California Tea House Teas
I first heard about California Tea House when a friend gave me two of their blooming teas for my birthday a few years ago, but I somehow didn’t get around to trying them until recently. When I posted them on Instagram, the company reached out and gave me a gift code to try more of their tea. I decided to try three loose leaf and two blooming teas, which I will be reviewing for you now (along with the original teas I tried). As if the people at California Tea House couldn’t be any more generous, they also gave me discount code for my readers. You can use code TEA&THINGS for 15% off site wide plus free shipping. Now for which teas to try…
Golden Sunrise
The first tea I tried from California Tea House was Golden Sunrise, a “yellow marigold blooming tea.” This was the first blooming tea I ever tried, and I was amazed at how fun it was to watch the tea bloom and how beautiful the flower was once it was done—I almost didn’t want to throw it away. This is a Silver Needle White Tea and white tea is my favorite, and I really enjoyed the light floral flavor that the marigold adds to this tea.
Violet Moon
Next I tried Violet Moon, a “violet blooming tea and flowering tea.” It is another Silver Needle White tea base, which I enjoyed. It is one of the most bitter of the teas I tried (though I may have over steeped it), but it still has a delicious floral flavor as well.
Lime in the Coconut
I have a confession to make: I was given this tea by mistake. I actually ordered Lemon Meringue Pie. When this one came in the mail, I decided I wanted to try it more, so I didn’t bother telling the company or exchanging it for the one I ordered. My Pop-Pop and I used to sing the “Lime in the Coconut” song together, and the name of this tea brought back those childhood memories—plus is sounded good.
And it was good. First, I brewed this green tea hot (as I do almost all teas). I expected the lime to be the strongest flavor, but I actually got a nice, light coconut flavor. I did get more lime flavor when I made it iced a few weeks later, which leads me to say that I prefer this tea iced. I also had coconutmilk in the house recently, so I decided to try an iced latte. The milk totally covered the lime flavor back up, but it was a nice smooth drink that I still enjoyed. At the very least, I learned that I should probably order all iced lattes with coconut milk instead of my typical almond milk in the future.
Fruity Dream
Next up was Fruity Dream, an “herbal blend of fruits and blossoms.” I’m not sure why I tried a fruity hibiscus tea hot at all, considering I know they taste better iced, but this tea wasn’t so bad hot with a little bit of honey. The flavors really shined through when I made it iced, though. It is deliciously sweet and fruity as an iced tea, and I definitely recommend it for these hot summer months.
Pomegranate Peony
After my last two mistakes of making fruit flavored teas hot first, I originally planned to make Pomegranate Peony iced. Then I realized it’s a white tea, which I often find too light for iced tea. I ended up pouring just a tiny bit over ice to try it, and it was absolutely delicious both ways. It is fruity with a hint of floral flavor, and definitely one of my new favorite teas.
Endless Summer
Going back to blooming teas, Endless Summer is another Silver Needle white tea with amaranth, jasmine, and marigold. Once again, the flavor is mostly simple white tea with some floral flavors. The marigold gives this tea a similar flavor to Golden Sunrise. It is definitely enjoyable to drink, but what makes this tea stand out is the beauty of the three flowers within the bloom
Black Gold
The final tea I tried from California Tea House was Black Gold blooming tea. This is the only blooming tea I tried that was a black tea—Golden Monkey Paw black tea to be exact. It tasted like a simple black tea with some floral flavors. The jasmine and especially the marigold gave it a similar flavor to Endless Summer. I enjoyed this tea a lot, but you definitely don’t want to over steep it. I left whatever didn’t fit in my mug steeping, and when I went to try the rest it was so bitter I couldn’t take more than one sip.
Overall, I enjoyed all the teas I tried from California Tea House. I will definitely be drinking the rest of my loose leaf teas, and ordering some more blooming teas. If you would also like to order, don’t forget to use code TEA&THINGS for 15% off site wide plus free shipping!
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