“Oranges and spices are such a quintessentially winter profile for me, so of course I had to pull this one out. It was so warm and well balanced with the perfect amount of cozy spices and...” Read full tasting note
“(52teas (Anne) 2022: 79) Per previous tasting note, not a fan of the rooibos here, and there’s less orange, and some sweetness perhaps from the date sugar. Otherwise, it’s mostly an orange spice tea.” Read full tasting note
“I would have enjoyed more spices here. Really it’s mostly orange and rooibos, and it doesn’t end up too special. I liked it much better cold. There was nothing artificial or strange, it was just a...” Read full tasting note
“Sipdown 116-2021 Finished this off with a little honey and it was quite nice. I’m mostly getting candied orange, with a touch of syrupy date sweetness. There’s a bit of cinnamon and ginger as well.” Read full tasting note
Tea of the Week for January 18, 2021!
I created this tea in honor of a neighbor I had many years ago (many more years than I care to admit to!) who would make these amazing little cookies that went well with tea – they were a thumbprint shortbread cookie that were filled with a date nut mixture. These little morsels were delightful!
The cookie was a nutty shortbread with a hint of ginger & the filling was made with dates, nuts, orange & a kiss of cinnamon. She would bake them at least once a month & she would always bring me a plate of them. I think if there were more people out there like Sharon – this world would be a much better place.
So I created this blend with Sharon & her amazing little cookies in mind. The base is a blend of naturally caffeine-free Honeybush & Rooibos. To this, I added some date & nut essence (don’t worry, this blend is nut free!) & some dried orange wedges & a little cinnamon and ginger. I even added a little bit of date sugar to this (not a lot, but be sure to shake the pouch before you measure it out to make sure you get those mixed into your measurement). Finally, I added some pretty petals – calendula, amaranth & cornflower – for a little bit of color.
This is a really lovely blend that reminds me a lot of those cookies that Sharon used to make. It’s not only delicious, it’s also organic, VEGAN, gluten free, allergen free & naturally caffeine free – so you can enjoy this any time of the day or night without concern that it will keep you up later than you want to be awake!
organic ingredients: honeybush, rooibos, oranges, cinnamon, ginger, date sugar, petals (calendula, amaranth & cornflower) & natural flavors
I’m loving the way this one turned out! The honeybush & rooibos together offer a nice base that is nutty & honey-like & these flavors work well with the flavors I used in the blend. The date/nut flavor is sweet & yummy – it is accented nicely with the orange, ginger & cinnamon.
This isn’t meant to taste specifically like “cookies” but is inspired by delicious cookie memories of my former neighbor & this blend really takes me back to those Saturday afternoons when she would knock on my door & hand me a platter of those cookies. I’d brew up some tea & indulge in a cookie or two – so good! This tea definitely reminds me of one of my favorite tea time memories!
I didn’t use a lot of date sugar in this – just enough to add a little bit of sweetness to the cup & hopefully accentuate the date-y flavors just a little. After a previous experience with using dates in blends, I thought I’d try date sugar instead – I don’t know whether I prefer dates or date sugar – to be honest – but as far as the blending process goes, I definitely prefer using date sugar – it’s much easier to sprinkle in some date sugar versus mincing sticky dates and mixing them into tea leaves. (Messy!)
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