This week on the blog, I’m reviewing another tea by Oregon-based tea brand, Tea Musketeers. This is their Wake-Up Wildcat blend of black tea and lavender.
Lavender is one of my favourite scents, particularly in bath salts. But lavender teas can be quite hit and miss. When there’s not enough lavender, it often fades into the background completely. When there’s too much lavender, it can create a kind of soapy flavour that’s not great either.
And that’s why Tea Musketeers Wake-Up Wildcat is so impressive. It’s perfectly balanced! Read my full review below to find out how best to brew it and where to buy it.
Tea Musketeers Wake-Up Wildcat Tea at a Glance
- Blend: Black tea blend with lavender buds
- Flavour: Smooth black tea with gentle lavender notes and a hint of sweetness
This is a lovely blend. The invigorating black tea with the calming lavender scent is exquisite. You will love drinking this tea for a quick energising yet relaxing afternoon break.
Full Review – Wake-Up Wildcat Black Tea
- Type: Loose leaf
- Tea: Blend of multiple black teas
- Additives: Lavender
- Flavour Notes: Smooth, black tea, lavender, sugar, floral
- Aroma: Lavender, sugar cookies, rich black tea, malty
- Milk or Lemon: Neither
- Where to Buy: Tea Musketeers Official Website (US Only)
Tea Musketeers very kindly gifted me several of their most popular tea blends. The package they sent me included a generous sample of their Wake-Up Wildcat blend.
When you first open the packet, the lavender really hits you. It’s strong and fragrant, but there’s also a distinct sweet note. If you’ve ever had lavender scented sugar cookies, you’ll find it very familiar.
It brews into a really vivid amber brown colour. The strong lavender scent settles down a bit so you can appreciate the slightly malty and rich notes from the black tea.
Everything about this tea is refreshing, including the flavour. The lavender buds add more fragrance than flavour, so you can enjoy their scent without the soapy feel in your mouth. The black tea base is wonderful too. It has a silky-smooth texture and combined with the freshness of the lavender, it’s really rejuvenating.
I finished my first cup and immediately felt refreshed and bright. Maybe it isn’t the “Wake-up” the name of this tea would suggest, but it’s still a fantastic energising yet gentle afternoon tea.
How to Brew Black Tea with Lavender Buds
This is a soft and gentle tea, so you don’t need to brew for a long time or add any milk. I’ve found that using 90°C water pulls out a better flavour from the tea leaves, so boil your kettle and let it cool for a few minutes before you pour it into your cup.
A 3-minute brew time is just right for me. If you want a lighter brew, stop at 2 minutes and take a sip. I wouldn’t go beyond 4 minutes with this blend.
I use 2g of loose leaf for 250ml of water.
You can drink Tea Musketeers Wake-Up Wildcat without any food, as a palate cleanser. If you are peckish, then some sweet vanilla biscuits would go nicely too. Vanilla, lavender, and black tea is a lovely combination.
Why Tea Musketeers Loose Leaf Tea?
Tea Musketeers are all about high quality teas and creating an amazing tea experience. Each blend has a little story behind it. They haven’t just thrown together black tea and lavender because it tastes great!
Wake-Up Wildcat is inspired by a local university, Linfield University. The Linfield Wildcats colour is purple. So, that’s where the lavender comes from.
You can see from my tea photographs how great this tea is. The loose leaf contains large leaf pieces and whole lavender buds. It’s fresh, fragrant and very nice.
Summary
I highly recommend you check out Tea Musketeers. They currently ship their tea blends across the US, and you can catch them at markets in Oregon too. Along with Avalanche Andrea, this blend from Tea Musketeers is one of the nicest I’ve had this year.
Head straight to their official website using the button below or the link above.
Tea Recommendation
Lavender and black tea is a wonderful combination, but if you are looking for new floral tea blends, you should head to my Tea Review Index. This is where all my tea reviews are categorised and logged for easy navigation.