Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Blue Lotus Chai
Tea Description:
100% Certified organic and caffeine-free, our new Rooibos Masala Chai is appealing to a broad cross-section of customers. It has a similar taste profile to our Traditional Masala Chai, but with the delightful base of naturally sweet and nutty rooibos. Those who cannot or wish to not drink a caffeinated chai, can now freely indulge in their favorite BLC drink.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I was a little skeptical … but Blue Lotus Chai has made a believer out of me with this Rooibos Masala Chai! It’s yummy!
As one who tends to be a bit leery of rooibos anyway, I was really kind of freaked out about trying a finely ground chai powder made with rooibos. But, this is really quite delicious. The flavor is warm and spicy, with a lovely nutty flavor. The natural nutty flavor of the rooibos accentuates the nutmeg in this masala blend, and since nutmeg is one of my favorite spices, I really like how the rooibos and nutmeg work together in this cup.
The other spices are spicy, but not over the top. I get a nice amount of peppery kick to it, a warm, delicious note of cinnamon and notes of clove and cardamom. The rooibos is not a strong, prominent flavor in this, but it does add the aforementioned nutty flavor.
I think … if I were to offer one criticism with this chai it would be that some body is lacking in it … it just … kind of falls flat there. I think that by following the suggested recipe on the package, the milk kind of overwhelms the overall flavor, so I would recommend instead using about half as much milk as suggested and replacing the omitted milk with water. It makes a little bit of a thinner chai but because the rooibos tends to be thinner anyway, it works out. And the thing I like about Blue Lotus Chai’s blends is that you can customize it to taste the way you want it to. I also did notice that this blend was a little harder to incorporate than the other two blends from Blue Lotus Chai … this blend requires some extra stirring and some extra frothing with the hand held frother. But, the results are worth that little extra work!
Warm, soothing and comforting … a perfect chai treat any time of day or night, because it’s naturally caffeine free!
Lemon Chiffon from Della Terra Teas
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush & Rooibos
Where to Buy: Della Terra Teas
Tisane Description:
If you love lemon cake, lemon frosting, lemon pie, lemon cookies… shall I go on? You get the point! This tea is for you! This tea is a blended rooibos and honeybush. With the rich and delicious flavor of real, homemade cake and the tartness and fruity freshness of real lemon, this tea will certainly be your morning cup, or your dessert treat.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
I can’t get over how crazy good this Lemon Chiffon tisane from Della Terra Teas smells as the cup sits before me, and the aroma wafts from it. It smells like a pan of freshly baked lemon bars! YUM!
The base of this tisane is a combination of rooibos and honeybush, and this combination offers a sweet, nutty flavor that is lightly honey-esque. I know I’ve said this before, but I really like it when tea companies combine these two herbs – rooibos and honeybush – because they seem to work synergistically together.
Rooibos can sometimes taste a bit “off” with a weird, sour wood taste and a saccharine-like sweetness … and having grown up in a household where saccharine was used in EVERYTHING … I managed to develop a huge dislike for this artificial sweetener. And because rooibos sometimes has that funky sweetness to it, that’s why I tend to shy away from it … but when tea companies combine rooibos with honeybush … that icky sweetness seems to be canceled out, and I really appreciate that. And the nutty notes of the tisane base really works to this dessert tea’s favor, because it gives the overall taste a sort of toasty, “fresh baked” kind of flavor.
But the real star of this cup is the lemon and vanilla cream notes. It tastes sweet and lemon-y and creamy! The flavor reminds me of lemon curd … as if someone dropped a spoonful of lip-smacking delicious lemon curd in my cup of tea.
This is really good. If you like lemon teas, and are looking for a nice, caffeine free option, this is something you really should try. Even if you aren’t looking for a caffeine free option, I’d recommend trying this one … even if you don’t usually care for rooibos and/or honeybush. This one is really good, and might change your mind about rooibos and honeybush!
Honeybush Caramel Tea from Revolution Tea
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush & Rooibos
Where to Buy: Revolution Tea
Tisane Description:
With its delectable caramel flavor, Honeybush Caramel is a sweet and fitting conclusion to any meal. The South African herb, rooibos, provides more antioxidants than green tea and gives this blend its soothing properties. Caffeine Free
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
This is a yummy tisane that is perfect for late night sipping … when you’re craving something sweet but you know that you shouldn’t indulge. Honeybush Caramel Tea from Revolution to the rescue!
By combining honeybush with rooibos, Revolution has created a mild, deliciously nutty background for this tea that provides a pleasant sweetness that melds really nicely with the caramel flavoring. I like the way the nutty notes and slightly fruity taste of these two herbs accent the caramel.
