Plum Deluxe

This was one of the teas provided to me for sample by Plum Deluxe, thank you so much Plum Deluxe! I selected two of the three flavors offered and just chose “blender’s choice” for my last flavor, and this was the tea Plum Deluxe selected. I’m home with a migraine today and feeling like some hot tea, so it seemed like a good time to brew it up.

The dry leaf smells very nice; I’m not extremely familiar with elderberries, but the aroma reminds me of plums and apricot, which is is a very pleasant fragrance. Steeped, the smell of those fruits is much stronger, and I’m also getting a peppery note on my nose. The apricot is very forward in the flavor, with that plummy flavor coming out toward the end of the sip, and a touch of a spice note. There is a slight berry tang, but not much, the honeybush mellows the tea out a lot. It’s really nice, and I’m enjoying it a lot on a day where I’m feeling very under the weather.

So Plum Deluxe sent me some samples to review! How nice of them!

This was just a mini sample, and unfortunately contained less than I usually use to leaf my earl greys. I tend to do 1.5 tsp for my 12 oz mugs. This was only 1 tsp. So naturally, it’s going to be a bit weak. That said, this has a lovely flavor. The strawberry and bergamot play well together, giving it a gentle berry/floral flavor. Luckily, it’s a natural flavor though and not artificial at all. That said, I’m not getting much of the straight orange flavor that I was expecting, or would have liked. (This supposedly contains orange as well as bergamot). But I love the strawberry. It’s very fruity. I would recommend adding a touch of sweetener to this, as it really makes the strawberry POP. I will likely order some of this if I ever make a full order from Plum Deluxe. I really want to.

Good stuff. Solid B.

Thanks to Plum Deluxe for the sample! The creme brulee part of this tea is really tasty. You get a little of that classic burned flavor, though I don’t see any ingredients that create this flavor, so I’m not sure where it comes from! It tasted great without milk, which not all EGs do. I think it tasted best when it was quite hot. Now that I’ve added milk and it’s cooled a bit, the bergamot is the main flavor I can taste, and it’s quite strong, but not as tasty as some bergamots. I look forward to having this one again, but I’ll make sure to drink it all while it’s really hot.

Thank you Plum Deluxe for this sample!

I was so excited to try this one, as white chocolate is one of my favorite things, and peppermint is one of my go to tea flavors, and to top it all off, it has a rooibos base, and I love the natural sweetness you get from a rooibos tea.

I was conflicting how long to brew it for because a rooibos tea I typically steep for a rather long time, however with peppermint teas I steep for considerably less time. So my solution was to brew my first cup right in the middle of the suggested time (3-6min). 4.5 minutes later I had myself a cup of tea! After the typical impatient waiting time for the tea to cool enough to drink, I tried it.

It was surprising, at first I really got the sweet rooibos and then the peppermint and then a light white chocolate flavor. I really enjoyed this combination and it was easy to sip the cup. I wish the flavors were a little more together rather than tasting each flavor individually, which is strange because I am not sure how that makes sense when it is a cup of tea so of course everything is all together…

If you like peppermint and white chocolate I would recommend this tea, it has a fuller, sweeter body than a typical peppermint tea, while still remaining light and easy to sip.

This blend was gifted to me by Plum Deluxe who sent a large “sample” for me to try. So incredibly generous! I’m very glad to have the opportunity to try some of their blends and am starting first with this limited edition dessert tea.

I need to say, first thing, that this tea steeps up so beautifully. For those who take milk in their tea, this one is perfect for such an addition. I do, and I did, and it’s just lovely. The most prominent flavor, as I think it should be, is the raspberry with a solid base of chocolaty tea underneath. Maybe it’s the mix of pu’erh and black teas or the cocoa nibs or all of these together – whatever it is, it works. This is so well-rounded. I can smell the orange in the dry blend and though the flavor doesn’t necessarily come through in the cup I think the orange is somehow meant to boost the raspberry. It just complements the berry and cocoa in such a way that without the orange I don’t think the other flavors would have popped quite so much. This is to me such a well-thought-out and well-executed tea blend. The package says that Love is an ingredient and I believe it.

