I am thrilled about this haul, because this is a new brand for me and I really want to try as many flavors from them as I can to have a comprehensive idea of their teas to share with you! For this reason, I decided to get a 24-Count Custom Overwrap Tea Gift, which allowed me to pick 24 different tea flavors from a list. Now I get to try 24 different flavors and review them all! How exciting :)

And not only that! I also got a tea that was on my March wish list, which sounded absolutely delicious: Blueberry Bundt Tea.

As to not bore you all or myself, I will split this haul into 5 parts that I will post every Wednesday. I hope to try 5 teas each week and review those 5 in one big post each week. Among these weekly posts, I will continue to review other teas from other brands, as well as post some favorites and spontaneous things.

Click HERE to check out the 24-count Custom Overwrap Gift option
Click HERE for the Blueberry Bundt Tea

Happy Tea Drinking!
<3 TTT

This is my final tea exchange tea to try! I am unbelievably excited about this one because the smell is spectacular--sweet lavender and rooibos. After reading the description on Zhena's Tea's website, I was even more excited because of the health benefits that they claim. Lavender is good for stomach pains and also has calming qualities. That paired with buttery rooibos sounds like the perfect mix.
Of course, this tea did not disappoint. It is even subtly sweet, so there is not need for sugar, unless you have a sweet tooth or would like to turn this into a dessert tea. It is smooth on the tongue and makes me feel like I am at a spa. You get a double dose of lavender from the taste and the smell as you take each sip. It is not over powering at all. I'm not sure if it is the lavender talking or me psyching myself out, but I feel myself grow instantly calmer. This tea is definitely a keeper and one that I will be purchasing once I run out of what my friend let me try. Fantastic. 10/10. And it's organic and full of antioxidants!

Read the description on their website (click here) for more information on the health benefits and to purchase! This tea is also sold at Whole Foods and Cost Plus.

Happy Tea Drinking!
<3 TTT

Second to last tea from my tea exchange! I must admit, I was skeptical before trying, because I am not sure about my feelings towards licorice. But I have heard good things about Yogi and my friend loves it so why not give it a go?
The first thing I noticed was the strong cinnamon and licorice scent. It almost smelled more like cinnamon than licorice. Even my boyfriend, who refuses to taste or smell tea, commented on the cinnamon smell. The taste is sweet, a similar sweetness to that from Throat coat where you only taste it on your tongue. It's very difficult to explain this taste/feeling until you've tried it! But for me, this is a definite plus.

At first, I liked this at an 8/10 level. The sweetness and cinnamon flavor were great. However, after a while of drinking it, I started to slow down, a perfect indicator of "getting over it". After it sat for a little while, it started getting a strange after-taste. Because of this, I would rate this tea a 5/10. However, if you like licorice, I could see you rating this tea higher.

You can purchase this tea HERE

Happy tea drinking!
TTT <3

This is the final caffeinated tea from my tea exchange! The last two are caffeine free. I had high hopes for this brand, just like with the last tea from Revolution (read about it here), because Mighty Leaf makes one of my absolute favorite teas, African Nectar, which I will review later. This tea is also one of their best sellers, and I am so excited to try it!
Mighty Leaf's tea pouches are quite special in that they have enough room for the tea leaves to fully infuse, and they are sewn shut; no glue used at all. They are completely compostable and the see-through bags allow you to see the quality of the leaves -- there is no "tea dust", just full leaves. I will do a brand review once my Mighty Leaf collection grows, because this brand has a great story.

Now onto the review! I have been lucky enough to try true Chinese Jasmine tea, so my standards of good Jasmine tea are quite high. I am pleased to say that this tea is just as good! The Jasmine flavor comes across in both smell and taste--floral, earthy, and green. The floral notes leave a slightly sweet flavor in your mouth, which, for me, means no sugar needed! Although, feel free to add a dash of turbinado sugar or clover honey (you don't want flavored honey to take away from the delicate jasmine). This tea is also USDA certified organic; Yay! This is absolutely great; I would rate it a 10/10. Way to go, Mighty Leaf. You have given me just one more reason to love your brand.

Buy this tea HERE

Happy tea drinking!
TTT<3

Tea #3 from my tea exchange! I had high expectations for this one, not only because the last two had been so good, but also because the other Revolution tea I had tried rated a 10/10 (read about it here).

This tea is just heavenly. I was worried about it being Earl Grey, because I had tried some in the past that were much too strong for me. I am one who enjoys the flavor of the tea, but doesn't want to be kicked in the tongue with the strength of black/caffeinated tea. This Revolution tea beautiful blends mild strength Earl Grey with refreshing lavender, which might be the agent for slightly dulling the intense Earl Grey flavor. The smell pleasantly fills the room.

But be warned: do not be fooled by the lack of full on strength of Earl Grey and leave the tea bag in for longer than recommended as it starts to get quite dry.

I would rate this a 9/10 because, although I don't like over powering Early Grey taste, I do wish this had a little more of a punch (maybe then I wouldn't have over steeped my tea).

