Interesting shaped teapots that really make a statement during tea time!!

The 14th Tea Party

“…and then Verdant Tea walked into the room.” Fresh breeze from an open back door on a beautiful sunny day set the stage for our Sunday morning Tea Party. We had an incredible party: great teas paired with delicious food and wonderful friends both old and new. Featured at this party: Just Add Honey, Rishi Tea, Sonnentor Tea, Dream Tea Boutique and Verdant Tea who stole the spotlight.

1. From Just Add Honey, we had Georgia Peaches. Verdant Tea brought Zhu Rong Chai, Eight Treasures Yabao , Yanxin’s Reserve ’04, Shu Pu-erh Nuggets, Yunnan White Jasmine and Huang Zhi Xiang Phoenix Mountain Dancong. We also tried Rishi Tea’s Vanilla Bean, Sonnentor’s Summer Romance and Dream Boutique’s Dirty Dancing.

2. Round one: Eight Treasures, Summer Romance and Phoenix Mountain go head-to-head. The Eight Treasures is a beautiful looking blend that came picture perfect.

3. As we prepared for the second round there was a lot of interest in Dirty Dancing. Darcy dove into their ingredient list.

4. Round two put Reserve Nugget, White Jasmine and Dirty Dancing to the test. Reserve Nugget and White Jasmine soar on the score cards. And for Dirty Dancing…just dirty!

5. Welcome Michelle, Tea Sparrow Member, joining us for her first Tea Party. Her decisive pallet and calming nature brought a new flavour direction and serenity to the party.

6. Our last round was between Georgia Peaches, Zhu Rong Chai, and Vanilla Bean. It was a battle royal as each tea found advocates at the party arguing for their favourite.

7. We brought our favourite teas back to the table and paired them with our savoury, creamy and salty snack platter. Deliciously fun!

March’s Teas Have Been Delivered, Enjoy! – 2013

From tea growers to blenders to world-leading sommeliers, our community includes people at every step of the process. We taste dozens of teas each month, with no affiliation to blenders, and chose the blends that inspire us most to share with you. We do this by having our team of tea connoisseurs and sommeliers sample and score the teas for look, region, aroma and of course, taste. We take pride in delivering a variety of world-class blends to your door every month – we feel we deserve it, and so do you! 
Check out March’s teas below. Now taking orders on April’s teas shipping on the 17th. 

Testimonial – 
“In this month’s Tea Box, we offer you the third of the Pu-erh teas from our taste-off challenge: Rishi Tea’s Pu-erh Vanilla Mint. Last year we spent 4 months sampling different Pu-erh blends to find our three favourites, so we hope you enjoy this last installment. we also had the pleasure of sampling Tiesta Tea’s new 2013 line last month and they did not disappoint. We had 17 different tea lovers and foodies sample their line-up, resulting in three winning teas with an overall score of 8.9 or higher. So a big congratulations to Tiesta! We really hope you enjoy their Tropical Savannah Rooibos tea featured in this month’s box. Our herbal tea this month is none other than Mighty Leaf’s Chamomile Citrus. This was love at first sip for the Tea Sparrow tea party tasters, and as such took home the highest score for any Chamomile blend we have every tried, a whopping 9.5! Lastly we have Aromatica’s Treasures of Japan, a blend of five different elite Japanese green teas traditionally served to honoured guests. Enjoy this month’s teas.”

Michael Menashy 
Tea Sparrow Family

Tiesta Tea’s Tropical Savannah – 

Description: Tropical Wonderland! This rooibos tea is infused with lemon grass, orange peel, apple bits, ginger root, cardamom coconut fruit, cinnamon, red peppercorn and currants to give it a healthy flavor profile from the tropics with a base taste from Savannah.

Ingredients: Rooibos, banana chips, coconut chips, pineapple flakes and orange slices.

Steeping Instructions: Steep 1.5 teaspoons per 8 ounces (1 cup) of boiling water for 5 to 7 minutes.

