Are you a fan of tea? Do you feel like tea is an art form that can only be expressed through finding that perfect balance? That's just what the folks over at The Broken Arrow Tea Company bring to you each month with their special blends. With each subscription you will receive the flavor of the month: a selection of herbs and spices, 3 re-useable muslin tea bags, and mixing recommendations to start your blending experience.
Check them out over at:
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| A selection of dried herbs, spices and tea leaves. |
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| Nestled into one pouch. |
Only available in the United States, you can start off at a surprisingly low price of 15 dollars a month. Looking at the tea itself, I would say you could brew up to several gallons depending on your taste and how much tea you use. If you're a die-hard fan of tea like me, it's not uncommon to spend that much on a single box of authentic Jasmine tea from the local Asian marketplace.
First Impressions
Upon opening the box you will come face to face with a sack stitched with the company's logo on the face. Opening the sack reveals a perfume of spiced scents blossoming through the air. Inside are individual packets of herbs, spices and tea with the descriptions hand written on each bag. Along with a letter describing the tea are three tea bags that anyone can use to steep their tea with or to store their tea or even give as gifts. The procurer listed this collection as his favorite blend and you can tell a lot about a person through the flavors they create. The flavors included were ginger, cardamom, orange peel, cinnamon chips and black tea. Strong and bold accents mixed into a robust black tea was the idea. Each spice looked and smelled great, dried to perfection and aromatic for days.
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| Cinnamon Chips |
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| Ginger Chips |
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| Cardamom Seeds |
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| 2 Bags of Black Tea Leaves |
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| 2 Bags of Dried Orange Peel Chips |
For the first blend I decided to test the waters and go heavy on the spices and lighter on the tea so I could get a sense of the virility of all the spices. This blend was 2 Tsp of Tea, and 1 tsp of each spice steeped in one medium sized kettle for 15 minutes. The flavor had a warm roasted feel and once you swallow the tea the spices linger. The spices were really strong with the blend and the ginger was definitely the culprit of what was overpowering the tea. Cinnamon, also being a strong component.
Now fully understanding the intricacies of every flavor, knowing the strong points as well as the subtle points I set out to use my new found knowledge to begin blending. Because these spices were naturally dried they seem a whole lot smaller than they really are, they still pack a punch with every chip so learning the value of each chip is a process in it's own. For this brew I decided to go heavier with the tea, lighter on the spices. 2 1/2 Tsp Black Tea, a pinch of cinnamon chips, a very small pinch of ginger (2-3 chips), 1/2 tsp of orange peel, 1/4 tsp of cardamom. This brew is the universal brew, not too bitter, robust and delicate enough to disperse all of the spices with each sip. The spices complimented each other in taste and aroma, the ginger and cinnamon still lingered afterwards but with more of a relaxed fragrance instead of that previous harshness.
Final Thoughts
Tea is all about balance. TheBATC is a teacher of balance, with their flavors of the month anyone can create their own blends and discover what they enjoy most out of tea.
I do hold a high esteem for tea, it's become a sort of ritual in the household for me to try different teas. Personally I drink over a gallon of iced tea every day and no other liquids, I find that tea can be a very balanced drink when it comes to getting a little bit of everything you need, caffeine, herbs, hydration, You can drink it hot, cold, iced, warm, sweetened and unsweetened. I grew up in an asian household where drinking the bitterest of tea was only acceptable so when I discovered sweet tea it took me some time to process and learn to enjoy it. Then I learned how to enjoy chai, milk, boba and the all the vast categories tea has to offer. When I saw this subscription I knew I had to try this and see if it is worth experiencing and after experiencing this box I was excited and curious as to what flavors would be in the next.
For more info and to order the BATC box you can purchase directly from the site here:
