Plum Deluxe

Received this as my second tea in this month’s Plum deluxe package. I loved it! My bf loved it! I think this will be a new staple for us. I am not always the biggest fan of Earl Greys. The bergamot oil that is used (to me) overwhelms the tea. But that is not the case here. This tea is incredible. Sweet, creamy, with a citrus twist and just a hint of the bergamot oils. I can’t recommend Andy and his crew at Plum Deluxe enough. (Shae I’ll be sending you some of this in your next box-if my bf leaves us any)

In other news, the bf has started a blog for me that we are going to share. It is going to combine my love of tea and horror/sci fi related fun in one spot plus all my other ramblings and polka-dotted interests. He had a blog a couple years ago and has been wanting to set me up. Yesterday we talked again about a name and he came up with the name and by the time I knew what was going on, CuppaGeek was born.

Woohoo. Another fun project for me! It is still in the baby stage but we are having fun customizing it and if nothing else, this is something we do together. And with having 4 kids between us, having something that is just ours is rare.

http://cuppageek.com/index.php/2015/05/13/mindful-morning-tea-blend-earl-grey/

This is the last of the Apricot Meadow that Nichole sent for me to try. I’ve had a couple of cups of this before but can never seem to get myself together enough to write out a note. I can smell and taste the lemongrass most of all. I had just shy of a teaspoon left so I only used 6 ounces of water for this cup. This still isn’t my favorite, though I will say it’s better in my opinion when cold. Thanks so much for letting me try this one, Nichole!

Oh yum! I used to think peppermint teas were just pretty similar with big taste factors being freshness and it being loose leaf. But dang, this peppermint tea is goood! Best peppermint tea I’ve had!

This peppermint blend of 3 different kinds of pacific northwest mint and it’s perfectly minty without being grassy or steamy overcooked vegetal taste. It isn’t over the top mint or toothpastey either. Pacific northwest Evergreen mint tea is just really fresh mint and there’s a nice light sweetness to it! There is spearmint in it, but it’s on the light side, giving it a slight wintergreen twist end of sip.

I only got a one shot sample of this herbal and now I’m totally wanting another cup.

backlog

So I finally decided on a subscription plan. I picked Handmade Tea (which I haven’t received yet) and Plum Deluxe.

I am definitely not regretting going with Plum Deluxe. This herbal was awesome. I’m sad to say its just about gone. I really enjoyed it. Sweet with a tang to it. You can tell there are apricots in it. You pick up hints of a peach flavor too.

I had hoped to keep some held back for the summer months, oh well!

Here is my full review:
http://sororiteasisters.com/2015/04/21/apricot-meadow-herbal-tea-plum-deluxe-tea/

Backlog:

This tea is worth it just for the dry leaf aroma – it smells amazing. The floral notes together with the creamy vanilla notes is absolutely delightful.

As I point out in the full-length review of this tea: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/12/16/reading-nook-tea-blend-from-plum-deluxe/ – the Plum Deluxe website says that this is “a black tea with an herbal taste.” That pretty much sums up the flavor of this tea, except that I would exchange the word “herbal” for “floral.”

This is a very floral tasting black tea – but not perfume-ish. The black tea is a mellow tasting tea – I suspect it’s a Ceylon. The floral notes really come through – and I like the way they do come through. It’s a bit like a dance on the palate and it’s quite lovely.

Backlog:

I had this a couple of times. The first time I brewed it, I neglected to shake the pouch so that I could evenly distribute the little honey crystals that are in it. They do settle so this is one that I recommend giving a good shake so that you can get some of those crystals in your tea.

Typically, I don’t really like it when a tea company sweetens a tea for me. I want to be the one who decides if my tea should be sweetened or not. But I do like the little touch of honey that the crystals bring to this. I probably wouldn’t have added honey to this otherwise, so those crystals do bring a hint of flavor.

As I say in my full-length review of this tea: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/11/17/mindful-morning-blend-from-plum-deluxe/ this is a nice spin on the classic Earl Grey.

The black tea base is a smooth, medium-bodied Ceylon. I taste hints of malt. There is some astringency to this, but it’s mild and doesn’t detract from the enjoyment.

The bergamot isn’t super strong here, but I do get a nice, tangy bergamot note. The notes of vanilla soften the bergamot a bit, and the combination of vanilla and bergamot offers a slight caramel-y flavor. And I think that’s where the honey in this blend really shines. The honey with the caramel-y tones is quite nice.

A really nice blend.

A fun twist on Earl Grey! This EG is more on the sweet orange side, with a creamy base and a touch of honey. The bergamont is a low to moderate level and more sweet orange mandarin like. The blend is a little sweet (as there is honey in it) with a brisk finish. I love the orange and cream flavor to this EG, very nice!

Full review on my blog, The Oolong Owl http://oolongowl.com/reading-nook-mindful-morning-tea-plum-deluxe-tea-review/

Floral lovers, this tea is for you! The dry leaf is gorgeous, accented with various flower bits – roses, lavender and chamomile. The flavor is creamy, very floral, mellow and a little fruity. The balance of floral is well done as the lavender isn’t over the top, and you can taste each flower.

