Plum Deluxe

Thanks so much for the samples, Plum Deluxe!  A pineapple no-caff blend I can stand behind!  It seems a simple blend, but not really anything I’ve come across before.   Plenty of pineapple flavor here.   The base is green rooibos which is rare enough, then plenty of fruit.  I’m surprised that there is also apricot and mango mentioned in the ingredients because it really only looks like pineapple or apple.  I like the simplicity of the pineapple I’m tasting anyway.   I’m also seeing rosehips in the ingredients but the brew was actually the color of pineapple, so I don’t think any rosehips made it to my infuser.  There is also lemongrass and orange peels mentioned, but again I’m not tasting them.  It’s 100% pineapple.  On first sip I was inclined to add sugar, which I never do, but I will definitely try that at some point!  A tasty, refreshing, unique blend!
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug // 10 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled  // 10 minute steep

Thanks so much for the samples, Plum Deluxe!  I really wanted to try this – I heard great things about it.  Featuring a honeybush base with chocolate, cinnamon, apple with banana and chestnut flavors.  The base seems more to me like rooibos here.  The flavor isn’t what I expect!  I’m mainly tasting hints of banana and cocoa – but the cocoa could really be chestnut…  I can’t say I really know what chestnut tastes like.  I’m glad the apple isn’t more noticeable… that would be odd in a “banana bread” tea anyway. Overall, this just isn’t as special as I wished. The flavor is too light and thin and the apple might be contributing a lightness to it… if I hear “bread” I think starchy, strong, heavy.  This tea is not that.  The banana seems almost like a candy.  As a banana tea, it’s good enough!  Maybe a name change would make this tea more understandable to me.
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug // 14 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 6 minute steep

Recently I was sent some teas to sample from Plum Deluxe, so thank you very much, Plum Deluxe! This tea was a free sampler in the package, and as soon as I’d finished sipping down the bag of tea I’d been working on as my daily drinker I wanted to brew this up, since I have a terrible habit of stashing coconut teas, forgetting about them, and then having the coconut go rancid and never getting to try them. What a treat it will be to drink a freshly blended coconut tea for a change!

The dry leaf had a lovely aroma of spices and coconut, but after steeping, the leaf reminded me of lemon ginger tea, with a bit of cinnamon also hitting my nose. The tea itself has a really pleasing aroma of coconut, lemon (a bit more like lemon zest or lemon cream, actually), and spices (I can pick out ginger, cardamom, and cinnamon in the aroma). With just a single-serving sampler I decided to try this chai straight rather than adding any additions (if I’m going to make a chai latte-style, I often go for a stronger brew that will withstand the addition of the milk) which often makes me worry that it will come off a bit strong — many I’ve tried are either quite astringent in the black tea or too spicy unless milk is added — but this was surprisingly very smooth taken straight. I am a person that likes tart/sour flavor profiles and the lemon/citrus is a pretty dominant flavor in the cup which I immediately found quite to my liking; it hits with the spices at the beginning of the sip, and then a very sweet coconut flavor comes toward the end of the sip and lingers on the tongue. It’s a very nice balance. The ginger spice really pops in the blend and compliments the citrus nicely, but it isn’t strong, burn-your-mouth-off ginger that leaves that unpleasant tingling on the throat for spice-wuss types like myself; it’s just a nice, pleasant warming effect. I can pick up a bit of clove and cardamom as well, and a touch of cinnamon sweetness. The base tea is just a bit malty and holds the flavors well.

I’m really enjoying this; it has a nice sour-and-sweet balance and as a chai, holds up well as a naked cup, which I certainly can’t say for all chais I’ve tried. No doubt it would likely also taste great steeped strong and mixed with some coconut milk as well. I’m really enjoying the lemon zing and sweet coconut on this cold and rainy winter Idaho morning.

Thanks again, Plum Deluxe!

The cinnamon in this reminds me of how S&V accomplishes its cinnamon flavor, which I love. Unfortunately I didn’t love the apricot mixed with it. It was a bit sour and not quite right. Tweaked just a little, this could be a wonderful tea. As it was, it was decent, but a little strange.

This one is pleasantly gingery. It’s light and not very spicy. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would! It didn’t need any additions.

