Hi everyone!

After the craziness of apartment hunting, buying furniture, moving, and getting adjusted to living alone, I am finally back to the swing of things. Which also means that I am slightly backlogged. Deepest apologies. I hope I can make it up to you with a sweet sweet review of a tea company that I am so excited to have been reached out to by- Field To Cup.

Let me tell you, right off the bat, that I am very impressed with my first taste of their tea. And not only that, if you don't like a tea in your box, you get to replace it with another tea in next month's box. Now that is what I call good customer service! They also have 5 different types of boxes you could purchase or subscribe to, as well as tea you could buy a la carte. I highly recommend trying them out! You could use code TINYTEA20 for 20% off!

Now to the review. This is the November Explorer Low Caffeine pack. It comes with 10g of 4 different teas.

First up, Earl de Creme. I love Earl Grey, but sometimes, I find that it gets too bitter. In comes the cream flavoring. It is the perfect balance and isn't too strong. The bergamot oil is exactly what a earl grey lover would expect, and the floral touch of the blue mallow flowers makes for a delicious, high quality, earl grey to enjoy on a cold morning. And look at that beautiful blend! 10/10 in my book.
Second up is the Toasted Treat. This is their version of a toasted rice green tea. This tea brings me right back to college. There was a restaurant my friends and I would go to frequently after dance practice and they had barley tea for free while you were waiting for your food. Not that this is the same tea, but it reminds me so much of that flavor. This tea has no added flavorings whatsoever. It's just green tea, roasted rice, and popped rice. It tastes fantastic, in my opinion. I let my stepmom try it and she said that she hoped there would be more rice flavor, which I agree with to an extent. As a result, I rate this tea a 9/10. Almost perfect.

After that is the Decaf Chai Twist. This is a fun spin on chai with a hint of peppermint, so you get the spice and the cooling mint. This is another tea with no flavorings added; just some tea and good ol' spices. As you should know by now, I am pretty picky with my chais. For me, this one isn't spicy enough. You get more of the cinnamon and cardamom than the spice. The peppermint is a very nice addition. Overall, I'd rate this tea a 6/10 because I wish there was more punch to the spices in the chai and a stronger flavor overall.


And finally, the Hazelnut Crisp. This is perhaps the most beautiful blend I have ever seen. I mean, just look at that. If it wasn't so good, I'd want to just display it in a jar. It is a stunning floral blend that includes rose buds, jasmine petals, cornflower petals, and calendula petals, creating a beautifully luxurious taste. It is balanced with some apple, the nuttiness and earthiness of the rooibos, as well as the creaminess of the hazelnut flavoring. I won't say that you can taste each and every petal in this blend, but it does make for an aesthetically pleasing tea, that also tastes quite delicious. To me, it kind of tastes like a hazelnut cookie. 10/10 on this one.



Overall, I'd say this is definitely a brand I am excited to try more from. They have such fun flavors and aren't afraid to go out of the box, while maintaining quality ingredients. Not all are complete winners, but the winners stand out enough that I would try this brand again. Overall rating of this box is 8.75/10.

Hello everyone! If you feel to lazy too go to the store to stock up on tea, are new to tea, or want to try something fun, how about a tea subscription box sent right to your door? I was super excited when this company reached out to me, because it is such a cool concept. They have four different boxes you can choose from and you get four teas in each box, once a month or every other month. You can choose how many months you want to commit to for no more than $25, which is a great deal for the amount of tea you get! You could even buy the teas individually on their website as well. Today I'm reviewing the August Original Box from The Tea Runners.

The Kiwi Importer was kind enough to send me some teas from a brand called Zealong, a New Zealand based company. The Kiwi Importer is a quick and easy way to buy all sorts of products from New Zealand in the US. (And the owner is super sweet, too!).