However, you totally need to be a floral lover to enjoy this tea. it’s pretty floral, so it can be close to soap territory to some.

Full review on my blog, The Oolong Owl http://oolongowl.com/reading-nook-mindful-morning-tea-plum-deluxe-tea-review/

I am pretty sure I am in a relationship with a monster…or a trickster god, you might hear people talk about the 2010 Snowpocalypse and how rough it was, that was nothing compared to what I went through. Gleepocalypse. Ben thought it would be the best thing ever to seed and like all my Pandora stations (that I have had for years) with the Glee versions of songs. Pretty soon no matter what station I was on I would be bombarded with Glee! It took so much work to get my perfectly groomed stations back to normal, and I still panic that he messed something up when a Glee song pops up, of course he laughs maniacally. So, that was today’s fun story. Still don’t know why people complain about the Snowpocalypse though, that was a blast!

So, for today we are having a tea specially formulated by Plum Deluxe for people who like to sip tea while doing artsy stuff, writing, or reading…which is pretty much all I do. Reading Nook is a blend of rosebuds, lavender, chamomile, passionflowers, and cream black tea, I admit I have never seen chamomile in a black tea, what a novel idea! Ok yes, I made a terrible pun, I am sorry!! The aroma is quite interesting, very floral with a mellow blend of lavender and rosy along with the familiar straw aroma of chamomile flowers. It is like sniffing a dried flower bouquet with the hint of sweet cream and malty black tea.

The brewed leaves are sweet and creamy with very strong floral notes, it is a soothing blend of lavender and chamomile with a rich heady note of rose. Under all the creamy sweetness and floral notes is a rich malt undertone that goes really well with the flowers. The liquid is much more tea and less flowers, with a nice strong malt and molasses note and a slight oak wood briskness. There are flowers of course, the blend of rose, chamomile, and lavender adds a really mellow note to the black tea. Me likes!

The idea for this blend is a little genius, I mean when you are reading or doing artsy stuff, you want to be alert and awake, but you don’t want to be jittering out of your desk chair (at least I don’t want to!) so adding flowers mellows the black tea out, wakes up the brain and relaxes the body. The power of taste and smell on the brain is awesome! So about that taste, it is really interesting, as expected with an unusual blend. It starts with a blend of malty briskness and straw-like chamomile flowers, this moves to creamy sweetness, rose, and lavender. The finish is sweet roses that linger for a while, and honestly inspire me to romance, but roses do that to me. I like this tea, it is a really good match for reading or intellectual pursuits (what, art is intellectual) because it adds the needed caffeine, has an interesting taste and aroma, but does not overwhelm. You can sip it and do your thing, no need to worry about a powerhouse tea that takes all your focus away from said project.

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/11/i-am-pretty-sure-i-am-in-relationship.html

Fixing a cup of this to get me through to suppertime. Cranking out some BTO and REO Speedwagon. These were a couple of my favorites back in the day (when I had hair down to my waist). The music holds up well, better than I have :) Anyway, this smells delicious. I need to add honey to my normal EG and see if it turns creamy nice like this. Delicious. Feeling the need for some Ted Nugent…

Oh Poo! My teapot skills are terrible. I wanted to share this with my son this morning, so I made a pot full. A pretty insignificant pot full. Yesterday’s mug was so wonderful. I thought I added enough leaf today, but obviously not. I should have just brewed individual mugs. I know how to do that. Next time. Then he stomped me in Mario Kart 8. Finally, as he walked out the door he pocketed my Periwinkle tea. Hmmph! :)

I think I just fixed a mug of tea with bergamot that even Sil would enjoy (Yes, I believe in miracles). I personally don’t think of this as an Earl Grey. Yeah, it starts with Ceylon black tea and a very light hand on the bergamot, but it transcends from there. The addition of orange pieces and honey granules makes this smell so good I wanted to eat it. The taste is very similar to the aroma. The Ceylon adds something sort of an almost chocolate to the orange and honey. It has a vanilla feel and taste. I don’t know where the vanilla comes from but I enjoyed it more than any Earl Grey Cream I have tried. It accomplishes this with solid flavors that do not go over the top and heavy. Did I mention how good this smells?

This is a special Earl Grey. It is the Earl Grey you expect and love, but better.

Creamy and full-bodied this tea is really the perfect tea to snuggle up with in front of a fire with a good book.

Sunshine in a Cup is the perfect name for this tea. It is a bright and fruity tea that is really enjoyable to drink.

Very nice. Sort of like an Earl Grey but not as strong on the bergamot and with an extra bit of creaminess. It’s lovely with cream, of course!

This tea pleasantly surprised me. I’ve never had a white chai before, and that’s essentially what this is. The spiciness often associated with chai is offset by the white tea, making it mild yet flavorful. I’ve been drinking it in the evenings as a digestive aid (plus, it smells heavenly in the cup).

This is comfort in a cup — and it smells AMAZING! Kind of like my English Breakfast and sleepytime herbal blend got together and had a love child. The black tea gives me the wake-up I need, while the herbal ingredients add flavor dimension and keep me from going into caffeine overdrive. I enjoy it best with a bit of honey and cream.