The caramel is sweet but it isn’t overdone. It doesn’t taste sickeningly sweet or cloying … at least, not to my sweet tooth. Someone who doesn’t usually enjoy sweet teas might find this a little much for them, but, if you like dessert teas, I think you’d really like this tisane.
Overall, I really enjoyed this cuppa … a really nice dessert tea that you can enjoy anytime of the day or night because it’s naturally caffeine-free!
Earl Pink Tisane from 52Teas
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tisane Description:
Earl Grey’s lesser known cousin, Earl Pink preferred an herbal tea with raspberry and bergamot. In honor of him, we’ve created this blend of caffeine-free green rooibos blended with freeze-dried raspberry bits (lots and lots of them) and natural and organic bergamot and raspberry flavors. Thanks to my lovely wife for help with the name. I’m not sure I have the skills to Photoshop a tongue onto the portrait of Earl Grey for an “Earl Raspberry”.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
I find that I’m always a little hesitant to try rooibos blends that have been flavored with bergamot … and such was the case with this Earl Pink Tisane from 52Teas. I think I must have had an Earl Grey Rooibos blend at some point that I found really disappointing, although, I don’t remember where it came from now.
Fortunately, I do not find this Earl Pink Tisane to be disappointing. The dry leaf is beautifully fragrant, with lovely bergamot and raspberry notes. It smells very fresh and inviting. Once the tisane is brewed, the fragrance wanes. I still smell hints of raspberry and a barely-there note of bergamot, but it is nowhere near as aromatic as the dry leaf.
The flavor is deliciously sweet. The green rooibos has a light, fruity flavor that almost sparkles on the tongue, and this seems to pair remarkably well with bergamot. Not as well as black tea pairs with bergamot, of course … that’s a classic! But, the light, crisp flavor of the green rooibos together with the invigorating, tangy flavor of the bergamot just seems to meld together really nicely.
And then there is the raspberry! There are LOTS of little bits of raspberry in the dry leaf, and the raspberry flavor is sweet and tart, and has a pleasing fruit taste. I don’t know if it’s because it is combined with the bergamot – which sometimes does come off tasting a little bit “perfume-y” – or if it’s because of the flavoring used, but, it does taste just a tad artificial to me. It doesn’t taste like true raspberry … in fact; it tastes sweeter than the fruit … like maybe raspberry candy that has been made with “real and artificial flavors.” That’s not to say it’s bad, I’m really enjoying it, but if you’re looking for authentic, true-to-the-fruit raspberry flavor, you might be a tad disappointed with what you find here.
As for me, I’m not disappointed by this tisane. It’s not my favorite tisane from 52Teas, but it’s certainly tasty and one I’ll enjoy again in the future. I suspect this one will be awesome iced … so I think I’ll save what I have left for iced tea.
Peach Melba Tisane from Trail Lodge Tea
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush & Rooibos
Where to Buy: Trail Lodge Tea
Tisane Description:
This is a Trail Lodge Exclusive tea. The inspiration for this herbal tisane came from eating a peach melba sundae, and just like the desert, this tisane is a refreshing treat. The sweet taste of fresh peaches combines perfectly with the tartness of raspberries. It’s as if summer has been captured in a cup of tea. This tisane is great hot or iced. Ingredients: organic rooibos, organic honeybush, organic apple bits, organic raspberry bits, organic marigold, and natural flavor.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
This Peach Melba Tisane from Trail Lodge Tea is yummy! I can’t say that I’ve ever had a “Peach Melba Sundae” but, I’m really enjoying this tisane. The flavor of peach is sweet and contrasts really nicely with the tart and tangy flavor of raspberry.
The combination of organic rooibos and honeybush provides a really pleasant background for the flavors of peach and raspberry … a background that is a little bit nutty and sweet with a touch of honey. It is really smooth and that smoothness makes the delivery of the flavors more sweet than tart, and I like that. It really makes this taste like a dessert in a teacup.
I taste hints of creaminess too, and this also helps with the aforementioned smooth delivery. The tart tingles on the tongue in the aftertaste … just like I’d experience if I ate a fresh, ripe raspberry. I really like this tisane a lot – I love that it’s organic, I love the freshness of the flavor (It tastes like fresh peaches and raspberries!) and I love the creamy, nutty taste that weaves its way through the sip. And because this is naturally caffeine-free, it’s a delicious dessert tea that I can enjoy any time of day without worry.
Having tried a few different teas form Trail Lodge Tea, I can say that I am really impressed with this company. Their teas and tisanes have all been very enjoyable so far, and since they sent me several new ones recently, I’ll be sharing some more from them with you very soon!