Tea Drops

This wooden gift box with an assortment of Tea Drops was presented to me recently. Perhaps you have heard about these - there were one of Oprah's favorite things. And they have been advertised on Facebook and in various magazines. Basically, they are a combination of sugar and finely ground compressed tea leaves and flavoring oils. The success story of this young entrepreneur is pretty amazing as Tea Drops originated in her California kitchen, and over the course of a few years has developed into a profitable business with a youthful and energetic team. #teamagic captures the spirit of these tea drops.

The variety of tea drops in this sampler included individually wrapped and uniquely shaped assorted flavors. There was Rose Earl Grey (sugar, organic black tea, with added rose petals and bergamot oil), Citrus Ginger (sugar with added orange peel, dried ginger, spearmint, and orange and lemon extracts), Sweet Peppermint (sugar with spearmint, peppermint and peppermint oil) and Matcha Green Tea (sugar and matcha green tea). The packaging clearly states that some sediment is expected, and as you can see in the photo, the finely ground tea leaves do not dissolve, but it does settle quickly to the bottom of the mug. Due to the size of the tea and herbs, full sweet flavor is quickly released. There is an ease to preparing tea this way, which leads me to believe that is what makes them so popular. With organic cane sugar listed as the first ingredient, these little teas are very sweet, particularly if you are not accustomed to adding sugar to your favorite tea.

 We reviewed Tea Drops on this blog in 2014, when they were still in the developmental stage and just introduced to the market. To Nancy, they were 'too sweet', and to Susanna, 'oh that's good, they taste like candy' which is pretty much the review we give them again in 2019.  On their website, they do have a product that does not include sugar, so they are attempting to meet the demand for something without added sugar.

With regards to their Matcha Green Tea, my reaction is simply, no. Even when prepared in a traditional Japanese chawan, this is not the way to brew matcha. And it is not a true representation of matcha. Skip what might seem like a convenience and purchase true unadulterated matcha.

Tea Drops are fun and convenient and easy to use. Just be aware that they are sweet.