By the time you’ll be reading this, my family will have already celebrated their holiday, because we chose to celebrate on the 23rd. My oldest daughter, who is now married, will be spending the 24th and the 25th with her in-laws, and we decided that we’d rather push up our holiday celebration and have her enjoy the day with us than to have it on the “official” day and not have her here.
And really, that’s what holidays should be about. Not about presents, not about decorations … but about family. And of course, TEA! (with me, everything is about tea!)
And here is the tea that Della Terra Teas sent for this Eleventh Day of Christmas …
Winter Nog
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Della Terra Teas
Tisane Description:
Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, except for you … and you are awake to steep this delightful, creamy rooibos nog tea!
So, sit back, relax, and enjoy this sip by sip as you wait by the chimney for Ole St. Nick.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
The first thing I noticed about this tisane is the cute little snowflake candies … very festive! The aroma was noticeably vanilla-y, and I also detect a note of spice to the scent.
If I recall correctly, this 12 Days of Christmas tea box from Della Terra Teas has had 2 rooibos tisanes in it (well, thus far … there’s still tomorrow!) and of the two, I have to say that this one delivers much more of the flavor that the name of it promises. This tastes much more like egg nog than the Gingerbread Man tasted of gingerbread. Oh, that one still tasted good, it just didn’t taste like any gingerbread that I had ever tasted. This one, though … this tastes like egg nog. The only thing that is missing for me is the texture … it’s not quite creamy enough – texture wise – for me to declare this as a perfect “Winter Nog.”
It’s still good though, and flavor wise, it is plenty creamy. Unfortunately, with rooibos tisanes, the texture is a difficult thing to capture, because rooibos tends to feel rather thin on the palate. I will say that this feels a little creamier on the palate than say … unflavored rooibos. And it tastes a whole lot better than unflavored rooibos too! ha!
And actually, I kind of like the combination of egg nog flavors together with the nutty flavor of the rooibos. It just kind of … works together. I taste a heavy note of cinnamon, a hint of nutmeg, and creamy vanilla. I find myself wanting just a tad more of that egg-y custard-y taste that is present in a glass of egg nog, but, overall, this is pretty tasty. And every once in a while, I think I’m tasting a hint of rum … but, maybe that’s just my imagination.
A nice way to spend Christmas eve … curled up with this tisane!
On The Third Day of Christmas, Della Terra Teas Sent to Me …
The third day of Christmas has been a very meaningful day for me this year, as it was the day that I’ve been busy with these past couple of months. For two swaps that I was involved with (12 days of Christmas swaps) the day that was chosen for me was day 3. Three French Hens.
The first swap I was involved in was one I facilitated on Steepster. It was a tea swap, and each participant needed was assigned a day from the song, and they needed to come up with a tea to send out to each of the other participants … and their tea choice needed to be inspired by the lyrics of the song … that is to say, they needed to choose a tea that was inspired by the day that they were assigned. I needed to choose a tea that said “Three French Hens.” Instead, I chose three teas that were somewhat French-like, and presented them in a large egg. Three French teas that were laid by French Hens. At least that was the message I was trying to express with my swap. Hopefully it made sense to the other participants.
If I happen to glance at the “French Hens” sort of carelessly and quickly, I instead read French Horns. Then I think of “How I Met Your Mother” and the blue French Horn that Ted pilfered from the restaurant where he took Robin on their first date. Maybe for my contribution for the 12 Days of Christmas art swap I took part in I should have done something French Horn inspired. Instead, I made Smash Books. I hope that everyone liked them.
So… without further babbling, I present the tea that Della Terra Teas sent me for the Third Day of Christmas:
The Gingerbread Man
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Della Terra Teas
Tisane Description:
On the third day of Christmas a gift of tea for you! The Gingerbread Man!
We don’t believe a french hen flavored tea would have been a grand idea, so we present to you a delicious gingerbread rooibos blend! So creamy and full of flavor.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve stated many times that rooibos just isn’t my favorite thing. But, I do drink rooibos, pretty regularly, in fact, and so I guess I should stop saying that. While it is true that they aren’t my favorite, I don’t really dislike most of the rooibos blends that I try. In fact, the majority of the ones that I’ve tried over the course of the last couple of years, I’ve enjoyed … some more than others, but for the most part, I’ve enjoyed most of the rooibos blends I’ve tried. So I really DO need to quit saying I don’t like rooibos, because there’s quite a bit of evidence to the contrary.
This rooibos blend is pretty darned good. The description above is correct, this rooibos blend actually tastes creamy. But I don’t agree that this should be called “Gingerbread Man.” I just am not getting a whole lot of anything here that makes me think “Oh … this is Gingerbread!” It’s tasty, and that’s a good thing, but, it’s not really gingerbread to me.
I’m liking that that this is sweet without that “funky sweetness” that I sometimes get from rooibos. I taste a somewhat nutty flavor from the rooibos, and this contributes to the overall freshly baked cake kind of taste … but there really needs to be more ginger for this to be something I’d be able to say “oh yeah, that’s gingerbread alright.” I’m just not getting much ginger at all here.
What I do taste is the aforementioned creamy tone, notes of nutty flavor from the rooibos, as well as pineapple. I taste more pineapple here than I do ginger. Perhaps we could rename the Gingerbread Man to Pineapple Bread Man.
Now I’m being silly. That’s what happens when I start drinking tisane too late at night.
It is sweet, creamy and I taste very subtle spice notes, hints of ginger and of cinnamon. And from the currants, I get just a hint of a berry tartness toward the tail end of the sip.