Thanks so much to Plum Deluxe for sending this and a few other teas to try. I’m looking forward to tasting the others soon.

‘Samurai’ Traveling Teabox – Tea #14
I’m not exactly sure how old this is.  It was not already on Steepster and was not on their site anymore.  It seems like a surprisingly more basic blend than they would create these days:  simply a Formosa type oolong with almond and mango flavoring.  The mango seemed long gone.  But this is certainly some Formosa with a marzipan type flavor.  I would have liked more mango but the roasty oolong pairs well with the marzipan.
Steep #1  // 1 1/2 teaspoons for full mug // 20 minutes after boiling  // 2 minute steep
Steep #2  // 10 minutes after boiling //  2-3 min steep

Replaying FF7 on my Switch in gleeful anticipation of the PS4 remake. Gamer girl’s gotta game. Anyway. I enjoy nutty teas, but I’ve never had a pecan one. Hazelnut, almond, chestnut, and walnut yes, but never pecan. And so, I figured I’d give this a try.

I’m glad I did. I could drink this every day, and in fact I pretty much have since I got it. Both dry and brewed, it smells amazingly good. There’s big chunks of pecan in the tea, and pecan’s the dominant flavor. The cinnamon plays nice in the background and doesn’t overpower it. My only problem is that I’m going through it a little too quickly since I like it so much.

Another sample from Plum Deluxe! Thank you!

I really like the thought that seemingly goes into the names of their teas. I have had a lot of other teas with similar ingredients, the main thing that made this one stick out was it is a black and green tea blend so I found that interesting. I was brewing my cup and honestly thought that the lighter floral flavors would be too weak to hold up to a black tea and I was then worried that the citrus would have to be really strong as with most black tea leaf citrus teas I’ve tried.

I was surprised when I started to sip my cup. It has a fuller body than a floral green tea but it is not as dark and strong as a typical black tea. My first few sips I really only tasted the black tea and lemongrass. However after a few minutes more of cooling down, I could start to taste the other citrus as well as the floral flavors. I enjoyed my cup and was happy to re-steep twice before the flavors started to fade.

This tea is well named, I could see myself keeping this tea as a go-to for something to drink while I am cooking or if I had some friends over and wanted something that could appeal to a lot of people, as the citrus and floral are not overwhelming. The flavors come together nicely in a way where I don’t feel overwhelmed or like I can only have one cup. I would happily drink a whole pot.

Personally for me at least, I would like to taste the green tea a bit more and maybe a little less lemongrass.

Thank you Plum Deluxe for mailing me the samples!

I was so excited to try this tea as both a huge fan or Star Trek as well as earl grey tea. So excited that I first thought I should wait to try it until Thursday when the new episode of Picard comes out but I just couldn’t wait.

I was surprised at how much visually I see the orange and how very little I see pecans. However after brewing I can really get that nice nutty taste. I think it is a stronger and bolder take on the classic earl grey blend. I still get the lovely bergamot that keeps the tea in that earl grey range. All excitement from this tea being named after one of the best Captains and now retired admiral in Starfleet aside, it really is a nice tea. Naturally sweet enough where I don’t feel I need to add honey or sugar, and it has a nice slight creaminess to it as well. I typically don’t drink my tea with milk, but I imagine the nutty flavors would come out well with an almond milk or just as a classic latte too. I re steeped it once and the flavors all held up well. My only critique is that the orange overpowers the bergamot a little so I am not getting as much as I would have liked.

As this is a limited edition tea I will most likely be looking to place an order for more, it is a unique blend to me and one I could see myself having as an everyday type of tea.

Lesson learned – don’t take gifted samples to work. Distracted as I usually am, this tea suffered at the wrath of my duties and so I cannot do it justice. I can tell you that it had nice flavor, though I couldn’t detect any coconut. This was a single serving sample (what was I thinking?!) so I’ll have to add this to my list to purchase in the future so that I can give it a fair review.

Thanks to Plum Deluxe for sending this and other generous samples. I promise I’ll do better next time.

