Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Della Terra Teas
Tisane Description:
Enjoy the taste of a spicy ginger snap cookie in your cup with our Ginger Snap Tea. Combining the flavors of pineapple, papaya, almonds and mango along with ginger and rooibos created the best tasting ginger snap tea. Mmm Mmm, delicious.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
Mmm! I love ginger snaps! And this Ginger Snap Rooibos Blend tisane from Della Terra Teas … while not a spot-on tisane rendition of one of my favorite cookies, it offers an interesting and tasty interpretation of the goodness of a ginger snap.
The base for this tisane was well chosen, because the natural nutty notes of the South African rooibos melds well with the ginger notes and create a sort of cookie-like taste. The almond further enhances this cookie-ish taste while offering a sweet dimension to the beverage.
When I first read the description of this tisane, and saw pineapple, papaya and mango in this blend, I was a little perplexed. I mean … huh? I have never actually attempted to bake ginger snaps, these fruits are not ingredients I would ever expect to see in a ginger snap recipe. (For a very tempting ginger snap recipe, check out this one from one of my all-time favorite celebrity chefs from Food Network, Alton Brown.)
But even though the tropical fruits seem a little “misplaced” in this tisane, the juicy, sweet flavor of the mango, pineapple and papaya really seem to work with this cup. I can’t say that these ingredients actually make the tisane taste more like the cookie … but, I can say that I do enjoy the role they play in the overall cup. They add a sweetness and a richness to the cup, and in their own way, really enhance the flavor of this “ginger snap” like drink.
I really enjoyed this tisane. It wasn’t overly spicy, and I’ve got to say that usually I expect my ginger snaps to have a little more of that zesty, snappy flavor than this cup provides … but, I like the way this tastes. It has a mild yet delicious ginger flavor, and I think it’s a very interesting take on the ginger snap. Not bad … not bad at all!
Organic Orange Chamomile Herbal Tisane from Fashionista Tea
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal Tisane & Rooibos
Where to Buy: Fashionista Tea
Tisane Description:
Experience a sweet and velvety taste with an aroma of relaxation in this Orange Chamomile blend. This tisane is Zen but still has a complex finish with hints of lime, cinnamon and apple.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Organic Orange Chamomile Herbal Tisane from Fashionista Tea is an impressive tisane!
The first thing that impressed me is the appearance of the dry leaf – lots of large chamomile blossoms and not a lot of chamomile dust. I think that this is the one major factor that often turns me off when it comes to chamomile tisanes … that they are composed of crushed chamomile instead of the blossoms. The crushed chamomile produces a very off tasting tisane, in my opinion. I like that I can see the large, whole blossoms here.
And the flavor is very surprising! The combination of the green and red rooibos as well as the chamomile produces a pleasantly sweet taste that is slightly nutty with lovely apple-like notes. There is a touch of cinnamon to this as well … not a strong, dominate flavor, but enough to accentuate the apple-like taste in a really pleasant way.
The orange note is also surprising in that I had expected it to be a stronger flavor here, but, it is a soft orange taste … in keeping with the overall “softness” of the cup. This tisane doesn’t have a powerful flavor – it’s gentle. Flavorful – yes indeed. But it doesn’t bash me over the head with strong flavors. Another surprising thing about the orange in this cup is that it is more like a “citrus” taste … vaguely reminiscent of a citrus punch rather than a distinct orange-y taste. Like a combination of orange and lime. It’s quite enjoyable!
Yet another lovely surprise from the folks at Fashionista Tea! I have really enjoyed everything that I’ve tried from them!
Mexican Cocoa Rooibos Blend from Trail Lodge Tea
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos & Honeybush
Where to Buy: Trail Lodge Tea
Tisane Description:
Mexican Cocoa Rooibos is a Trail Lodge exclusive herbal tisane. You’ll feel like you’re having a Mexican Fiesta when you sip this tea. It’s a rooibos and honeybush blend with the perfect amount of cocoa and chilli. There’s just enough chilli to give it a little kick, and it will help warm you up an a cool day. Add milk for an extra special treat. Ingredients: Organic Rooibos, Organic Cinnamon, Organic Honeybush, Organic Cacao Bits, Chocolate Seeds, Organic Safflower, Organic Chili Flakes and Natural Flavor.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
This Mexican Cocoa Rooibos Blend from Trail Lodge Tea is seriously YUMMY! I’m not always big on rooibos, but, I find this blend to be very good, and I attribute this to a couple of factors: first, the rooibos used in this blend is organic rooibos, and I’ve found that there is a notable difference in taste between organic rooibos and conventionally grown rooibos. Second, the base of this tisane is crafted not just of organic rooibos but organic honeybush as well, and I find that tisanes created using both of these South African herbs are very tasty.
And … let us NOT forget about the CHOCOLATE! This blend has lots of chocolate-y flavor, enough to bring a big smile to this chocoholic’s face. I also love the fact that there is a touch of spice from the chili pepper flakes in this blend. There is just enough of the pepper flakes to add a gentle warmth that gradually increases, offering a very soft “burning” sensation in the throat without becoming too spicy or hot. I like that gentle warmth that radiates in the throat, and I LOVE the contrast of the spicy notes with the sweet, rich chocolate flavor.
