Tea & Absinthe

TARDIS 10 is a blend of black tea flavored with coconut and banana. I was dubious about banana in tea, but you know what? It really really works. It shouldn’t work. But it does, it really does. I drank it iced because it’s dreadfully hot out in NJ right now, and I think it’s probably best iced instead of hot. The coconut is the strongest flavor element, followed by the tea flavors, with the banana lurking in the background waving insouciantly. It’s like a black tea daiquiri and I mean that in the best way possible.

I’d be careful with over-steeping this one. Two to 2.5 minutes was enough, even for icing. More than that and the tea notes are likely to get a little bitter.

I imagine this tea would work really well sweetened. I’m going to try it tomorrow with the amber sugar so that I get the brown sugar/molasses notes. I also imagine that this iced tea would work astoundingly well with rum, but someone else will have to try that experiment.

Addendum: Yep, amber sugar works amazingly well, and I don’t even like sweet tea most of the time. I imagine Sugar in the Raw would get the same flavor.

I approve of this tea, with just a few caveats.

First of all, believe the steeping time on this one. You want to steep it for 5 minutes to get the proper flavor. Otherwise the coconut and almond flavors don’t come out strongly enough to distinguish it from any other good quality black.

Second of all, if you’re going to use it for iced tea, either think again or double the amount of tea and triple the steep time. It doesn’t hold up to icing otherwise.

Honestly, I think this one is best used for hot tea anyway. Fortunately, the weather here turned gray and cool and rainy enough that hot tea seemed like a good idea today and I was finally able to get this tea at its best. The almond and coconut flavors aren’t strong. They build up and enhance the tones of the black tea. This quality comes out best when the tea is hot. (People who don’t like coconut still won’t like this tea, though).

This is a solid B+ tea, definitely will buy some when I finish working through the many generous tea samples people have sent me.

Floral, slightly sweet, requires no sugar but pairs very well with milk. I can often rebrew the leaves a second and sometimes third time. This is my go-to tea when I’m working and need to focus, and the fact that it’s inspired by the Ravenclaw house is entirely appropriate.

I’m really sad that I’m out of this one. Lightly sweet, not overly bitter from the almonds – this was a good work tea and is sorely missed.

How come I only run out of the teas I really enjoy drinking?!

As a huge fan of Lilo & Stitch, I had to pick this tea up when I ran across the T&A booth at a comic con I was attending. In the canister it has an intensely fruity, floral aroma and you can clearly see large flowers and rose petals generously intermixed into the black tea base.

After a standard black tea brew it provided me with a rich amber liquid that still smells strongly tropical – I swear I’m picking up pineapple, though I can’t imagine why – but sadly it’s all a bit overwhelmed by the strong black tea base, to the point where none of the flavors actually come through.

I’m quite disappointed, as my nose was promising me many fruity delights and my palate can’t find a single one. :/

Received this as a sample when I ordered Starry Night (which is also great). I wasn’t sure raspberry and mint would go together, but it really works; somehow the slightly tangy sweetness of the raspberries and the cool, refreshing mint taste come together into a nice summery tea that’s great iced.

Starry night is a favorite of mine. The coconut is the dominant flavor and gives it a slight sweetness, and the almond contrasts nicely. It doesn’t need sugar, but isn’t too desserty.

Not bad but the cream flavor was a bit understated.

Decent work tea. The bananas we’re definitely noticeable, but this tea was (surprisingly) not very sweet. It was okay, but I probably wouldn’t repurchase.

Not bad! The brittle lends a subtle sweetness to this otherwise light tea.

See my full review on Sororitea Sisters:
http://sororiteasisters.com/2016/12/01/irish-whiskey-cream-from-tea-absinthe-the-other-irish-breakfast/

I bought this tea because I like Vanilla, and my sister likes Doctor Who. I think it is absolutely DELICIOUS! The Vanilla custard flavor really shows up nicely without being too sweet or overpowering the actual black tea flavor. Very smooth, my only regret is that I didn’t buy enough

This is quite a yummy tea that I was able to try thanks to my friend Stephanie. I’m sad to see it go out of my cupboard, but I sure did enjoy it while I had it. It smells of nice, warm, poached pears but tastes more mellow.