Reading Nook Blend

I’m not a huge chamomile fan in general, but this blend called to me for several reasons. One, I’m a big reader and enjoy book related pictures on Bookstagram – second, I am trying to find some herbal infusions I enjoy, especially for nighttime. This one is not overbearing, it’s nicely blended. Rose is always mild and my unsophisticated taste buds rarely pick up on it, I got a hint of lavendar in the background at the ends of sips with mild chamomile. This is not a full herbal tea since it contains black tea, it is a mixture of the two that works well.

Mild, calming, and downright pretty :)

I really like this! The rosemary totally works with the black tea and other flavors. I was worried it would be too floral, but it’s really nice! I’m having it with milk. I can definitely taste the lavender, and though I’m not the biggest rose fan, it works here. Definitely one of the best floral teas I’ve had.

I tried this tea as part of the 2018 advent calendar. I’m so glad I did! I first thought this blend was going to be too flowery for me, it seems like they have a whole garden in there, but trying the sample size convinced me that there is a nice time and place for this kind of tea.

The creamy vanilla black tea base keeps this sweet and like a baked good, tempering all the floral flavors. The trio of lavender, rose, and chamomile provide a calming aromatherapy, and add just a touch of flavor to the brew without competing with the creamy black tea in taste.

The blend is also very photogenic, with three colors and shapes of flower blossoms set against the dark black tea background. With the herbal relaxing properties of lavender and chamomile, this is the perfect tea to brew on an afternoon in, reading a book or having some quiet time.

TLDR: Yum!

In the bag:
Looks: Like some tea leaves and grandma’s 1983 bowl of Pier One potpourri had a party.
Smells like: Tea, flowers, chocolate.

Brewed:
Looks: Like black tea, steeped; maybe a bit on the pale side.
Smells like: The chocolate and roses really jump out. Sort of what I hoped Adagio’s Valentines would be.
Tastes: Almost sweet enough for me drink on its own.
Added sugar, added a little more. Best without milk, shockingly to me. The milk flattened every flavor to near non-existence.

I read on the PD forums that even their black teas can be brewed a 2nd time, so I gave it a whirl, since my ride was a little behind. Holy Cats! I think it was even better the 2nd time (and a someone who almost never re-brews…well, that’s huge).
Skipped the dairy but hit the sugar hard for the 2nd.

110% get the knitting podcasters’ exuviance over this blend.

I cannot wait for next month’s tea of the month so I can order more of this.

Backlog:

This tea is worth it just for the dry leaf aroma – it smells amazing. The floral notes together with the creamy vanilla notes is absolutely delightful.

As I point out in the full-length review of this tea: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/12/16/reading-nook-tea-blend-from-plum-deluxe/ – the Plum Deluxe website says that this is “a black tea with an herbal taste.” That pretty much sums up the flavor of this tea, except that I would exchange the word “herbal” for “floral.”

This is a very floral tasting black tea – but not perfume-ish. The black tea is a mellow tasting tea – I suspect it’s a Ceylon. The floral notes really come through – and I like the way they do come through. It’s a bit like a dance on the palate and it’s quite lovely.

Floral lovers, this tea is for you! The dry leaf is gorgeous, accented with various flower bits – roses, lavender and chamomile. The flavor is creamy, very floral, mellow and a little fruity. The balance of floral is well done as the lavender isn’t over the top, and you can taste each flower.

However, you totally need to be a floral lover to enjoy this tea. it’s pretty floral, so it can be close to soap territory to some.

Full review on my blog, The Oolong Owl http://oolongowl.com/reading-nook-mindful-morning-tea-plum-deluxe-tea-review/

I am pretty sure I am in a relationship with a monster…or a trickster god, you might hear people talk about the 2010 Snowpocalypse and how rough it was, that was nothing compared to what I went through. Gleepocalypse. Ben thought it would be the best thing ever to seed and like all my Pandora stations (that I have had for years) with the Glee versions of songs. Pretty soon no matter what station I was on I would be bombarded with Glee! It took so much work to get my perfectly groomed stations back to normal, and I still panic that he messed something up when a Glee song pops up, of course he laughs maniacally. So, that was today’s fun story. Still don’t know why people complain about the Snowpocalypse though, that was a blast!

So, for today we are having a tea specially formulated by Plum Deluxe for people who like to sip tea while doing artsy stuff, writing, or reading…which is pretty much all I do. Reading Nook is a blend of rosebuds, lavender, chamomile, passionflowers, and cream black tea, I admit I have never seen chamomile in a black tea, what a novel idea! Ok yes, I made a terrible pun, I am sorry!! The aroma is quite interesting, very floral with a mellow blend of lavender and rosy along with the familiar straw aroma of chamomile flowers. It is like sniffing a dried flower bouquet with the hint of sweet cream and malty black tea.

The brewed leaves are sweet and creamy with very strong floral notes, it is a soothing blend of lavender and chamomile with a rich heady note of rose. Under all the creamy sweetness and floral notes is a rich malt undertone that goes really well with the flowers. The liquid is much more tea and less flowers, with a nice strong malt and molasses note and a slight oak wood briskness. There are flowers of course, the blend of rose, chamomile, and lavender adds a really mellow note to the black tea. Me likes!

The idea for this blend is a little genius, I mean when you are reading or doing artsy stuff, you want to be alert and awake, but you don’t want to be jittering out of your desk chair (at least I don’t want to!) so adding flowers mellows the black tea out, wakes up the brain and relaxes the body. The power of taste and smell on the brain is awesome! So about that taste, it is really interesting, as expected with an unusual blend. It starts with a blend of malty briskness and straw-like chamomile flowers, this moves to creamy sweetness, rose, and lavender. The finish is sweet roses that linger for a while, and honestly inspire me to romance, but roses do that to me. I like this tea, it is a really good match for reading or intellectual pursuits (what, art is intellectual) because it adds the needed caffeine, has an interesting taste and aroma, but does not overwhelm. You can sip it and do your thing, no need to worry about a powerhouse tea that takes all your focus away from said project.

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/11/i-am-pretty-sure-i-am-in-relationship.html

Creamy and full-bodied this tea is really the perfect tea to snuggle up with in front of a fire with a good book.

This is comfort in a cup — and it smells AMAZING! Kind of like my English Breakfast and sleepytime herbal blend got together and had a love child. The black tea gives me the wake-up I need, while the herbal ingredients add flavor dimension and keep me from going into caffeine overdrive. I enjoy it best with a bit of honey and cream.