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Tisane Information:

Leaf Type:  Honeybush

Where to Buy:  52Teas

Tisane Description:

Ingredients:  Honeybush, organic cacao nibs, freeze-dried raspberries, natural flavors.

This tisane is part of the Box of Chocolates sampler.

Taster’s Review:

I have really been enjoying the chocolate teas and tisanes that came in my Box of Chocolate samplers.  This is the third of six new-to-me chocolate teas in the box, and the only naturally caffeine-free selection.

When served piping hot, I find that the flavors of this are a little muddled, but when allowed to cool slightly (to a drinkable temperature, but it’s still hot), the flavors begin to pop.  So, if with your first sip or two, you find that you’re not tasting much chocolate or raspberry flavor, give it a few minutes to cool down, and I think you’ll find the flavor begins to come alive.

What I’m discovering with this cup is that the flavors seem to weave their way in and out … with one sip, I notice a stronger raspberry flavor, and the next sip, the chocolate is more pronounced.  The raspberry tastes sweet and juicy, with a berry tartness that emerges in the aftertaste.  The chocolate has that deep, rich cacao kind of flavor.

The honeybush is nutty and sweet, and as I mentioned a couple of paragraphs ago, the flavor of the honeybush is strongest with those first couple of “hot” sips, and as I make my way toward mid-cup, the flavors become more balanced.  This one gets a thumbs up from me!

Tisane Information:

Leaf Type:  Honeybush & Rooibos

Where to Buy:  Adagio Teas

Tisane Description:

Freddy’s a little creepy, goofy, and nutty – kind of like this blend of Honeybush and Rooibos Flavors.

Learn more about this tisane here.

Taster’s Review:

Over the past week or so, I’ve been trying to focus on some teas that could be considered “romantic” Valentine’s teas.  While I don’t think that I’d want to kiss Mr. Krueger, this custom blend created by my SororiTea Sister, Jennifer aka TeaEqualsBliss, is a delicious alternative to going mouth-to-mouth with Freddy.  It is a blend of Adagio’s honeybush orange, rooibos cinnamon apple, and rooibos almond.

While I am not always particularly fond of rooibos, I do like the combination of rooibos and honeybush together.  Somehow, when blended together, the honeybush softens the tames funky tasting rooibos.  The two taste better together than individually, in my opinion.

The orange flavor is the most distinct note in this cup, but it doesn’t overwhelm.  It is complemented by the apple, which softens the tangy citrus notes, and lends a very smooth sweetness to the cup.

The background is nutty and has a hint of woody undertones.  The nutty flavor is further accentuated by the almond flavor.  While it is not a particularly strong note, the cinnamon gives the overall cup some interest and depth.

A tasty tisane that can be enjoyed any time of day!

Tisane Information:

Leaf Type:  Rooibos

Where to Buy:  Jennifer’s Tea Garden

Tisane Description:

Based in organic rooibos, this blend with an invigorating aroma and luxurious spices makes a full-flavored treat! Best with steamed milk. Naturally caffeine free.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review: 

My favorite winter-y tea is chai.  Not chai as in tea but chai as in the warm blend of spices combined with tea (or in this case, rooibos and honeybush!)  Nothing warms me up better than a delicious chai.

And this one is quite yummy!  The “usual” spices are all there:  cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and ginger.  In this blend, there are a couple of other spices too:  anise seed and fennel.  These two spices are not as noticeable in the flavor as they are in the aroma, but, they do add just a hint of licorice-y flavor to the cup which is really quite lovely.

One thing that is also a little unusual about this particular blend is that the ginger has a softer flavor than I’m used to with chai.  Yes, I can taste that peppery heat from the ginger, but it is more of a mild, gentle kind of heat.  It doesn’t have that prickly, peppery effect on the tongue that ginger sometimes has.

The biggest effect that the lighter ginger flavor has on this cup – at least, in my opinion – is that the flavor of the cloves and cardamom are really coming through very distinctly.  Especially the cardamom!  Citrus-y and exotic, and pleasantly soothing.

I’ve said before that I really like the combination of rooibos and honeybush together.  I find that the honeybush helps to curb some of the funkier flavors of the rooibos.  The result is a nutty flavor that is honey-sweet, and that’s what I’m tasting here.  It compliments the spice tones of this blend quite well.

Overall, a nicely balanced chai that is not too spicy or sweet, but, somewhere in between.  I brewed mine extra strong and then added a bit of steamed, frothed milk and it became a dessert-like treat.  Sweet and delicious, it didn’t even need honey!

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Honeybush

Where to Buy:  52Teas

Tisane Description:

For this week, we’ve decided to create a new honeybush blend, this time a fusion of raspberries and bananas with real freeze dried raspberries and banana slices and natural flavors. It’s a great fusion of sweet and creamy, tart and smooth. Of course, it’s also caffeine- and calorie-free!