This seems the perfect blend for Valentine’s Day (had it then).  Thanks so much, Plum Deluxe!  Black tea and ripe pu-erh with raspberries and cocoa nibs and orange peel.  I was worried the orange peel would ruin this, but if anything, it might just add some brightness to the raspberry.  The raspberry is tart yet jammy sharing a perfect balance with the cocoa.  The second steep is just as dark and delicious, still a ton of bright raspberry and cocoa. As it cools, the citrus tastes like a hint of bergamot. The base is strong enough for me to love it, but gives enough room to allow those lovely flavors to shine.  If I had to guess I don’t think I could even tell that this had pu-erh in the blend?  So I don’t think the pu-erh has any of those negative pu-erh flavors.  I bet it would be nice if I added a bit of cocoa shells or even a tiny bit of hot chocolate.  I had Lupicia’s Framboise Chocolat once or twice and the flavor here is VERY similar to that one.  This is great because I love that blend.  Not to say that they are sourced from the same place because Plum Deluxe blends their own teas.  I REALLY like this one even more than I thought I would.   This is only available through March 1 so grab it now if you want some!  
Steep #1  // 1 1/2 teaspoons for full mug // 18 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2  // just boiled // 4 min

GeekSteep S1E6 – Spiderman: The Animated Series

This is the tea that I drank during the recording for this week’s Geek Steep episode! While it’s not really a sappy episode in any way, this is probably one of the most “personal” episodes that we’ll ever do – it basically covers my introduction to Spiderman and how that became what is probably my all time favourite fandom. Certainly my favourite Super Hero, by a landslide. However, as you’ll discover if you listen to the episode, this is basically my “geek origin story” because not only was it my intro to Spiderman but it’s the first fandom that I ever was introduced to. Or, at least, the first my basically infant brain can remember…

There’s no deeper meaning for why I chose this tea for the recording. I pretty much just liked the clever word play of having a tea with “conversation” in the name to sip on while having a conversation. My chimp brain sometimes just gets amused by stuff like that.

Our Website: https://www.geeksteep.com/
(FYI – usually Marika write the blog post for the week, but this time it was me!)
Our Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geeksteep/

Listen to us on Buzzsprout:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1286036/podcast/website

DB topic:
https://steepster.com/discuss/42133-geek-steep-a-new-tea-and-fandom-podcast

If you want to get caught up on the Geek of The Week for next Thursday, the spoiler for our explored fandom is at the bottom of our latest DB post!

Sipped on this one yesterday morning and was delighted by the smooth quality of the oolong, the light generality and roastiness, and the soft top notes of cassis. I was hoping for dense and jammy when I selected it for my morning brew, but even though the profile was different than expected I was still very much enamored with what I got!

Thank you to Plum Deluxe for the tea samples!

This was, by far, my absolute favourite of the teas you provided – I love berry flavoured teas, and you certainly delivered in that department! Currant is a flavour that is so wildly hit or miss; when it’s good it’s good (especially black currant) but when it’s bad then it’s like drinking cough syrup. So medicinal!

This was lively and sweet though, with a jammy blackcurrant flavour that felt rich and full of life without being heavy or sickly/cloying. The entire time I drank the mug, all I could think about was how incredible this would have tasted with a nice, buttery scone! The flavour, while being excellent as a stand alone, also just feels perfectly inspired for afternoon tea “British style”.

Love, love, love!

I’m going to have no issues sipping through any of the teas you provided, but this is one where I’m going to have to come back for more once I do.

From last week, but I don’t remember what day. I got a lot of berries in my scoop though and I think it made a nice difference because, as herbal and floral as the flavour was, it was also much sweeter with a subtle fruity undertone I’ve not observed in prior cups. Quite tasty!

My herbal/rooibos tea sample drawer is getting so full that it’s becoming difficult to open and close, so this week I’ve been trying to drink a lot more herbal or rooibos teas in the evening…

I’m sipping on this one now, with a slightly shorter steep time that last – three and a half minutes to be exact, and it’s definitely doing something for me. It’s so perfectly balanced between really herbaceous rosemary notes and soothing florals like lavender that I feel highly calm and at peace in this moment. I also love that it does still remind me of being out in a meadow, during this period where I’m isolated at home and haven’t really been “out in nature” for several weeks now…

This is one of the teas provided to me by Plum Deluxe! When they had asked me what teas/flavours I enjoy, I believe I mentioned that I’ve been on a big lavender kick as of late and this tea was clearly a direct response to that statement! So, thank you, for really listening to my comments about flavour preferences!

