Castle Black Game of Thrones tea

Flavored black tea
Margaret's Fine Imports

Ingredients: Black tea, ginger, elderberries.

Game of Thrones Season 5 ends tonight! I'm counting down the minutes. To keep me occupied, I have this Castle Black inspired tea from Margaret's Fine Imports' Game of Thrones inspired line.

If you haven't seen the show/read the books, Castle Black is where brave men (or ex-derelicts) in black clothing (and handsome capes!!) wait for enemies, guarding the realms of men. And if you haven't seen it, hurry because spoilers will start in a couple hours!



Now to the tea. This Castle Black tea is a great breakfast blend! Ginger can be a strong flavor, but it's very smooth in this tea, and it's settling on the stomach. Ginger goes well with breakfast, as we see with The Republic of Tea's Downton Abbey Grantham Breakfast Blend tea.

The large ginger pieces look very nice against the richly dark black tea. The taste is warm with a spice.

I like to think the men on the frozen Wall drink it in their dented metal mugs.

Dornish Wine Game of Thrones tea review

Flavored black tea
Margaret's Fine Imports
www.pittsburghcuppa.com
$1.99/1 oz

Ingredients: Luxury black tea, dried grapes, blueberries, currants, apple, hibiscus, cornflowers, rosehips, pineapple, papaya, brambleberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, natural flavors.

It's Game of Thrones week during The 23 Teas of October! 

Dornish Wine tea has a very heavy flavor. It's packed full of fruit, with light rosehips as an accent. The dry tea is a beautiful reddish purple color. The depth of flavor really does make you think of wine! After a number of cups, though, the grape flavor wins out. Nice if you want a very fruity summer tea. 

Hot: 3-4 min, 2 oz tea, 8 oz water
Iced: 30 sec, 3 oz tea, 8 oz water over ice

(Really high-class paper towel backdrop.)

Lovely reddish wine color!

Tasty with milk. Even though it's fruity, it works.

Have you tried Dogfish Head Sixty-One minute, brewed with Syrah grape must? It's a wine-beer synergy.

Come back Monday for some spice.

(Win tea! Rules here http://allteanocrumpets.blogspot.com/2014/09/tea-giveaway.html)

Does grape work in drinks other than wine, like tea and beer? What do you think?

Lion's Roar Game of Thrones tea review

Flavored black tea
Margaret's Fine Imports
www.pittsburghcuppa.com
$3.99/2 oz

Ingredients: Black tea, safflowers, goji berries, strawberries, lemon balm, calendula petals, natural flavors.

It's Game of Thrones tea week during The 23 Teas of October!

Lion's Roar is a delicious cousin of Storm's Fury (http://allteanocrumpets.blogspot.com/2014/10/storms-fury-game-of-thrones-tea-review.html).

Lion's Roar has some of the same vibrant floral high notes but with a nice berry/strawberry taste, and black tea instead of green and white. Just as I enjoy the Storm's Fury, I love Lion's Roar as an afternoon iced tea. Because of the fruit, I like it hot in the afternoon if I want a light black tea. No sweetener needed with quick steeping.

Makes a statement, but seems to keep secrets, just like the Lannisters.

Hot: 2 min, 2 oz tea, 8 oz water
Iced, 20 sec, 3 oz tea, 8 oz water over ice

Beautiful arrangement in the glass jar at Margaret's.

Lannister red and gold.

I bought a lot of this so I made a makeshift bottle out of an empty fish oil supplement bottle and the tea label.

Bonus, there's the wonderful radiator I turned on today, and the unfinished window behind it (it takes time to create a masterpiece).

Come back tomorrow for deep red sophistication from a far-off land.

(Win tea! Rules here http://allteanocrumpets.blogspot.com/2014/09/tea-giveaway.html)

What fruits have you tried in tea?

Dragon's Breath Game of Thrones tea review

Flavored black tea
Margaret's Fine Imports
www.pittsburghcuppa.com
$3.99/2 oz

Ingredients: Black tea, ginger, coriander, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, orange pieces, jasmine petals, natural flavors.