You can buy it HERE

Enjoy your tea
TTT<3

This is the second tea from my tea exchange. Although I was reluctant to try this because I had a bad experience with a Twining's tea in the past, my friend was adamant about having me try it, and I'm glad I did!

This one surprised me! Maybe because I had low expectations, but the Blackcurrant flavor is quite good! For a second I had to think about whether or not I added sugar, because it is so sweet on its own. The black tea base is not strong, which may not be preferred if you are one of those people that needs to taste the caffeine in order to wake up. The blackcurrant flavor is subtle and delicate, stronger in the smell. All in all this is a pretty good tea. I am interested in trying it iced. I would rate this tea an 7.5/10 because I wish the black currant and black tea flavors were stronger, but at $2.99 for a 20 count box, this is a steal.

You can purchase this tea HERE

Happy tea drinking,
TTT<3

This is one of the teas I got from the tea exchange I had a few weeks ago (check out the post here and have a tea exchange of your own!). I was so excited to try this because my friend had only positive things to say about it. After smelling the rich caramel scent, I could not resist having this be my first pick to try.
The caramel flavor is as intense as its smell. Imagine all of the delicious burnt sugar and milky flavor of caramel, minus the overwhelming sweetness, and you get this tea. It feels almost buttery on the tongue and leaves a very thin creamy feeling that stays for a few minutes and is completely satisfying--like the caramel that stays on your tongue after eating it. This is a perfect tea for those that want to indulge without dealing with too much sweetness or the empty calories. Since the base of this tea is honey bush, it is naturally caffeine-free and perfect for a nighttime treat. As great as it is on its own, this tea would also be paired well with a splash of milk and a sprinkle of turbinado sugar or honey. This is a very good tea with intense flavor and quality base. I would rate it a 10/10.

You can get this tea HERE

Hope you enjoyed this review and happy tea drinking

TTT <3

This past Saturday I went to see some friends, and knowing that one of them is just as crazy about tea as I am, I decided to bring a few of my favorites to share with her. She had some teas she wanted to share with me as well, so we gave each other a sample of 5-6 of our favorite teas. It became an unannounced tea exchange, which may be a new love of mine. As I drink the teas I will post reviews and link them below.

How did we exchange? Tea bags are self explanatory, but for loose leaf we used tea filters such as these. If you are not a fan of using tea bags, don't fear! We just used them to transport. I removed the leaves and steeped them from a mesh tea ball.

Somehow, all of the teas that I brought to share were from Lupicia. Their fruity flavors are perfect for the onset of Spring so I naturally gravitated towards them (one creamy flavor snuck its way into the mix). I brought Pineapple Oolong, Te De Frutas, Napa Blanc, Milk Caramel, and Yume.

My friend shared with me a variety of flavors and brands, which is great! I love testing out new brands, kinds of teas, and flavors. I brought home with me Blackcurrant from Twining's, Organic Spring Jasmine from Mighty Leaf, Egyptian Licorice Tea from Yogi, Red Lavender from Zhena's Gypsy Tea, and Honeybush Caramel and Earl Grey Lavender from Revolution

I will link below reviews to the teas that were shared with me as I drink them:
Revolution Tea Honeybush Caramel
Twining's Tea Blackcurrant Breeze
Revolution Tea Earl Grey Lavender
Mighty Leaf Organic Spring Jasmine
Yogi Egyptian Licorice Tea
Zhena's Red Lavender Rooibos Tea

To go along with my tea obsession, I have 3 tumblers. I had been rotating between them and noticing a few differences here and there. I decided to test them out officially, paying attention to heat retention, aesthetic appeal, and practicality, which are the most important characteristics of a tumbler for me. This way, I can share my thoughts with you and also know which tumbler to use for different needs.

Thank goodness to Facebook ads for this one! Join the Republic of Tea "Tea 101", an educational email series, teaching you the ways of tea. Tea is a complex art of harvesting, steeping, and tasting that should be learned, loved, and appreciated. If you are a devoted tea drinker like me and want to learn all that you can about this delicious treat, try out this mailing list. I haven't received anything yet because I just signed up, but once I do, I will definitely share my thoughts!

For now, here is the link: http://bit.ly/1gZYKVh
Once you sign up (just input your name, zip code, and email address), you are directed to a page where you are given a code for free shipping for 24 hours. I'm definitely going to purchase that Blueberry Bundt tea on my March Wishlist--and maybe a few others…

Try it out and let us know what you think!

(The image was taken from the Facebook ad)

TTT<3

Spring is near, which means my cravings for fruity and bright things are getting stronger! This is my wish list for the last month of Winter and first month of Spring.

Upon entering Lupicia a little while ago, Courtney and I quickly began smelling all of the fruity teas they had on display. We were on the hunt for a nice fruit flavor to give as a give to one of her family members. When we smelled this Pineapple Oolong, we could not go without buying one for ourselves.