Tasting: La Belle Epoque by Lupicia

This week's tasting brings us back to La Belle Epoque, the golden age of French fashion, culture, and art. Since I don't have a tea Tardis to transport us to late 19th century France, I'm relying on a blend of tea by Lupicia to take us there in spirit. The company recently sent me an attractive tin of black tea called, of course, La Belle Epoque. Since I could use a bit of positive imagery during this crazy time in our history I decided to try it out. Perhaps drinking this tea will conjure up feelings of optimism and peace, a departure from the world we live in these days.

Lupicia's site says this is a blend of 'full-bodied black tea' and Darjeeling (probably a 2nd or autumnal flush). I'm guessing there is Assam and possibly Kenyan tea in the blend. It also says 'It has a trace of nostalgic aroma', which makes sense given the blend name, but I'm not sure what a nostalgic aroma smells like. Nostalgia is personal and unique. I admit this blend does have a bit of nostalgia for me, since 2nd flush Darjeeling teas are the first teas I discovered when I finally ventured past the yellow label teabags.

The dry leaves smelled earthy and also had that Darjeeling sweet muscatel aroma. Looking at the dry leaves there are small bits of dark leaves and larger greener leaves, which I'm guessing is the Darjeeling. I also noticed quite a few twigs and stems, which hints at a lower quality tea. The instructions call for boiling water, but I'm wondering if making it a touch lower would help. The tea steeped up super dark, and very strong. I probably added too much tea but even when I was more precise the second time, it was quite strong. This tea is definitely prone to being a bit astringent, so pay attention to your preparation.

The strength of the brew makes it a good morning tea. Robust yet smooth. Woodsy, with a tiny bit of spice. Perhaps Toulouse-Lautrec would have enjoyed a cup of this while painting his chic French posters. I can't say that one sip made me feel a sense of Joie de vivre, but it is lively and bold and gave me a few minutes of peace before stepping back into reality.






























This tea is a good choice for strong breakfast blend drinkers, and those that enjoy 2nd flush Darjeelings. I wouldn't mind having it around to get me through the day after one of my frequent insomnia battles. Thank you to Lupicia for the tea!

Tasting: Tracy Stern Tea & Co Iced Tea No. 6 Worth

It's been humid and grey in NYC today, so we are cheering up with some iced tea made with @2teaparty1 and beachy reminders! #tea #icedtea #VSCOcam

A photo posted by sara shacket (@tea_happiness) on Jul 8, 2015 at 4:25pm PDT

This week's tasting is from Tracy Stern Tea & Co, a company showcasing blends specifically made for iced tea. The blends are categorized by location -NY, Paris, and Palm Beach. I was given a choice of tea to sample, and I chose 'No. 6 Worth' which is from the Palm Beach collection. This is a black tea and raspberry blend. I usually shy away from flavored blends, but when it comes to iced tea, I tend to be a bit more adventurous. I often find fruity flavors work well with cold teas. Very unlike me, I know!

I received an eye catching bright pink tin, a color quite suitable for Palm Beach. The tin contains 6 very large tea bags. These are made to be used for 8 cups of iced tea. The ingredients list black tea, raspberry leaf, strawberry leaf, and natural flavoring.

The dry tea has a very strong 'berry' flavor that I've come to recognize from 'berry' blends. It's hard to say if it was specifically raspberry, but ripe red berries definitely come to mind. The directions note to steep the bag in 2 cups of hot water for 12 minutes, and then pour in 6 cups of cold water. I love cold brewing tea so I tried that first. I left the teabag in 8 cups of water overnight. The resulting tea had a strong berry flavor. Juicy, a little tart, and a bit of sweetness. But there was also a strange aftertaste that I couldn't identify. For the second round I followed the directions on the package to make the iced tea. I was surprised that the results were much better. The berry flavor was full and smooth. It's more on the subtle side, which some folks may not appreciate but I prefer it for flavored blends. This way the added flavor isn't punching you in the face. My contact at the company mentioned I could steep the tea in the full 8 cups of water for 15 minutes for a stronger brew. I was fine with these results though.

My family gave this tea a thumb's up. This is a fun go-to tea flavor for backyard sprinkler play-dates and beach picnics. I still prefer pure teas even for iced, but I'm happy to have tried something a bit different.

Thank you to Tracy Stern Tea & Co for the samples.

Tasting: Pekoe Sip House

Lately I've been highlighting companies that offer sustainable tea while supporting the community and farmers. Today's tasting reviews are for Pekoe Sip House, another company making a difference. They have three cafes in Boulder, CO and recently launched an online tea shop. Pekoe Sip House offers sustainably sourced tea blends and contribute to the financial and environmental success of their community. You can visit this page to learn more about their strong values.

No Pain Rooibos

The company generously allowed me to select two teas of my choice to sample. I decided on the Sweet Spice Black Tea and No Pain Rooibos. There were many interesting teas to try, but these two grabbed my attention first. 

