Blooming with Joy is the next company I am highlighting for this week’s Subscription Box Saturday! The New Blend Box normally contains three different kinds of tea and a surprise inside, all intending to inspire joy in whoever gets this box. Honestly, I could not see this box coming at a better time. I am really trying to focus on joy in my life, and this box made me smile with its creativity and different teas. After talking to the owner of Blooming with Joy, Michelle, she shared that the theme of these boxes is always focused to encourage, to lift up, and to spread joy and that inspiration for these boxes come from real life and the time of the year. They have a tag line of “Blooming with Joy is where friendship blooms over tea”. She ended our conversation by stating that their name is not only pretty but a reminder that no matter what is thrown at you, remain strong and positive. Here is what I thought of the New Blend Box:
What is the price?
The price is $14.99 with free shipping for this subscription box. It comes with one main new tea with two additional sample teas and a little surprise. Through my initial conversation with Michelle, she said that they always try to promise three teas, but normally each box has a theme and extras. My box had two tea samples, four blooming teas (which counted as one new tea), and a seed for me to plant!
How was the packaging?
The teas came in a small white box with the logo Blooming with Joy on it. The blooming tea came in a tin, while the tea samples came into small plastic bags. While there did not seem to be established tea packaging for the tea itself, I enjoyed the creativity of the notes and signs that were involved in the subscription box (see the main picture to see the notes attached to the teas). I think the individual tea sample packaging should be improved a bit, many teas lose potency quite quickly without proper packaging. The tin that the blooming tea came in looked quite nice and I will not be altering it in any way.
Jasmine Blooming Tea: I was quite nervous to make this tea, prior experience led me to believe that blooming teas were not for me. Now I see that the quality might have been not as high as these teas. I did not have a pitcher that was large enough for 16 ounces of water, but small enough so the tea could really bloom. So, I ended up just taking a glass teapot and filling it and seeing what would happen. I was quite nervous. The aroma was quite light, with some floral jasmine notes. Normally I accidentally overbrew blooming teas, so that was my worst fear with this tea. However, the taste was also quite delicate and just hinted jasmine elements to the tea. I really liked it. I was unsure how the jasmine would show through, but this tea steeped for 6 minutes at 190-degree water. The green tea element was also slightly there. I am extremely happy with the result. I did not expect to have this much success on my first try (That is why I was so happy that there were four blooming teas).
I recently stated on my blog that jasmine green teas are consistently similar in taste. I think I might have to recant that statement. This tea was not consistent with normal jasmine green teas and was much lighter.
Ingredients: Green Tea, Jasmine Flower
Blackberry Delight: The aroma of the tea leaves was quite lovely, but I could tell quite a lot was most likely the natural blackberry flavor. It still smelled delicious and I was quite excited to get into this tea. There was just enough for one serving (maybe two if I was conservative), so I used my small pitcher filled with near-boiling water for three minutes. The color of the brewed tea was a dark reddish amber color. The aroma of the tea was quite fruity and so was the taste of the tea. I noticed the taste of the black tea quite prominently, with a nice hint of fruitiness behind it. There was that slightly odd feeling that I associate with some natural flavors, but it did not spoil the taste for me at all.
I ended up doing a second steeping of this tea (it would be a waste not to) and was surprised that the color of the tea was still quite a darker amber color and only slightly lighter than the first steeping. The overall taste was much lighter and more fruity. There was a slight astringency in my mouth with some drying factor, but very little. I could see this tea being a big hit at a tea party (I believe I had a similar tasting one at an Afternoon Tea Themed Bridal Shower.) Also, this tea was in stock when I started this review, but it looks like it no longer is available, so I removed the link.
Ingredients: Black Tea, Natural Blackberry Flavor, Raspberry Leaves
Berry Blast Cold Brew: I thought I did not like cold-brewed teas, but I think that mentality does not apply to fruity herbal teas. The aroma is very fruity and juice-like. There was just so much flavor in this tea I had no idea where to start with my notes. Right away, I identified the tartness of the hibiscus. I could taste a lot of the blueberry and forest berry flavor. It was super strong tasting which surprised me, my cold brew attempts before were not always successful and ended in slightly weak tea. So, I was most surprised by how flavorful the tea was, and how (almost) juice like it was. My mom ended up brewing this the next day in hot water, and she reported that it tasted really good and was still quite potent and flavorful. I meant to try some of her warm tea, but I forgot about it and by then it was too late.
Ingredients: Rose Hips, Hibiscus Flowers, Cranberries, Natural Forest Berries Flavor, and Blueberries
Would I Purchase from this Company Again?
Yes, I would purchase this box again (even though this one was gifted to me). I think the New Blends Box is a really unique box that is made with love and wanting to inspire joy in anyone who buys it. I could see myself purchasing similar products and send them to a friend who needs a bit of a pick-me-up, just because I do love the message that the brand is trying to convey and I did like the tea. I think I always feel more positive about products that are more hand-made and look less like it came straight off a processing line. One little downer about this box was that I was only able to find one out of three teas on their website, (the Blackberry Delight had a link, but it was removed from the website) which makes it hard to try the tea and then go and buy it if a customer liked it. Also, the packaging could be a little bit better. I used the tea leaves right away, but I do not know how long these leaves would last in their bag! I am very excited to see if I can manage to grow my little Ranunculus, I will definitely keep everyone updated if I see any growth on it.
I hope you enjoyed this latest (what is this, week four already?!?) Subscription Box Saturday! I am really enjoying getting to know all these individual companies and trying out different teas that I might not normally buy or have available to me. For example, I always thought blooming teas were more hyped up then they were worth, but this box showed me that there are some very high quality blooming teas out there. I hope everyone is staying safe, Happy Brewing!
-Danielle