I enjoy teas that are a bit more “conceptual” or meant to evoke feelings/landscapes over recreating actual foods/beverages a lot – it’s one of the reasons that companies like August Uncommon speak to me so much. From a creation perspective, I think it’s smarter for companies to that that approach as well – I get disappointed/frustrated when a tea is meant to recreate a specific dish and it doesn’t match up, but with something like a “Meadow Walk” I think that’s a lot more open to interpretation than, say, a “Vanilla Milkshake”…

This does feel very outdoorsy to me; it’s so heavy on the lavender/rosemary that I feel more like I’m actually walking through a straight up lavender or rosemary field over a meadow but I think the concept is there/comes across. I thought it actually might be really light, based on the ingredients list, but this is actually a very, very strong herbal/floral flavour – one of the most potent lavender teas that I’ve had in a while. I do enjoy it a lot, though I think I’d want a tiny bit of some type of sweetener just to take a little bit of the edge off. That or I’d brew with less leaf or for less time overall.

The only thing I find myself missing is the berry note I’d expected – there are a couple berries in this tea, as well as hibiscus, but I don’t get a whole lot of berry or tartness and I think that could be a really nice contrast to the thick floral liquor. I’ll wait until I try it again, because maybe the absence comes down to what I got in my scoop of tea. It’s not a bad blend without the berry, but I feel like that would just push it to being an awesome blend.

This was one of the teas provided to me for sample by Plum Deluxe, thank you so much Plum Deluxe! I have been curious about this tea because I love chocolate orange as a flavor pairing, but have yet to try a chocolate orange tea that I really like (Terry’s Tea from Bird & Blend really didn’t do it for me, not having much chocolately flavor and the orange coming off with that very artificial flavor that I typically find of the orange flavoring used in teas). I was very curious to see how this one would go over with me, or if I’d find the same problems I tend to find with chocolate orange teas.

The smell in the package definitely reminds me of those dark chocolate covered orange gummy candies I got once at Trader Joe’s and loved; brewed, the orange aroma is presenting a little more of that “artificial flavor” orange I’m used to in teas, but I’m surprised how strong the chocolate is coming off the top of the cup, since I’m used to chocolate notes not presenting well in tea. The flavor is actually surprisingly nice; the chocolate notes are coming through well, more of a dark/bittersweet chocolate but there is some sweetness there as well. The citrus is a little artificial, but not overbearingly so compared to some orange teas I’ve tried, it is on par with some orange sweets I’ve tried. There is a pleasant citrus zest tartness on the back of my tongue, likely from the actual orange peel in the blend. The tea base, a blend of black tea and honeybush, is nice; I’m wondering if a naturally chocolately Chinese black is used (it isn’t specified), but I think the honeybush adds a touch of rounding sweetness to some of the tart citrus notes. There is a good balance. While I haven’t tried a lot of chocolate orange teas, this one definitely holds up as the best of the onest I have tried, and certainly one I wouldn’t mind having again.

Cold Brew!

This is not something I would normally have as a cold brew, but I do like pushing myself out of my comfort zone with cold brews and since it does lean bubblegum-y I thought it might work out okay. The brew was interesting; it actually came out pretty thin in terms of flavour though the body and flavour of the black tea was still surprisingly robust. The thinner flavour though actually resulted in it tasting less like bubblegum and more of the spice notes coming out which resulted in more of the “toddy” like flavour that probably should have been present in the first place.

It was a nice brew and really easy to finish off, but I think I actually prefer the less accurate to the name tasting flavour that emerges when you prepare this as a hot tea.

From this weekend.

Definitely a nice mug, and a lot more vanilla forward in the cup than I’ve come to expect from this blend so that was also a pleasant surprise. Something about it also made me think of root beer a little bit? Possibly just the creaminess of the present vanilla, but it was almost like there was sarsaparilla in the blend as well!

