Product Information:
Where to Find: Where International Delight products are sold.
Tea Description:
Exotic flavors of cinnamon, clove & ginger blended with notes of sweet caramel & fragrant black tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Rarely do I go into the grocery store and think that I’ll find something tea-like in the dairy section. I find milk (of course) and half and half and I do use these products in my teas to make a latte on a rare occasion. Occasionally, I’ll see a ready-to-drink iced tea in the dairy section, but it’s my experience that most of these drinks taste more of sugar than they do of tea. So, I generally cast a disproving look toward those products and move along without giving them a second glance.
But this product earned a second glance from me because while I’ve seen many iced coffee latte drinks in the dairy section, I’ve not found a lot of chai latte drinks in the dairy section (except for in the high end grocery stores like Whole Foods).
My husband has become a fan of chai lattes lately so after checking the label to make sure that it was made with real milk and also to make sure it didn’t have any artificial sweetener (I’m allergic to aspartame), I decided to put it in the cart and give it a try. If nothing else, it would offer an affordable offering to my husband who wants to stop at Starbucks frequently to pick up a chai latte now.
Yes, I can make a chai latte, but, he doesn’t seem to like mine as much as he likes those horrible, sugar laden ones from the coffee shops.
The labeling shows serving this one iced but also suggests trying it hot which is how I prepared it for myself. I simply shook the carton vigorously for about 15 seconds or so to make sure that all the spices and stuff that no doubt have settled to the bottom of the carton are well incorporated and then poured about six ounces of the creamy beige liquid into my teacup. Then I zapped it for about a minute.
This is tasty. Now, granted, this is a very sugary drink. It’s very similar to what I’d get from one of those aforementioned coffee shops but without the frothy top.
If you want that frothy cap, you could probably achieve it with a frother. Mine is no longer functional so I just had to imagine that I had a frothy top.
But the lack of frothy cap aside, this tastes a lot like what I’d get if I ordered a Caramel Chai latte at one of the coffee shops. But the price for a whole carton of this costs about half of what a large chai latte would cost from that coffee shop.
It’s warmly spiced but not what I’d call spicy. I find myself missing the cardamom so the spices do leave a little to be desired. But I can taste the luscious caramel notes which are very nice and I can also taste the black tea and that’s something that I often don’t taste in those coffee shop chai lattes – so this might actually have an advantage over one of those concoctions.
Note: not all coffee shop chai lattes are created equal. Some are better than others.
Sugary, yes. But it’s also creamy and rich and has a pleasant flavor. And if you happen to have a mate who prefers a coffee shop latte over a superior chai brewed from loose leaf tea and spices like I do, this could present you an agreeable substitution for those pricey drinks at the coffee shop.
One Night in Rio Black Tea Blend from Camellia Sinensis
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
This tea is available from Amoda Tea.
Tea Description:
This tea is so hard to resist! The coconut is prominent, but not overpowering. You can still taste the malty black tea at the base. Sweet, juicy pineapple first, creamy coconut second, and a lingering note that tastes oddly like cookies. A new flavoured favourite of ours.
Learn more about subscribing to Amoda Tea here.
Taster’s Review:
One Night in Rio Black Tea Blend from Camellia Sinensis had my mouth watering from the moment I opened the pouch! The combined aroma of pineapple and coconut was strong and oh-so-delightful! And what I think I appreciated most about it was that this was an authentic fragrance – it smelled like REAL pineapple and coconut.
I brewed the tea in my Breville One-Touch, using 500 ml of water and the entire contents of the sampler pouch that was in this month’s Amoda Tea box. I set the parameters for boiling (212°F) and 2 1/2 minutes. As I stood there – eagerly awaiting – I noticed that the fragrance of coconut and pineapple had filled my kitchen.
And now that same fragrance is wafting from my teacup. I waited another few minutes – leading me to realize that the hardest part when it comes to drinking tea is waiting for the tea to be ready to drink! But finally – my first sip! YUM!
I find myself in slight disagreement with the above description from Amoda Tea – I am tasting the black tea as the prominent flavor profile of this cup. The coconut is a close second with the pineapple lingering in the background until the finish, when the pineapple flavor pops.
I like how all three sets of flavors are present throughout the sip, though. I’m not waiting for one of the flavors to shine through. From the very start, I taste notes of black tea, coconut and pineapple.
The black tea, although it is the strongest flavor for me, is not an overly strong or aggressive tasting tea. It’s a mellow, medium-bodied black tea: sweet with notes of malt and I taste hints of flower. It’s a pleasant black tea base. Not one I’d choose as a breakfast tea (at least, not in this presentation) but it would make a really nice afternoon or dessert tea.
