Fashionista Tea

I tried this at the Coffee & Tea Festival. It really tasted like liquid milk chocolate. I probably would have bought some except I don’t like that there’s black tea in the blend.

Smell: Honey, hay, chammonile

Taste: Orange is subtle, Tastes a bit like Cointreau , Well Balanced

Made another cup of this and loved it. This really needed boiling water to bring out the flavor. Deeper, darker. More chocolate, less apple flavor, which I heartily approved of.

This tea was not like anything I anticipated. Based on the name, I thought this would be a rooibos tea. It’s actually a black-rooibos blend. This isn’t a bad thing but I had started prepping a mug of this late at night wanting a caffeine-free tea.

This was much lighter than I anticipated given both the black tea and the chocolate. And the prevailing flavor was not chocolate but apple.

It was pleasant, but completely not what I was expecting. I was a little disappointed because I wanted something dark and chocolatey, but did enjoy this cup. It’s a delicious tea, but know what you’re getting.

I brewed this again and loved it much more than the first time. Used hotter water and steeped for a full 5 minutes.

The vanilla came through crystal clear, as did a hint of rose. Lovely. Simply lovely. I can see this becoming a staple of my cupboard.

This is a pretty standard black tea. Some very light floral/fruit notes but very light to the point where I didn’t really taste them unless I was actively paying attention. It’s a nice black tea but I didn’t think it was anything truly special. (I guess I’m in the minority on this one.)

My first order from Fashionista Tea! I love how this tea smelled dry – creamy, earl grey, delicious. I was super excited waiting for this to steep.

Brewed, it is not nearly as creamy/vanilla-tasting as I would have expected given the smell. However, it’s still delicious.

I can’t help not comparing this to New Mexico Tea company’s Cream Earl Grey, and my memory said I preferred NM’s. So for science, I brewed the two teas together and did a taste test. And I can say I like them both. If I had to chose, I’d say I like Fashionista Tea’s more. It’s smoother, and while less creamy, also doesn’t have the artificial undertaste that I never noticed from NM’s before.

The smell of the dry leaf is strong with bergamot and finishes with cream. The taste when brewed is creamy and floral with a slight hint of pepper. This is a great, smooth and flavorful tea.

Bullet Hell is an insane genre of game, and I feel no shame in admitting that it is really hard. I know I spend a lot of time talking about my love of Minecraft, but before there was Minecraft, there was Bullet Hell. I have been playing Shoot em Up style games since the days of Gradius, and it makes so much sense that by brain would love the fast paced and usually very colorful style of Bullet Hell games. I haven’t played one in a while, but the new Geometry Wars game recently came out and after seeing Dusty play it, the old itch popped back up and I had to have some fun. I popped on the game Frantic 2 and am having myself a grand time.

It is a bit of a meme among gamers that we consume monstrous amounts of caffeine to keep ourselves alert for hours of gaming, and Fashionista Tea’s Organic Creamy Earl Grey could very easily fit the bill, well assuming you drink a lot of it. This is a typical Earl Grey with a creamy twist, my personal favorite way to have an earl. The aroma a nice blend of malt, creamy vanilla sweetness, and a nice bright bergamot kick at the finish. Luckily it is not a kick in the face, more of a nice zingy wake up smell rather than smelling salts like bergamot can be at times.

Brewing up the tea brings out more of the bergamot and balances it out with the rich and creamy vanilla note, there is still a malty note as well, but it is playing second fiddle to the other two more dominant smells. Must be because the malty notes are having a solo in the liquid without the leaves! It is malty and bright with a sweet vanilla undertone and a nice wisp of bergamot at the finish.

So, on the bergamot scale, this tea is definitely in the middle, not too strong and not too weak, in my opinion this polite bergamot is the perfect level of citrus zinginess. There is of course a rich and creamy sweet vanilla note with a touch of cocoa, a bit of malt, and just the tiniest hint of oak wood. The vanilla lingers long after the sip has finished, giving this tea just a hint of a dessert quality. I certainly liked it, I am not the biggest Earl Grey fan (I am pretty sure that is my boyfriend actually, such an earl snob he is!) but I can appreciate one that blends the flavors, adds that extra bit of sweetness, and does not kill me with a citrus bomb to the face.