Revisited this blend today, as an afternoon cuppa. I once again found the flavour to remind me quite heavily of both bubble gum and mulled wine – the bubble gum notes even carried through into the infusion this time around. I enjoyed it a lot, and the sweeter but still creamy fruit notes combo-ed with a lighter, warming spice were really delicious and easy for me to sip away at. However, I feel like I also can’t honestly say that this tastes like what I picture a “Vanilla Toddy” would taste like…

Thank you again to Plum Deluxe for providing this tea for me to try and review!

The dry leaf of this tea smells quite interesting; not exactly vanilla even though I do get some creaminess. More than anything, I find myself smelling sweet bubble gum. There’s just a particular combination of ingredients that triggers that smell; compare this blend to DT’s Mulled Wine oolong as an example. There’s a lot of ingredient/flavour overlap, and that blend is infamous for smelling/tasting like bubblegum to people…

In terms of taste, the bubble gum I was smelling doesn’t carry through into the flavour. It’s still more fruity, with warming spice note undertones, than I’d have expected from a tea named “Vanilla Toddy” but there is a creamy undercurrent to the tea throughout so I don’t think it’s a misnomer to call this a Vanilla Toddy – I just wish the flavour was a bit more prominent. I do really like the balance of flavours here though; the red fruit note (cranberry/cherry/hibby) works well with a delicate ginger and cinnamon. Definitely an autumnal mulled wine/hot cider/toddy vibe, for sure.

I will definitely finish off this sample with ease – it’s very easy drinking. However, it also doesn’t stick out in my mind as an exemplary execution of the flavours, which is just to say there’s things I’d tweak. However, it’s a good tea!

Sipdown (798)!

Thank you so much to Plum Deluxe for reaching out and sending me several tea samples to try and review! This was one of four teas I recieved, three being one ounce pouches and this one just being a single cup serving. I really appreciate the obvious thought that went into selecting the teas for me; I can clearly see how the choices took into account what I told you my flavour aversions and preferences were.

I enjoyed this sample a lot – peppermint and pu’erh isn’t an unusual pairing to see together, but this one is exceptionally crisp and refreshing with a really clear peppermint with a light menthol finishing and warming undertone from the ginger that supports the composition of the blend. I especially liked that, despite including other ingredients such as the ginger, this is still clearly a peppermint blend at heart. Too many company’s will be one ingredient or flavour in the name of their tea as a call out to it but will then muddy up the blend/dilute that flavour or ingredient with unnecessary ingredients. In this blend, the subtle additions feel smart and intentional – just peppermint and pu’erh could have been too simple and flat, so there’s nuance now. However not enough to detract.

I could see this being a great blend for a slightly upset stomach, as well as being killer as a refreshing iced tea – and of course it still holds its own in terms of flavour just prepared the old fashioned way; hot and straight.

Thanks so much for the samples, Plum Deluxe!  There wasn’t quite a teaspoon in my sample.  It’s a CTC black tea with lemongrass, coconut, cocoa nibs and spices.  The name is quite accurate here, as rather than a dark, spicy chai, it is very BRIGHT and “uplifting”.  If bright had a flavor, it would be this.  I think it’s the fruitiness of the lemongrass, possibly the ginger making it so bright.  It’s very smooth, probably the coconut.  The black tea itself doesn’t steep up too dark, considering it’s a CTC and usually those become quite brisk quite quickly, even with the six minute second steep.  I didn’t taste chocolate but that might be a little weird here, with the lemongrass.  I did notice at least one cocoa nib.  I’ve had some chai with lemongrass before and didn’t like it at all, so I’m pleasantly surprised with the melding of flavors this one has.  I’d grab this one when I’m craving a light, fruity chai.  The second steep was just as good.
Steep #1 // less than 1 teaspoon for a full mug // 11 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled  // 6 minute steep   
2020 Sipdowns: 12

I just went on Teavivre’s website and it looks like they aren’t even shipping tea out because of the coronavirus. Wow. It’s scary. I hope everyone stays as safe as possible, both in China and throughout the world.