Tea Sparrow Suggests: Steep 1 tablespoon per 8 ounces (1 cup) of boiling water for 5 to 6 minutes.

Health Benefits: This incredibly flavoured caffeine-free tea is growing quickly in popularity but did you know that it also contains high amounts of antioxidants? Although the antioxidants found in rooibos tea are different from those in green tea, they are still known to fight off free radicals in the body. Rooibos tea is also known to fight off cardiovascular disease, liver disease and lower blood pressure.

Michael Menashy, Tea Sparrow Family – 
“Citrus, lemongrass, rooibos bliss. It is a beautiful balanced blend.”

Darcy McMurray, Tea Enthusiast – 
“Thought the lemongrass would over power, but no, it’s perfectly balanced. Be great as an iced tea as well.”

Rishi Tea’s Pu-erh Vanilla Mint – 

Description: Pu-erh Vanilla Mint has a deep reddish-black, opaque infusion with a cool peppermint note. Hand-chopped vanilla beans and fresh ground cinnamon give this blend a full, somewhat creamy body. Its lightly sweet flavor has accents of espresso and cacao. Tastes great infused like tea or prepared with milk and honey, like Masala Chai.

Ingredients: Organic Fair Trade Certified™ pu-erh tea, organic peppermint, organic cinnamon, organic vanilla, organic licorice root.

Steeping Instructions: Steep 1 tbsp per 8 ounces (1 cup) of boiling water for 5 minutes.

Tea Sparrow Suggests: Steep 1 tbsp per 8 ounces (1 cup) of boiling water for 5-6 minutes.

Health Benefits: Pu-erh originates from the Yunnan Province of China and has been coveted for its preventative and curative properties for over 2000 years. Pu-erh tea has been proven to lower cholesterol and to support digestion as well as general well-being and longevity. This tea is said to enhance the “qi,” or life force. So get your kung fu on!

Jenny Dent, Tea Enthusiast – 
“This tea is an extra taste sensation with mouth watering minty liquorish yum!”

Zeta Newis, Tea Sparrow Family – 
“Wow, super fulfilling. Amazing natural sweetness and rich full body taste.”

Mighty Leaf’s Chamomile Citrus – 

Description: Chamomile Citrus is a refreshing infusion perfected to curl up with and savour by the sip. Made with soothing Egyptian chamomile flowers and subtle slices of citrus fruit, this vibrant blend will rejuvenate the spirit. From intoxicating aroma to sweet flavour, this Mighty Leaf signature blend with Chamomile, fruits and herbs reflects our vision of the artisan tea experience.

Ingredients: Orange peels, chamomile flowers, rosehip peels, lemongrass, lemon myrtle, hibiscus, spearmint, natural flavors, orange petals.

Steeping Instructions: Steep 2 teaspoon per 8 ounces (1 cup) of boiling water for 5 minutes.

Tea Sparrow Suggests: Steep 1 tablespoon per 8 ounces (1 cup) of boiling water for 4 to 6 minutes.

Health Benefits: Chamomile throughout the ages has been regarded as a medicinal cure-all. It was considered a universal remedy by the ancient Egyptians, and the Romans and Greeks used chamomile flowers as a compress to apply to wounds to speed healing. It’s no wonder that modern medicine has been able to find so many additional health benefits to this flower as a tea. Here are but a few: chamomile tea boosts the immune system and fight infections associated with colds. It also helps relieve muscle spasms and menstrual cramps, relaxes the nerves, soothes the stomach, reduces inflammation, improves liver function, helps relieve back pain and rheumatism and is most well-known as a sleep aid.

Aromatica’s Treasures of Japan – 

Description: This tea, which is a blend of five elite Japanese green teas, was traditionally served to honour guests.

Ingredients: Sencha, Bencha, GenMai, Cha, Kukicha, Gyokuru, strawberry pieces, red currents.

Steeping Instructions: Steep 2 teaspoons per 10 ounces of not quite boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes maximum.

