Angelina's Teas

if you like grenadine you’ll like this. Hint of something else in background – citrus maybe?

1 tbsp for 12 oz

Just tried this again, and still love it. It really hits the spot. It is not the most complex tea, but it is smooth, flavorful (has a definite though subtle presence from the Assam flavor), and just happens to be what I am really looking for in a tea at this price point. YUM.

2 tsp in 8 oz.

Fantastic tea. A smoother, sweeter tea than I would have expected at this price point. It’s kind of like the Harney and Sons Formosa Oolong I like, but with more body. It’s lighter than the Fujian blacks I’ve tried.

I think I’m going to have to come up with a 3-tier system for the teas I like. I’m starting to realize there are a few teas in the $2/oz range that I consider good enough (and inexpensive enough) to drink often — as in daily, teas in the $5/oz ballpark (like this one) that are good for once every couple of days, and teas in the $10+/oz range that I can indulge in maybe once a week.

I only have a little left of this tea. When I first purchased it I made a lot of lattes with it. The tea has a sweet, fresh berry aroma. The flavor is a little malty with a tart, fresh berry flavor and finish. There is a sweet berry aftertaste that reminds me almost of a dessert. There’s no pastry or cake notes, but it is authentically sweet without being too sweet. I’m glad this one is just as good hot as it is made into a latte.

-Dry blend has medium black tea leaves and twigs with small blue petals and dried rose hips.
-Dry leaves smell like slightly sweet and tart berries. Tea liquor aroma is of sweet berries.
-Tea liquor is a clear medium reddish brown color.
-Malty and tart fresh berry flavor and finish. Sweet berry aftertaste.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Very good tea. Fresh and sweet berry flavor. Reminiscent of a dessert tea.

Today is going to be a good day! I’m meeting two of my best friends in Raleigh for dinner tonight, and doing a little tea shopping beforehand! I’m also skipping my one class today. We can only miss three days, so I’ve decided today is a good day to start my Easter a little early. :)

This tea smells so strongly of sweet blueberries. When I first got this tea from Angelina’s I had it sitting in the kitchen in it’s little package. Everyone who came through our kitchen thought that I was baking blueberry muffins, that’s how strong the aroma is. This is very simple in that it has one flavor – blueberry. It’s not an artificial blueberry, it’s a fresh, juicy, sweet blueberry that is light and perfect in this green tea.

-Dry blend has large rolled green tea leaves with small blue petals.
-Dry leaves smell strongly of sweet blueberries. Tea liquor aroma is of blueberries.
-Tea liquor is a clear medium yellow color.
-Light fresh blueberry flavor and finish.
-Best with sweetener.
-Very good tea. Juicy blueberry flavor. A light and refreshing cup.

Another tea from Angelina’s. I gave some of this to my mom and she has told me three times how good it is, so I figured it was time for me to try it. The dry blend is really pretty and fluffy, with large pieces of dried fig and a lot of blue and yellow petals. There seems to be more petals than tea, but it is very nice to look at. The dry leaves smell strongly of sweet fig. It’s almost to the point of smelling like cough syrup, I think because it’s so much sweet fruit smell in the little bag. The tea itself has a sweet grapey aroma, and the tea is a brownish-purple color. The flavor is a little earthy, with a hint of sweet fig. The aftertaste is a rich, candy-like grape flavor. I mean, this tea tastes just like a grape popsicle. It’s pretty good. Grape isn’t my most favorite flavor, but I’ve never tasted a tea like this; very unique!

-Dry blend has large black tea leaves with large pieces of dried fig and a lot of blue and yellow petals.
-Dry leaves smell overwhelmingly of sweet fig. Tea liquor aroma is of grapes.
-Tea liquor is a cloudy medium brown purple color.
-Earthy, rich and sweet fig flavor and finish. Strong candy grape aftertaste that lingers.
-Best with sweetener. Milk optional.
-Very good tea. Uniquely sweet flavor. Reminiscent of grape candy.