She was generous enough to send me two full boxes of Zealong tea. Each tin has 15 eco friendly triangle tea bags. Both teas are made with real ingredients; no flavorings or anything you can't pronounce. The clear tea bags also do a good job of showcasing the quality of the ingredients inside. The combination of both flavors is so unique, so I was very excited when she reached out to me.
Let's start with Fire and Ice. This tea includes black tea, ginger, spearmint, peppermint, and manuka. The black tea is great quality; not bitter and very smooth. You do get the "fire" heat from the ginger and the cooling effects of the spearmint and peppermint, but I wish the flavors were stronger. The tea itself was also a touch faint, but I could still taste the good quality of the leaves. Overall, I enjoyed this tea, but wish the flavors were more pronounced. I'd give it a 7.5/10.
Next is the Green Heart tea. This tea mixes green tea with lemongrass, ginger, tulsi (also known as holy basil), and kawakawa (a medicinal herb from the pepper family, native to New Zealand). Tulsi helps with stress and anxiety and is commonly used in Ayurvedic medicine. Kawakawa helps alleviate stomach and bladder pain. The first things you taste are the amazing quality green tea and the pungent lemongrass.  The mix of flavors in this tea is magical and you do get a taste of every ingredient. Every time I drink it, I have a renewed appreciation for it. This is definitely a tea that I would repurchase. 10/10.

Happy Tea Drinking,
<3 TTT

Hello everyone! I was recently introduced to this brand, Pique Tea, when they offered to send me a set of their Organic Mint Sencha. They make instant brew tea, which is a concept I hadn't heard of before. To be honest, I was also skeptical. I was worried that an instant brew tea would be low quality, because I picture the powdery, tasteless tea leaf crumbs that you find in some tea bags. However, I was pleasantly surprised by Pique Tea!
I would honestly put the Organic Mint Sencha alongside some of my favorite green teas. You get the complex earthy and flowery taste you would expect from Sencha. This is paired with a subtle, yet welcoming hint of mint. What I really enjoy about their concept is that you can take it with you on the go easily. If you have a quick morning and don't have time to brew a proper tea, just grab some hot or cold water, dump the powder in and you're good to go.
It's also a fun way to experiment with cooking. I have added this tea powder to my chia pudding. I have seen it incorporated into smoothies, pancakes, and I can even imagine it to be a lovely addition to macaron batter.
Overall, I would give this tea a 10/10. No complaints whatsoever. The green tea is high quality and the mint is perfect.

Happy Tea Drinking,
<3 TTT

Here is part 3 of our Trader Joe's Tea Party Set review! (Bergamot Flavored Black Tea here, Vanilla & Rooibos Red Tea here). Today I am reviewing the Moringa Matcha tea.
Upon first sip I thought to myself, "Wow, this is complex!" True story. You instantly taste the earthy moringa and feel the smoothness from the matcha. You also get citrus notes and a sweet taste at the back of your tongue. The citrus notes come from the lemongrass and sea buckthorn peel; blackberry leaves and mango add to the sour taste. The earthiness comes from the moringa, nettle leaves (don't drink if pregnant!), and cornflower, which adds a gorgeous touch of blue to the dried tea. The sweetness comes from the apple.
Just by looking at the ingredients, you can see that this tea is chock full of health benefits. The nettle leaves are good for your immune system and kidneys. Blackberry leaves have a lot of vitamin c (although you probably won't get these benefits from the little amount per brew), and have anti-inflammatory properties. I wrote about the benefits of moringa HERE when I reviewed another tea. Matcha green tea is a power house in and of itself, loaded with antioxidants and known for it's metabolism boosting properties.

I give this tea a 8.5/10 because I wish the matcha flavor came through more. Overall, it was a delightful cup.

Happy Tea Drinking,
<3 TTT

Hello everyone!

I come to you with a post I've been so excited to write! This is a tea purchased from a new tea friend -- Creative Coffee NYC. I ordered the flavor Uber-Berry Green, because it sounded so so good. I'm always happy to support small business owners, especially when the product is as good as it is. (They sell yummy coffee, too, if you'd like to check those out as well!) They currently have a couple promotions going on (10% off your first order and free shipping in the US), and I suggest getting your hands on some of this stuff.

First, I'd like to rave about the customer service. The tea I had purchased was going to be a little late due to such high demand (good job, CCNYC!), so Jessica, the founder, sent me a personalized email and gave me a free silicone leaf infuser. The thoughtfulness was very much appreciated and made me like the brand before I even got to taste it.