Tea Sparrow Suggestions: Steep 2 teaspoons per 8 ounces of not quite boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes maximum.

Health Benefits: By now, the health benefits of green tea have been well-established. Here are just a few of the reasons we love it so much: it’s been shown to fight cancer and heart disease, lower cholesterol, prevent diabetes and stroke and to fight infection. It’s tough to beat that!

Darcy McMurray, Tea Enthusiast – “I love this tea, rich in flavour without too much tannins. The flavour is complex and elegant, lasts on my tongue. Yummy! ”

Zeta Newis, Tea Sparrow Family – “So much development of flavour with this tea. Brewed strong it has so many dimensions and a balanced punch.”

February’s Teas – 2013

Numi’s Organic Chocolate Pu-erh took the spot for overall highest scored tea in this month’s tea box. Why? I think Jenny summed it up best in her description: “Gingerbread dipped in cocoa yum. Rich, Creamy and fun.” If you like rich and creamy food and love black tea this is truly chocolate pu-erh bliss. In the category of green tea, Mighty Leaf, new to the Tea Sparrow tea box, stole top marks on the score cards with their Organic Green Tea Tropical. This is a blend that enhances the flavour of the green tea without pairing it. Impressive!

Lastly we brought you back two classics. This month, we attended the Victoria Tea Festival and had an incredible time. We polled the tea enthusiasts we met and they selected Aromatica’s Sangria and Florapharm’s Vanilla Honeybush as their herbal favourites, so we’ve included them as a special treat for this month. We would love to thank all those who took the time to sample the teas and share what they thought. It was a pleasure meeting you all.

Numi’s Organic Chocolate Pu-erh

Description: This velvety infusion combines black Pu∙erh tea and organic cocoa. Accented by whole vanilla beans and sweet orange peel, this decadent blend is rounded off with nutmeg and cinnamon for a spicy finish.

Ingredients: Organic Pu∙erh, Organic Cocoa Powder, Organic Vanilla, Organic Theo Chocolate Cocoa Nibs, Organic Rooibos, Organic Orange Peel, Organic Nutmeg, Organic Cinnamon.

Health: Pu-erh originates from the Yunnan Province of China and has been coveted for its preventative and curative properties for over 2000 years. Pu-erh tea has been proven to lower cholesterol and to support digestion as well as general well-being and longevity. This tea is said to enhance the “qi,” or life force. So get your kung fu on!

Jenny Dent, Tea Enthusiast – “Gingerbread dipped in cocoa yum. Rich, Creamy and fun.”

Mighty Leaf’s Green Tea Tropical

Description: Smooth green tea leaves harmoniously blend with sweet tropical fruits to create a sensation as uplifting as a breeze off the isle of Papenoo. Antioxidant rich!

Ingredients: Green tea, natural tropical flavors, natural flavors, flower petals, pineapple bits.

Health: By now, the health benefits of green tea have been well-established. Here are just a few of the reasons we love it so much: it’s been shown to fight cancer and heart disease, lower cholesterol, prevent diabetes and stroke and to fight infection. It’s tough to beat that!

Michael Menashy, Tea Sparrow Family – “The green tea taste comes through so distinctly. The other blended ingredients are so subtle it does not take away from the tea.”

Florapharm’s Vanilla Honeybush

Smooth aromatic vanilla caramel flavour. Delicious hot or as an iced tea.

Ingredients: Honeybush, natural vanilla flavour, vanilla bits

Health Benefits: This incredibly flavoured caffeine-free tea is growing quickly in popularity but did you know that it also contains high amounts of antioxidants? Although the antioxidants found in rooibos tea are different from those in green tea, they are still known to fight off free radicals in the body. Rooibos tea is also known to fight off cardiovascular disease, liver disease and lower blood pressure.

Michael Menashy, Tea Sparrow Family – “Naturally sweet, wonderful and playful. A full flavoured mellow tea, perfect for drinking throughout the day.” 

