have this tea in my cupboard.

Anyone can enjoy this coconut and cocoa herbal blend and because of the low level of caffeine it can be had any time of day! Probably best for people who like a little sweetness – it is a great dessert tea for any time of day. If you give it a try, you wont be disappointed. I’ve already put it on my shopping list!

Taste: 4.5 of 5 tea leaves – quite a good cuppa!
Steepability: 5 of 5 tea leaves – this tea is easy to make!

Katie says:

Temperature: @212 (boiling)
Steeped: left the tea bag in the cup
Served: milk & agave nectar

Yum. This tea with milk & a bit of sweet is like a light version of cocoa. It’s perfect for my fuzzy medicine head. I have a sinus infection…boo! So, in light of that I’ll keep this review short & sweet like this tea. The coconut flavor is very unique so this is a great tea to bring out and share with others because most people won’t have had anything like it before. Like Abby said, thanks mom for sharing it with us! :)

Taste: 4.5 of 5 tea leaves – quite a good cuppa!
Steepability: 5 of 5 tea leaves – this tea is easy to make!

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Posted in Easy to make, herbal tea

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Review: Stash Red Strawberry Pomegranate tea

Posted on April 17, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Overall rating:

Taste: 4 of 5 leaves —  Quite a good cuppa!
Steepability: 5 of 5 leaves — This tea is easy to make!

Katie says:

Temperature: Steeped at below boiling
Steeped: 5 minutes
Served: Nothing added

When I smell red tea I get a very sweet scent. To be honest, sometimes I find it to almost be too sweet. On it’s own, red tea really isn’t something that I gravitate toward. I first reviewed a flavored red tea when Stash Tea sent us a sample of Red Chai. Abby was worried about me not liking  it,  but it turned out that I loved it! In fact I now choose red chai tea over decaf black chai if I’m in the mood for that taste without the caffeine.  Then funny thing is I’ve come to really enjoy flavored red teas but on it’s own it’s still not my favorite.

Right, I know, on to THIS tea. Well, when I smelled it I wasn’t sure. Again, red teas and fruit teas aren’t my favorite. I took the first sip…and YUM! I really like it! The sweetness of the red tea really brings out the strawberry flavor! This tea is sweet, but not overly so, without any added sugar or sweetener. Abby gave me some of hers to try, but I like enough that I might even buy a box.

Taste: 4 of 5 leaves —  Quite a good cuppa!
Steepability: 5 of 5 leaves — This tea is easy to make!

Abby says:

Temperature: @212  (boiling point)
Steeped: 5 minutes
Served: Nothing added at first then a dab of honey

Unlike Katie, I have always had a thing for red tea.  It has stand-out flavor and no caffeine, so in my opinion, what’s not to love?  For this tea Stash has combined the flavorful red tea with strawberry and pomegranate to create a decidedly springy blend.  As the weather warms up and the tree are showing their little green buds this blend goes perfectly with the season.  The rooibos really bring out the lovely light strawberry flavor for a flirty sweet tea.  The slight tartness of the pomegranate is there as well, preventing it from being overly sweet.  The balance of sweet and tart is just right.  I would recommend it to anyone really.  It would work well for traditional tea drinkers and fruity tea lovers because it is such a nice blend of the roobios and fruit flavors.

Taste: 4 of 5 leaves —  Quite a good cuppa!
Steepability: 5 of 5 leaves — This tea is easy to make!

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Review: Connemara Kitchen Irish Breakfast Tea

Posted on April 11, 2012 by | 2 Comments

Irish Breakfast Tea

Overall Rating:

Taste: 3 of 5 leaves: A decent tasty tea
Steepability: 5 of 5 — this tea is easy to make!

Abby says:

Temperature: @212  boiling point)
Steeped: 5 minutes
Served: Nothing added

Classically, Irish breakfast tea (simply called “tea” in Ireland) is a bold blend of black teas.   Connemara Kitchen Irish Breakfast tea is just that: it has a robust and malty flavor that matches the strong caffeine.  Had I known how pleasing and flavorful this tea was when I posted my St. Patrick’s Day post, I would surely have included it the mix.  Oh, well – let’s hope I remember it for next year!

