Tea for All Reasons

I admit, I like fu fu teas. This one has little pearls and pretty pink and blue flower petals in it. To some people that stuff doesn’t matter, but to me it gives me a pleasant visual sensory experience to go along with the great smell and taste of the tea. Girly? Maybe, but what’s wrong with that?

So I put the tea in my infuser and enjoyed looking at the “pretties” – but then after I infused it and it was in my cup, I started noticing that it looked all glittery too, and I didn’t notice that in the leaf. It was pretty mesmerizing. Might have just been the natural oils from the tea, I don’t know, but I liked it.

On to the tea. I like a strong black tea, and this was strong and black and a bit astringent on the finish. Not as strong on bergamot as some other EGs I have tried, and maybe that’s the pomegranate that is tempering it. I LIKE strong bergamot, so while this is a fine tea and I will finish it, I don’t think it will be on my reorder list. I might put some in a tea swap as well since I ordered a tin of it instead of a smaller size. But, there is certainly nothing wrong with it.

This is a disgusting exploitation of 9/11. How does putting red, white, and blue ingredients honor the tragic loss of life? Were these flavors even sourced from the US?

After going through the Tea for All Reasons website and etsy store I am given the feeling that this company is some project out of a basement.

Made this with 2 oz of milk and 1 tsp of sugar and it’s just like eating/drinking melted strawberry ice cream. I’m bumping up the score a little bit because this is uncanny and a little awesome.

Would I buy this tea? Still probably not, but I might change my mind when I whittle down my stash some. It has a niche it fills.

Backlog

This is the last backlogged tea I took notes on.

This brewed up very light golden brown. I had to double check my steeping parameters. The strawberry is an inoffensive strawberry flavor that doesn’t cross into plastic tasting (as some can). Dry it almost smelled like there was a chocolate element, but steeped, it’s very clear that’s not the case. Really light strawberry vanilla cream tea. Slightly smoother mouthfeel than a normal black, from the vanilla as well. Thanks Shelley_Lorraine!

Backlog:

Yummy! Blueberry isn’t necessarily a favorite flavor of mine. I don’t dislike blueberry by any stretch … I like them quite a bit, but, they aren’t like at the top of my list of favorite fruit flavors. But I really liked this Blueberry Buckle tea.

The blueberry notes are sweet with a hint of berry tart. There are creamy notes to the cup, cake-like notes, and a nice background of light, fresh green tea flavor. A really good cup of tea.

If you’re a fan of blueberry teas, this is one I’d highly recommend to you.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/10/05/blueberry-buckle-green-tea-blend-tea-reasons/

Backlog:

I have tried several of the variations of Earl Grey from Tea for All Reasons, and I liked those that I’ve tried. The bergamot is softer in this variety, and I like the addition of lemon, which adds a hint of sweetness to the tart bergamot. Like lemon curd plus bergamot! (Mmm … that sounds good. An earl grey infused lemon curd.)

The black tea is robust and supports the flavors of bergamot and lemon well. Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/09/03/baroness-grey-black-tea-tea-reasons/

Backlog:

This isn’t just an Earl Grey Creme tea … it’s a BLUEBERRY Earl Grey Creme! Oh yum!

It is really good, and it might be the first blueberry Earl Grey tea that I’ve tried. (Then again, it might not be. But, I don’t recall trying another blueberry Earl Grey tea, so it obviously wasn’t very memorable.) But this one … is much more memorable!

Tangy bergamot, smooth black tea base (a bit mild, but with the other flavors going on, I don’t know that I’d want a more aggressive tea), creamy vanilla tones and juicy blueberry. A little bit of sugar will amplify the blueberry notes just a little bit.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/08/06/blue-and-grey-tea-from-tea-for-all-reasons/

Backlog:

This is a really pretty blend! There are shimmery pearl sugar candies mixed in the blend that really give it a lot of visual appeal along with the rose petals and tea leaves. I’m not usually one who likes candy sprinkles in my tea, but I thought that the pearly dragees were lovely in this.

A really tasty blend … and one of the more unique “Royal Wedding” type blends that I’ve tasted. I liked it.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/07/25/the-royal-wedding-white-tea-blend-from-tea-for-all-reasons/

Backlog:

I enjoyed this tea. I was a bit apprehensive about it at first because there was hibiscus in it and I just don’t think hibiscus belongs in an Earl Grey tea, you know what I’m saying? But, the hibiscus contributes next to nothing to the flavor (thankfully!) and maybe only a hint of texture and color.