Aromatica’s Sangria

Sorry, no alcohol in this one. Just lots of delicious, thirst quenching taste. This healthy blend is fantastic when served in a pitcher of cracked ice and sliced oranges. It has the natural deep scarlet colour and luscious taste of traditional sangria without the hangovers and dead brain cells.

Ingredients: Hibiscus, apple bits, blood orange bits, rose hip peels, safflow flower petals, cranberries, lemon myrtle, and lemon peel.

Health Benefits: The phrase “herbal tea” or “tisanes” usually refers to infusions of fruit or herbs made without the tea plant. Regarding their benefits, apart from being the perfect refreshment on hot summer days, they are also packed with vitamin C. So it’s a great way to get your vitamin C without having to eat all the sugars that come with whole fruits.

Jane Pettigrew, International Tea Sommelier: “A good balance, all the ingredients are quite sharp and citrus so needs some form of sweetener such as honey, brown sugar or even a fruit jam or curd. Delicious!”

Our 11th Tea Party

Puerh and rooibos was the theme of this party. The innovation of Numi’s puerh blends was my highlight, but the rooibos head to head challenge was the most debated. Then getting our black tea flavour fix from Germany’s Florapharm was a lot of fun. This party took our taste buds in every direction.

1. We had it all at this tea party. From Florapharm the Lemon Cream, Raspberry Black Tea and Spring Black Tea, brought the flavours to the party. Our Rooisbos challenge put Sonnentor’s Organic Rooibos Vanilla against Tree of Life Tea’s Organic Green Rooibos and Organic Red Rooibos. The Pu-erh hour was exclusively brought to us by Numi’s Aged Earl Grey Pu-erh, Cardamom Pu-erh, Chocolate Pu-erh, Basil Pu-erh and their Jasmine Pearls.

2. Straight into the Rooibos challenge by unanimous decision. Tree of Life Teas are the best rooibos tea blenders we have met so far, while Sonnentor is best Herbal Tea company period. So this should be one of the epic brew battles of tea history. (Assuming you’re a tea nerd)

3. Look at those gorgeous colours!

4. That’s my no messing around face, I’m in my tea Zen. — with Michael Menashy.

5. Jenny and Darcy are pulling information off the box to get a better feel for the kind of rooibos we are drinking and the region it came from.

6. Everyone was given three cups of tea and they almost finished them all. Impressive! I’m excited to find out which tea got the best overall score.

7. What an introduction to the Numi’s Organic Pu-erh blends. We had so much fun exploring their Pu-erh catalogue. The Cardamom Pu-erh and Chocolate Pu-erh brought the house down. Look forward to seeing more from Numi in your upcoming tea boxes.

8. Introducing Tea Sparrow subscriber Ryan, joining us for his first tea party. Ryan is a level 10 tea enthusiast and is currently studying to be an official tea sommelier. — with Ryan Fry.

9. And introducing Ariella, also another Tea Sparrow subscriber. She has been working on a series of chocolate tarts that infuse several of teas we have featured. Look forward to some exciting recipes.— with Ariella Cepelinski.

January’s Teas – 2013

The year of the Pu-erh is upon Tea Sparrow. Starting in 2009 Pu-erh tea has exploded, establishing itself as the crown jewel of the industry. And rightfully so. For something that smells like a cross between hay and slightly used socks it’s so amazingly tasty. As such every tea blender has scrambled to find the taster’s choice of Pu-erh. That’s totally fine by me, as my 8 year love for Pu-erh has blinded me into thinking that I’m the critic’s choice for discerning which is the best. As such, we have been holding back on introducing Pu-erh blends until we have had a chance to work our way through the blender’s tea catalogues.

This month we kick off the Tea Sparrow’s Pu-erh’s greatest hits, starting with Numi’s Cardamom Pu-erh. They took pole position by not only offering a great quality organic Pu-erh, but also by giving us an innovative blend that complements the tea to its fullest. So if this is your first try of Pu-erh, we are delighted to be the ones to share this magnificent tea with you. Or if you’re an established Pu-erh connoisseur, be prepared to be wowed.