This week has been wonderful so far . . . I found out on Monday that I have been accepted to nursing school and will start in the fall! I wasn’t expecting to find out for quite a while, so it was a very pleasant surprise! Tomorrow I’m going to dinner with two of my best friends, and Friday my mom and I are having an afternoon tea. And Sunday is Easter, which is one of the best holidays ever in my opinion. :)

I’m starting today off with this Russian Earl Grey from Angelina’s Teas. The dry leaves smell like really tart lemon and orange, and the tea smells the same except it has a hint of sweet orange. The flavor is tart and citrusy, but there’s a mellowness to it. The aftertaste is of really bitter lemon, but adding milk and sweetener helps with this. With milk and sweetener it becomes a cup with more of a black tea flavor with just a little hint of citrusy sweetness. It’s different than a regular Earl Grey because it has more of an authentic, sour lemon flavor and less of the overwhelming bergamot taste. I like this one, it’s nice and soothing. A gentle cup to wake up with.

-Dry blend has large greenish black tea leaves and pieces of lemon grass with large pieces of lemon and orange peel and blue flowers.
-Dry leaves smell like tart lemon and orange. Tea liquor aroma is of tart and sweet citrus fruit.
-Tea liquor is a clear medium golden brown color.
-Mellow and tart citrus flavor and finish. Bitter lemony aftertaste.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Very good tea. A sweet and mellow lemony cup.

I picked up this blend at Angelina’s without really knowing what it is. Now that I know, I like the sound of it – cinnamon, mango and passionfruit! The dry leaves smell entirely of mango and sweet passionfruit. The tea itself has a tropical, fruity aroma. The flavor is fruity with a strong malty mango finish. There’s a light tart and fruity aftertaste. I’m really not tasting any cinnamon in this tea. The difference between this tea without milk and sweetener and with is like night and day. Without, the flavors are all sharp and far apart, but with it becomes a really smooth, flowy cup full of soft and sweet fruitiness. And I can detect a very faint touch of cinnamon, or more like the warm, dull spiciness from the cinnamon. The milk and sweetener saved this tea for me!

-Dry blend has medium black and green tea leaves with pieces of dried fruit, cinnamon bark and yellow petals.
-Dry leaves smell like mango and passionfruit. Tea liquor aroma is of sweet tropical fruit with a hint of cinnamon.
-Tea liquor is a clear medium orange brown color.
-Fruity flavor with a malty mango finish. Light tart fruity aftertaste with a faint warmness of cinnamon.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Good tea. A smooth and sweet fruit flavored cup.

I like the sound of this one – lemon, strawberry AND black tea? Yippee! The tea leaves smell very lightly of lemon and strawberry, but the tea has a wonderfully strong aroma. The lemon is the most noticeable flavor in this tea, with the strawberry just sweetly popping in at the end. If I would change anything it would be to add more sweet strawberry and just a little less of the intense lemon. There is a fresh fruity aftertaste that is nice. Adding a little milk and sweetener seems to tone down the tartness from the lemon and bring the flavors together more. I think this would be the best iced tea in the summer! I can imagine a garden party with this being served. It just tastes like warm, sunshiney days!

-Dry blend has medium black and green tea leaves with yellow petals and small bits of lemon peel.
-Dry leaves smell very lightly of lemon and fruit. Tea liquor aroma is of tangy lemon and strawberry.
-Tea liquor is a clear deep reddish brown color.
-Tart lemon and black tea flavor with a short sweet strawberry finish. Fresh fruity aftertaste.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Very good tea. Mainly lemon flavored. A nice summertime cup!

Happy First Day of Spring! Spring is by far my most favorite season, so I am rejoicing that it is finally here! Back when I was in high school, I remember we went to see one of my mom’s friend’s horses, who was about to have her foal on the first day of spring. It was such a sweet memory and I always associate this day with that special time. They mowed our yard today for the first time in awhile, and it smells like freshly cut grass outside. I almost swooned when I walked out the door!

This tea smells amazing – it’s very fragrant and sweet. I can detect notes of grape and honey in the dry leaves. This tea has a very sweet flavor, nice and malty with a hint of honey. This is one of those teas that even I find is sweet on its own, so it would be perfect without any added sweetener. I added milk and sweetener, and it’s still just as good with both, so just a personal preference. I think this is one that I will definitely keep stocked in my cupboard, it has such a unique flavor. What a perfect tea for the start of spring!