I tasted primarily black tea, bergamot and rose. And that’s what I wanted from this blend.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/07/15/crimson-rose-grey-black-tea-from-tea-for-all-reasons/

Backlog:

OK, you know I loved this one right from the start, right? Chocolate? Earl Grey? Um … YES PLEASE!

Of all the variations on Earl Grey that I’ve tried to date, the chocolate Earl Grey teas have been my favorites. I guess that should come as no surprise to those who know that I’m a chocoholic … and that’s something I’ve never attempted to hide.

This is an excellent chocolate Earl Grey. A nice balance between bergamot fruit and chocolate. Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/07/07/chocolate-earl-grey-tea-from-tea-for-all-reasons/

The dry leaf is like a party! There’s big sprinkles, and white chocolate chips spattered all over in this. So festive!

The base here is bolder than I expected, and the cup brews up a pretty rich mahoghany color. It fits the cake theme well, though as it’s an almost yeasty and is at least slightly evocative of baked goods. The vanilla flavor is good, but there’s not too much of it. Tea is by far the dominating flavor (which I actually like in flavored cups) It’s also quite sweet without sweeteners (almost certainly thanks to the sprinkles).

I could almost see making this an early morning cup, as it’s quite robust tea and the sprinkles are cheery.

Thank you for the sample Shelley_Lorraine!

As many of you know I don’t like Hibiscus – but – I will try just about any tea once. This was a pleasant surprise! I’m so glad I tried it! The hibiscus is VERY gentle and totally makes sense. Paired with the cream – it’s a real winner! Both flavors are even-steven and done to perfection without interrupting the medium black Ceylon tea base. This is good hot or cold. It has a lovely combo of sour and sweet and cream and punch. All equal parts. A delight!

Is that grenadine? Why…YES…YES…it IS! Lovely! It’s a nice juicy flavor and nicely done – not over the top! The vanilla and cream flavors are just as nicely done, too!

Tea For All Reasons sure knows how to blend specialTEAs…and I love that about them! The Black tea base is of medium strength and the flavors really makes sense and shine here. They don’t SCREAM…but they shine!

This is absolutely delicious! YUMMERS!
The black tea base is perfect – a nice medium strength – but dessert-like in it’s own right. The vanilla is top notch flavoring! Sweet and candy-like almost! The hint of cardamom is a delightful touch and I wouldn’t change the ratio! It’s just enough!

The almonds are sweet, nutty, and near-crusty especially when sniffing the aroma of it all.

I think I will have another cup!

What a treat!

This is another tea from Tea For All Reasons – their Downton Abby Collection. I’m really enjoying these! Now I must start watching the series!

This has that bergamot in an earl grey but not the fragrance of an EG or the stereotypical PUNCH. It has a bit of juicy ‘pom’. The product description says TART – I wouldn’t call it “TART” per say but a neat offering of flavor. I usually only describe teas with hibiscus in them as TART and this doesn’t have it in it – thank GOODNESS!

There are floral notes – but more sweet than bitter or perfumy type florals. There is also a wonderful creaminess in this that is surprising AND much appreciated.

This is a very nice flavor combo – ratios AWESOMELY done – and I give it two thumbs up!

I’m LOVING all of the color in this dry – loose leaf! It’s very pretty to the eye!

The aroma is delightful, too! Fruity but still WITH the black tea base. A little floral goodness to go along with it!

In short – a strawberry rose flavor lays with this black tea base – nice and evenly on the tongue. It has a creamy finish and pleasantly lingering aftertaste.

YUMMY

Oh yes! Another FINE Specialty choice from TFAR
YAY!

2nd infusion:

I HAD to note this separately with my findings! Hotter temp and 2nd infusion this morphs! I love it when a tea morphs especially when it’s the 2nd infusion and more importantly when it’s a black tea!

the post-infused liquor is MUCH darker! Much more like a black tea base I was expecting. The sugar notes are still present even tho the actual crystals ‘melted’ in the first attempt! The Lemon MAY BE a bit more in the forefront than the raspberry but they are still at a nice level of flavor and seem to be even more juicer this time around.

I’m upping the rating on this one because I’m overjoyed at this 2nd infusion being the way it is!