Florapharm’s Earl Grey Vanilla Rooibos

Description: Organic rooibos with the same fragrant bergamot as regular Earl Grey, but with the addition of rich vanilla to round out the profile.

Ingredients: Rooibos, calendula petals, almond slices, vanilla, and bergamot.

Health Benefits: This incredibly flavoured caffeine-free tea is growing quickly in popularity but did you know that it also contains high amounts of antioxidants? Although the antioxidants found in rooibos tea are different from those in green tea, they are still known to fight off free radicals in the body. Rooibos tea is also known to fight off cardiovascular disease, liver disease and lower blood pressure.

Darcy McMurray, Tea Enthusiast: “Light, slightly sweet, with a wonderful clean flavour. The almond and bergamot blend is fantastic.”

Numi’s Organic Jasmine Pearls

Description: The most tender green tea leaves are hand rolled into small pearls and scented with fresh jasmine blossoms. The fragrant flowers are mated five times with the tea according to traditional tea scenting techniques that date back over nine centuries. This high quality jasmine tea from Fujian Province has a sweet aromatic flavor with bright floral notes.

Ingredients: Organic Green tea, Organic jasmine Flowers

Health Benefits: By now, the health benefits of green tea have been well-established. Here are just a few of the reasons we love it so much: it’s been shown to fight cancer and heart disease, lower cholesterol, prevent diabetes and stroke and to fight infection. It’s tough to beat that!

Jenny Dent, Tea Enthusiast: “A blast of jasmine diamond lightning. I love jasmine tea and this is one of the best I’ve tried.”

Numi’s Organic Cardamom Pu-erh

Description: This luxurious blend of rich Black Pu∙erh tea is enlivened by the spicy and crisp hints of sweet green cardamom. The exotic and aromatic experience of this one-of-a-kind specialty tea is truly an adventure of the senses.

Ingredients: Organic Black Pu-erh Tea, Organic Cardamom

Health Benefits: Pu-erh originates from the Yunnan Province of China and has been coveted for its preventative and curative properties for over 2000 years. Pu-erh tea has been proven to lower cholesterol and to support digestion as well as general well-being and longevity. This tea is said to enhance the “qi,” or life force. So get your kung fu on!

Michael Menashy, Tea Sparrow Family: “This Pu-erh takes pole position. Not only is it a great quality Pu-erh, but it’s also an innovative blend.”

Sonnentor’s Organic Spring Kiss

Descriptions: Mint and licorice with a gentle touch of lemon. Lots of mild flavors balanced so you can taste them all.

Ingredients: Lemongrass, peppermint, raspberry leaf, cardamom, liquorice, cornflowers, roseflowers.

Health Benefits: Lemongrass tea is known to aid in skin health, and to fight inflammation as well as cancer. It is also known for its detoxifying properties. Did you know that peppermint tea has been used medicinally for centuries? It is known to improve digestive health, reduce headaches, support menstrual health, lower fevers, and reduce inflammation.

Jenny Dent, Tea Enthusiast: “A sunny beautiful, minty liquorice, zing zang up-lifter. Nicely balanced and does not need honey.”

Our 10th Tea Party

Our 10th Tea party had the excitement of Christmas. With the holidays around the corner we decided pulled out all of the wonderful seasonal teas our blenders have sent us. From classic European Christmas blends to modern seasonal spice, this party got us in the mood for carolling and gift giving.

1. We decked the halls with the European blends from Sonnentor and Dream Tea Boutique. Spiced up the party with t-buds. And found some pure classics from Mountain Tea and Wanja-Teas of Kenya.

2. With great anticipation we jumped into the wonderful world of t-buds. This time they brought us a white tea with natural champagne flavour and tantalizing blend of spice and tropical fruit for the festive season.

3. Wanja was a real treat giving us something completely new, the Purple Tea of Kenya. Totally cool!

4. We all looked on with great anticipation as Darcy pours the water over the Kenya tea and the water takes on the colour of the leaves.

