Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Tea Information:
Rich, malty, full-bodied Assam black tea makes this a bold tea, but the delicious cream flavour really smoothes it out. If you’ve never experienced ginger and cream together, you’re in for a treat. Spicy, yet sweet, this tea is heavenly.
This tea is available from Amoda Tea.
Learn more about subscribing to Amoda Tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Yum!
As I’m sitting here, marveling over the amazing flavor of this tea, I’m trying to recall ever trying another “ginger creme” tea like this. No, I can’t say that I have … or if I have, it’s not a tea that I remember. And if it tasted anything like this, I’d like to think I would have remembered it because this is delightful!
Really delightful!
The flavors all come together in a very pleasing way. The richness of the malty Assam tea, the sweet, creamy notes of the vanilla and the hint of peppery warmth from the ginger. It’s a well-crafted combination of flavors that unite in a seamless way – tasting less like “individual” flavors and more like a delicious harmony of tastes.
The black tea base is a second flush Assam. It’s a robust, smooth, and sweet tasting tea with lots of malt. There are Assam teas that are “wine-y” and there are Assam teas that are “malty” and then there are some Assam teas that are somewhere between. This Assam is MALTY! Rich and sweet with caramel-esque notes. It has a strong, hefty quality to it – this has plenty of gusto and would make a good tea for that first cup of the day.
And what a delicious way to start the day this tea would be!
The malty notes of the Assam marry with the vanilla notes in a very luscious way. The vanilla enhances the caramel-y tones of the Assam while those smooth, rich notes of the Assam perfectly complement the vanilla.
Then there is the ginger! How the ginger was added to this blend is key to it’s success as a flavor. Too much ginger would have ruined the delightfully melodious flavor that the Assam and vanilla have created. There is just enough ginger to add a hint of spice to the cup. Just a hint. It’s a little warm but not overly zesty. There’s just enough ginger to keep the cup interesting.
I LOVE this tea. It’s warm and cozy and fluffy – like a favorite blanket on a cold winter’s day. An awesome choice for this month’s Amoda Tea box!
Whole Leaf Green Tea with Essence of Citrus and Pomegranate from Eden Grove
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Amazon Trading
Ingredients:
Green tea with natural citrus & pomegranate flavors.
Learn more about Amazon Trading here.
Taster’s Review:
When I read the name of this tea, I was pretty sure I’d enjoy it – I like citrus flavors in tea and I like pomegranate teas, so I felt pretty confident that this tea would be one I liked.
And it’s alright. I’m getting a fair amount of both flavor profiles, I can taste the bright and tangy notes of citrus fruit and I can taste the sweet-tart notes of pomegranate.
The green tea is a smooth, buttery green tea. The citrus notes are present throughout the sip, and I find that the citrus flavors are especially nice in this cup. It’s a very lilting sort of taste that lingers into the aftertaste. The pomegranate is a little softer in taste and seems strongest right toward the tail of the sip. I like that little burst of flavor that I get from the pomegranate.
Overall, it’s an enjoyable cup.
After 8 Tea Tisane from Eden Grove
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black & Green Teas
Where to Buy: Amazon Trading
Ingredients:
Green Tea, Black Tea, Spearmint, Pineapple, Mint Flavor, Red Rose Petals, Jasmine Flowers, Chrysanthemum Flowers, Hibiscus, Calendula Flower.
Learn more about Amazon Trading here.
Taster’s Review:
This After 8 Tea Tisane from Eden Grove is one of the more unusual teas I’ve come across in my ongoing tea journey! It has a lot going on … but I’m happy to say that the flavors work together in a pleasing way.
I brewed this at a lower temperature to accommodate for the green tea (180°), and steeped it slightly longer (3 1/2 minutes) to ensure that I could get a lot of flavor from the black tea and the herbals in this blend.
The result is a very unusual yet flavorful blend of flower and mint, with an earthy, sweet background. I taste both the black and green teas here. The black tea is not as full-bodied as I would probably have achieved if I brewed the tea at a higher temperature, although if I had, I don’t know that I would be tasting the sweet, buttery notes of the green tea that I am able to taste now. I think that the delicate notes of the green tea would have been lost if the black tea were a stronger, more developed flavor.
The mint is not overpowering, but it is a dominate flavor profile in this cup. It tastes crisp and cool without tasting like someone added a splash of mouthwash to my cup of tea. I taste light pineapple notes, and I’m happy that the hibiscus here is more of a “tart” flavor rather than a profound note.
That little bit of tart flavor from the hibiscus highlights the pineapple and accents some of the sharper notes of the floral flavors of rose and jasmine. I taste more rose than I do jasmine. The jasmine is a soft, exotic note and is not quite a fully realized jasmine flavor, while the rose is a sweet, slightly sharp, distinct rose taste, albeit delicate.
Overall, I found this blend intriguing. It is quite different from anything that I’ve tasted before, and I like that. I like that this is a little out of the box … but not so “out there” that I found it too bizarre to enjoy.
Tea Book Volume 1 with Black Tea from Basilur Tea
Tea Description:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Basilur Tea
Product Description:
Basilur is an expression of the art of drinking tea. Each range of Basilur depicts its own story related to the rich Sri Lankan heritage. Each product is a unique tea drinking experience which transports its discerning tea drinkers to another time and place. Basilur tea takes you through this long journey of tea, with innovative blends and packaging yet, keeping the 5000 year old traditions intact. This Tea Book is a gift from Basilur tea family to the connoisseurs of tea.