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/11/fashionista-tea-organic-creamy-earl.html

Tonight was Trick or Treat night in New Cumberland, Pennsylvania has this strange habit of having their candy nights on random days in the various small townships, half the time it is never on Halloween. As much as this weirds me out, tonight was a blast thanks to a ghost and an exorcist. My mom dressed like a ghost (much like the ghost figures in the game Ghost Story) and I whipped together a very awkward dress in imitation of a Hanfu, grabbed my old wooden Bokken, and donned my Raiden hat and did my best Exorcism stance. Sadly I did not create any seals, my sword was not peach wood, and I did not have enough Chi, so in the long run, the ghost won. Our crazy antics were a huge hit, and all our candy mysteriously disappeared!

But enough about my mother and my antics, it is time for tea! Today we have Organic Masala Chai by Fashionista Tea, a blend of Assam, Cardamon, Ginger, Cinnamon, and Cloves, all organic. I have to be careful with my Chai consumption, it usually is stuffed towards the back of my tea shelves, because left alone with Chai, I will drink all of it. The various Indian restaurants I visit in Kansas City know me not by my brilliantly teal hair, but as the girl who drinks at least four cups of Chai and never says no to a refill and always loves a to go cup. The one time I decided to get a lassi instead of a Chai at my favorite restaurant, I think I about gave the server a heart-attack out of shock, and she brought me a Chai on the house anyway! So as you can see, I really love this spicy, rich, drink. The aroma from my little pile of CTC leaves and spices is sweet, spicy, and malty! There is a strong ginger note, a moderately strong note of cardamon, and lastly a mellow note of malt and a finish of cinnamon.

Into the hot water and steeping basket the leaves go! After a steeping it is time to sniff the soggy leaves, and wow are they bright! A blend of almost effervescent ginger with the slightly brisk and malty notes really wakes up the nose, add the undertones of cinnamon and cardamon and you have for an enjoyable sniff. The liquid is a nice blend of malt, ginger, and cinnamon, I am saddened by the lack of cardamon, but I am a cardamon fiend (yes I eat the pods after I get done steeping them…don’t judge me.)

This is a very mellow Chai, taken traditionally with milk (ok I use Half & Half since I love creaminess) and sugar, I can say that this is a Chai that is very chill. It just brings its spices over and sits down next to you, no massive punches of cinnamon or ginger, it just eases you into the spices. The Assam is bold and malty, it really shows off its true colors, usually in Chai the tea accents the spices, this time the spices accent the tea. There is an aftertaste of ginger that lingers for a while and leaves you feeling warm and slightly tingly. I am not sure this is my favorite Chai ever, I really like a lot of kick and of course lots of Cardamon, but it is a good ‘background noise’ Chai, much like the music I am listening to, it is enjoyable but not my main focus. So if you want a Chai with a bold base tea and mellow spices, this is the tea for you!

For blog and photos (oooh spooky ghost!): http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/10/fashionista-tea-organic-masala-chai-tea.html

Hello blog! I have missed you! After two solid days of travel and pretty much non-stop action since my last bit of blogging, I can safely say it is nice to sit down and just relax with some tea and writing. The first thing I did upon arriving in Pennsylvania, after dropping my luggage and proclaiming “I am too old for this nonsense” and giving my mom a giant squish, is go shopping at the local thrift store where all clothes are 85 cents. I came up with the wonderful idea of not bringing any clothes and just buying myself a new wardrobe.

