Savoy Tea Company

This is one of my first “favorite teas” when I started to dive into the tea community. Keep in mind, I love floral black teas so if you are not into floral flavors, be weary! This one is very fragrant and has notes of jasmine and lavender that stand out fragrantly. I enjoy this with a bit of cream and honey and it is phenomenal.

Another Sipsby sample. I like this one! Nice black tea with very floral forward flavors. The lavender is quite strong, but ok for me. I would purchase this to have again.

Fruity and fun! This tea has so much flavor you will be shocked! Perfect for a blue latte!

Smoky and mysterious. As delightful as it sounds and you will swear it’s got brandy in it, but it doesn’t!

It’s difficult to describe this tea. It’s not bitter at all even though it’s a green tea. I’m not usually a fan of green as much as others but I fell in love with this tea when I tried it! It has a caramel like scent even though there is none in it.

This is the foo-foo tea I wasn’t awake enough to appreciate this morning. It has cornflower and long coconut shreds in it, which makes the dry mix look like a party.

Though the label suggests a great deal of yo-ho-ho rumminess, it’s very, very understated; this has more of a tropical punch punch to it. Coconut, fruit, then maybe a little rum in the background. Cheerful, perky, sweet, celebratory—and quite, quite tasty!

When pondering what to write about this, my first thought was, “this is what happy tastes like.” I could probably apply that to a number of my favorite teas, but this nifty little blend has such a perky, fruity, sweet, sunshiny personality, it’s especially apt. Not too much kiwi so it tastes like an island; not too much apple; no bitterness in the green tea base.

So I’ll just allow myself a little whimsy and not try to quantify it further, and just enjoy the cup and the sunbeam I’m sitting in. (When was the last time a tea made you smile?)

Thoughtful and great-hearted tea friend brought me a sample pack for a lovely Monday afternoon surprise.

Dry, this smells superlative. There should be candles and potpourri all over my house with this scent. There should be poems written to it. I walked out of the office all the way to my car with the pack open and under my nose. Apple fruity goodness.

Steeped, you taste the fruit first. General fruit, then apple, then the kiwi at the back of the throat as you swallow. Mellow, ripe harvest fruit; not tropical drink with an umbrella. For the first run, I erred on the side of caution and kept steep time to 2:30, but it could have gone a little longer without bittering up. This one is going on the shopping list for my next run to Savoy.

I usually save green tea and oolongs for leisurely Sunday afternoons. Haven’t had many of those for a while—have been serving on a committee at church for several weeks in a row (a good thing; but a time commitment all the same). However, mission was accomplished this afternoon. I’m celebrating by ripping open my little sample packet of Paige Turner.

I am a lavender enthusiast for medicinal reasons, but have always thought it was a little florally much in tea. The sweet vanilla in this blend tones it down gently and pleasantly. The green tea base is nice and crisp. Holds its flavor well for a 2nd steep.

It’s been way too long between leisurely mornings when there is actually time to think about one’s tea. So, gratefully, with feet up, I’m sipping something a little less hi-octane this morning.

I’m not much of a floral tea person. No jasmine, please; lavender in moderation; but there’s something about rose that is sweet and gentle without tasting like cologne. There’s just enough in this blend to complement the black/green/fruity combo and make it taste a little like fruit punch. May make a second round and ice it down to see what happens.

New leaves from Arkansas! Neither the label nor the website description are real specific about what fruit flavors are used, but I think I’m getting citrusy/mango-y/could be strawberry. The rose petals aren’t obnoxiously cloying, and the overall effect is gentle, soothing, and sweet. Perfect for a fancy teacup.

I don’t know that I’ve ever had snails of my very own :) Snagged a sample pack of this one yesterday, and it is exactly as advertised—has that lovely dry cocoa scent, which translates precisely into a dry cocoa taste when it’s steeped. I have half a swallow, cold, still in my cup, and it still smells rich and wonderful.

Recently a friend texted me from Arkansas: “I’m at Savoy Tea. What would you like?” Best message I’d received for a long time! And of course, I went blank; I was out of town at the time and couldn’t check my pantry stock. So I went with “surprise me!”

