Hello and Happy Tea Drinking Thursday! :-)
As we continue to celebrate National Hot Tea Month, I decided today, I wanted to have a tea that I've tried in the past and fell in love with, but I haven't had in some time. Today, I drank Bananabelle from Brutaliteas.
If you've heard of Brutaliteas (as I've reviewed them in the past -- before starting my blog on here -- and mentioned them during my interview with Wayne Public Library), then you know how awesome their teas are. If not, you have been missing out and it's time to introduce you.
Brutaliteas is a small business based in New Jersey that makes some of the freshest tea I have ever seen (I mean, look at that second photo and just drool) and come up with the cleverest names for their teas. Those names are based off of... you guessed it, horror movies, but also heavy metal/rock bands and songs. I mean, there's Bananabelle (based off of Annabelle), Pina-Colada-Da-Vida (named after "In a Gadda Da Vida" from Iron Butterfly), and Lime Inch Nails (based off of the band, Nine Inch Nails) just to name a few.
And they offer everything from white, green, and black tea to herbal teas with rooibos, chamomile, and catnip to so much more in between. They also offer tea samplers where you can pick three teas to try, and they'll send you a 1 oz bag of each. They list out ones you can choose from OR you can just hit "Mystery Tea" and they'll choose for you. Guess what I'm going to be doing at some point? :-)
Lastly, and one of the main reasons why I love this brand, they have a program called "ChariTeas" where they donate a portion of their profits to local animal rescues and non-profits. I mean, seriously, what is not to love about this company.
Sorry, I feel like I went off on a tangent there for a hot minute. :-) But I really wanted you to understand not only how great their tea is, but how great the company is, as well.
Now, back to the tea! :-)
Bananabelle is definitely one of my favorites from Brutaliteas. It is a black tea (you know that's one of my favorites) with strawberry, apple, pineapple, papaya, mango, and (freeze dried) banana bits in it, as well as coconut shreds, raspberry leaves, and rooibos. And, as you can see in the photo, you literally see every single ingredient. Nothing is hidden, which I love even more. And, depending on your mood or if you need to be more awake, you can add as much or as little of an ingredient as you want. For example, today, I added a little more black tea than normal, because I needed a pick me up, and boy did I taste that difference. Haha! I definitely tasted the burnt/earthiness of the black tea more this time around then the sweet/fruitiness of the bananas, pineapple, mango, etc.
It really is funny how the change in taste for a loose leaf tea can happen just by adding a little more of one ingredient over the others.
In the end, if you're a lover of black tea (like myself) or fruity flavors (again, like myself), then definitely try Bananabelle from Brutaliteas. Or sift through their website and see if there's another tea you would like to try and left me know what you think. I would love to know! <3 I do have two other teas from them that I will be trying at some point in my tea journey (whether this month or in the near future), so stay tuned.
Thank you for joining me on this Tea Drinking Thursday! Until next time, take care and drink on!
Please note, I am not getting paid to promote this tea or this brand. I am just a tea drinker enjoying some tea and celebrating National Hot Tea Month.
