Tea Sparrow July 2015 Review

Mmm. . . look at all those teas! This is seriously one of my favourite subs.  I can quit Ipsy (and I did!) but I just can't quit you, Tea Sparrow (and I don't want to!).

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!

Much like last month, Tea Sparrow opted for summery teas that are just as delicious iced as they are hot (and in some cases, more so if you ask me).  While there are lots of ways to brew iced tea from loose-leaf, my favourite is a cold brew method as I find it easiest.  I add as much tea as desired to a pitcher (anywhere from a few tsps to a few tbsps depending on the tea) and top up with water from my Brita.  The pitcher then sits in my fridge for anywhere from a few hours to overnight (again, depending on the tea and how it seems to be brewing) then I strain out the leaves and it's done :)

Here are this month's teas:

Iced Ginger Peach Tea (black tea, organic ginger root, peach flavouring)

Iced Ginger Peach Tea:

As the name would suggest, this is tastiest iced.  To be honest, I didn't try it hot since I found it a little gingery for me - and I like ginger.  I would have preferred a little more peach and a little less zing from the ginger.  But this is still really delicious and my husband loves it - maybe sweetening it milds out the flavour a little?

Strawberry Mint (apple bits, haricot bean peels, stinging nettle leaves, blackberry leaves, black currant leaves, nana mint, natural flavours, strawberry bits)

Strawberry Mint:

Wow! I didn't expect that long of an ingredient list.  Especially since this tastes like, well, strawberry and mint pretty much.  Not my favourite herbal / fruit tea ever but this makes a really fresh iced tea - garnished with mint from my CSA, no less! I didn't love it hot but I guess I should have known since the idea of hot strawberries is not so appealing.

Quince Green (sencha, cornflowers, mallow flower, quince fruit)

Quince Green:

Firstly, so pretty! I love the look of cornflowers in my tea. . . not sure exactly what they add to flavour but it must be something good since they appear in so many teas.  This is also a really tasty, fresh green tea.  I do like my green teas a little fruity although I'm not sure I've ever had quince fruit.  I also love an iced green tea - try it!

Vanilla Honeybush (honeybush, natural vanilla flavour, vanilla bits)

Vanilla Honeybush:

If there's one thing that consistently impresses me with Tea Sparrow, it's how they keep delivering rooibos (or honeybush) teas that I actually enjoy.  I'm not usually a huge fan of this type of "tea" but Tea Sparrow knows how to source really tasty varieties of it.  This one is no exception - I've already finished the whole package! A little sweet, without being overwhelming, it made equally delicious iced and hot teas with a delicate natural vanilla flavour in the background.

Can't wait until next month!