Elder Priestess is our new elderberry green tea created with The Pretty Cult. It starts with organic green tea and elderberries, then brings in mango, kiwi, passion fruit flavor and pieces of dried fruit.
The result is bright, tropical and fruit-forward, with enough green tea underneath to keep the entire cup from becoming overly sweet.
It tastes just as good iced as it does hot, which was important to us. Some days call for a hot cup in a dark room. Other days, especially here in California, require ice and a glass large enough to make the heat slightly less offensive.
Elder Priestess handles both.
Bloodthirstea and The Pretty Cult were never going to make a plain green tea and call it a day.
Why Bloodthirstea worked with The Pretty Cult
The Pretty Cult has spent years building its own world around alternative fashion, music and occult-inspired design. The Los Angeles brand describes itself as being made “for the rock & roll witch,” which tells you more about it than a paragraph full of safe brand language ever could.
That made this collaboration feel pretty obvious.
Bloodthirstea approaches tea the same way The Pretty Cult approaches clothing and accessories. The product still needs to be good, but there is no reason it has to look or feel like everything else sitting on the shelf.
Elder Priestess needed to belong to both brands.
The tea had to feel dark enough for Bloodthirstea, polished enough for The Pretty Cult and genuinely enjoyable once someone opened the tin and brewed it. A dramatic label can get your attention once. The flavor is what decides whether you come back.
What does elderberry green tea taste like?
Elderberry has a deep fruit flavor that can lean tart, earthy or slightly sweet depending on what surrounds it.
In Elder Priestess, we paired it with mango, kiwi and passion fruit to bring out the brighter side of the berry. The tropical fruit keeps the blend lively, while the organic green tea gives it structure.
The first thing you notice is the fruit. Mango and passion fruit come through quickly, followed by kiwi and the darker berry flavor underneath. Green tea becomes more noticeable near the finish.
There is enough going on to keep the cup interesting, but it does not feel heavy.
People who usually avoid green tea because they expect it to taste grassy may find this blend easier to get into. The fruit softens that edge without burying the tea completely.
Elderberry green tea is a perfect blend of all the best flavors.
What is inside Elder Priestess?
Elder Priestess contains:
- Organic green tea
- Elderberries
- Mango
- Kiwi
- Passion fruit flavor
- Dried fruit
It contains caffeine because the base uses real green tea.
Each tin of our elderberry green tea includes 12 of our plant-based pyramid sachets. One sachet can brew two to three cups or a small pot, depending on how strong you like your tea.
The larger sachet gives the tea leaves, berries and pieces of fruit room to move once they hit the water. That matters with a blend like this because the ingredients need more space than they would get inside a small, flat tea bag.
How to brew Elder Priestess tea
Start with one sachet and steep it for one to three minutes.
That gives the fruit enough time to come through without leaving the green tea in the water so long that it takes over the entire cup.
Anyone who regularly finds green tea bitter may want to let freshly boiled water rest briefly before pouring it over the sachet. Green tea generally prefers cooler water than black tea. The UK Tea & Infusions Association recommends water around 80°C, or 176°F, for green tea.
Taste it after the first minute.
Some people want a lighter, fruitier cup. Others prefer the stronger green tea flavor that develops closer to three minutes. There is no reason to keep steeping it once it tastes right to you.
For a larger serving, use one sachet in a small pot. The amount inside can comfortably handle more water than the average single-cup tea bag.
How to make Elder Priestess iced
Elder Priestess might be even better over ice.
The fruit tastes brighter when it is cold, especially the mango and passion fruit. It also makes an easy alternative for anyone who wants something more interesting than plain iced green tea without loading the glass with syrup.
For a full pitcher:
- Brew two sachets in hot water.
- Let the tea steep for one to three minutes.
- Remove the sachets.
- Pour the tea into one quart of cold water.
- Chill it or pour it directly over ice.
Try it before adding sweetener. The fruit may already give you enough sweetness.
When the cup needs something extra, add a small amount of honey, agave or your preferred sweetener while the tea is still warm. It will dissolve much more easily than it will in cold tea.
A slice of kiwi or a small piece of mango also works without changing the flavor into something completely different.
A tea made for the Haus of Cult
The Elder Priestess character is part of the world surrounding the blend.
She gathers fruit, leaves and berries beneath the glow of old lanterns, preparing each cup as an offering inside the Haus of Cult. The artwork turns that idea into something you can hold, while the tea gives it a flavor.
There is a temptation with collaborations to put two logos on a product and treat that as the entire concept.
We wanted more than that.
The Pretty Cult brought its dark, fashion-driven world into Bloodthirstea. We built a blend that could live there. The tea, tin and artwork all needed to feel like parts of the same thing.
That is why Elder Priestess does not look like an existing Bloodthirstea flavor with a different name printed over it.
It has its own identity.
Who will like this elderberry tea blend?
Elder Priestess will probably work best for someone who likes:
- Fruity green tea
- Mango and passion fruit
- Tea that works hot or iced
- A caffeinated blend that feels lighter than black tea
- Visible berries, fruit and tea leaves inside the sachet
- The darker worlds of Bloodthirstea and The Pretty Cult
It may also be a good starting point for someone who wants to try green tea but has not enjoyed plain green tea in the past.
This blend does not hide what it is. You can still taste the tea. It simply gives you a lot more to taste with it.
Enter the temple
Elder Priestess is what happens when Bloodthirstea and The Pretty Cult meet in the same room with green tea, elderberries and absolutely no interest in making something ordinary.
The blend is bright without losing its darker character. It has enough tropical fruit for summer, enough depth for a hot cup at night and enough caffeine to make it useful when the day still expects something from you.
Brew it hot. Pour it over ice. Take the second cup for yourself. Head over to Bloodthirstea.com and pick up a can or three today.
Enter the Haus of Cult and try Elder Priestess.
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