My girlfriend Chara, owner and founder of WanderingLotus – a mobile yoga studio, came over in preparation for our upcoming yoga and tea event. As always, we began our meeting with the usual ritual… I put on a pot of tea and Chara procures a yummy sweet treat. I am a complete sucker for sweets – not candy – but cake, pie, cobbler, ice cream, pastries, decadent cookies you name it, I love it!
This time, Chara brought a box of BISCOTTEA, gluten-free, blueberry, tea, shortbread cookies. We were a little nervous, because of the gluten-free tag, but thought we would try them out anyway. Initially we were a little surprised, because the cookies in the box looked distinctly different from the picture on the package. We sort of looked at each other as if to say, “Are these the right cookies?”. Then we conducted the smell test… blueberry tea shortbread cookies smell delightful – just like blueberries. Not surprising, but definitely a plus considering the visual inspection.
The tentative first bite proved to be tasty. Traditionally, I do not eat gluten-free products so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Blueberry tea shortbread cookies were not as dense as some shortbread cookies I have enjoyed in the past. This is not a bad thing, just different. The cookies were crumbly and slightly dry, similar to the crisper portion of a scone. The taste of tea was definitely evident as was a mild blueberry flavor. The cookies were not overly sweet and paired well with our tea – sweetened Moroccan Mint and later with an unsweetened oolong. The only drawback – the cookies left a slighty gritty feel in the mouth – which really isn’t that big of a deal.
BISCOTTEA, blueberry tea shortbread cookies are manufactured in Issaquah, WA. With a desire to make cookies that taste homemade, founder Laurance Milner uses the following ingredients: gluten-free all-purpose flour, sorghum flour, butter, sugar, cornstarch, xanthan gum, organic white tea from China’s Fujian Province, organic natural blueberry flavor, baking soda, and salt. Additionally, according to the website, BISCOTTEA™ is more than just a cute play on words; it’s the result of a four-year search that started in 2003 when Laurance Milner, a Specialty Food entrepreneur and tea drinker, determined to create BISCOTTEA to pair perfectly with tea. You can now purchase BISCOTTEA,™ in four additional tea flavors:
- African Honeybush: Made with sweet herbal tea leaves grown on the same unique South African mountains as the Rooibos (Red Tea) plant.
- Mint: A mixture of organic peppermint and spearmint leaves farmed in Oregon.
- Chai: A blend of organic chai spices, including cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, ginger, and pepper.
- Earl Grey: A combination of organic Darjeeling tea, estate-grown in India, with natural Bergamot Citrus flavor.
To purchase BISCOTTEA, visit their website www.biscottea.net to locate a retailer near you. Or you can make a stop at your local TJ Maxx, where Chara purchased our box of BISCOTTEA. Until then… Happy tea drinking!
A friend of mine also recently introduced me to biscotti. Not the gluten-free variety–her home-made biscotti. It is so yummy I think she should go into business making it. Hard to believe I’ve lived 50 years and not tasted biscotti, but true. I knew what it was–just never tried it.
Nice review, and if I see it I might just have to try it. Still thinking about the tea cozy. I’ve bought yarn, but haven’t found a pattern yet. (The links you gave me had gone missing.) My teapot is handmade (by me) and a kind of different shape, so maybe I’ll just invent a pattern.
Blessings, Cindy
Hey cindyinsd!
Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I also like traditional biscotti and am very surprised that you never tasted it until recently.
Glad you liked the review, I actually am going to look for the non-gluten-free variety of BISCOTTEA. I absolutely LOVE shortbread cookies so I hoped to find a box soon in either the Mint, Chai, or Earl Grey variety. What great flavors to pair with tea.
Sorry about the broken links, for the tea cozies. I think I wrote that post over a year ago and apparently the Etsy shops are currently not in business! Bummer! BUT… you should check out the search function on Etsy. Search “tea cozy” and I am sure you will find other alternatives to the links I provided.
Come back soon!