Happy Friday, or should I say, Happy Fall Friday! Starting today, I am going to try and share fall teas that I have in my stash or in my review pile. Today’s tea that is being highlighted is from Totem Tea Shop based in the UK. Their focus is on ethical teas that are good for the environment with all packaging being environmentally friendly. I’m looking at their Cinnamon Squirrel Tea (Organic Apple Cinnamon Rooibos). Here are my thoughts:
Cinnamon Squirrel: Being someone who lives on an old walnut farm, I am no stranger to squirrels. So, it really felt fitting sipping on this tea and discovering a random walnut on my front window sill. This tea brewed much darker than I imagined. I used a french press to steep for four minutes. The tea was very aromatic, with almost like a rooibos caramel apple. The aroma made my mouth absolutely water. At first sip, I did not taste much and decided that the heat was blocking some of the tasting notes. The rooibos taste is more subdued and so is the cinnamon. I notice again a caramel-like taste that permeates from the aroma into my mouth as I sip. The tea is not super sweet, but is still lovely to sip on. I think I would have liked just a bit more apple taste in it, but that could be that my blend of loose leaf tea did not have a lot of apple pieces in them..
I also brewed this in the western style and not in a French press. Just smelling the leaves, the aroma is quite potent. The cinnamon is very strong and had a sweeter smell. If an aroma ever had a viscosity, it would be that this one was a bit thick. The aroma of this tea is sweet and slightly cinnamony, but mostly is dominated by the rooibos. As it steeped, I *intensely* watched the colors change to a beautiful red/brown color. I was surprised because the wet leaves had a very heavy clove and cinnamon aroma, with not much rooibos at all.My first taste reminded me of the aroma at first – rooibos is a dominant taste – but there are hints of sweetness and back hints of spices. Definitely a bit subtle which makes sense due to the organic ingredients. As I continued to sip on the tea, I noticed an apple note forming in my mouth and lingering past each sip. I love Apple Cinnamon Rooibos blends because they are so relaxing and just warm my soul.
Ingredients: Natural Rooibos*, Apple*, Cinnamon Sticks*, Fennel*, Natural Flavouring, Clove*, Licorice Root*. *CertifiedOorganic
Price: This tea is priced at £3.99 ($5.17 USD) for a 30 gram pouch and £4.99 ($6.49 USD) for a 50 gram pouch. This tea also comes in biodegradable sachets (12) for £4.29 ($5.56 USD). I think these prices are extremely reasonable and fair, especially for such environmentally friendly packaging and tea.
Packaging: All elements of the tea are biodegradable. The tea bags seemed more starchy and folded over in some places (aka they looked quite environmentally friendly). It is said on their website that their tea bags are made with wood pulp and their mailing envelopes with paper.
Sourcing: I still cannot find where they source their teas from.
How do you feel about Fall Fridays? I think it might be a fun way to introduce some fall blends and keep a nice theme!! Happy Brewing!
-Danielle