Overall, it’s really kind of an odd – as in unusual – tisane, but, I am finding it really tasty, even if it doesn’t live up to what I would expect from something called “Gingerbread Man,” and I’m really glad I tried it.
Rouge d’Automne from Mariage Freres
Leaf Type: Black, Rooibos (Red)
Where to Buy: Mariage Freres
Tea Description:
Autumn, which turns maple leaves fiery red, is a good time to indulge in a delicious treat that erases the bitterness of rainy days. That is why Mariage Frères has employed an almost forbidden fruit – marrons glacés, a famous French indulgence ever since the days of Louis XIV – to create its new “Autumnal Red” tea.
A red rooibos from South Africa, mild in taste with very little tannin, has been combined with the flavour of fine candied chestnuts and Bourbon vanilla, yielding a most striking yet smooth cup, warm and festive, with fruity and slightly spicy harmonies that precede a final note of honey and dried fruit.
PREPARATION ADVICE FOR 1 CUP :
Amount of tea leaves: 2.5g
Best water temperature: 95 °C
Infusion time: 3-5 min
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The aroma of this tea in dry form is delicious! It has a roast-y, nutty, and vanilla scent that made me instantly think of amaretto yet there was this cinnamon essence in there as well. It didn’t take me long to decide to steep this up for a review.
Now most of you know I do not care for red rooibos, however there is little of it in here, and in addition, I feel the rooibos flavor truly does add to this blend.
This tea is quite sweet. Honey like sweetness. I could see how for some it may be a little too sweet.
The lingering after taste of vanilla, honey, and spiced, candied, nuts is quite nice and I notice absolutely no astringency.
There is also a lighter note within this tea which seems to peek out every now and then, although I do not detect it on each sip, and that is of a plum-like flavor. This note reminds me of the poem “Twas The Night Before Christmas” for some reason, the line about sugarplums dancing in people’s heads. Anyway when this note presents, its much brighter, which is a nice change from the heavier sweeter taste I was getting most of the time. The more the tea cooled the more I noticed the fruity lift.
I loved both the depth of this tea, the sweet heavier notes and the light fruity note that came out now and then. It seems to me to be perfect for this time of the year but certainly one I would enjoy year round!
Green Caramel from Just Add Honey
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green Tea & Rooibos Blend
Where to Buy: Just Add Honey
Tea Description:
Japanese and Chinese green teas are blended with organic rooibos, roasted cocoa beans, hand-crafted chewy caramel and toasted sweet brown rice to produce a creamy, buttery cup. a relaxing treat with milk and sugar and naturally low in caffeine.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I was about to start off this review with a rant. That’s because the first time I brewed this tea, I did so on the assumption that this was a blend of green and white teas … because that is what it said on the package. However, checking out the website, and then closer examining the loose leaf tea, I realize that this is, instead, a green teas and rooibos blend.
And, because of this error, the first time I brewed this tea, it wasn’t as successful as the second time. The first time I brewed this tea, I used a very low water temperature (160°F) and a slightly longer steep time (3 1/2 minutes). However, now that I know this is a green teas and rooibos blend, I used a slightly hotter water (180°F) and a shorter steep time (2 minutes). The results have changed my opinion of this tea. This has gone from a tasty yet somewhat bland cup of tea (first infusion) to a tastier, less bland cup (second infusion). While the differences in temperature and time seem pretty small, it makes a big difference when it comes to tea!
The first cup was tasty, but, the caramel was lacking a certain … something. It tasted more like a weak green tea with hints of caramel. With this second infusion, the caramel is enhanced with notes of toasty rice from the Genmaicha – a flavor that didn’t really come through with the lower temperature of the first infusion. The green tea does not taste weak like it did with my first session of this tea.
I don’t taste a lot from the rooibos, but, in my opinion, that is a good thing. The caramel is still a little light, but as the overall cup is a lighter taste, I think that the lighter caramel notes might just be spot on. The green tea has a buttery taste that accents the caramel nicely, and I love the toasty dimension from the Genmaicha. The ingredients list cacao beans in this, and I do taste a slight chocolate note here, but it is very faint.
Overall, a fair cup of tea. Will I be buying this tea again? Probably not. But it is certainly not something I’d refuse if it were offered to me, and I will enjoy the rest of my package.
Chai Cola from Kally Tea
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Kally Tea
Tisane Description:
Okay all you cola lovers out there; this is what you have been looking for. A great healthy alternative to carbonated cola drinks. This chai starts off with a Rooibos base, then we mix ginger root, cinnamon, green cardamom and a hint of vanilla flavor. Excellent either brewed with water alone or in the traditional Chai method. What a divine substitute.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
It’s not that hard to get me really excited about a tea. I get excited about tea every day! But, it’s a little more difficult to get me excited over a tisane, particularly a rooibos tisane. I just don’t really like rooibos enough to get really pumped up about it.
But this is really REALLY good.
The nutty flavor of the rooibos melds so seamlessly with the flavors of the spice and the cola notes that I hardly notice it as rooibos. That’s quite a feat. For me to actually like a rooibos blend usually either the rooibos needs to just work with the flavors at hand, or the flavors need to be strong enough to overwhelm the rooibos so I don’t taste the rooibos. Here, though, the nutty sweetness of the rooibos comes together with the flavors of the cola and the spices in such a way that the rooibos isn’t exactly overwhelmed … it just becomes part of the blend in just the right way.
The cola flavor translates well here, and it goes together with the spices in a very nice way. The spices energize the cola flavor, rather than offer a hot-spicy kind of taste. The spices are warm but in a very gentle way, kind of like what you might expect in a chai cola, where the cola is the main flavor and the spices accent it.
I really enjoyed this cuppa – this is one that I’d be happy to have again and again!