The Floral Teapot

Tea Drops have to be one of the most unique tea offerings I have tried.  I first came across them in a small little boutique and thought they were so interesting!  Basically Tea Drops are comprised of finely milled tea, spices and sugar that has been compressed.  Once a drop is added to boiling water the tea dissolves and you have an "instant" cup of tea.  This is such a fun concept and how convenient to be able to just have several tea drops in your bag and pop one out when you want tea since one can find a cup of hot water almost anywhere. I have sampled all of the flavors but today I am having Citrus Ginger. The Packaging:   When I purchased my Tea Drops from the boutique it came in a very nice wooden box.  The lid slides off to reveal the Tea Drops.  Inside are 8 Tea Drops.  The flavors are: Vanilla White Tea, Citrus Ginger, Sweet Peppermint and Rose Earl Grey.  I really like the wooden box, and, on the site you can purchase i...

Today I am trying Raspberry Limeade from Teavana.  This is a tea blend of Raspberry Balsamico (Which I have reviewed on the blog) and Limeade Twist.  I feel that Teavana tends to get a bad rap in the tea community and although I have been subject to their pushy sales tactics in the past I have found that since Starbucks acquired them they are must less pushy.  Also, Teavana makes some amazing blends!  At any rate, this tea is best prepared iced.  As it starts to warm up I gravitate towards fruity, iced teas so this one sounds perfect to try! The Packaging:   I purchased this as a set of 4 Poolside Teas.  It came in a foil resealable package.  I did put mine into a tin to keep it fresh. The Ingredients:   candied pineapple pieces, apple pieces, grapes, hibiscus flowers, orange peels, elderberries, juniper berries, rose hip peels, natural and artificial flavors, orange slices, lime pieces, pineapple chips, lemon slices, strawbe...

I was contacted several months ago regarding a tea product that I had been actually considering purchasing so it was fate that I was to try it!  The product I am referring to is Okuma Nutritionals Wu-Long Oolong tea.  Now this is an oolong tea that supposedly burns fat by helping to increase the metabolism.  I followed the tea regime for a month (each box has a month supply, so 60 teabags).   The regime is designed so one drinks on cup of tea in the morning before breakfast and then another cup in the afternoon.  In order to keep my test of this product controlled I kept my normal diet and exercise the same. The Teabags:  The tea comes in standard tea bag form.  The tea is the standard teabag with the tea in CTC form (crush, tear, curl).  The box does not indicate what type of paper is used for the tea bag.    The dry smell:  the dry teabag smells almost like a mild black tea The steeped tea:  The tea steeps...

I love this time of year when the Spring and Summer goods start to come out.  I love the bright colors, the fun prints and the fun, fruity flavors.  DAVIDsTEA always has such fun collections and this years Spring collection, although very small, is still very cute.   Take for instance rustic mugs that the released with this collection. I like the way that they incorporated a bit of Easter into the tea ware with little bunnies hidden inside the mug. One of the teas released with the collection is Sunny Citrus.  I have heard that this tea is a re-promote but was slightly reformulated.  The official description on this tea is " With hibiscus, pretty little flower sprinkles and a twist of juicy orange, this sweet and tangy blend is like a cup of liquid sunshine." The ingredients:   Apple, hibiscus, sprinkles, currants, blackberry leaves, rosehip shells, orange peel, sunflower petals, safflower petals, mallow flower petals and natural flavourings. ...

Ok, so this is a tea that has interested me for some time now.  It is an herbal blend laced with balsamic vinegar, juniper berries and dried fruit.  Not your normal herbal blend. The ingredients are:   Apple pieces, grapes, hibiscus flowers, elderberries, juniper berries, strawberry slices, rose petals, red currants, artificial flavoring, raspberries, blueberries, Balsamico vinegar di Modena. Preperation:  I steeped the tea according to Teavana's recommendation of 2 spoon fulls (I use the Teavana measuring spoon) with boiling water steeped for 5 mintues.  I did not sweeten it. Color:  The Tea steeps up a beautiful red color, almost a deep red wine color. Smell:  The steeped tea smells of berries, the sharp vinegar smell has become less dominate  Taste:  This tea tastes very interesting.  The first thing that hits the tongue is the tart, almost acidic taste of the hibiscus and vinegar.   The back taste is a subtle re...

Today I tried another one of the DAVIDsTEA Valentine teas, The Earl's Valentine.  Now I smelled this tea in store and didn't detect any bergamot, that characteristic earl grey smell, and it didn't even dawn on me that this tea was an iteration of an earl grey tea.  I should have realized as DAVIDsTEA calls their other earl grey varieties "the earl" as in The Earl's Garden (which is a fruity earl grey).  So, I was a bit surprised to taste the tea and discover it was another version of an earl grey. The description:  Some people swear by chocolate and roses on Valentines Day.  We say there's nothing dreamier than tea.  But, with this romantic blend you don't have to choose. The ingredients:  roasted carob, black tea, chocolate, rose buds, cornflower petals and natural and artificial flavorings The dry leaves:   This is a beautiful tea, full of rose buds and blue cornflower petals although it almost reminds me of the look of potpourri! ...