5. The classic black pearl tea of China brings a smile to my face. Congratulation to Mountain Tea for sourcing out a China black true to form.

6. The classic Christmas herbal blends from Sonnentor with their own twist. The list of ingredients mesmerizes everyone.

7. Take a look for yourself! A fun fact about Sonnentor, they grow most of their ingredients on their own farms in Austria.

8. Well what is Christmas without kids? All of the Sonnentor blends are herbal and their Christmas lines have children in mind. So we called in my niece Logan to give us the official approval for kids everywhere. Now which one to try first?

9. Darcy explains to Logan the score card as she jumps into her fixings.

10. And bottoms up. She gives the blend Santa’s Secret her top marks.

Our 9th Tea Party

1. Our 9th tea party features the Tree of Life Teas, Elmwood Inn, Vedant Teas, Sonnentor and Mountain Tea.

2. Zeta starts us off with the green tea challenge butting our blenders head to head. — with Zeta Newis.

3. Round two is a colour cascade showing the diversity of tea.

4. Jenny times the teas for Zeta.

5. We love Tea Sparrow tea parties, but sometimes the blenders make it painful…

6. …painfully funny.

7. Our final round goes to the Tree of Life Teas, who advertises real chilli flakes in one of their teas.

Our 8th Tea Party

Great day, full of laughter and top grade teas. What a super fun tasting. Thanks Guys.

1. Today’s Tea Party we explore more teas from our favorite tea companies, Rishi Tea, Aromatica, and Sonnentor. We also include a new company, Tisano Chocolate Tea. Let’s see how it holds up.

2. The first pour of the day goes to Rishi. A favourite for the group.

3. And they do not disappoint. Rishi’s Chamomile Medley is the real deal. Until now I have only had one favourite chamomile blend and it belonged to Mighty Leaf. But Rishi has definitely made itself a contender with this blend.

4. Welcome Peter to his first Tea Sparrow tea party. He is an incredible writer, an entertaining speaker and true tea enthusiast. Back in high school, Peter and friends would regularly go for afternoon tea. How cool/dorky is that? — with Zeta Newis and Peter Devries.

5. We got to the new Tisano Chocolate Tea and Zeta got right down to business, giving this tea an almost perfect score. — with Zeta Newis.

6. It deserves a product shot. — with Zeta Newis.

7. Onto our last round of tea for the day. — withZeta Newis and Peter DeVries.

8. Zeta just loves this tea. — with Zeta Newis.

9. Oh yes, I couldn’t agree more. — with Michael Menashy.

10. What, you won’t try it Jenny? Can you tell how much we loved it? — with Jenny Dent.

Our 7th Tea Party

1. Today’s Teas — at Tea Sparrow Home.

2. Our first round of tea will be Sonnentor’s Organic Fountain of Youth, Organic Cheery and Spring Kiss. Their natural and beautiful herbal teas can take as long as 10 minutes to brew. — with Darcy McMurray.

3. Zeta is pairing the teas into groups of three. Some teas are grouped by blender while other teas will go head-to-head with teas from other blenders.— with Zeta Newis.

4. Don’t worry, we didn’t select this one. 

5. The Tea Spot’s Peppermint Patty, Coconut Milky Oolong and Blood Orange Smoothie were packed with aroma. The fragrance of all three while brewing was blissful. — with Darcy McMurray.

6. The Blood Orange Smoothie is a delicious blend of rooibos, orange peel, hibiscus, rosehips, apples, safflowers, rose petals, vanilla and citrus flavors. — with Darcy McMurray and Michael Menashy.

7. Michael is preparing the next round from Joy’s Teaspoon. Their Crannyberry, (black tea, freeze-dried raspberry and cranberry pieces, flavoring, pomegranate arils, peony petals) and Lemon Zest, (rooibos, honeybush, lemon bits, flavoring, cornflower blossoms) impressed everyone at the table…Not an easy task! — with Michael Menashy.