The NecessiTeas

Currently sipping on this one…

It was one of the teas that Stephenia had mentioned in her all time favourite teas video on Youtube, and was also really highly recommended by a couple other instagram tea blogger folks so I decided to pick some up for myself and give it a whirl; I do like a good sweet tea, and cotton candy is one of those flavours that rides the balance between generic sweetness and a distinct type of flavour quite finely so I was excited to see what this would be like!

It smelled much different than I expected – certainly sweet and sugary, with an air of “cotton candy” to that sweetness but also much more fruity than I would have ever expected it to be – like a tart raspberry kind of fruity quality!?

Steeped up it’s… Well… Hmmm…

I honestly don’t know what I think of this. There’s something to it that does remind me of cotton candy; this sweet spun sugar type of flavour in the immediate top notes and then that gingerly sticks in the mouth after swallowing. However, it’s also very fruity in the same way I was getting from the dry leaf aroma – like a more tart raspberry with a generically sweet apple note, and the raspberry lingers in the finish along with that cotton candy type flavour though it has more of a staying power and I’m finding that sharpness is really strong in the back of my mouth. It’s not bad tasting – but to me, at least, it’s not cotton candy and it definitely feels out of place. It also has that same kind of cosmetic fruit type flavour (like you get in lip stick or lip gloss, sometimes) that I find DT’s Dragonfruit Aloe blend has…

It’s not that I don’t think a cotton candy can’t have a fruit/berry note to it like this; in fact the pastel pink/blue cotton candy you often see is typically berry flavoured. It’s just that I think those cotton candy flavours are typically much more light/airy and not nearly as dense and tart as what I’m experiencing here.

Is it good? Yeah! Is it Cotton Candy? I’m on the fence…

Cold Brew!

Had this one today on the way to work – it had been brewing for probably close to twenty hours! I can’t remember if I had this hot or iced/cold brewed the last time I had it (I think hot), but however I prepared it I actually ended up liking it this was much more. It was still very bright, juicy and almost acidic/tangy peach – like a slightly overripe summer peach mixed with the familiar taste of acidified apple. However, it also had a richer and more prominent vanilla/cream type of flavour. I still really wish that flavour was stronger or that I could boost it with milk – but I’m wary of testing that because it seems like there’s a lot of acidified apple in the blend. Some vanilla agave might give me more of the depth/density I want, but I’m really happy with the level of sweetness so I’m also resistant about adding any type of sweetener…

So, perfect? No – but still really good! And it’s so hard to argue about the lack of vanilla/cream richness when the flavour of the peach is SPOT ON!

For years now VariaTEA has kind of unofficially been my NecessiTeas dealer, providing me with new samples and top up of the ones I’ve loved – but I’ve finally decided to stop mooching off her and place my own order for some new herbals/rooibos blends I’m intrigued by and some larger amounts of one of the ones I love…

This is a new one for me, but I love most anything Peaches & Cream flavoured and while I’m often disappointed by Peaches & Cream flavoured teas, I never stop having high hopes for them! I thought that if anyone could really nail a fruit based one, it would likely be NecessiTeas! It sure is a beautiful looking tea; I wasn’t initially sure if the large white peach was a mashmallow or yogurt drop – it’s a marshmallow, but a sizable one! I love chunky looking herbals, and this has a really nice orange colour too – mostly from all the carrot…

It smells great; really sweet and fruity with these punchy kind of peach and apricot notes and a hint of creamy vanilla. More weighted towards the peach by a lot, but I get the Peaches and Cream vibe that she’s going for. Steeped up, I thought it was a little thin with my first few sips, but the flavour does really build and it became something quite lovely. It’s not sour or tart, but does have a little bit of a zingy/tangy kind of sharpness; not in a citrus way but in an almost “Fuzzy Peach” type of way, tinged with apricot though. The creaminess is soft, but present – this is definitely a bright and full of life peach tea first and foremost, with a balanced level of sweetness and then that silky creamy undertone. There were a couple sips where I definitely could clearly taste carrot (which isn’t unpleasant, it’s like a sweet but slightly earthy note) because there’s so much of it in the blend but it didn’t really take me out of the cup so it’s all good.

As a snap impression, this left me feeling good about the blend. I wish it was a little thicker and creamier, but it’s one of the nicer bright and full of life peach blends I’ve had in quite a while, and I don’t feel like it didn’t deliver at all on what the name implied it to be.

This is by far my favorite of all of the cotton candy teas I’ve tasted. It’s distinctly cotton candy, but not cloyingly sweet. The combination of dried fruits is delectable, and in conjunction with the flavoring makes quite a treat.

Sipdown (301)

Made this as a latte and honestly, it’s basically the same as the plain hot tea. It’s not richer or thicker or anything more as a latte than it is as a plain tea. Either way, it tastes like a Terry’s chocolate orange.

The other day I had a really weird sausage that could only be described as a sausage made by the Terry’s Chocolate Orange company if they decided to give up on chocolate and refocus their efforts to sausages. Basically, the sausage had a lot of orange flavor, but not just any orange, that very distinctive orange flavor in a Terry’s Chocolate Orange. It was not bad but it was weird and then it got me thinking about those chocolate oranges which brought this tea to mind.