I would recommend this for black tea drinkers.  It isn’t overly strong, but does provide the full flavor and caffeine.  It isn’t for the timid tea taster.   Like many Irish breakfast teas it will give you the pick-me-up so many of us need in the morning.  This tea pairs well with hearty breakfast or light toast and jam.

Taste: 3 of 5 leaves: A decent tasty tea
Steepability: 5 of 5 — this tea is easy to make!

Katie says:

Temperature: @212  boiling point)
Steeped: 5 minutes
Served: Milk & honey

I picked up this tea when I was in Ireland last fall. Of course, I gave Abby some to sample too! This tea is exactly as we’ve rated it…a decent tasty tea. It’s a fairly strong blend of  black teas. I do love a good breakfast blend with just a bit of cream and sugar. For me, it’s hard to go wrong with that combo. I picked it up in the duty free shop in the airport on the way home. It was, however, the only tea in there. Unfortunately I think I could have done better shopping before  I hit the airport. This tea is good but I do think it’s the “tourist” version. None of the Irish import online shops I’ve visited offer this tea.

If you’re looking for a more authentic Irish tea you may want to try Bewley’s or Barry’s.

These are the teas tat I keep seeing on all of the import sites! The sales clerk told me to pick-up some Bewley’s when I purchased my Irish tea pot. I should have listened! Well, until my next trip it’ll be off to the import store for me.

Taste: 3 of 5 leaves: A decent tasty tea
Steepability: 5 of 5 — this tea is easy to make!

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Posted in black teas, Easy to make

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Review: Zhena’s Gypsy Tea Fire Light Chai

Posted on April 4, 2012 by | 1 Comment

Overall Rating:

Taste:4.25 of 5 leaves: Quite a good cuppa!
Steepability: 5 of 5 — this tea is easy to make!

Abby says:

Temperature: @212 (boiling point)
Steeped: 4-5 minutes
Served: Nothing added

Fair trade and USDA certified organic, Zhena’s Gypsy Tea Fire Light Chai is a great spin-off on traditional Chai tea!  Rooibos is fused with chai spices to create fantastic aromatics, and a wonderfully rich and spicy-sweet tea.  The aroma as this tea steeps is enough to convince anyone to give it a try!

Compared to other Chai tea blends, this one is slightly subdued while still providing the complex flavor from the concoction of spices.  I found that I was able to easily taste the distinctive Chai flavors instantly upon trying it for the first time, but the punchy experience that is commonly found with other Chai tea was pleasantly missing.  Given that this a milder and sweeter Chai, it would be a perfect first cup for anyone looking to try Chai.  This tea is also caffeine free (yay!), so feel free to have as many cups as you want!  I know I will

Taste:4.5 of 5 leaves: Quite a good cuppa!
Steepability: 5 of 5 — this tea is easy to make!

Katie says:

Temperature: @212 (boiling point)
Steeped: Just leave the tea bag in the cup
Served: Nothing added at first then milk & honey

This tea is my go-to for when I’m looking for the taste of chai without the caffeine. Does it taste exactly like it’s black sister tea? No. However the red tea flavors blended with chai spices and sweetened with cream and sugar is a delicious combination! While this tea is OK with nothing added, in my opinion it’s far better prepared as a traditional chai with the addition of milk & sugar.

Red tea is the newest to my tea box. I think I stayed away from it because I tend to like flavorful black teas with a touch of cream & sugar or light green teas as they are but I pass on most herbal tea. Red tea is herbal, so I skipped it thinking that it would never be a good substitute for my beloved black tea. I was wrong.  While most herbal teas would be gross with cream and sugar, red tea is delicious with this addition. I’m a convert. If a craving for a cuppa with milk & honey strikes me late in the day I have a cup of this! Or, if I’m out I stop into Starbucks for a red tea latte.

Taste: 4 of 5 leaves: Quite a good cuppa!
Steepability: 5 of 5 — this tea is easy to make!

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