Tea & Trumpets

Most Tuesdays for lunch, I take a walk across the street to the farmers market . There’s a killer Mexican food tent there serving up vibrant flavors reminiscent of Oaxaca with outstanding vegan tacos that light up all the tastebuds. And the quesabirria and the aguas frescas! I didn’t eat dinner tonight. I might be hungry.

Anyway, Tea & Trumpets also has a tent there. I first became acquainted with this Sonoma County tea merchant through some tea bags I pilfered from a good brunch spot called Dierk’s Parkside Cafe :P

None of this has anything to do with Honey Bush itself.

This time of year, I usually purchase some rooibos to get me through the coldest nights. Opted for honey bush this time, a relative of rooibos, which I’ve had on its own only once. It was a Numi teabag and entirely meh.

Full aroma — this stuff is fresh! Flavor is rich and sweet with a touch of tang, mineral. Tastes of black cherry, brown sugar and cedar with a smooth earthiness. It leaves the mouth feeling sweet, fruity and refreshed unlike Numi’s honey bush, which I recall leaving an annoying dry catch in the throat. I don’t think I’d recommend this to people who dislike rooibos as the profiles are very similar, but for me, this is a big step up from all but one unflavored rooibos I’ve tried. Glad I bought a bag :)

Tried it again, this time as a cold-brew. Prepared yesterday evening, tried today afternoon. So I guess it is about 20 hours steep, with tap water used, in my family Frech press (volume 1 litre); moving up and down the strainer a few times.

I have to say it produced very refreshing and thirst quencher tea. Although it is not mango at all, it is nice herbal-fruity blend. Peach and stonefruits as of fruits. Herbals are mostly tulsi and rooibos, though the rooibos is making the base; but not overpowering the rest.

I agree with derk that it is somehow similar to “Impeachmint” tea. But it’s totally fine and for wwarm summer days it is perfect. Sadly, I have only 2 grams left and I am afraid it’s not enough for any other coldbrew. Thanks for the tea and suggestion derk!

A fruit tea from derk is highly uncommon occurence, yet it happened. Thank you!
2 tsp / 93°C water / 300 ml / 3-4 minutes steep
It was very good! More than I have been expecting. Certainly I notice peach and its stonefruit flavours. Mango? Not that at all I think. Herbaceous as tulsi is in? And rooibos? Kinda.

Nice afternoon fruit cup. I have been hoping for more mango… but ces’t la vie and it’s fine. Especially with cold front coming with rain or snow, it depends on the elevation. It is very summer-y tea.

This one was a really nice herbal. It’s herbaceous but has some subtle fruit notes as well specifically peach. The fruit notes aren’t tart and are a nice contrast to the herbs. Easy to drink and interesting. Fusion in the title seems fitting with how the different flavors fuse together. Thanks, Derk!

Makes a refreshing and hydrating tangy rosehip type of brew both cold and hot with a bright accent of dried sour red cherry and woody-sweet cinnamon. Not spicy. I don’t taste the coconut. It’s an organic fruit tea which is cool, but because it is a fruit tea, it’s heavy and I don’t want to pay the price per pound. I do appreciate the consistency of taste and body brewed both cold and hot. It was a nice gift :)

Tea & Trumpets is a local-to-me Sonoma County tea blender who sets up shop regularly at the farmers market in town. A coworker gifted me, among other tastythings, a couple large bags of their teas for my birthday.

I made a few hours’ long ambient temperature brew yesterday with as much leaf as would fit in my steeper basket. How big is the pitcher? I dunno, 2 liters? Drinking it cold today, it has a really strong flavor! It’s very thrist-quenching and tastes a lot like The Teabook’s Impeachmint Tea which was a very similar blend. Mango Peach Fusion eschews the political snark for great flavor. It’s fruity but low-pitched and sweet because of the red rooibos but also has this thick, slightly herbaceous basil-licorice dimension from the tulsi. The mango flavor is a bit of a mystery, as it usually is in flavored blends. It’s never quite mango, you know? Really digging this one. It’s like a summer sunset.

If you’re out there, Sean, thank you!

I took a sip of it hot and intended to put the remaining tea in the fridge to have iced later today. I ended up letting it cool and instead swigged it away quickly.

When I think of an Hawaiian Breeze, the last taste my mind conjures is the strong coppery and clear malty taste of this tea. I had a teabag, composed of mostly what I think is Ceylon black tea fannings. It was a bit strong and didn’t merge too well with the passionfruit oil. Hibiscus, is it even there? The tea did taste better cooled to room temp. Strange flavor combination, though.

I want to grow passion fruits something fierce.

Teabag from a local company! The bag tag has an image of a happy cow grazing with mountains in the background; SONOMA MADE. We’re known for our happy cows here.

Chopped green tea gives a hot hay base flavor. Lots of rose. It’s a beautiful rose with some vague fruitiness and a note of white pepper, light rose bitterness. Jasmine is second place, muted by the rose. I’m getting some returning sweetness.

Floral but it doesn’t go straight to my sinuses. Well balanced. Lovely.

This Earl Grey Lavender teabag was super smooth and fresh, unlike me.

The first Steepster review for this local Sonoma County, California, tea company sucks; my emotions got in the way. There are more and better reviews on Tea & Trumpets’ website. I hope to do the next Tea & Trumpets teabag some justice.