-Dry blend has large black tea leaves and twigs.
-Dry leaves smell sweetly of grape and honey. Tea liquor aroma is florally of sweet grapes.
-Tea liquor is a cloudy medium reddish brown color.
-Light malty flavor with a hint of honey and a sweet finish. Lingering strong white grape and slightly bitter wine finish.
-Best plain or with milk and sweetener.
-Excellent tea. A fragrant cup. Naturally sweet grape taste.

I’m very sleepy this morning, so I am hoping this one will do the trick and wake me up. The tea leaves smell very odd – I can detect a little butter, but it smells artificial. There’s also a strange sourness to the leaves, like vinegar. The tea liquor smells like vinegar also. The flavor is sour and malty, yuck. There is a light butterscotch aftertaste, but not enough to make up for the ickiness of the initial sip. I really just don’t even want to finish it. If this tea didn’t have the strong tart sourness to it at the beginning I think it would be an alright cup. As it is, though, I just cannot like it.

-Dry blend has large black tea leaves, small butterscotch chips and small yellow petals.
-Dry leaves smell like artificial butter and sour vinegar. Tea liquor aroma is of black tea and vinegar.
-Tea liquor is a clear medium golden brown color.
-Sour and malty flavor and finish. Light butterscotch aftertaste.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Poor tea. Tart and sour vinegar-like flavor.

I couldn’t resist a cup of this tea this morning, with its pretty mixture of tea leaves with pink and yellow rose petals and blue lavender. The dry leaves smell like an Earl Grey, with a little lavender thrown in. The tea itself smells floral, with sweet vanilla and bergamot. The flavor of this tea is different than expected from it’s aroma. There are malty and jasmine notes, followed by a light vanilla. The bergamot only really becomes noticeable in the aftertaste. I originally steeped this one for 5 minutes, since the range said 3 to 7, but I think that next time I would only do about 4 minutes to keep down the bitterness. I can’t quite decide if I love this tea or not. It’s the lightest Earl Grey flavor that I’ve ever tasted, with a lot of floral notes added in.

-Dry blend has small and medium black and green tea leaves with pink and yellow rose petals and blue lavender. Petals float to the top during steeping.
-Dry leaves smell like bergamot and lavender. Tea liquor aroma is floral with sweet vanilla and bergamot.
-Tea liquor is a cloudy medium reddish brown color.
-Malty jasmine flavor with a light vanilla finish. Bergamot aftertaste.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Good tea. Light floral and malty flavor with notes of vanilla and bergamot.

Full Review on March 11th on http://sororiteasisters.com/

Here are snippits:

I have a handful of favorite strawberry teas and I have to say this one rivals them all. Considering the cost point of just a tad over 2.00 USD per ounce, this one may be the best so far. Not that I mind paying more for a better tea, but this is right at the level of my favorite strawberry teas that are more expensive.

This is a stash keeper in my book. Fresh juicy strawberry flavor with a creamy dessert finish.

Full Review on http://sororiteasisters.com/ on March 8th 2013 but here are snippits:

In the dry leaf form, Butterscotch from Angelina’s Teas has a funky vinegar like aroma that is off putting, however due to my long search for the perfect butterscotch tea I steeped it anyway. I am glad that I did. While this may not make it to my top ranks in butterscotch flavored teas, it is quite nice, especially nice the more it cools. This may be resigned to being an iced tea for the summertime, but once steeped that off putting vinegar aroma fades and leaves behind a mildly sweet butterscotch flavor. Even yummier with a dash of milk and some sweetener. I prefer almond milk and sugar in the raw or german rock sugar myself.

Angelina’s shipping was super fast which of course is a plus.

As for this tea, its just all right, nothing to jump up and down about, but absolutely one to keep around for iced tea in the summer at the price it is offered at its not a bad idea!

Only 1 serving left! I guess I’d better save it for the Outlander premiere next weekend.