Ingredients: 100% Pure Ceylon black tea, cornflower, jasmine buds, blue malva and flavour roasted almond.
Learn more about this product here.
Taster’s Review:
From a tea enthusiast’s and consumer’s prospective, this Tea Book Volume 1 with Black Tea from Basilur Tea has got to be one of the coolest products I’ve come across in a long time! It’s a book shaped tin (LOVE it!) and tucked inside the tin is a 3.5 ounce resealable pouch of almond flavored black tea!
I love the tin. It’s one of the neatest tins I’ve ever seen! It’s visually stunning, and it’s just a really unique way to package tea! It would make a great gift for your favorite tea drinker (even if that tea drinker is you!)
And the tea inside is really good too. The blend is visually stunning with its beautiful blossoms of blue cornflower and white jasmine along with pieces of roasted almond tossed with the black tea leaves. It smells of sweet almond and flower. The brewed tea is especially delightful to the nose. The warm almond notes evoke thoughts of something freshly baked.
The flavor is quite nice too. The black tea base is a Ceylon, and it is a mild, even tempered sort of taste. Nothing too bold or harsh, instead, it’s smooth and brisk and mellow. It isn’t an aggressive or overstimulating type of tea, making this a nice choice for afternoon sipping. (And I can’t help but think that this would be excellent with a piece of almond biscotti!)
While the tea is piping hot, the almond flavor is a little difficult to discern. I recommend allowing the tea to cool to a drinkable temperature (give it about four minutes after you’ve poured the tea), and this time allows the flavors to develop properly. I can taste the almond now! It’s a pleasing flavor, not so strong that it overpowers the flavor of the tea. This is definitely a tea that I’m drinking here, and the flavoring lets you know that the tea plays the starring role in this cup.
It’s sweet and nutty, and I can taste hints of flower in the distance. This isn’t a jasmine tea. While the jasmine blossoms do add a touch of jasmine essence to the cup, it is not a significant enough flavor – in my opinion – to deem this a “jasmine” tea. I think that the jasmine elevates the almond a little bit. Interesting … that was kind of unexpected how the light, exotic sweetness of the jasmine helps to accentuate the sweet, nutty flavors of the almond. I like that.
I found this to be a really delightful and tasty cup of tea. It definitely has a winter-y sort of flavor to it (this “book” is Volume 1 of the winter series), so I can see why they’d include it in the winter series. It tastes best served hot, but it also makes a nice iced tea.
Raspberry Vanilla Mint Green Tea from Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Description:
This vibrant blend combines a fresh Chinese Young Hyson green tea with peppermint leaves, raspberry and vanilla flavors. This refreshing and versatile green tea boasts fresh, intoxicating flavors that will keep you coming back for more. Perfect any time hot and exceptional iced with a touch of sweetener.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s NEW Selection Club subscription program here.
Taster’s Review:
Yay! My latest package from Simple Loose Leaf – which is my FIRST of their all new Selection Club subscription – just arrived! I’m so excited. This Raspberry Vanilla Mint Green tea is the first tea that I’m trying from this month’s box.
Let me explain a little how the Selection Club works (at least, this is my understanding of the program, I hope it makes sense when I explain it!): Every month, an email is sent out to subscribers. Here’s what my April email says:
Below we have selected 5 teas that we feel you will love. Please browse these teas and familiarize yourself with what they have to offer. At the bottom of the page there is a button that will take you to a form that you will enter your selections.
So, you choose from the five different teas which tea you’d like to receive for April. Or, if you prefer, you can get a sampling of all five! Me being a taster … that’s the option I chose. There is even an option to tell Simple Loose Leaf what your preferences are so that they can design the selection of five teas to the types of teas you drink most often. I didn’t fill out this preference form because … I want the variety!
So in the mail, I received a cute little box with five sample sized teas inside! In addition to this Raspberry Vanilla Mint Green tea, I also have Ti Kuan Yin, Winter White Chai, Gunpowder Green and Caravan Black. I also have a smaller sample from next month’s selections: Hazelberry Pu’er!
This is one seriously awesome tea of the month club! Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let me tell you about this Raspberry Vanilla Mint Green Tea:
This tea is so yum! I love that I can taste all four flavors that are promised in the name of the tea: I taste the mint, I taste the raspberry, the vanilla and the green tea. At the start of the sip, I notice the mint immediately as the menthol hits the back of my palate immediately before the liquid hits my tongue. Then I pick up on the soft, creamy notes of vanilla, and the sweet-tart flavors of berry.
The green tea is not as prominent as I think it should be. I’m usually of the belief that a tea – even a flavored tea – should first be about the tea, and I’m wanting that to be the case here. It isn’t. But that doesn’t mean that the green tea is absent. I taste the green tea. It’s sweet, lightly grassy with herbaceous undertones that meld well with the mint, with a buttery note that marries well with the creamy vanilla tones. And even though the green tea notes are not as strong as I think they should be, this is still a seriously tasty cup!
I found my cup emptied pretty quickly … and if the speed in which the tea disappeared from my cup is any indication, then I’d say that this tea is a winner!
If you’re interested in joining Simple Loose Leaf’s Monthly Selection Club, I can save you some money! Use this code: SISTERSELECTION25 and get a 25% discount when you sign up for the selection club. This discount is not applicable on the retail selection of teas, and is only good for the selection club subscription.