Sunday, November 22, 2009

Red Alert! Put the Kettle On! ~ Monty Python

Even if Monty Python's humor is not your cup of tea, you can appreciate this funny quote from a Pepperpot Ladies sketch. And, of course, if you're a tea lover like me, you like a nice cup of tea even when you're not under a Red Alert! This past week I've been trying a variety of teas from the Two Leaves and a Bud tea company and can highly recommend their sachets of organic teas.

There is a caveat; I'm not a professional tea taster, and I don't even play one on television! So, these are the thoughts of someone who loves tea (hot and cold) and drinks several cups each day (sometimes even several pots!). Even though I have attended a few tea tasting seminars, I will not attempt to use the lingo as it would probably just reveal how much I don't know! But, here's my opinion of the seven teas I've tried thus far:

Peppermint (Herbal, caffeine free) - Any fan of peppermint tea will love this! It's a light golden color with a heavenly minty fragrance and it leaves just a hint of a peppermint bite on your tongue. This is just the thing to pep you up when you're tired - very refreshing and energizing! Stock up now to get you through the holidays . . .

Darjeeling (Afternoon Tea) - I'm partial to Indian teas and always enjoy a nice Darjeeling. Did you know it's grown in high-altitude Himalayan foothills? If you're interested in different tea regions, check out the map at Two Leaves and a Bud - it's interactive and you'll be able to see where your favorite teas are grown. But, back to the Darjeeling - it was a beautiful golden color as seen below, with a nice, clear taste. I would be happy sipping this every afternoon!

African Sunset (Red Tea) - I wish I'd taken a photo to show you how beautiful this tea is. It's red (!) and tastes more organic than black or green teas - kind of woody or shrubby and a bit lemony. It's very nice and I think you could get hooked on it!

Mountain High Chai (Spiced Black Tea) - This was my least favorite of the seven. It has a great spicy fragrance, but the flavor was a bit diluted (I steeped it for 3 minutes as suggested, perhaps a minute or two more would have helped). I don't typically add milk to my tea and I suspect this was the problem and that Mountain High Chai would be great with milk (like the Chai you get in Indian restaurants). So, while I would not pick this as a favorite, you should try it for yourself (with milk, of course).

Pomi-berry (Herbal, caffeine free) - This is a nice Chamomile tea blended with pomegranate, apple, lavender, hibiscus, and lemon grass (and, no, I couldn't distinguish all those flavors on my own - I checked the TLAAB website). I really do not like Chamomile, but I liked this. It's sweet and fruity and the pomegranate balances out the Chamomile flavor.

Tamayokucha (Green Tea, light caffeine) - This tea is a beautiful light green/brown color with a subtle flavor. I liked the taste very much, but the fragrance was a bit grassy - keep in mind that I much prefer black tea to green . . . If you're a green tea fan, I think you will be quite pleased with Tamayokucha!

Assam (The Original Breakfast Tea) - Loved it! I start most mornings with either an Assam or Formosa Oolong and this Assam was perfect. It was a dark golden color with a nice robust flavor - just what I needed to wake up, but not at all bitter. If you like breakfast tea, you'll love this!

To steal a line from Dorothy Parker, who famously reviewed Katherine Hepburn's performance by saying she, "ran the whole gamut of emotions from A to B" - these Two Leaves and a Bud teas run the whole gamut from excellent to just . . . very good.

Check out the Two Leaves and a Bud website for lots of great teas, info, and tea gifts!

Disclosure: I received free tea samples as described above to review. Two Leaves and a Bud did not compensate me for reviewing their product beyond providing me with samples.

9 comments:

  1. great review! I admit I am not a big tea drinker anymore but my husband loves tea (somehow that seems backwards to me) but this seems like a great site in which to check out little Christmas gifts! Thank you!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I was so distracted by the lovely cup that I had trouble focusing on the tea.

    ReplyDelete
  3. That pattern is by Kate Spade / Lenox and it's called Pompano Point. I purchased it at Replacements which is nearby - they have tons of Lenox china at ridiculously low prices (they bought out all the imperfect pieces from Lenox - or something like that - you can't tell what's wrong with the items, though so I would call them slightly imperfect!).

    ReplyDelete
  4. hello, I'm Monica from Saranghae blog. I read your comment for my post "Korean Skin Care Routine", but I'm not sure why your comment isn't showing up on the actual web page. So to answer your question from that comment, you can reach me at my email: monicahe.mh@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ԍreetings! Verry helpful advice ԝithin this article!

    It's thе little сhanges tɦat produce the gгeatest ϲhanges.
    Many thanks fߋr sharing!

    my webpage; free powerade Zero coupons

    ReplyDelete
  6. This design is spectacular! You definitely know how to keep a reader
    amused. Between your wit and your videos, I was almost moved to start my own blog (well, almost...HaHa!) Wonderful job.
    I really enjoyed what you had to say, and more than that,
    how you presented it. Too cool!

    Here is my homepage - tworzenie stron www

    ReplyDelete
  7. Vеry nice post. ӏ definitеly ɑppreciate thyis site.
    Continue tҺe good work!

    Have a look аt my homepage Pools aus Polen

    ReplyDelete
  8. Its like you read my mind! You appear to know a lot about this,
    like you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you can do with
    a few pics to drive the message home a bit, but instead of that, this is excellent blog.
    A fantastic read. I'll definitely be back.

    My site; australian underwear size conversion

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts with Thumbnails