Rooibos Chai from Jennifer’s Tea Garden

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!

Pomegranate Pear from Jennifer’s Tea Garden

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM THE SORORITEA SISTERS!

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Fruit Tisane

Where to Buy:  Jennifer’s Tea Garden

Product Description:

Sweet pear calms and soothes while tart and tasty pomegranate adds color and zest to this vibrant blend! Simply delightful and wonderful iced. Naturally caffeine free.

Taster’s Review:

I chose this fruit tisane to review for today because these are two fruits that I associate with Thanksgiving.  And this is really a wonderful tisane – one that would be great to serve along with dinner any time of year!

Even though the website does not indicate it, I suspect there is some hibiscus in this blend, I thought I spotted a few hibiscus petals in the dry leaf (which is comprised mostly of big chunks of fruit), and the tea brews up to a deep, ruby red hue which is indicative (usually) of hibiscus in the blend.

But, I’m happy to say that this doesn’t taste strongly of hibiscus.  There may be a slight hibiscus-y tartness to this, but it is offset nicely by the sweetness of the pear.  This tastes more sweet than tart (which is quite alright with me and my sweet tooth), and that is pretty surprising for a fruit tisane with hibiscus!  Surprising, yes.  Disappointing?  No!

This has a remarkable flavor to it.  Of course, it doesn’t taste like tea because there is no tea in it.  It tastes very fruity.  It is pleasantly sweet.  It is just a little bit tart.  I can taste the pear quite well in this (and pear tends to be one of those fruits that is really difficult to NAIL in a tea/tisane blend).  I also taste the pomegranate here, as well as hints of other berries.  I taste an apple-y kind of taste as well.  It is a very ambrosial kind of flavor, and it is just perfect for the holiday!

I would like to take this moment to thank you, our readers, for making this such a happy year for the SororiTea Sisters.  We love tea, and we are so glad to have the opportunity to share our love of tea with you.  I am very thankful for each and every one of you!  Enjoy your day with your family and dear friends, if you can’t be together on this day then let it be a day that you are with them in spirit… and of course, don’t forget to enjoy some tea, too!  ~Anne aka LiberTEAS

Gunpowder Mint Tea from Jennifer’s Tea Garden

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Green

Where to Buy:  Jennifer’s Tea Garden

Product Description:

Ingredients: Green Tea, White Tea, Mint, Jasmine, Natural Flavorings

Taster’s Review:

My oldest daughter has just recently started drinking tea.  Before that time, she would avoid tea – and I think it was more about her trying to rebel against my passion for tea than her disliking it.  One of her favorite teas is mint green tea, so I have been sharing this tea with her.  Truth be told, she’s consumed most of this tea … this is my first cup!

The mint here is crisp and refreshing.  Usually with mint teas like this one, the mint is the strongest note and it often overwhelms the cup.  But that is not the case with this tea.  While the mint is a strong flavor here, it is not the strongest flavor.  The green tea edges the mint out, providing a pleasant vegetative taste with just a hint of smoke in the background.

Not surprisingly, the white tea is a delicate flavor with this blend, but I can taste the distinctively clean, fresh taste of white tea.  The real surprise of this tea is the jasmine!  I love the way the sweet, flowery taste of jasmine lingers in the background – every once in a while it peeks through.

This is a delicious twist on the classic mint green tea – and I think I might just like it better than that classic combination of mint and green tea.  This is delightful!

 

Pomegranate Pear Tea from Jennifer’s Tea Garden

Tea Type: Herbal (Fruit) Tisane

Where To Buy: JennifersTeaGarden.com

Product Description:

Sweet pear calms and soothes while tart and tasty pomegranate adds color and zest to this vibrant blend! Simply delightful and wonderful iced. Naturally caffeine free.

Tasters Review:

Pomegranate Pear from Jennifer’s Tea Garden is so interesting!

This may just be one of the most interesting and curious tasting fruit tisane’s I have had so far!  And by curious I mean that in the nicest and a very tasty way!

Just when I thought this would be too hibiscusy – I was WAY wrong!

I mean, YES, it has Hibiscus IN it but the other ingredients off-set it very well!  And there are other things that threw me for a loop and I LOVE THAT about this tisane!

I can taste the berries and they are plump and juicy!  There is crystallized ginger in here too!  The peppery ginger is offset by the sugar which is genius! I really like that!  I think the ginger and the sugar interrupted the stereotypical hibiscus flavor and for that I am very thankful!

As for the Pear and Pom – they work very well together to create it’s own flavor yet I can pick out both individually if I think about it.  There are apple pieces that are juicy-sour but in a good way, too!  The berries – elderberry and currants – are surprising and almost like a fruit leather type taste.

There is so much going on here – so many things to contradict eachother – that everything works awesomely together! I really REALLY like this flavor!

It’s good both hot and cold! It’s one of those tea/tisane wonders of the world! A pure delight!

Roasted Yerba Maté from Jennifer’s Tea Garden

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Yerba Maté

Where to Buy:  Jennifer’s Tea Garden

Product Description:

Roasting gives this Yerba Mate a toasty-nutty, full bodied flavor to energize your day without the unpleasant side effects coffee can bring. This legendary South American beverage has been known and enjoyed for centuries for its many health benefits and is sure to become a modern favorite.

Taster’s Review:

I still recall the first couple of times that I tried Yerba Maté.  It wasn’t pleasant.  Since that time, however, I have had quite a few delicious Yerba Maté experiences and it has changed my opinion of Yerba Maté significantly.  I not only tolerate it, but I actually enjoy Yerba Maté now!

And this Roasted Yerba Maté from Jennifer’s Tea Garden is delicious.  It has a beautiful toasted flavor that gives it an almost caramel-y undertone of sweetness.  It is rich and earthy, with a hint of vegetative taste.  I find that the roasted Yerba Maté tends to be a little less vegetal than a green Yerba Maté will be.  Instead the roasting process gives it a sweeter tone – and that is true of this Roasted Yerba Maté.  And while some Yerba Maté can come off as a little bitter, I am really not getting any bitterness from this cup.

What I am getting is a very vibrant beverage that is re-energizing me with every sip!  This is one tisane that you don’t want to drink too late in the day because it might just keep you awake at night.  This stuff is powerfully caffeinated!

I recommend brewing Yerba Mate at a temperature just below the boiling point.  I used to recommend brewing it in boiling water, but have since found that a slightly lower temperature seems to curb some of those bitter notes I mentioned previously.  Perhaps that is why I am not experiencing bitterness with this tisane.  I also like my Yerba Maté with a little honey as it helps to accentuate the naturally occurring sweetness of the Maté.

When brewed properly, this Roasted Yerba Maté makes for a delicious, invigorating cup!  Enjoy!