This is in theme with today’s tea from Fashionista Tea, Organic Green Pomegranate! This fashion themed tea is a blend of Organic Green Tea, Organic Raspberries, and Essence of Pomegranate, and I can say that the dress that is on this tea’s page is super pretty and feminine, I want to wear it. The aroma of the dry leaves (and fruity bits) is quite delicious, it has that tart sweet smell of fresh raspberries and pomegranates with a slight hint of rose hips and a gentle finishing note of slightly grassy green. It has a very fresh scent, reminding me of late spring.

Into my steeping basket the tea goes for a nice little soaking. The aroma of the now quite wet leaves is fruity fresh and sweet, just like freshly picked raspberries and pomegranates, nicely juicy and just a hint of tart. The liquid without its leafy friends is sweet and creamy, like raspberries and cream but with a hint of leafy green aroma. It is very mellow and pleasantly sweet.

Oooh, the taste is so mellow, which is quite nice with a tart fruit tea, sometimes you run into ones that are super tart and overwhelming, not so with tea. It starts out sweet, much like biting into raspberries or pomegranate arils, then fades into gentle tartness with a gentle green finish. Out of curious I added a bit of sugar and chilled the tea, this takes away the tartness and brings out the fruity notes even more. I could see myself really craving a tea like this in the late spring to early summer.

For Blog and Photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/10/fashionista-tea-organic-green.html

So yeah, that feeling better I talked about yesterday, it was really short lived. This is immensely frustrating to me because instead of heading out to board game night at Tabletop, I am quickly blogging and curling up in bed with every intent of not moving. I feel things would be a lot better for little ol’ me if I could get this headache that has been plaguing me to go away and stay away for more than an hour. This is not terribly abnormal for me, I occasionally get terrible headaches that can last for weeks sometimes, I just hope this is a short lived cluster of head pain, wish me luck everyone.

Needing something pretty and caffeinated, I decided to review Fashionista Tea’s Organic Fashionista Blend, I am enamored with this company. Their whole schtick is using Fair Trade and Organic materials to create fashion inspired tea, and even though my fashion sense is…well, it is unique, I have always loved watching the changing trend of high fashion. This particular tea is a blend of Organic and Fair Trade black teas, Organic Rose Petal, Organic Lavender, Organic Orange Peel, and Natural Flavor, blended to be a reminder of Paris. Sadly I will just have to take their word for it, since I have never tasted, sniffed, or seen Paris, though I am told it is very nice. Ok, if Paris smells like this, I am moving there right now, pack my bags and ready the long-range catapult. The aroma is creamy sweet and floral, with notes of vanilla and cocoa, with roses, lavender, and a hint of oranges and malt. It is super rich and sweet, bordering on decadent.

Mmm steeping this tea is a treat, it smells so good, I love the dessert like sweetness that blends with the floral notes, extra points for being my two favorite flowers to have in tea. The light notes of orange give the rich leaves a bit of brightness, waking up the aroma and keeping it from getting too heavy. The liquid carries on the vanilla and chocolate legacy with rose and lavender, and of course a bit of orange at the finish.

Ok, that was exactly the taste I needed, the perfect blend of sweet and floral. It starts out with vanilla and roses, then moves to lavender and chocolate, with a finish of brisk oak wood and oranges. None of the notes clash, they blend together quite well while maintaining an air of delicate sophistication. I can certainly see the Paris connection, it would not be a stretch of the imagination to envision some fashionista sipping this at an outdoor cafe while watching the city. For anyone who might be scared off by the lavender (I have heard many say that it tastes like soap) it is very mild and quite enjoyable.

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/10/fashionista-tea-organic-fashionista.html

Here’s Hoping Traveling Teabox Round #3 – Tea #28
I’ve had the teabox a while but it has been difficult to get the next round set up with Steepster acting up. This one seems to have rose petals, lavender, and orange but it’s all dessert to me somehow! Even the dry leaves have a dessert scent, but the flavor seems more like bakey cinnamon, with the lavender, rose and orange missing from the flavor completely. It’s the oddest thing. The color of the cup was a deep red with 1 1/2 teaspoons in the infuser. Not a bad tea but a completely unexpected cup: cinnamon sugar not flowers!
Steep #1 // just boiled // 3 min

Steepster is losing it. I have to edit my tasting notes now to post anything (so make sure you copy your notes so you can paste them in the edited note.) I wish it would fix soon, if only because it must be making the Steepster team lose it!