This tea, like most other Necessiteas blends, is spot on for that flavor. It is much better hot but the flavor continues through even as it cools. I just personally think flavorwise it lends itself to a hot tea much better.

Sipdown (303)

The combination of peppermint and mocha is making this come off almost dirty. I don’t know how to describe it but today the flavors really aren’t working and as a latte it is coming off quite thin. The one solace is the sprinkles and whipped cream on top.

I had high hopes for this one but ultimately I am not loving it.

This was a tea I was really interested in so I was pleased to see it was part of the 12 teas of Christmas. Drinking it now, I am happy I didn’t buy more tbh because while it smelled mouthwatering while steeping, the flavour is a bit flat. It’s sorta chocolate-y with a hint of peppermint. Imagine someone stirred powder hot chocolate mix in water instead of milk and that’s sorta how this mug turned out. While that isn’t terrible, it does fall short of my expectations.

Finished this off. Nice and creamy! I love the combination of mint and marshmallow. I would definitely purchase this one around the holidays again.

Enjoyed this as an oat milk latte with a shot of DavidsTea’s Candy Cane Matcha. The little milk frother I got for Christmas really changed the latte game for me. Super smooth and creamy, with a beautiful minty coolness. Even though the matcha is pretty sweet, it’s not cloying.

Mmmmmm. I’ve had quite a few cups of this over theist few days. A bit of sugar really makes this pop. I love the mini marshmallows and the crushed candy cane pieces. It’s so festive looking, and tastes creamy and wonderful.

I received this as a sample in a recent order from Necessiteas. Cinnamon was sounding especially tasty today, and this definitely seemed to fit the bill. Wow. What a bold cinnamon flavor. Tastes like a melted red hot, which really hit the spot.

I received this in one of my multiple orders from Necessiteas over the last few months. I’m really loving the blends I’ve tried! I probably would’t have chosen this for myself, so it was a nice surprise. I’ve also been having A LOT of really heavy teas lately, this morning in particular, and wanted something a bit more vibrant and bright. This definitely hit the spot! Zesty and packed full of bright citrus flavor. Really lemony, a bit of vanilla.

Sipdown (218)

I completely forgot about this sample from Sororitea Sisters and so it’s been hanging out in a ziploc, hidden in my stash, for years. As a result, this doesn’t taste like much. It seemed to have potential though. Sad…

Another teapop sipdown of this one (296)

For the first time in almost a year, I decided to write a Sororitea Sisters review. I mean, with exams done, what else am I doing with my time? Writing the review had me opening my Sororitea Sisters spreadsheet which led me to realize there was a bunch of reviews I have not shared on steepster from the Sororitea website. That got me organizing the spreadsheet which led to me realizing I had multiple copies of it on my computer. Then that led me to realize my folders were a mess which led me to organizing my computer folders and one drive.

After a couple hours of organizing, I have circled back to the Sororitea website. This was the oldest tea review of the ones I haven’t shared on steepster. It is from April 2019 which isn’t terrible but it’s also on the 4th page of reviews under my name so I have a bunch posted since then.

This review is about the first time I tried this tea. I won an instagram giveaway for some NecessiTeas blends and I sent them to my Dad in California. He brought the teas with him when he came for my brother’s graduation back in 2018 (that’s how long it takes for reviews to be posted to the Sororitea site and then how long it takes for me to post them here). I pulled this out and made it as a teapop, which fascinated my Dad. He believes that tea is for the sick so when he tried this, he was like “I thought you were making tea?” because he thought I handed him soda. He was so fascinated in fact that he drank two cups of this.

So obviously this tea makes for a nice tea pop.

Check out my full review here: http://sororiteasisters.com/2019/04/14/strawberry-rose-champagne-the-necessiteas/

Tea Pop Sipdown (219)

Apparently I am in a strawberry and champagne mood lately seeing as this is the second strawberry and champagne cupcake I have had in two days. I only noticed when I was posting my tea picture….weird.

Anyways, I picked this because despite it being quite cool outside, it was sunny and that had me craving a tea pop all day. This tea is a really nice tea pop so I pulled it out of the stash only to realize I only had about 3.5 teaspoons. So, I modified the amounts of everything and made a tiny 8 oz tea pop in one of my regular mugs and hoped there would be no drastic change in temperature that would cause it to break. It did not.

This just has a nice mild flavor with sweet strawberry and a touch of champagne. Some cups are more floral than others but I find the rose adds more of a sweetness coupled with the strawberry than anything.

Mmmmm….an excellent tea to start the day. I’m often dubious of both cherry and chocolate flavors in tea- they often come across as medicinal, or downright artificial tasting. I actually found this to be pretty true to biting into a cherry cordial. I’ll definitely being adding some oat milk and making it a latte next time.

I’ve been drinking this tea a lot lately, and just finished off a 2oz bag. Simmered it in oat milk on the stove for 10 minutes, and added a shot of banana matcha from 3 Leaf. Sooooooo freaking good. Tastes like a piece of freshly baked banana bread.