This was the surprise. Authentic, natural tasting strawberry chocolate. Luscious.

After a hard week of just-get-me-out-the-door builders teas, I made time for some more fanciful selections yesterday afternoon … this is a lighthearted take on cinnamon/caramel popcorn. Lighter steep time = heavier on the popcorn flavor; longer = more cinnamon. Fun and tasty either way.

Ever been to Silver Dollar City? One whiff of this and I was hiking in the Deepwoods on the way to Rube Dugan’s Diving Bell (long gone) to see that cute Junior Dugan guy that asked me to marry him…but I digress. All that sentimentality caused me to throw three bucks at a packet from the Savoy sample rack.

At five minutes (max recommended time) this was a little too heavy on the cinnamon and light on the maple corn, but was still a tasty, sweet autumnal snack in a cup. Will let up on the time next round to see if that changes the mix a bit.

Confession: I did not buy any of this, as I’m not much of a lapsang souchong fan, but the smokey, leathery, fruity, pipe-tobacco scent relocated me temporarily to Holmes’ Baker Street or the offices of Cyrus Barker. (Barker & Llewellyn series by Will Thomas. You need to read them. But I digress.) Just thought I’d pass this along to all you smoke lovers.

Savoy has recently started selling in tins—for those of us who are close enough for live store visits, the young lady who took care of us said they’re offering 10% off when you bring the tin back for a refill.

The trip to Savoy was part of a (semi-milestone) anniversary date…I’m giving away my geezerness here, but part of my present from hubby was the Sears and J.C. Penney mail order catalogs from Fall 1985. I’l be up all night compiling my order :)

Don’t see Ginseng Oolong on the Savoy website yet, but I grabbed it at the recommendation of the nice store guy when I whimpered that I could no longer find their Wake Up Call (green tea-ginseng-mate blend).

I’m not sure the ginseng is highly obvious, but it has the Juicy Fruit taste of a very good oolong. Probably no reruns of this one for me, but it’s not a disappointment.

Oh, oh, oh, you need to try this with half and half! Like a sugar cookie with orange peel!

A number of us have mentioned how reliable ol’ Constant Comment was a gateway tea for our addictions. This is a Constant Comment sugar cookie! A wonderful, light warmer-weather alternative to chai. Enjoying it straight up, but a little dairy would make it even creamier.

Guessing this is fairly new to the website; ingredients and instructions aren’t currently posted. But Savoy’s Keemun is exactly what Keemun should be—deep reddish brown in the cup, with a deep and lovely hay barn and burlap scent and personality. Little molasses and dark grape juice thing going on there, too. Excellent. Straight up. Don’t mess it up with milk :)

Savoy Tea Company, my favorite little shop in Northwest Arkansas, does flavored teas really well. Have had less experience with their unflavored products, but it bodes well for future experimentation.

This blend leads with Fujian tea, which I love. Leaves a light breath of cocoa flavor on your lips after you swallow. The label says it plays well with milk and sugar, but it’s very tasty on its own.

Finally, finally, finally, finally, finally! An autumn day as crisp as broken glass; sky’s Crayola Cerulean Blue; breeze rustling leaves that are starting to show some interest in color.

No other tea would do.

This is a wonderful flavored green tea with maple and walnut pieces the size of your thumb. Smells like Mrs. Butterworth’s syrup, and the taste is not far behind, especially the second steep to which I added some (I think) red clover honey. (Bought a bundle of honey straws last trip to the farm and promptly forgot which ones were which.)

Tazo and I are curled up watching Shogun. (Forget Richard Chamberlain, I’ve got a crush on the young John Rhys-Davies!) Therefore, green tea seemed appropriate.

It is 35 degrees with a stiff gusty wind that is drives the rain into you like nails. (4+ inches in 24 hours; lots of ugly flooding) Therefore, something indulgent seemed appropriate.

This light, sweet confection from Savoy is the best of both. Green tea with nuts and maple sugar. Just what we needed. Tazo warmed his nose and chin on the steaming cup while I warmed my hands. Purrrrrrrrrr.