Here’s Hoping Traveling Teabox Round #3 – Tea #20
This is a nice one but not strong enough for the morning! Maybe because there is also rooibos here, it mellows it out. The steep color is a light brown. Big chocolate chips! The flavor is more coconut than chocolate though. Hints of both. That black tea is too light to figure out!
Steep #1 // few min after boiling // 4 min
Steep #2 // just boiled // half mug // 4+ min

From the Round 3 Here’s Hoping TTB

This was okay. I’m not a big fan of the lavender and orange mix here, but I do like the floral notes. Usually I find citrus and floral to be a pleasant combination, but this taste more of orange oil than a true orange flavor. However, the rose and lavender notes are very nice and well balanced.

This tea was a surprise hit for me! I don’t drink chamomile unless I have to (ie, upset stomach). This herbal also has green and red rooibos, lime and cinnamon.

This tea has lots of tasty orange flavor with a zesty lime and warm spice finish! The chamomile is moderate in flavor, with a chamomile aftertaste. The citrus and chamomile really worked for me. Another tea that could be great iced!

Full review, along with a couple other Fashionista Tea blends at Oolong Owl http://oolongowl.com/fashionista-tea-oolong-owl-tea-review/

I wasn’t a fan of this one, even though it has lots of white and dark chocolate chips in it! I think it was the red rooibos. Sometimes red rooibos just doesn’t work for me as it reminds me of those smelly red woodchips used in gardens. The wateryness of the rooibos also didn’t help.

Anyways, this one is really chocolatey and rooibosy – I think others who enjoy rooibos would dig this, but it wasn’t for me. I’m going to put the rest of this tea in the Here’s Hoping Travelling TeaBox3 so I hope it finds a nice home.

I was able to try this one at the World Tea Expo and it was pretty good. Sipped at home, just as good! This green blend has pomegranate and raspberry flavor which goes together very nicely. A little tart from the pomegranate and rosehip. The green is buttery, grassy and vegetal.

I could see this being killer as an iced tea!

Full review, along with a couple other Fashionista Tea blends at Oolong Owl http://oolongowl.com/fashionista-tea-oolong-owl-tea-review/

Fashionista Tea reviews! This one is a black with rose, lavender and orange peel.

Really smooth, malty with rose, lavender and pastry notes. The lavender is quite good here. Often lavender tastes like soap to me, but it is on the light side, almost adding a creamyness here. The orange pops at the end, adding a fresh flavor.

Full review, along with a couple other Fashionista Tea blends at Oolong Owl http://oolongowl.com/fashionista-tea-oolong-owl-tea-review/

I thought this tea was pretty good. It didn’t wow me, and I didn’t pick up many nuances in aroma or flavor, but I didn’t hate it. It seemed to match the name pretty well: Basic Black.

I have enough left for one cup, so I think I’ll try it again with a little sugar and almond milk, just to see if the character improves.

Backlog:

I think I happened to see a forums discussion about creamy earl grey teas and a good replacement for the SpecialTeas product which is now long gone. This is one I’d recommend to you! This is a really, really good creamy Earl Grey.

Delicious creamy overtone, nice subdued bergamot (curbed by the sweet vanilla-y notes), but still a deliciously full-flavored cuppa.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/04/29/organic-creamy-earl-grey-black-tea-from-fashionista-tea/

Backlog:

I was rather impressed with this tisane given the fact that it’s chamomile (not my favorite). I appreciated the large chamomile blossoms (instead of the crushed, powdery bits), and I liked the softer approach of the orange notes. It’s not an overpowering taste.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/04/09/organic-orange-chamomile-herbal-tisane-from-fashionista-tea/