Now onto the tea. The packaging is quite cute, and although it looks small, it is mighty! There is a lot of tea packed in there. I have had this tea several times, yet I don't feel like I've made a dent in the package. The tea itself is delightful. I can honestly say that I was surprised by how much I liked it. Looking at the ingredient list, I tasted every single ingredient.


This is a green tea base mixed with oat straw, which gives it a nice nutty taste. Then you have strawberries, raspberries, and hibiscus, which make it slightly sour. The Licorice gives it a secret spice taste that's hard to pick up on exactly what it is, but helps tie it all in together. Finally, there are rose petals, which always make me feel like a million bucks. The flavors are seamless together and complement each other very well. Good job creating this, Jessica! 10/10.

Happy Tea Drinking
<3 TTT

This tea, my friends, is what I have been reaching for every evening. It is creamy, warming, milky, and still has a strong green flavor that makes me feel like all that gunk I had eaten throughout the day is getting broken up and I feel light as a feather. Ok, I'm exaggerating, I know, but this tea is so darn good. The lotus blossom adds a creaminess that is so nice after a long day, but does not hide the green tea. I even want to argue that there is a natural sweetness in this tea, but that might just be me. 10/10! No complaints.



Happy Tea Drinking!
<3 TTT

This summer I wasn't able to go through too many teas because of the multiple moves, but here are the three that I finished.

The two things I always order when I go to Starbucks are their Chai Latte or Green Tea Latte. When I saw that Trader Joe's had a green tea latte mix of their own, I had to try it. You know me-- I lack the ability to say "no" when it comes to tea. To rationalize my purchase, I did some math. Each tall cup purchased at Starbucks for this same drink is a little shy of $3. Meanwhile, the whole tin from Trader Joe's, which is about 8 servings, is $3.99. You almost get 8 for the price of one, right? Now let's see if the taste holds up.

Tea takes a while to go through, especially when your collection is as obnoxiously large as mine. But here are the teas that I finished this semester.

Tea Forte Chest Sampler Collection: My roommate and I got this as a gift from a friend, so I wasn't able to try every single of the 40 flavors as we shared this set. However, I fell in love after the first tea I tried from this set and have all intentions of buying this set for myself one day. It is $45, which seems like a lot, but considering that you get 40 teas, it turns out to be a pretty good deal for such a delicious brand. There is a great variety of Green, Black, Oolong, White, and Herbal teas; crazy flavor combinations and more traditional flavors. A+.

Hickory Farms Ceylon Tea Collection (French Vanilla): I also got this set as a gift. So far, I have only finished the French Vanilla one, which is pretty good. It's not the best quality of tea base that I have had, but the flavor is nice and it's one of those tea bags that I can throw into my thermos and forget about without it tasting over brewed. I call this my "lazy day" tea option because it is so quick and simple and quite good. It's also great for entertaining! Having such a wide variety for guests is a good thing.

Lupicia Melon Oolong: This tea is fantastic! My roommate and I would go through this like it was nobody's business. When we had guests over (and we always have a lot because they want to drink some tea with us), they would always ask to try this one. The oolong base is great quality and the melon flavor sweetens it up and makes it taste slightly creamy. Definitely something I will repurchase.

Tazo Apricot Vanilla Creme & Tazo Berryblossom White (not pictured): These two white teas are phenomenal! The white tea is quite strong in both of these, perfect for an afternoon pick-me-up. The flavors are both a perfect blend along with the tea. The Apricot Vanilla Creme is creamy as the name suggests. The Apricot adds a touch of sweetness. The Blueberry Blossom is floral and sweet. I plan on buying both again!

David Rio Elephant Vanilla Chai: This is probably my favorite flavor of the David Rio Chais that I have tried. It is super creamy and rich, but no so much so that you feel stuffed after finishing a cup. I put 2-3 tablespoons of the powder into hot water and voila! A delicious treat for the morning or after a long day of running errands or work. As I said in a previous post, this is my favorite chai blend.

Disney Wonderland Tea (Pomegranate): I was initially attracted to this set of 12 teas not only because I am an Alice in Wonderland fanatic, but also because the price was great for the amount of tea and there are so many different flavors to try! The link is to Amazon, which is more expensive than in stores! This is similar to the Hickory farms set in that this is my "lazy day" tea. Just throw it into your thermos and you're good to go. This flavor in particular definitely had a fruity note, but I wasn't exactly able to associate this flavor with Pomegranate. Nonetheless, it's a pretty good tea and something I would recommend picking up whenever you're in Disneyland.