The coconut flavor starts out strong in this cup and continues to develop. By the time I reached mid-cup, I could really taste and feel the soft, creamy texture of the coconut. It never really becomes a ‘slick’ coconut texture though – I know that some of the fans of coconut teas want that slickery texture from the coconut. This doesn’t really have that but it does have a genuine coconut flavor that I really enjoyed.
The pineapple is a more subdued flavor, as I mentioned previously, and while the pineapple isn’t the star of the show, it does add a bright, uplifting note to the cup that invigorates the palate.
A really enjoyable blend – a big thanks to Amoda Tea for including this tea in the box this month!
Date Nut Bread Iced Honeybush Tea from Southern Boy Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: Zoomdweebies
Tea Description:
Organic honeybush is the perfect compliment to this melding of delicious and aromatic organic flavors, including date, orange, brown sugar, cinnamon, butter and pecan. This might seem like a strange thing to flavor an iced tea like, but just wait til you try it!
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn about SBT’s subscriptions here.
Taster’s Review:
I just ate some Spicy Sriracha Cosmos and let me tell you, my mouth is on fire! Acha-cha! Spicy!
So, I needed something cold and refreshing and easy to drink (read: gulp!) to help cool my palate. Since I brewed this Date Nut Bread Iced Honeybush Tea from Southern Boy Teas last night so it could chill in the fridge overnight, I figured it was the perfect thing to help me cool down my mouth.
And not only did it do just that, but I was happy to say that the flavors came through LOUD and CLEAR even though my palate might have been somewhat impaired after eating those spicy nuggets of fluffy goodness. (It’s the very good kind of burn!) After a tall glass of the tea, my mouth was feeling back to normal, but I wanted to wait a while before I finished the review so that my palate was back to a functioning level.
So now that my taste buds are refreshed and ready to taste things again – I’m really amazed at how much this actually tastes like date nut bread! I taste the dates – this is a strong flavor. The nutty flavor comes from a hint of pecan flavoring as well as the natural nutty flavor from the honeybush. I taste notes of a cake-y/bread-y type flavor, as well as notes of brown sugar and butter and just a dash of cinnamon.
There is a bright note to this that didn’t taste immediately like “orange” to me until I got to the aftertaste. The aftertaste has a sunny orange flavor. I like that while I can taste the orange and cinnamon here, these flavors were added carefully and offer more of a gentle note rather than overpower the tea.
It’s a surprisingly refreshing iced tea. Not flavors that I would normally think of when I think “Iced Tea” but it works and works very nicely!
Cinnamon Wu-Long Tea from Shang Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Shang Tea
Tea Description:
This release of our cinnamon wu-long is sure to be one of your favorite teas! Comprised of our finest 2010 white tea wu-long and carefully selected, organic cinnamon bark, this tea accentuates the natural cinnamon notes in the wu-long while maintaining the sweet, butternut and acorn squash flavors of the tea leaves.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about the MidWest Tea Fest here.
Taster’s Review:
When I was approached by one of the organizers of the MidWest Tea Fest to review some teas from companies that would be at the festival, I was excited! Not only was it an opportunity to try some more tea (I’m always eager to do that!) but it was also about the festival itself. I am so happy when I see events like this happen for tea. I feel like there is so much misinformation out there about tea, so many people with uninformed views about tea that maybe events like this one can help to better inform and educate people about the greatness of TEA!
So, when I was presented with a list of different teas that I could try and I saw this Cinnamon Wu-Long Tea from Shang Tea on the list, I believe it was the first one that I asked for! Shang Tea is a company that I haven’t tried teas from in a while but it is a company that stands out in my memory for wonderful teas like their Bai Lin Kung Fu Red and Jasmine Snow Dragon – just to name a couple! And if memory serves me correctly, I believe it was my experience with Shang Tea’s jasmine white teas that helped me to realize that while I do love a great jasmine green tea – a jasmine white tea is even better!
Even though this Cinnamon Wu-Long is a blend of Oolong and Cinnamon, I decided to go ahead and brew it the way I would a pure Oolong – in my gaiwan! This is a darker Oolong, looking almost like an Oriental Beauty type of Oolong, even though the description suggests a gentle fermentation process. The leaves were almost the same color as the cinnamon bark pieces, so much so that I found it a little difficult to distinguish between the two!
After a 15 second rinse, I steeped the first infusion for 45 seconds and the second infusion for 1 minute. I combined both of these infusions into one cup and sat back to enjoy the splendid flavors!
What a lovely combination – the cinnamon is well-defined but not overpowering. Very often, cinnamon can overwhelm a tea but Shang Tea was careful when blending this tea to make sure that wouldn’t happen. I get a nice, gentle warmth and touch of spice from the cinnamon and I taste the sweet, fruit-like notes of the Oolong. I like the way these two flavors taste together.
The Oolong tea has an almost ‘peach-like’ flavor and with the cinnamon, it tastes a little bit like a bowl of fresh peach slices that have been lightly sprinkled with ground cinnamon. Nice! By the time I got halfway through the cup, I started to pick up on some more savory notes: notes of roasted squash and just a hint of pepper, just as the description suggests. I could even taste the faintest note of a nutty flavor. Imagine toasted walnuts mixed into that roasted squash with a hint of pepper. Quite intriguing!
My second cup (infusions 3 and 4) was even nicer than the first. It is here where the savory notes of squash are really strong. It tastes a lot like when I roast an acorn squash with a little bit of butter and a sprinkling of salt and pepper and finish it with a dash of cinnamon. I’m not getting as much of an obvious peach note, but the aftertaste is much more peach-like.
The tea is a compelling taste of sweet and savory with an emphasis on the savory. This tea reminds me a lot of autumn, specifically of Thanksgiving! This tastes like my squash side dish but maybe just a little nicer, because a) it’s tea; and b) I didn’t have to bake it for 45 minutes and scoop out the flesh of the squash from the hot outer shell. That is my least favorite part of squash. I love to eat the stuff but I don’t like scooping it out of the shell after it’s been baked.
A really lovely and unusual tea experience – this Cinnamon Wu-Long. This is something I’d recommend to all Oolong enthusiasts – it’s different yet familiar … and it’s also quite YUM!
And if you’re in the Midwest, do make it a point to check out the Midwest Tea Fest! Even if you aren’t in the Midwest, I still hope you can make it to the festival! It’s a really great opportunity for you to check out and become familiar with some top-notch vendors and even purchase some tea and tea ware as well as become better informed about tea through their educational presentations and TASTE some incredible teas! Sounds amazing to me!
Follow the MidWest Tea Fest on Facebook;
follow them on Twitter here.
Check out their Tumblr here!
Lemon Meringue Mao Zhen Hair Needle Green Tea from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Wow, that’s a mouthful. And this tea is a mouthful of deliciousness. This organic Chinese green tea is sweet with just a hint of almost salmon-like butteriness. I’ve paired it with lemon verbena, marshmallow roots and lemon-, marshmallow- and pastry- organic flavors. Be prepared to have your socks knocked off with this one..
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I was excited when I saw the announcement for this Lemon Meringue Mao Zhen Hair Needle Green Tea as the tea of the week for March 23rd from 52Teas! I love Lemon Meringue Pie! And I got even more excited after I read our SororiTea Sister Nichole’s review of this tea. I really couldn’t wait until I was able to find the time to sit back and enjoy this tea!
My first sip or two of this tea were not as impressive as the rest of the cup for me. I took those first couple of sips when the tea was still very hot because to be honest, I couldn’t wait to try it. I mean, hello? Lemon Meringue? I want!
But the tea hadn’t cooled enough yet for the flavors to really emerge the way they began to after a few more minutes of cool time. After about six or seven minutes, the flavors really began to establish themselves in the cup. Now I can taste the tangy lemon notes – imagine lemon curd but not the lemon curd you’d buy on the grocery store shelves! Think to a homemade lemon curd or even to your (insert name of baking relative here)’s lemony filling for their lemon meringue pie. That’s the lemon flavor I’m talking about! It’s bright and sunny and vibrantly lemon-y, but not so tart that I’m puckering. There’s enough sweetness to the ‘filling’ taste that I’m getting a strong, assertive lemon-y flavor but I’m not puckering as if I just bit into a lemon wedge.
After the lemon note, I taste the fluffy marshmallow notes that mimic the sweet, creamy meringue flavor and even a hint of buttery pie pastry. Delicious!
And I’m happy to say that the green tea flavor isn’t lost in this tea. I taste grassy, vegetal notes from the green tea. Instead of “melding” or “marrying” with the lemon meringue pie flavors to create a unified flavor, this tea tastes very much to me like lemon meringue pie + green tea. It tastes like a nice balance of the two and I like the way I’m getting a slightly savory flavor from the green tea that contrasts with the sweet, dessert-like flavor of the lemon meringue pie.
The second infusion was even nicer than the first, because the lemon tones down just a little (still a very lemon-y tea!) and the green tea has become a silkier, smoother taste with a hint of creaminess that works beautifully with the marshmallow notes.
A really delightful tea. I think this particular tea is best served hot. Not piping hot like my first couple of sips were, but after it’s cooled a few minutes so that the flavors can develop but before it becomes cold to the point that it’s like iced tea. I find that the flavors become a little more muddied when the tea becomes cold. So drink it while it’s hot and it’ll be like you’re eating a piece of your favorite lemon meringue pie but without the fat and calories!