Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Tisane Description:
A warm holiday spice blend of rooibos, coconut, nuts and warm spices. This dessert in a cup is one of our favourites.
Learn more about Spire Tea on their website.
Taster’s Review:
I don’t usually get excited to try a rooibos blend, but, I’ve got to tell you that when I opened the pouch of this Spiced Rooibos Blend from Spire Tea (also known as Mowbray Ridge Rooibos Blend), I got a little excited about it. It smells so good – so deliciously warm and nutty, spicy with just a hint of coconut goodness in there too. My mouth started watering when I smelled the dry leaf! That’s how good it smells!
The brewed tisane smells really delicious too. It smells like warm spices and toasted nuts … it smells like the holidays!
My first sip, my initial reaction is: this tastes like something called a Sin Dawg. Here in the Pacific Northwest, we have a bread company called Dave’s Killer Bread Company. Imagine the love child of a cinnamon roll and a delicious, whole grain bread that is loaded with seeds and nuts. That’s a Sin Dawg. They are so good that there simply are not words adequate enough to explain how unbelievably delicious they are. It takes a great deal of willpower not to buy one every time I’m at the grocery store!
And that’s what I tasted with my first sip of this tea. I tasted the sweet, nutty flavor, the cinnamon, and … the coconut … isn’t really screaming out “coconut” … it’s more like a sweet, creamy flavor that goes together so well with the rest of the Sin Dawg … err… tisane. At least, the coconut wasn’t screaming out coconut in those first two or three sips. Now that I’m about one third of the way through the cup, I’m noticing more coconut flavor. It’s still not a strong, dominate flavor of the cup, but, it’s more distinguished than it was at the start.
The rooibos is also distinguishable here, usually that’s something I consider a bad thing as I usually prefer the flavors to overwhelm the rooibos taste … but the nutty, sweet flavor of the rooibos really works well with these flavors. It just ties in really well.
This is just a really well conceived cup of rooibos! I really like this one a lot!
Candy Cane Organic Rooibos Herbal Tea from Simpson & Vail
Tea Type:
Rooibos
Where To Buy:Simpson & Vail
Product Description:
I’ve often thought it was a shame that candy canes are only commercially popular in the winter season. Our local candy shop makes them in about 4 flavors, but only during the winter months. I know that’s when they sell the most, of course, but I want them more often. I love the refreshing, sweet taste of these holiday treats. So naturally I was determined to make a tea blend that would allow me to enjoy this taste all year long. Through much testing, we decided we liked the taste best on our organic green rooibos. And since the candy cane flavor is natural we were happy to be able to offer this organic herbal blend that will delight young and old alike.
It’s fabulous hot or iced (so yes you can enjoy it in the summer too!) and with no added sugar, this calorie free blend is sure to please. The aroma of the dry leaf is amazing – a definite mood booster – with its euphoric aroma of minty sweetness. When brewed, this herbal blend has a taste that is tingly, refreshing, and harkens me back to my childhood – or rather just last December….. The taste lingers delicately and deliciously on the tongue. A cup of this tea brings joy to our day and we hope it does the same for you!
Ingredients: Organic green Rooibos, natural candy cane flavor, organic stevia, and red and white organic cornflower petals.
Brew tea at 212º – steep for 5 minutes.
Caffeine free
Tasters Review:
Who made the rule we are only to enjoy Candy Canes during the Holidays? Certainly NOT I!
This smells and tastes like Candy Cane! I’m super excited S&V made this with a GREEN Rooibos Base…I don’t think I have had a Candy Cane Flavored GREEN Rooibos before so that’s cool!
There is that lovely candy cane flavor with a sweet green rooibos but there is also a hint of stevia in there and S&V did the Stevia RIGHT 🙂 Not by over doing it! YAY! The Red and White Cornflower petals are more for show, I think…but I am cool with that.
This is tasty! I’m partial because I am a MINT freak but I love this!
Dragon Mint Rooibos Blend from Shanti Tea
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Shanti Tea
Tisane Description:
Certification: Organic
Aroma: Minty
Infusion Aroma: Minty (hint of nuts)
Infusion Color: Deep Amber
Base flavor: Minty
Infusion Strength: Medium
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
Minty! This Dragon Mint Rooibos Blend from Shanti Tea is for those of us you who really love mint!
The mint flavor here is strong! So strong that it nearly overpowers the rooibos. And in my opinion, that’s not a bad thing, especially since rooibos aren’t my favorite thing. This blend has just enough rooibos to add just a little something extra to the cup – a pleasing nutty tone in the background – without adding that sometimes “off” or funky taste that comes from rooibos.