Happy Tea Drinking!
TTT <3

Acai Green Tea: From the beginning, I had high hopes for this tea. I am usually a fan of acai and the previous tea from Republic of Tea that I tried with this same packaging have tasted quite good. This brews into a bright berry red. It is slightly sour from the acai berries, but not at all over powering. I quite enjoyed this tea because I could also taste the green tea. It is a perfect fusion of the two flavors. I rate this a 9.5/10 because I wish that there was just a touch more acai flavor.

Hibiscus Vanilla Apple: This tea was a pleasant surprise! At first glance, this tea doesn't sound like it would taste good. Those three flavors don't generally blend well in my mind. But once brewed the three flavors mix in perfect harmony. You taste the sweetness of the apple, the creaminess of the vanilla, and the slight sour taste of the hibiscus. This tea almost tastes like an apple cobbler. It is very delicious. Among my favorite dessert teas and I do intend to purchase the full container of this stuff. I rate this a 10/10.

Pomegranate Vanilla Red Tea: I was slightly nervous about this tea, because, unfortunately, I wasn't too impressed by the other Red Teas that I have tried from this selection. I'm happy to say, though, that I was pleasantly surprised. There was no weird, off-putting after taste as with the others. This tea was sweet with a very faint pomegranate taste that developed as the tea cooled a little. It has that same sweet tarts flavor I have mentioned. All in all it was a fairly good tea. I would rate it an 8.5/10 because of the sweet tarts flavor, that I personally don't mind too much.

Decaf Ginger Peach: This tea smells, again, like Peach-O's. This made me very excited to try the tea. I was super disappointed, though, because the tea had this weird soapy flavor that over powered all else. I tried with all of my might to focus on the peach, but couldn't avoid that weird soap flavor. Not a fan. 3/10.

Here are links to the first four parts:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Happy Tea Drinking!
TTT <3

Orange Blossom White Tea: I drank this tea in the afternoon as a little pick me up, and really enjoyed it! It is refreshing with a florally orange flavor. As a lover of Orange Blossom honey, I expected a great floral flavor, which I got! I do wish, however, that the white tea came across more, but as this tea is only steeped for a minute, it is difficult for the tea to fully develop. I would rate this an 8/10. There is a possibility that I would purchase this tea.

Strawberry Chocolate Tea: Believe it or not, this is only the second chocolate flavored tea I have ever tried. Crazy, I know, but chocolate tea made me imagine watered down hot cocoa, which is just plain weird. But after trying Chocolate Chai from Republic of Tea, which I love, I am no longer afraid. This tea, however, was not one of my favorites. I did not taste the strawberry, which was a disappointment. The chocolate tasted like cocoa powder, and left a drying taste in my mouth. I would give this a 7/10.

Blueberry Green Tea: This tea was fantastic! There was a fresh blueberry taste. It was weird! I could distinctly taste the blueberry! As with many of Republic of Tea fruit flavors I have found, there is a Sweet Tarts type of after taste. Whether or not that is something you like, is up to you! I think it's ok; it doesn't bug me too much. But I really did like this tea, and will probably repurchase it. The green tea flavor was perfectly mixed with fresh blueberry taste. I would give this a 9/10 because of that after taste.

Ginger Peach Black Tea: This has the same Peach-O's type of smell as the Ginger Peach White Tea (reviewed here). In this one, though, the peach flavor didn't come across strong enough for me. The ginger is great; not too spicy but just enough to tickle your taste buds. The peach, however, is much too muted for my liking. The tea was also a little drying on the tongue. For these reasons, I rate this tea a 7/10. I will most likely not purchase this tea

Good Hope Vanilla Red Tea: The smell of this tea is fantastic--creamy vanilla, similar to that of Republic of Tea's Caramel Vanilla (reviewed here). The flavor had that same buttery vanilla quality, but unfortunately, had a very strange after-taste. After a few sips, I decided to equate this to salmon roe. It was quite odd. It took me a while to drink this tea because of that weird after-taste, but once the tea cooled down, that it went away completely and I was left with delicious buttery vanilla. I'm not quite sure if the after-taste went away due to the passing of time or because the tea had cooled down. Regardless, as a hot tea this wasn't cutting it for me, but as a cold tea it was quite delicious. I rate this tea a 7.5/10 because of the off-putting taste, but still give it a fairly high rating because it is very good cold.