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

OK, the moment I tore open this pouch, I knew I was in for a treat.  It smells AMAZING and tells of the banana raspberry yumminess inside.  As I scooped out the tisane into my Breville, I saw tiny bits of freeze-dried raspberries and big slices of freeze-dried bananas.  YUM!  Now the hard part… waiting!  I typically steep honeybush blends for 10 full minutes to extract as much flavor as possible.  And while it’s difficult to wait for 10 minutes sometimes, my patience is usually rewarded.

Wowza!  This is very flavorful.  My first reaction was “this reminds me of a smoothie, only hot,” which tells me that this is going to be amazing iced.

The honeybush is sweet and slightly nutty and offers a delicious background for the flavors of banana and raspberry.  The raspberry is sweet yet tart, and what I like best is how the banana flavor really mellows everything out and makes it all taste remarkably smooth and sweet and very yummy.  Very fruity and sweet, but just enough tangy flavor and nutty notes in there to keep it balanced and from tasting too much like an overly sweet kid’s drink (although, I’m pretty sure kids would love this too).

It looks like there are only 2 pouches of this tea left in stock, so, if the idea of juicy raspberry and sweet banana flavor appeals to you … you should definitely not wait any longer to order some for yourself!  This one’s going to be GONE soon!

It’s Christmas Eve!  Wow!  I can’t believe I’m almost finished with my sampler box.  I did enjoy it, though. It was fun to revisit these wonderful teas.  And I am very excited to find out what tea Frank came up with for tomorrow!

For the most part, I have not been surprised by any of the teas that 52Teas put in this box.  Frank made really good choices, choosing some of the best teas that he crafted over the past year or so.  I do wish that the Gingerbread Chai was a part of this box, but I do understand why it wasn’t (since it was the Christmas Day sampler last year).  It would have also been incredibly cool to find my Tomato, Basil and Black Pepper tea in this box.  And since there was one or two blends that I haven’t tried over the last year or so, I wish that those were part of this box, only because I would have liked to have tried them.

But, besides these few minor details, this box has been a real winner with me.  And today’s tea comes as no surprise to me, because this was definitely a hot seller.  So, for the eleventh tea of Christmas, it’s …

CINNAMON ROLL HONEYBUSH

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Frank has a way with honeybush.  I may not always love other blends he creates, but, usually, his honeybush blends are absolutely amazing.

This Cinnamon Roll Honeybush is a dieter’s dream, because it has the flavor of a freshly baked cinnamon roll without the fat and calories.

I reviewed this tisane in September, and I am really glad that this was in the sampler box, because I’ve finished my pouch of this already.  It’s so good, and it’s nice to revisit it.  I hope that Frank will eventually make this tisane part of his Sweet Honeybush line, but until then, you can visit the in-stock page as Frank is reviving all the teas that he’s featured in this sampler.  If you haven’t tried this one yet, you really should!

I was pretty confident that this blend would appear in this 12 Teas of Christmas box, because it is probably one of 52Teas’ top 3 sellers this year, if not of all time.  (Note:  I don’t know this for sure, it’s a guess based only on the response to the tea on Steepster as well as the fact that it had been reblended several times before it was made a permanent part of the My Sweet Honeybush line).

This is also one of the only tisanes out there that I’ve purchased multiple pouches of, as this became a daily beverage for my daughter for a while.  As much as I love most of 52Teas’ blends, if I were to purchase multiple pouches of all of them, well, I just wouldn’t have any room in my kitchen for anything but tea… and my family would disown me.  As it is, they’re getting pretty frustrated with the amount of tea that I own now.

But, I digress.

I am really glad that this tea was in the sampler box, because I’ve been out of it for a while now, and I’ve missed it.  It’s nice to revisit it!

COCONUT CHEESECAKE FLAVORED HONEYBUSH

As I mentioned above, this was my daughter’s favorite tea for quite a while.  And, one sip will tell you why:  it’s really delicious.  Sweet and creamy, with a delicious coconut flavor that lingers.  The cheesecake flavor here is very well pronounced with a tangy cream cheese and sour cream kind of flavor in the background.

The nutty flavor of the honeybush ties in well with the pastry-like flavor.

I find this just as delicious now as I did back in February when I wrote my full-length review of this tea.  It makes a wonderful late-night treat that will satisfy my sweet tooth without calories, and since it’s honeybush, it’s caffeine-free too!

Tea Type:
Honeybush

Where To Buy:
Red Leaf Tea

Product Description:

This is one of the most original takes on Earl Grey tea available, Honeybush Earl Grey, takes the classic taste and puts it with a honeybush based tea instead of the traditional black tea. True to its name, this is one sweet tea that takes the addition of bergamot orange perfectly for a fruity and sweet cup of tea that is sure to please any palate. Made with only premium South African honeybush tea and true bergamot the taste is a distinct Earl Grey that will become a staple in your day. Perfect for a treat, or to satisfy the sweet tooth of the sugar lover in your home.

Tasters Review:

“How good could this be?”   I asked myself as I opened the package and took my first sniff.  Well, it smelled like Earl Grey and Honeybush…but was it going to be an “average” EG imposter?