This one makes a pretty tasty first and second steep. I love lavender in tea, so that was nice and refreshing, though the other herbiness in there wasn’t as spectacular. It was a decent mix, not super special, but pretty good. As usual, I’d prefer straight lavender.

The flavor here was rather light and sweet. The main flavor was the apricot/mango on a pleasant black base. It was very smooth. I enjoyed it, but it’s not my preferred type of tea, so I wouldn’t have it again. For its category though, it was very, very nice.

I was going to just give this one away because I didn’t feel like trying yet another mint green tea. I’m glad I decided to keep it! This one is almost like graveyard mist from 52teas, which is a favorite of mine. The mint flavor is very cooling and refreshing and the vanilla is very present and tasty. The green tea stays out of the way. I’m glad that there’s enough for a second cup in this sample!

I really liked Teavana’s citrus lavender sage tea, so when I saw this flavor, I was quite excited. The pineapple is light and doesn’t have any fake weirdness. The sage is there too, and it’s quite tasty without being overly herby. This is really a nice blend! I wish I had more than just a cup’s worth!

This tea is so bready and tasty. This is probably the best breakfast blend I’ve had. The rooibos definitely improved the blend. It’s really good!!

I’ve been sipping on this pretty consistantly for the last few mornings, but have not yet had the time to log this tea. Whoops!
Its nice. A solid blend, with a touch of vanilla to smooth it out. I like it. I don’t know that it’s a repeater, but I do like it. It won’t be a problem sipping it down.

The flavor is delicate and sweet – like a nice baked treat. The black base it present too, and it’s tasty. I can’t taste the coconut specifically, but I totally get that it’s like a cookie.

I’ve been busy drinking other teas, so every morning, I check what’s in my Plum Deluxe advent calendar for the day, then I save it to have some other day. This one I had to brew up immediately. It’s similar in look and flavor to S&V’s snickerdoodle tea. It’s not quite as tasty, but I’m enjoying it. The main flavor is definitely a light snickerdoodle. It’s sugary with a touch of spices. It’s nice, but I have some S&V snickerdoodle coming in an order soon, and I’d choose that one every time. These flavors are quite muted in comparison, and there’s no caramel.

TTB. I tried this one before, but didn’t remember much about it. I reduced my rating a bit. It’s perfectly okay, just very boring. A bit of a pecan flavor, with some cinnamon as well.

This was a most comforting cup first thing in the morning. The pecan pieces are definitely the most prevalent flavor, with the cinnamon chips being more in the aftertaste. I enjoyed the cup, but would’ve liked a more “pie” like flavor, or even an enhancement in the cinnamon department.

Wow. I was extremely pleasantly surprised by this tea. How would ginger and fennel seeds taste like a cookie? Well, it certainly does. It tastes like a snickerdoodle right out of the oven. So, so good. I rarely re-purchase teas anymore, but I will certainly be doing so when I place my next Plum Deluxe order. This is definitely a tea I want to have on hand. I will steep longer next time as well.

Very much a standard peach tea. Not so much the peaches and cream I was expecting. A syrupy stone fruit note, mixed with slight earthiness of the oolong base. Not bad by any means, but somewhat forgettable.

This was another unfortunate miss today for me. The combination of orange and hazelnut came across as somewhat stale tasting. It lacked the richness and complexity I was hoping it would have.

Added half a sugar cube, and a small splash of cream.
I didn’t get a hint of cardamom, which was unfortunate because it’s a flavor I absolutely love. I oddly got a somewhat savory butter aroma and the flavor was a very, very mild vanilla. Not quite the rich, cardamomy vanilla latte I was hoping for.

I’m starting a habit, apparently. On mornings when I need to be awake and alert early (today), and have not had enough sleep due to the cruel plots of the world (last night), I’m reaching for this.
Fog Cutter is strong, but the lemon note lightens it up and keeps me from falling further into a stupor.

I did not get enough sleep last night, by a long shot. So this morning I am most certainly in a fog, and so I thought I’d try this.
Good choice! A strong breakfast blend. Not so malty or overpowering that you feel like you’ve been whacked in the head, but strong.
Thank goodness. I’m going to need all the help I can get this morning!