It's Game of Thrones tea week during The 23 Teas of October!

Drinking (or even just smelling) this tea is like standing in front of a dragon and getting hit in the face with heat. I describe it as a tea with ginger and pepper, but it's exactly like campfire. Strongly piercing but smooth flavors. You can be your own dragon when you take a sip and breathe out the spice. I just love it hot in the morning with milk. The caffeine is strong. Iced is okay if you want an unusual spiced drink... but the beauty of this tea comes out with the heat. 

Hot: 2 min, 2 oz tea, 8 oz water
Iced: 20 sec, 3 oz tea, 8 oz water over ice

Black and orange-red like a dragon's mouth.

Nice foam while steeping.

Gorgeous red color before adding milk. An innocent bystander actually thought something was on fire while I drank this.

After steeping. The dog doesn't get any.

(This photo was taken pre-kitchen demolition... *cries*)

The smell is so pungent, this tea lives inside a plastic bag inside its own glass jar. It will be hard to get the smell out of the plastic lid.

Come back tomorrow for a real rumble.

(Win tea! Rules here http://allteanocrumpets.blogspot.com/2014/09/tea-giveaway.html)

Have you tried any spiced teas?

Storm's Fury Game of Thrones tea review

Flavored green tea
Margaret's Fine Imports
www.pittsburghcuppa.com
$3.99/2oz

Ingredients: Green tea, cornflowers, calendula petals, papaya pieces, lemongrass, natural flavors.

It's Game of Thrones tea week during The 23 Teas of October!

Storm's Fury is my favorite iced tea for summer. The scent of the dry tea is intoxicating. Floral but invigorating. You can almost taste it as the scent passes through your nose.

That otherworldly flavor carries over perfectly into an iced tea. Hot, the flavors smooth out into a slightly flavored green tea--hardly any of that floral flavor. I don't drink hot green tea very much, but if I do, I go for this one. With brief steeping, no sweetener is necessary.

During steeping, the pieces really swirl as if in a storm off the coast of Westeros!

Hot: 2 min, 2 tsp tea, 8oz water
Iced: 20 sec, 3 tsp tea, 8oz water over ice



Beautiful curled green tea pieces, bright lemongrass, crisp calendula petals and light papaya flavors. Gorgeous accenting purple pieces.

Even the overall color is a sickly, stormy green.

 

Gorgeous tea in its glass container at Margaret's. A young man blends these Game of Thrones teas. I think he is just a genius.

I bought this alongside its friend, Silver Trout blend.

Come back tomorrow for a taste of fire.

(Win tea! Rules here http://allteanocrumpets.blogspot.com/2014/09/tea-giveaway.html)

What's your favorite iced tea?

Highgarden Heaven Game of Thrones tea review

Flavored green and white tea
Margaret's Fine Imports
www.pittsburghcuppa.com
$4.99/2oz

Ingredients: Luxury green and white tea, rose petals, lavender, hibiscus.

It's Game of Thrones tea week during The 23 Teas of October!

This tea really is a breath of heaven. Light and floral like a brunch in Highgarden with Lady Olenna.

The rose petals and lavender complement each other well, and the white and green teas balance the strong flavors a bit. Warning, the lavender becomes more and more noticeable after having a good number of cups... fine for me since I love lavender. Highgarden Heaven tea is fantastic iced in the afternoon.

Hot: 2 min, 2 tsp tea, 8oz water
Iced: 20 sec, 3 tsp tea, 8oz water over ice

The bright pink and breathy lavender colors are gorgeous together.

I purchased some pure lavender from Margaret's to go along with it. Amazing color.

The lavender looks beautiful in this white tin by RIEH, purchased at Margaret's for only $2.35.

Bonus! You can use lavender in baking! Use the whole pieces and do not grind them up or it will get bitter. They can also be used in beautiful homemade soaps.

Come back tomorrow for a taste of the Westeros high seas.

(Win tea! Rules here http://allteanocrumpets.blogspot.com/2014/09/tea-giveaway.html)

Not everyone agrees on floral tastes in tea. Do you love it or can you just not stand it?