The answer was NO.  This was NOT average!  This was above the rim of anything I thought it could be!  The product name and description couldn’t be any more accurate!  It’s PURE Honeybush and Earl.  I ended up REALLY liking the Earl Grey paired with the Honeybush and think more companies should try this combo.  But I will give you a heads-up…it will be hard to beat as Red Leaf Tea hit this one out of the ballpark!

This is certainly one of the better nontraditional EG’s I have had and I LOVE the fact that Red Leaf Tea is schooling so many other companies to think outside the box when it comes to different Earl-Offerings!  They have a great selection of everything from traditional to “out there”…and I for one…LOVE the ones in left field!  Great job, Red Leaf!  Great job!

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Honeybush

Where to Buy:  Fusion Tea Room

Product Description:

Close your eyes and smell the aroma of this fantastic Honeybush tea. It will instantly take you back to all the celebrations you have had while enjoying a piece of decadent chocolate cake. Honeybush is the perfect pair with this type of flavor. The simple refreshing taste of the honeybush stands aside to let the chocolate chips and caramel cream pieces take center stage. The rose petals offer a very light floral taste that is also a decorative touch. Impress your guests or simply enjoy this with your sweetheart.

Taster’s Review:

Does anyone remember the Bill Cosby routine when he talked about having to fix his kids breakfast one morning, and he fed them all chocolate cake?  Every time I think of chocolate cake, I always hear that song in my head:  “Dad is great, give us chocolate cake.”  As I brewed this tisane, I was singing that song!  (Fortunately, nobody was around)

This tisane tastes delightful.  Chocolate and caramel … oh my!  The honeybush base is sweet and slightly nutty, which seems to play to the cake-y flavor.  The caramel seems to be more of a background flavor, but it adds a nice sweetness and interesting dimension of rich, creamy flavor.  I can even taste a very subtle hint of rose.

Because honeybush tends to be a somewhat thinner bodied tisane, I find myself really appreciating the addition of the caramel and rose.  They add interest and depth to what otherwise might be a rather thin-tasting cuppa.

But when it comes right down to the subject of chocolate cake – what really matters is the chocolate.  Am I right?  And I am loving the chocolate-y taste in this tisane.  It is sweet and decadent.  To get the most chocolate out of this tisane, I recommend steeping it for a minimum of eight minutes (longer if you can).  Honeybush lacks the tannins of tea leaves so it won’t get bitter, no matter how long you brew it.  And the longer it steeps, the more chocolate-y it becomes!  Let it steep for 10 – 12 minutes and you have some serious chocolate-y deliciousness in a teacup!

Apricot Amaretto is part of the Herbal Retreat Collection from Tea Forté

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Honeybush & Rooibos

Where to Buy:  Tea Forté

Product Description:

A double delight of sweet apricot and juicy peach with nuanced notes of almond, artfully evoking Saronno, Italy, the birthplace of amaretto. Your purchase helps protect fragile ecosystems.

Taster’s Review:

Recently, I was asked to review the newest collection of herbal teas from Tea Forté, called Herbal Retreat.  This blend is one of those herbal teas, and so far, I think it’s my favorite.

There is a really nice balance of flavors between the honeybush and rooibos.  I can taste the nutty flavors that accent the almond flavor of the amaretto well without tasting the weird sweet taste of the rooibos.  A sweet honey-esque tone in the background from the honeybush.

But what I taste more than anything is the apricot!  It is sweet and tastes like a fresh, juicy apricot.  It’s very nectar-like.  There are hints of peach as well as almond, but the apricot is definitely the main event in this cup.  It is smooth and sweet and delicious.  And it’s naturally caffeine free, so it’s great for a late-night treat.

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Honeybush

Where to Buy:  52Teas

Product Description:

Yeah, we went there. And I’m going to warn you guys now, I DO not have all of the ingredients I need to reblend this one right now–though I imagine I will be ordering them soon–so don’t drag your feet or you’re going to miss out on something incredible.

We took our caffeine-free African honeybush and blended it with organic cinnamon chips and natural flavors (including the essences of butter, brown sugar and cream cheese frosting to name a few). This is the real deal: You’ll swear someone just baked a batch of ooey-gooey cinnamon rolls.

Taster’s Review:

Yep… another amazing blend that proves that Frank is the best at what he does.  This is so good!  It tastes like a fresh, warm cinnamon roll from the cinnamon roll stand at the mall… liquified!   But this is even better because this cinnamon roll won’t make you feel like you need to go jogging afterward.

The honeybush base is perfect for this blend.  It is sweet and just a little bit nutty, and together with the butter flavor it tastes a bit like a pastry!  It is a mild background for these flavors, and because it’s naturally caffeine-free, it makes the perfect late-night snack when you’re craving something sweet.

The cinnamon is warm and spicy.  It isn’t a spicy-hot cinnamon.  The essence of brown sugar combined with the cinnamon gives this tisane a flavor that is very much like the filling of a cinnamon roll:  sweet and spiced just right.   The cream cheese flavoring just pushes this over the top – making it creamy, sweet, and oh-so-sinful!

This one sold out quickly … and I can see why.  It’s AWESOME!