Brooke Birch Tea Shoppe

Citronella candle.

Blergh. Lemony herbs steeped as a beverage will never be my liquid sunshine.

Hopefully the pitcher of cold-brew I made for Kiki goes over well with her. If not, like this cup of hot I made, the pitcher will go to watering the garden.

The smell of this tisane is like that bug-bitten honey note in true teas — this is some really high quality red clover!

Sweetness from the red clover, some of that creamy oat mouthfeel, a little earthiness and tang from the raspberry leaf, nutritious taste from the nettle, a barely there chill from the peppermint. I like this a lot. It has a very well balanced taste that matches its name.

Had a cup hot at work, and since I’m neither a lover of Ceylon black teas nor lavender, this was just meh. (A positive — the lavender wasn’t perfumey or soapy.)

However, with those once-steeped leaves cold-brewed overnight, I could appreciate this tea’s cooling, floral nature. The rest of this sample will be utilized as iced tea once the summer heat comes :)

A simple blend of rose, cinnamon and ginger.

Cosy Rosy went particularly well with the chillier evenings early this week. Fresh, floral and fragrant with that perfect level of spice that warms but doesn’t burn. I like how these 3 ingredients work together but often the cinnamon (woody, not Red Hots) has a tendency to overpower. Ginger isn’t very noticeable in taste, moreso in feel.

Kiki rates this ‘a solid 9.’

Certainly one of the most beautiful blends I’ve seen, the colors pop like a spring garden. Easy to steep and sip, fresh, aromatic, especially so with the spearmint and rose. I like how the lemon balm and chamomile are unexpectedly mellow and supportive.

Didn’t know Brooke Birch Tea Shoppe is Bay-area based until a few weekends ago. I didn’t see their booth at the festivities, but a friend who spotted them surprised me with an 8-tea sampler when I showed up to work the Butter & Egg Days parade. Thank you, Gary :)

2021 Homemade Advent Calendar Swap – Day 8
From Skysamurai.

This is a really nice minty herbal blend. I’m glad I saved it for bed because it’s making me feel so relaxed right now. Must be that chamomile! Love that it has lemon balm too. I’d definitely drink this one again.

You’ve eaten a ton of pizza and now you’re dragging. Grab some peppermint tea to put some pep back into your step. Granted this varies depending on the pizza you consume. While I generally do not pick a peppermint tea I thought tonight was a good night to give it a go. This is a lovely one as far as peppermint goes. Though I still find the spearmint to be just a bit too much. I love mint but I prefer regular mint to spearmint.

Summer is a busy but beautiful time for those of us who garden. After learning all I have about tea harvesting and processing it has made this year’s work that much more meaningful. It also gives an interesting perspective to each cup I drink. I need to say thank you firstly though for the samples you sent me along with what I ordered. It was so kind. This calming, up uplifting blend, is great for morning and afternoon. The amazing aroma of the freshly harvested lavender unifies nicely with the earthiness of the black tea. The flavor is the perfect mix of briskness with the calming lavender in the after-taste.