Thursday, July 23, 2015

Tea Sparrow June 2015 Review

'Tis the season. . . for delicious iced teas.  Or at least it was - again, I received July's sub today and it reminded me to get this review done! But June's Tea Sparrow delivery was full of teas delicious cold or hot.

There are a lot of different ways to brew up iced tea from loose leaf teas but my go-to is the cold brew method.  I put some tea (a few tbsp depending on the type of tea) in a pitcher, fill with water (I use my Brita so it's filtered, cold water) and let sit in the fridge overnight or for most of the day.  I strain out the tea and pour my yummy brew back in the pitcher.  If you like your tea sweetened, you could do that at this point or, like my husband, sweeten each glass to taste.  Easy!

For $20 CAD per month (including shipping), Tea Sparrow sends 4 different types of loose leaf tea (so yes, you need some way to brew loose leaf  - tea balls are an inexpensive option) - usually a green, a black, a rooibos and an herbal but sometimes they mix it up.  The teas are separately packaged and are each approximately 0.6oz for a total of about 35 cups of tea per month (less if you use a lot of tea in brewing, maybe more if you're willing to brew twice using the same tea). 
If you want to try Tea Sparrow, check out this 60% off offer and get your first month for only $8! When you click the above link, you will be taken to a password-protected page.  Enter "teas" as your password and you will be offered the promotional discount.  Please be aware that this will start a recurring monthly subscription but Tea Sparrow allows you to skip any month through their website and you can cancel at any time.  Enjoy!

Here are this month's teas:


Organic Ginger Lime Rooibos (Organic Fair Trade Certified green rooibos combined with organic ginger, lemongrass, lemon myrtle and licorice root with essential oils of lime and tangerine)

Organic Ginger Lime Rooibos:
This made for a tasty, refreshing iced tea and I enjoyed it unsweetened although my husband needed to offset the citrusy flavours with a little sweetness.  I didn't enjoy this one as much hot. . . but I'm not usually a big fan of rooibos, although I do like that it's naturally caffeine-free.

Maracuja Orange (apple pieces, pumpkin, carrot, raisins, orange pieces, beetroot, orange peel and natural aroma)

Maracuja Orange:
My favourite tea this month! How gorgeous is that blend? And it's so delicious too.  Iced, this was refreshing and just a little fruity.  Warm, this tasted more autumnal to me but I love those flavours and find them so soothing and warming.  My husband even liked this one iced and unsweetened!

Morning Spirit (Sencha green tea, rose flower, sunflower blossoms and natural flavour)

Morning Spirit:
Closer runner-up for fave tea of the month! This green tea has just enough additional flavours going on to make it interesting - both warm and cold.  The flavour is described as "mango-bergamot" and I do get a little of that fruitiness without big chunks of fruit like the in the Maracuja Orange.  My husband also preferred this one sweetened whereas I'm happy to let the tea flavour shine solo.

Mount Kenya Estate (Mount Kenyan black tea)

Mount Kenyan Estate:
And the least exciting option this month. . . a really good, but plain, black tea.  This is definitely a tasty black tea but I was just looking for something a little more exciting for an iced tea.  This does make a nice hot cup and I enjoyed it with a splash of almond milk.  Delicious but not something I find myself reaching for - it'll be in my cupboard for a while I think.  My husband didn't even bother to try this one.

Another tasty month from Tea Sparrow but I am noticing that there's usually one kind of lacklustre option for my tastes.  Don't get me wrong - I do like well-blended, neutral standards sometimes but I find myself more excited about the flavours and blends that I don't usually have on hand.  That's what I'm looking for from this sub.  I'll stick with it since I am getting that - usually 3/4 of the teas fit that criteria but I am getting a little overloaded on plain teas right now.  Hopefully next month offers a break from the plain-janes :)

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