Let's start with the rooibos. I'm not usually a fan of rooibos, I don't enjoy the taste. But I wanted to keep an open mind so I asked for a rooibos blend. I've started to enjoy teas I never thought I would, so why not give it a try! 

The ingredients for the blend are: organic rooibos, organic apple, fenugreek seed, cardamom, lemon, black pepper, cinnamon, clove, ginger, and turmeric. The leaves have a very strong cardamom, masala chai-like scent. Rooibos and lemon are also quite prominent. The brew has a similar chai/lemon aroma. It has an interesting flavor, one I haven't encountered before. Earthy, tart, sour, spicy, and sweet all at once. Many flavors playing off of each other. I particularly enjoyed the clove, ginger and citrus notes in the brew. The tea is warming, sweet, and cozy. The rooibos flavor is quite tame within the spicy carnival. Ginger and turmeric are known to provide pain-relief. I'm not going to tout the health benefits of tea, but the headache I had before I started drinking the blend started to dissipate by the end of the tasting session.

Sweet Spice Tea

Now, on to the Sweet Spice Tea.  This is a whole leaf black tea blend, with orange peel and cinnamon oil. I think I may have mentioned awhile back that I love cinnamon tea in the colder weather. It's a super comforting, warm flavor. The leaves are spicy, sweet with a hint of citrus. It smells as good as it tastes. This tea honestly tastes like one of my most favorite spicy cinnamon teas but without the sneaky artificial flavor. The dry leaves have more of an citrus tang than the brew itself, which is fine by me. It is tingly, spicy, and satisfying. There is a pleasing sweetness as well, perhaps from the cinnamon oil. This is a tea I could drink daily in the winter, especially on blustery, snowy days. Imagine snuggling by a fire, looking out the window at gently falling snowflakes. This tea is the perfect enhancement to a peaceful winter moment. 

Thank you very much to Pekoe Sip House for the samples. Best of luck with your new online shop. If I'm ever in Boulder, I will make a beeline to one of your cafes! If you are interested in purchasing their teas, you can visit the online shop.

Spotlight: Plum Deluxe

Last week I did a review and background of Plum Deluxe, a site specializing in creating meaningful moments which includes drinking tea for all occasions. I was intrigued by the company and the founder and creator Andy Hayes agreed to do an interview for us to learn more about the company and their in-house created tea blends.

Event: French Your Day! At Le Palais des Thés

Breakfast of Champions!!

On Monday I had the pleasure of attending the French Your Day! Event at  Le Palais des Thés Soho. This event is a Francophile's dream! French canelé, Champagne, juices and of course top quality tea was served.

Stations were broken up by time of day: Breakfast/Brunch, Afternoon Tea, and Cocktail Hour. For Breakfast, we sampled flavorful fresh juices by Alain Milliat paired with Pommery champagne, dark chocolate and caramel canelé, and of course tea. Could there be a better way to start your day? The teas sampled were Big Ben and Thé des Lords. I'm personally not a huge Earl Grey fan, but I love the Big Ben breakfast blend. The Yunnan and Assam teas form an earthy yet robust flavor perfect to wake up with. This blend rivals my most favorite English Breakfast blend. The teas served at the event are part of the new 'My Tea for the Morning' package from Le Palais des Thés. This is a clever line of tea bags packaged for various parts of the day: Morning, Office, and Evening. These are perfect for travel, or of course to keep in the office. I may have to pick up a box since the 'office' teas contain some of my favorites from Le Palais des Thés. 

The  canelé from Canelé by Celine were absolutely divine. A chewy caramelized crust on outside, with melting softness on the inside. Heaven! My two favorites are the dark chocolate, and black truffle. I adore black truffles, and this savory, earthy canelé was a delightful surprise. Celine was on hand to talk about her product, and it was fun to meet the creator of these decadent pastries. She does not sell in stores, but you can find her products online or at various events.

Afternoon!

The afternoon tea was served with the luscious canelé, (vanilla was my favorite), along with the ever popular Thé du Hammam mixed with Milliat blueberry juice. Sweet, floral, with a hint of green tea. A satisfying afternoon sip to hold you over until dinner...or cocktail hour!

Cocktail Time

For cocktail hour we devoured the truffle canelé, with rooibos tea blends. Rooibos has never been a favorite of mine but it is a good choice for the evening since it is caffeine free. We also sipped Pommery Champagne with a refreshing herbaceous basil lemon syrup from Baume des Anges. The combination of flavors transported me to a patio out in the French countryside with a cool summer breeze. A lovely visual when you are actually in oppressive NYC humidity!

The iced teas all had re-usable ice cubes. A smart idea to help the tea retain flavor instead of becoming watery from the melting ice.

I am thankful for the invite to such a delicious event. It was wonderful to see folks I've been corresponding with such as Georgia from Notes on Tea and and Nicole from Tea for Me Please. Tea, pastry, Champagne, and great conversation. Perfection!