Author: geevesandmaggie

We are two college roommates majoring in psychology and music, and we met working together in a locally-owned tea shop! (So you can say that we're Certified Tea Hoes, CTH for short!) Maggie has been working there for two years after starting her tea addiction at age 5, and has the most experience. Blindfolded, she can tell the type of leaf in four different variations of the same flavor. (Maggie would like to note that she is not the one who condoned this) Geeves acquired one year of tea experience before pursuing other careers, but still plans to open a tea store as a side hustle one day! (Geeves is talking about herself in third person and will be our Official Wrtier..... for obvious Reasons-Maggie)

Turkish Blend

geevesandmaggie

Hello, it’s Geeves again! My next stop on my tea trip (I wasn’t there for tea, I was actually in town for a symphony) was to Perennial Tea Room. They were very easy to shop; a small store, pretty empty on a rainy day, but very cute with knowledgeable employees. I asked the man what teas were special to their store, and he recommended a few black teas as well as some fun fruity ones.

I chose Turkish Blend because it smelled great and seemed new and exciting for me! Apple, rose petal, and apricot are apparently all common in Turkish teas, and this one had no shortage of those ingredients on a black tea base.

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Geeves’ Thoughts:

  • 7.5/10
  • For a fruit tea, I’m tasting more blackness than fruit, so I’m not a big fan of that.
  • As a hot tea, the rose flavor is an aftertaste and the fruit is weak. Three hours later, the fruit actually becomes much more powerful, so I’d say I prefer it cold. I need my flavors really strong because my taste sensors are damaged (I can’t tell regular crackers and bacon flavor crackers apart), and sadly this one wasn’t quite that.

Maggie’s Thoughts:

  • 6/10
  • I’m a HOE for apricot. I got a little bit of aaaaapricot, and some ROSE!!, but not very much apple. like a silent polite apple maybe vibe
  • I will say though that I really enjoy this tea iced (an odd thing coming from me you might come to find)
  • Over Ice: 8.5/10; when it’s cold (like one you can crack open with the boys) you reaLLLYYY get more of the promised fruitiness and the rose takes a step down from her spotlight. Regretful, but neccccesssssary (attempts to spell necessary and fails miserably)
  • It wasn’t too light though. The tea base was sufficient to carry the flavors, and got a little bit stronger when left to sit. All the more reason why ice is the ‘Way To Go’ with this one. (Cue Ice Ice Baby)
  • It was still a good price for the quality of tea. $8.5 for 2oz is definitely not bad, and I’m sure the more you buy, the cheaper the cost.
  • One place I really see this tea shining is at a spring party over ice for everyone, which is probably why I’m not super digging it. As I am on Winter Mode (it dropped below 60F and I’m a delicate San Diego flower), I think this is a tea that will deserve a revisit come the Spring Times.

TLDR:

  • Rating: 7.5/10
  • Tasting Notes: black tea with a lot of fruits and hint of floral, and fruitier when cold.
  • Pricing: Fair, $8.5/2oz
  • Recommendation: Would reorder in Spring!

Purchase here from the most organized small business in Seattle!

Happy drinking!

Geeves & Maggie

Cranberry Creme

geevesandmaggie

Hi, this is Geeves! I have just returned from a whirlwind three-day trip to Seattle, and while there, I bought A LOT of tea! I hit three different stores, and wound up with about a pound of tea…(we’re not going to talk about how many cups I had with breakfast, lunch, and for snacks.) But anyway, Maggie and I are back to school, back to procrastinating, and back to the usual shenanigans! And tonight we baked up some cranberry chocolate scones, and broke out the new tea to pair it.

The first place I went on my trip was the Seattle Public Market, and within that there is a great tea and spice store: Market Spice. Tonight we broke out the Cranberry Creme, a tea I purchased because of a very specific reason.

Me: Hi! So what here can I not get in California?
Girl: Uh…what do you like?
Me: Anything! Something fun! Anything!
Girl: Fruit?
Me: Anything!
Girl: What type of tea?
Me: Anything!
Girl: I guess cranberry is popular?
Me: If it’s unique, I will take it!

And so I did.

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Maggie baked cranberry dark chocolate scones to go with the tea of the night!

Geeves’ Thoughts:

  • 8.5/10!
  • Not super strong flavor, but then again I am not always great at discerning flavor so the fact that I could taste the fruit was pretty good!
  • Definitely can’t handle cream without being completely overshadowed, so take the creme flavor and don’t intend to add more.
  • Okay but let me be straight here: I paid almost nothing for this. Well technically my mom bought it for me so I did pay nothing, but she paid like $3 for my 2oz of tea. Online, you can get 1lb for $20. Which is a good freaking deal! For tea of this quality, that is an actual steal and I may cease buying from anywhere else (not really, read my next posts) There is 4oz minimum online, but it’s only $5 so I’m fine with that. (PS: Shipping from Market Spice is $7, flat rate US)

Maggie’s Thoughts:

  • 7/10 
  • So this may seem harsh. But i came in with high expectations of CRANBERRY and got like a Meh crranberrry
  • The cream note was nice and smooth, but I felt like it overwhelmed the fruit flavor. 
  • However, all is not lost. 
  • The base tea was smooth and not at all bitter which is appreciated. I prefer tea over coffee because I can’t handle the bitter. (It feels to me like how I assume reading my comments feels to your eyes. Unpleasant.) 
  • Kinda reminiscent of the Russian jam tea my friend made me once.  (Jam mixed into tea, essentially)
  • I would High-Key say no cream in this one, folks. Due to the light nature of the hunan (the region the tea was grown in) leaf base, the cream would overwhelm the tea entirely making it more of a Lightly Flavored milk. Not Prefered.
  • If you enjoy adding stuff, or you would like something extra (varieTea is the spice of life and all that jazz), a little bit of honey or a square of Dark Chocolate does go to enhance the fruit-ness a bit, bringing it from crranberrry to a solid CraaaanBerry
  • I feel like this is a good afternoon black tea, as the lightness lends itself to a little less of the caffine ( i gave up on that word). 
  • Points as well for affordability, like dang. It college so we kinda be a little broke, so the price is a smooth balm over my irritated and sore wallet. 

Also Normally i would record this statement for those who Dont want to read, but i ave been poisoned by the Devils Plant, and by god Did i lose the battle to Poison Ivy. (but im not dead so i guess i won the war??) But to save you all from being subjected to my 1600’s smallpox victim LooKe that i am rocking right now… no recording. Suffer. 

So for your TL:DR summary:

  • Rating: 7.75/10
  • Tasting Notes: black tea with a light cranberry taste
  • Pricing: Great! About $1.50/oz
  • Recommendation: Not super special, but if you’re looking for a thing to drink on the veranda on a cold day, buy it!

We’ll put purchasing info and the links for each tea down at the bottom, so if you’re inclined to try something that catches your eye, it’s easy.

Buy Cranberry Creme here!

Until next time,

Geeves and Maggie

The Madness Ensues

geevesandmaggie

Welcome to our new project: a tea review blog! Here, you’ll hear our brutally honest opinions on the teas we drink, as well as an unhealthy amount about our weird little college lives and stories from our tea store careers. Buckle up, friends and family, and thank you for joining us!

Never trust a man, who when left alone with a tea cozy…doesn’t try it on. –Billy Connolly

XO, Maggie and Geeves

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