Chamomile Lemon: I find that it is quite hard to mess up chamomile tea. Most brands that I have tried are very good, with the few exceptions that are extraordinary. This tea is in the middle of those two categories-- the chamomile flavor is great and even has some of herbal qualities that I love, coming from the addition of lavender flower, orange blossom, and passion flower. However, I hardly tasted any lemon. As a chamomile tea this tastes fantastic, but as a chamomile lemon tea, it falls short. I would rate this tea a 7.5/10 because it has a delicious tea base, but is lacking on the flavor.

The People's Green Tea: This is the light at the end of the tunnel for this week's batch of reviews. All of the teas previous were not as great as I had hoped, but this tea is delicious! The smell is reminiscent of matcha green tea--it has that creamy and earthy smell. And the flavor is a mix between good green tea and matcha. I see why this is among the most popular from Republic of Tea. This is definitely a tea that I will repurchase. I rate this a 9.5/10, only because I am very picky with my green teas and have had amazing quality ones while in China.

Happy Tea Drinking!
TTT <3

Blackberry Sage Green Tea: The tea bag smelled sickeningly of blackberry, like that artificial sourness and sweetness, so I was initially afraid of what I was about to try. However, once brewed, the smell transforms to being relaxing as the sage and blackberry blend in perfect harmony. The taste is not artificial at all, which is what the initial smell led me to believe. I could even taste a slight sour flavor from the blackberries. The sage flavor is not apparent at first, but tickles your tastebuds as an afterthought with its fresh qualities. This tea is a little dry tasting, however, and tended to be more smell than flavor. I would rate this tea a 7/10

Hibiscus Coconut (Herbal Tea) : I would not expect a tea to quench my thirst. When I am parched, I reach for water more often than tea. But this tea is so hydrating, you won't believe! It is almost as if you are drinking coconut water with a hint of sour hibiscus. If you don't think that this flavor combination would work, I highly suggest you give it a try. It is enjoyable to drink as it is hydrating, creamy, slightly sour, and relaxing, as well as refreshing. I have nothing else to day, 10/10. Definitely will be purchasing the full size.

Get Clean (Herbal Tea): This is of their detox teas that claims to help you feel less bloated and gross after having eaten an unhealthy meal by stimulating the liver. There is an asterisk on the packet stating that their claims are not FDA approved, meaning that the ingredients are thought of to have these cleansing properties, but their claim has not been tested by the FDA. This tea contains dandelion root, which is great for digestion and is an antioxidant, and chicory root, which helps upset stomachs and curb appetites. Whether or not these ingredients are in high enough quantities in the tea to cause any effect is debatable. Regardless of its claims, this tea is quite delicious! It did take the first sip to get used to it though, as it does have much more of a "healthy" flavor. The best way that I can describe the smell is almonds and healthy supplement. You initially taste the almond flavoring, which almost has an alcoholic type of taste, but that goes away after the first sip. After a few more sips, I likened the flavor to an almond meal based cookie dough. I am definitely going to buy this tea again, not so much for the "clean" claims as I hadn't tried it for long enough to see if there are any results, but more so for the delicious flavor. This is a 10/10 for flavor, not sure about the rating for its claims, yet though, but I do plan on doing a full review once I buy it.

Decaf Apricot Black Tea: I had such high expectations because of the smell; like apricots and cream. I was a little disappointed, though, that the flavor didn't come across all that much. It basically tastes like warm water with a hint of apricot. I even put the tea bag in for longer than recommended in hopes of deepening the flavor. which did not happen. I really wish that this tea had a stronger apricot flavor, because right now I have to search for it. I would rate this a 3/10. Not very impressed.


Check out these teas here:
Blackberry Sage Green Tea
Hibiscus Coconut
Get Clean
Decaf Apricot Black Tea

Happy tea drinking!
TTT <3