Tea Sparrow November 2015 Review

Mmm. . . tea :)  While I do drink tea all year round, the autumn/winter is decidedly my favourite time to curl up with a cup (and a good book, and a fire, and a cozy blanket. . . sigh).  And Tea Sparrow is my favourite way to try delicious new teas.  While I am consistently impressed with the quality and variety of teas sent each month, I think this month might be my favourite! And that's saying something!

What is Tea Sparrow?  A fave sub in my house!  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 (although why would you want to?) and you can cancel at any time.  Or, for a limited time, use this link to pick up a Tea Sparrow gift subscription as a Christmas gift (I'd highly recommend it!) for 15% off.  Enjoy!

Now, on to the teas!

Clockwise from top left:  Buddha Bamboo, Holy Tulsi, Organic Hathikuli Estate and Nut Crunch Rooibos

Buddha Bamboo

(bamboo leaves, pineapple bits, lemongrass, black currant leaves, flavour, marigold blossoms, mallow blossoms, red currants and strawberry slices)

I've never had a bamboo tea before! And, let me tell you, I hope this isn't the last :) This tea is light and rather fruity and the bamboo gives it just enough body.  It almost feels creamy without any milk added! So delicious.

Holy Tulsi

(Tulsi (sweet basil), spearmint, rose hips, lemon myrtle, linden blossoms, flavour)

This is like your favourite minty tea x 1000! While the spearmint (which is a nice departure from peppermint) is definitely up there in terms of the flavour profile, it's smoothed out by the other flavours going on in here.  The sweet basil doesn't taste like Italian food so don't worry about that, rather it's a nice herbal note that is well-balanced in this tea.  I could drink lots of this one. . . and I am!

Organic Hathikuli Estate

(100% Organic Assam Tea)

While I have griped a bit in the past about how often Tea Sparrow was sending "plain teas", they haven't done it much recently.  And even if they had, I would totally eat my words to get more of this tea! I don't think I've ever had an assam tea before but it's got a delicately complex flavour that Tea Sparrow suggests is even better slightly cooled (and I agree).  This is a black tea that I will happily drink completely undoctored with milks or sweeteners - it's that delicious and interesting enough on its own.

Nut Crunch Rooibos

(green honeybush, green rooibos, apple pieces, raisins, flavor and hazelnut pieces)

Again, Tea Sparrow is pushing me to try (and love) more rooibos teas.  This one might be the best yet, too! Tea Sparrow describes it as "warm apple pie a la mode in a cup" (when served with milk) and I couldn't agree more.  So delicious! And even better with almond milk, in my opinion, as it emphasizes the nuttiness of the flavour.

Overall Verdict

Every time I think to myself, "maybe I have enough tea? maybe enough fancy teas?", Tea Sparrow arrives at my door and reminds me of how much I love it.  Seriously, this month just hit it out the park for me - I don't have a single gripe or complaint about this selection of teas.  It is nicely balanced and each tea is an absolute winner.  

If you've been debating whether or not to try this sub, I suspect that the winter offerings are going to be consistently awesome (wintry flavours are my faves) and you really can't go wrong with the discounts currently on offer.  Again, you could sign up for 60% off your first month here or pick up a gift sub (for someone else or for yourself, I won't tell!) for 15% off here.  Enjoy!

*Incidentally, this month I opted for one pic of all the teas together so you can see the differences between them.  Do we like that? Or should I go back to individual tea shots with the bag (label, instructions, etc.) in the background? What's your preference?