Then there is the PEPPERMINT! It is really zesty and invigorating! And yes, it does have a very minty taste, but, perhaps it’s that nutty note that is in the background … but I am not thinking “toothpaste” or “mouthwash” as I sip this. It is definitely fresh tasting … and leaving my mouth feeling fresh and clean. But it’s more like a breath mint to me than an oral hygiene product.
A pleasant cuppa served hot or cold!
Love Affair Rooibos Blend from Defthlesen & Balk
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Amoda Teas
Tisane Description:
Maybe it’s the unusual addition of rhubarb, maybe it’s the cute little candy hearts… but there is something making this a chocolate and strawberries blend like no other. It’s creamy, chocolate-y, fruity and honeyed without being overly sweet. You could sip this with your V-day dessert and not go into a sugar coma.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Learn how to subscribe to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
This is the second of the three teas/tisanes that I received in this month’s Tea Tasting Box from Amoda Teas. (Have you subscribed yet? You can do so with the link above, and you really should! It’s really fun to receive a package form Amoda Teas!)
I admit to finding myself a wee bit disappointed by this Love Affair Rooibos Blend from Defthlesen & Balk. Oh, it tastes alright, but, it’s not quite as good as I hoped for. When I see “Chocolate and Strawberries” in the description, I’m hoping for some seriously yummy tea. You know what I mean?
And I must confess that I am a little spoiled, because for Valentine’s Day this year, my hubby bought me a dozen chocolate covered strawberries. So, my tasting of this tisane comes off of indulging in juicy, ripe strawberries that had been generously coated in various types of chocolate (some were dark chocolate, others were milk chocolate and some had white chocolate drizzle) … and they were just sinfully decadent.
And … unfortunately, this tisane just isn’t nearly as decadent. The rooibos blend tastes mostly of strawberries and rooibos, and the result is a nutty, sweet, fruity, tisane with hints of chocolate. The strawberry tastes sweet with a tartness that reveals itself in the aftertaste … the tart notes are further accentuated with the rhubarb … even so, this is definitely more sweet than tart. (That is a good thing in my opinion!)
The chocolate is rather subtle, and a bit too subtle in the opinion of this chocoholic. If someone says chocolate … I want CHOCOLATE. I don’t want hints of chocolate. I don’t want a subdued undertone of chocolate. I want CHOCOLATE. And I’m not getting that here. As the tisane continues to cool, I notice the chocolate a little more, but it never becomes a strong enough flavor to please my chocoholic palate.
The rose presents a very gentle floral note, and I do like that … it’s a nice contrast to the sweet and fruity notes. Overall, a pleasant enough cup, it just doesn’t live up to my expectations.
Lavender Chocolate and Cinnamon Rooibos Blend from Lu-Lin Teas
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Lu-Lin Teas
Tisane Description:
This is a caffeine free blend made from African Red Bush, cinnamon bark, cocoa shells and a sprinkling of lavender. The flavours infuse in a sweet and floral harmony. The perfect dessert tea as it contains no calories but satisfies your sweet tooth.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
This Lavender Chocolate and Cinnamon Rooibos Blend from Lu-Lin Teas just smells too good! The combination of cinnamon and chocolate evokes thoughts of my homemade hot cocoa … something I haven’t made in a long time (what can I say? I’ve been busy drinking tea!) but something that when I take the time to make is absolutely indulgent. And the hint of lavender adds such a lovely floral tone to the aroma without going overboard and making it smell like a bar of soap.
And the best part about this tisane is that it tastes just like I wanted it to taste. It is a pleasing balance of the key three ingredients … just enough of each one to provide a lovely flavor that is sweet, cinnamon-y … chocolate-y and floral … and not very rooibos-y! That’s a win-win in my book.
The cinnamon is sweet and has just enough sassy spice to keep the flavor interesting without overwhelming the cup – something that cinnamon can sometimes do! The chocolate … well, I am a chocoholic, so yes, there could be more cacao flavor here, but, there is enough to bring a smile to my face. It taste delicious and decadent.
But the real surprise here is the way the lavender plays in this cup … it is delicate and sweet. Lavender is one of those ingredients that when overdone, the tea ends up tasting soapy, and when underdone … what’s the point. This is has a lovely floral intonation but not so much that I taste “soap.” Instead, I just taste delicious lavender … one of my favorite tea floral flavors.
A really lovely tisane … I highly recommend this one, whether you’re a fan of chocolate, or of cinnamon, or of lavender (or if you happen to be a fan of all three, like me!) you really should try this tisane!