Dry – this smells like a crispy, crumby – bakey type cookie with a spec of Raspberry. Once infused – it smells like raspberry and lemon with a little bit of sugar.

For a black tea base this is lighter in color – that of a lighter brown. It’s fairly golden, too!

YUM! This is delicious! Tea For All Reasons sure knows how to blend ’em! Awesome!

This is creamy and smooth but also has gentle black tea base with ‘just right’ flavors walking hand-in-hand. Raspberry and lemon work awesomely well with each other creating a truly unique flavor! I’m totally loving this flavor combo, folks!

The Diamonds – or the ‘sugar crystals’ are a neat touch, too! It brings a little bit of sweetness to the overall flavor but doesn’t engulf it if you know what I mean!

Yet another winner from this great company!

PLEASE – PLEASE – PLEASE…

Take a moment to click on this tea and look at the product description – straight from the company!

It’s in remembrance of those lost at sea from the Titanic. The symbolism of the ingredients are clever and touching.

The black tea base is of medium strength but also reminiscent of Ice(d) Wine without being overly flavored. The Sugar Crystals are amazing and to the eye look like it would morph the flavor of this tea to overly-sweet and sugary but it doesn’t…it’s perfectly done! The Cornflower Blossoms add a nice color to the overall look and feel but also contribute a perfumy type flavor to it and maybe even a bit of creaminess to the taste on the tongue.

I really love everything about this one! Nice job Tea For All Reasons!

I’ve been wanting to start watching Downton Abbey for a while and still haven’t. All I know is – this specialty blend smells AWESOME!!!!Creamy Chocolate Whiskey? YES PLEASE!

I’m so grateful to be sipping on this! I’m so excited to have received a package in the mail today!

The post-infusion color of this tea is a bit lighter in color than I thought it would be. It’s a orange-ish brown about medium in color. The black tea base is a gentle medium flavor, too. It doesn’t taste like cream, persay, but it has a creamy texture. If you have every had those chocolate covered whiskey shots (candies) before that is what this tastes like. It’s pretty awesome, I must say! Very yummy! I am going to send the rest to Liberteas and Azzrian for our Sororitea Sisters Site!

This was a tea in a mystery box I swapped with Shelley_Lorraine. Such an awesome idea and many thanks for it to her.

Opening this I was hit with a strong strawberries & cream esque scent. Kinda like a strawberry milkshake maybe? Been forever since I’ve had one of those so I could be off. Anyway, big strawberry cream smell.
Used a tad cooler water than boiling since I seem to have better luck with black teas when I use just under boiling. Still steeped for 3 min.
….Then I proceeded to forget about it for about 15-20 min. So by the time I remembered it, it had cooled enough to drink comfortably. Oops. Lol.

I’m not really sure what to think about this while drinking it. Unfortunately I think I over-hyped it in my mind after smelling it. It’s actually kinda weak-ish tasting, though it was kinda sweet on its own and has a nice light strawberry taste. Adding sugar sweetened it, but the flavor overall didn’t change too much.

I’m thrilled to be able to try it, and I’ll probably end up finishing the rest of what I got, but I’m not sure I’d order this myself to be honest. I might try cold brewing it to see if I get more of a fruit flavor out of it. It certainly can’t hurt, right?

I’ve read many tasting notes describing tea as cough syrup. I have tried many of these same teas and did not agree. This tea, however, couldn’t taste more like cough syrup unless it was a bit more syrup-y in texture. I feel like I should have a cough right now and fear that I might just develop one from the psychological effect. Now, I’ve never particularly disliked the flavor of cough syrup. After all, it’s flavored so that it will taste good (as good as a medicine can), but I’d rather reserve the cheap artificial flavors for when I really am sick.

The name seems to have been changed for this tea. I received a bag labeled “Strawberry Fields” and I thought at first that it was a mistake. But no, the ingredients are exactly the same. The tea is still listed as Love Potion on the website.

I love a good strawberry tea, but vanilla is usually hit or miss for me. This one is somewhere in the middle. It has a nice creamy texture, but I’m not in love with the flavor. (no wonder they had to change the name. . . a love potion that isn’t doing it’s job. haha).

I don’t mean that I dislike it, only that there are other strawberry teas that I like better, so why settle? (unless, of course I have 2oz of it to finish off. . .) Looks like I’ll have to get to know this one better and see if our love doesn’t blossom (yeah, ok, don’t judge me :) )