Review: Strawberry Cream Tea // Teahaus
It’s a strangely overcast and drizzly Saturday considering it’s late May in the Bay Area. This is not something I’m accustomed to. The last couple weekends have been hot hot hot and we’re inching into the season of over-the-top festivals. Since rain here is mostly relegated to winter months, having it sneak in so close to summer is just plain confusing.
Luckily I enjoy the fog. Especially on a Saturday morning. It’s my quiet time before the hubbub of the day begins.
Since today feels like a strange mix of summer and winter — it’s cozy and rainy yet I’m going to a birthday BBQ in the park — it seems like the perfect time to review Teahaus’ Strawberry Cream tea, which in many ways feels like a jumble of seasons itself.
You may remember this tea from my recipe for Plum, Cream Popsicles with Strawberry and Thyme. Those popsicles are infused with this tea and oh man — they are downright delicious. Wow.
Happily the tea itself is just as good.
This tea is called Strawberry Cream and that’s exactly what it delivers. This is a black tea with little pieces of strawberry leaves and strawberry pieces in it. When you open the bag and take a sniff, the strawberries and cream are so pungent it actually surprised me the first time I opened it. How do they get the cream in there?! I have no idea. These people must be tea magicians.
Since this is a black tea, it definitely has that robust black tea taste. It’s strong and assertive. It has a point of view. But, the strength and heaviness of the black tea is softened by the strawberry and cream flavors. I think it’s a great choice for breakfast. It feels like someone waking you up but doing so in a very kind, loving way — your mom slowing and constantly rubbing your back until you’re finally aware enough to enter the day. That’s what this tea feels like.
Where black teas can sometimes be biting, this one is smooth. Each sip starts with that robust black tea flavor and then mellows into the strawberries and cream. You’re left with that mouth taste of berries and cream after you’re done. I was surprised just how much the cream comes through when you sip this tea, perhaps even more so than the strawberry. It’s still boggling to me how they’re able to get that rich creaminess into tea leaves.
While this tea has some of the fruitiness of summer, it isn’t bright and awake like I imagine a great summer tea should be. It’s has a warm and cozy roundness to it that feels better suited for spring or fall — right as strawberry season enters and exits.
Amazingly, that makes it fairly perfect for this foggy late spring morning. Overcast. Cozy. Strawberries started making their first appearance over the last few weeks at my farmer’s market. I’ll probably move away from this tea over the next few months as summer comes into full swing. But I’ll definitely come back to it in September as the strawberries make their exit and autumn begins.
If you happen to live in Ann Arbor you can check out TeaHaus’ TeaRoom or order this tea online.
Lovely little things:
- Rituals has a great app called Rituals with a “Relax” section that has guided meditations to relax the body, the mind or to enjoy the moment. You can choose a 5, 10, 15 or 20 minute meditation. Thanks Jess Lively for the heads up.
Currently reading:
- Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal
