Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green Rooibos
Where to Buy: Shanti Tea
Tisane Description:
Origin: South Africa
Certification: Organic
Ingredients: Green Rooibos, Lemon Peel, Lemon Myrtle, Calendula, Natural Essences
Naturally Caffeine-Free Herbal Tea
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve tried a few different “lemonade” teas and tisanes over the last couple of years. Some are stronger in lemon-y flavor than others. This tisane started out rather subtle, but, as I continue to sip, the flavors have gotten more intense. I like the way the flavors develop, getting the palate ready for the tart and tangy notes that are about to come.
I know I’ve mentioned this before, but I prefer green rooibos over red rooibos. The green rooibos has a lighter, fresher, fruitier taste to it than the sweet, woody and nutty flavor of the red rooibos. Here, the green rooibos provides a pleasant fruity flavor and a hint of sweetness to the cup without overwhelming the cup with other flavors that distract from the lemony taste of this tisane.
The lemon myrtle and lemon peel add a sweet, slightly tangy lemon flavor without tasting too tart. The tartness of this cup is most obvious in the aftertaste, where that tingly tangy taste lingers on the palate, as if I had just taken a sip of … well, of lemonade!
Overall, I’m finding this tisane to be bright, sunny lemon flavor that is sweet-tart and really enjoyable. It is deliciously soothing served hot (and makes a great sore throat remedy too!) but it is even better served chilled … I think I’m going to stock up on this one as the weather turns warmer! It’s something that my entire family (even those who don’t like tea!) will love.
Emerald Sunset from Shanti Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Shanti Tea
Product Description:
Leaf Aroma: Sweet, floral
Infusion Aroma: Sweet, floral, honey
Infusion Color: Light amber
Base Flavor: Fruity and Floral
Infusion Strength: Medium
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I wasn’t too sure what to expect from this tea, because, well, the description doesn’t really tell much about the tea… but, I was feeling adventurous and looked forward to the surprise that this tea had in store, feeling fairly certain I’d enjoy it since I’ve not had a bad experience with Shanti Tea yet.
The dry leaf is beautiful! Lots of colorful petals mixed with the dark sage-y green tea leaves. The aroma of the dry leaf is intriguing … floral, certainly, and with a lovely sweetness to it too, like fruit and honey. It is powerfully aromatic. In contrast, the fragrance of the brewed tea very subtle, possessing mere hints of the fantastic scent I experienced with the dry leaf. Whispers of flower and hints of honey, with a barely-there fruity essence.
This is really delicious. The green tea tastes sweet and vegetative, and towards the end of the sip, I notice a tangy astringency. It is a very light astringency that could go unnoticed if not paying attention.
There is a fruit flavor to this … I’m tasting apple! I also taste hints of the flowers, particularly noticeable is the sunflower and the chamomile. I think that it may be the chamomile that brought my attention to the apple-y tones here, since chamomile has a natural apple-like taste to it anyway.
What I taste with this tea mostly, though, is the honey-esque overtones. Wow! This tastes as though I’ve added honey, but I haven’t! I can almost taste the nectar-y notes from the honey. It is sweet and it has a creamy thickness to it too, like a thinned honey.
Another delicious tea from Shanti Tea … I expected no less!
Fairytale from Shanti Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Shanti Tea
Product Description:
Fairytale tea is an inspired blend of colorful herbs and flowers whose vivid infusion and magical aroma will take you back to your childhood fairytales of magic and romance, lovely damsels and dashing princes. It has a smooth light taste with a slightly minty finish and a hint of spice. Just the right combination to accompany your imagination on its magical journey…
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The dry leaf of this tisane looks and smells gorgeous! Lots of blossoms and petals – chamomile, jasmine, osmanthus, rose and calendula – to please the eye and the nose. Once brewed, the aroma is quite herbal, so that worried me a bit. But I could also smell a promising note of peppermint.
The flavor is really quite nice, despite that herbal note. I’m not a fan of an overly herbal-y or medicinal tasting tisane, but, I think that the other flavors in this tisane keep it from tasting like a cup of medicine. The peppermint is a subtle flavor, and I like the way it melds with the other flavors in this blend.
I like the floral combination of this blend – it creates a flavor that is definitely flowery but not distinct. That is to say, it tastes like flowers … but not like any one particular flower. Instead, I taste sweet floral notes with fewer sharp tones and without any perfume-y taste.
When I first started sipping on this, I was a little disappointed that I did not taste any anise. But now that I’m about halfway through the cup, the flavor of the anise has developed. It is just a hint of licorice. Kind of like sneaking a quick treat before bed!
While I enjoyed this tisane while it lasted, I can’t say that this is my favorite cup from Shanti tea, because it isn’t. However, it is one of the tastier “bedtime” blends that I’ve encountered, and that is saying something, because there are a lot of bedtime blends out there. And it certainly does what it is supposed to … I can feel my body and mind relax and I do believe a good night’s sleep will follow.
Black Lemon from Shanti Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Shanti Tea
Product Description:
A classic summertime drink, our lemon iced tea is a blend of premium black tea, sunflowers, Lemon Peel, and lemon essence. Unsweetened and delicious.
While black tea is in this blend is native to Sri Lanka, America is often credited with the invention of iced tea as we know it today. English and American cookbooks from the 1800s show that tea has been served cold since the early nineteenth century. The oldest recipes in print are made with green tea and not black tea and were called punches. The tea punches went by names such as Regent’s Punch, named after George IV. Iced tea’s popularity parallels the development of refrigeration such as the icebox (refrigerator), and the commercial manufacture of pure ice, which were in place by the middle of the nineteenth century.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is refreshing!
Many of the flavored teas that I’ve tried lately have been on the sweet side. Even the lemon flavored teas have been on the sweeter side, with more of a sweet, creamy, lemon-curd-like kind of lemon taste.
This… is not that tea.
Don’t get me wrong, I have a sweet tooth and I really enjoy the sweeter lemony teas too, but, this is really a refreshing change-up from what I’ve been tasting lately.
This is … quite simply … a bracing black tea and lemon. The black tea is brisk. The lemon is bright and tart. There is some sharpness from the sunflower petals. And that’s it. I did tell you it was simple, didn’t I?
Simple and yet delicious.
The black tea has a crisp astringency to it that compliments the tartness of the lemon. I can feel my mouth slightly pucker at the end of the sip. But I still wouldn’t describe this as sour. Instead, it is pleasingly tart, as though I squeezed a drop or two of lemon in my cup.
I must admit, though, that my first couple of sips of this tea were a bit … jarring. I wasn’t prepared for straight black tea and lemon. After having tried so many sweeter teas lately, I was prepared for a sweeter taste. But after about the third sip, my palate felt renewed! Like it had been inundated with sweetness. In contrast, this is like a palate detox!
A very refreshing surprise.
Breakfast Black Tulsi from Shanti Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black Tea & Tulsi
Where to Buy: Shanti Tea
Product Description:
Tulsi is one of India’s most sacred herbs, an aromatic shrub recognized for its spiritually uplifting and healing properties. This tulsi blend is a great morning tea, combining the strong and malty taste of Asamese black tea with the spicy-minty aroma and flavor of high-quality tulsi.
Tulsi or holy basil is an important symbol in the Hindu religious tradition and is worshiped in the morning and evening by Hindus at large. The holy basil is also a herbal remedy for a lot of common ailments. Holy Basil has been called the “Incomparable One”, the “Queen of Herbs” and “The Elixir of Life.”
Read more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This has to be one of the most interesting and unusual breakfast blends I’ve ever tasted. Interesting, yes … unusual, yes … but also very delicious.
I wasn’t sure exactly what to think of it before I brewed it. I thought that the black tea might overwhelm the Tulsi. But that thought vanished as soon as I walked into the kitchen after the tea finished brewing. The smell of warm, savory spice filled the air. I don’t think I’ve experienced that aroma from Tulsi in any other Tulsi that I’ve brewed, even the straight up Tulsi! Maybe it’s the presence of the Assam that brings out those sassy tones from the Tulsi.
The black tea is – interestingly enough – not the strongest flavor I’m experiencing. The Tulsi is strong and pleasant. It offers hints of mint, basil and a warm, peppery note as well. It’s providing a very arresting kind of spice experience: a crisp, zesty taste of mint, a savory note of basil, and the warm undertone of spice that is quite inviting and comforting.
But all that is not to say that the Assam is overwhelmed here. As if an Assam tea would let such a thing happen! It certainly makes its presence known here, although it has managed to master a graceful subtlety to its approach. It is rich and malty, sure, and provides a strong backdrop of flavor and a fullness to the body that is needed in a good breakfast blend.
Another thing that I’m noticing is a sort of slickness to the texture of the tea. It sort of smoothly, silkily washes over the palate. I like it especially because it seems to buffer any attempts at a strong astringent take over by the Assam. Yes, there is some astringency, but it only alludes to a tangy dryness without seeing it through.
I like this breakfast blend very much – I consider it a MUST TRY for those of you who are looking for something a little different in your early morning tea.