The spice is further accentuated with the addition of cinnamon … adding a touch more warm spice but also a nice hint of sweetness to the cup. I like the way the cinnamon is represented in this tisane … there is a pleasing cinnamon note that gives the overall cup a very satisfying “Mexican Cocoa” kind of flavor … but they didn’t go overboard with the cinnamon. Cinnamon can often be a selfish spice in blends – but it’s not like that with this blend, and I applaud Trail Lodge Tea for managing to keep this tisane so nicely balanced.
I also applaud Trail Lodge Tea for going the extra mile with this tisane, and turning it into a “charitea” – for every 2 ounces of this tisane that is purchased, a dollar is donated to the “Ninos of Mexico.” Here’s what Trail Lodge Tea says about this charitea:
Trail Lodge Tea now has a new “charitea” that is also are own exclusive blend. It’s called Mexican Cocoa Rooibos. You will feel like you are having a Mexican Fiesta when you sip this tea. It is made of a blend of rooibos and honeybush with just the right combination of chocolate, chili, and flavoring as well as other high quality ingredients. Trail Lodge tea is donating a portion of every sale of this tea to Ninos de Mexico. That’s why we call it a “charitea”. Ninos de Mexico is a wonderful Christian Mission that’s main purpose is to help orphaned and at-risk children living in the Mexico City area. They do this by raising children in loving Christian homes and providing the children with medical care and education. The mission currently runs four homes for children, a medical clinic, and a private school. So you can enjoy some delicious tea and help disadvantaged children at the same time. Click the link below to learn more about Ninos de Mexico or go to the herbal tea page to order some Mexican Cocoa Rooibos.
I like this tisane … not only for its amazing chocolate flavor and warm spice notes … and not only because its all ORGANIC … but also because when I sip it, I know that there are children who are benefiting from this charitable organization.
Fireberry Tisane from Tiesta Tea
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos & Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Tiesta Tea
Tisane Description:
Dark, rich, and smooth. Who doesn’t want that? With a combination of all your favorite berries, this charmer will definitely leave you burning for more. (Another amazing iced tea!)
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
This Fireberry Tisane from Tiesta Tea is a very unexpected tisane. The name suggests to me a tisane with the warming power of ingredients such as chili pepper or perhaps ginger … but this tisane has neither. And because I didn’t read the ingredient list before I took my first sip, I was surprised at how smooth this tasted. It didn’t taste sharply tart the way many fruit and herbal tisanes do, and I suspect this has something to do with the rooibos in the blend.
Oh, it still has some tartness – not just from the hibiscus but from the three different berries: cranberry, currants and elderberries. But the sweet, slightly nutty, slightly honey-esque notes of the rooibos softens the tart bite.
This is a tasty blend. I do still find myself a bit let down by the lack of “fire” in this blend, and I am wishing that there was in fact some chili pepper or ginger of something else that might give it a touch of heat. As it is though, it’s a remarkably smooth tisane … with a nice sweetness and contrasting tart note that doesn’t take tart too far.
Enjoyable … one I would be happy to drink again.
Toasta Rica from Mad Pots of Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong, Black, Yerba Mate & Rooibos
Where to Buy: Mad Pots of Tea
Tea Description:
Rainforest, Autumn, Rich spice scents, Costa Rica, Full-Bodied, Meditative Toasty, Aromatic, Fruity, Spicy, Exotic, Intense, Earth Tones.
Learn more about getting a tea designed according to your PersonaliTEA here.
Taster’s Description:
This Toasta Rica from Mad Pots of Tea is a PersonaliTEA that was created for my SororiTea Sister, Azzrian! And it is really delicious. I love that I’m tasting all the components here … with the exception of the Stevia … of which I taste very little! Perfect!
As I sit here and sip and peruse the words of inspiration list (which I’ve included as the “Tea Description” above), I realize that this tea really does fit every single one of these words to a TEA! This tea evokes thoughts of the rainforest with its earthy notes and warm, woodsy tones. The spices speak of autumn to me. It is indeed a meditative, toasty, aromatic, fruity, spicy, exotic, intense, Earthy, full-bodied blend of flavors!
I love that I’m tasting the ginger, the allspice, the coriander and the cardamom. I taste a warm, peppery taste to this cup. There are notes of fruit that taste as though they have been baked in spices … like a baked apple that has been liberally spiced. It is toasty and warm … and definitely exotic.
But the best part of this tea for me is the Sarsaparilla. I love it! It adds just a hint of root beer-ish flavor to the cup … and the spices and sweetness of this cup seem to enhance the root-beer-y taste … like one of those gourmet root beers you might pick up in one of the expensive grocery stores.
If you haven’t yet filled out your own PersonaliTEA questionnaire to order your own custom tea … what are you waiting for? It’s fun … and it really is a delight to receive a package from Mrs. Potts! I need to be reordering my own Personalized blend (Anne’s Creative Cup!) because I’ve been out of it for a while now and I miss it!