Confession: I’ve written two reviews for this tea. The first review was written longhand in my journal after a party where I made a few non-tea-beverage tactical errors. It said:
“This tea tastes like what’d it be like to receive a Care Bear Stare.”
The rest of it is, basically, incomprehensible, mostly in terms of handwriting. So I’m writing it again.
“Tropical Fruit” ‘s ingredients include organic orange peel, organic apple, organic rose petals, organic calendula, and natural fruit flavors. Apples, oranges, and flowers aren’t really all that tropical, but the result is still sweet and fun anyway. It tastes like very vivid pastels might taste. I’d probably qualify this taste as more of a “spring” than a “summer” (as the tropics might be), but the accuracy of title-to-flavor isn’t one of my major sticking points.
I’ve drank both of these samples iced. It seems fitting to enjoy the tropics with a cool beverage at your hand.
Cold temperatures also seem to bring out the sweetness in a tea, which I especially enjoy doing with rooibos. It brings out a velvety, vanilla-like quality that makes everything taste like a wash of ice cream.
Or, you know, the Care Bear Stare.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Storehouse Tea
Description
Combines natural exotic tropical fruit flavors with caffeine free, Fair Trade red and green rooibos makes this infusion deliciously refreshing and rich in anti-oxidants. Excellent iced.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Root Beer Float from The NecessiTeas. . . .
When I cracked open this tea tin and smelled the creamy vanilla and root beer flavors, I knew there was only one way to try this tea…as a latte. That is how I have enjoyed all my root beer float teas from the various companies that have made them. This prep method helps sell the float element by boosting the vanilla creaminess.
This particular tea is delightfully creamy as a latte, starting the sip with a silky vanilla bean ice cream sort of flavor. The rooibos is strong so the middle of the sip is all base but that gives way to the familiar root beer flavor. Given the strong smell, I was surprised when that flavor was rather mellow. I want more root beer. Lots MORE! Yet I can’t be too mad because the lingering note is a slight hint of marshmallow.
Given I had a whole tin of this tea and the mouthwatering root beer scent, I thought this might also make for a good iced tea. It definitely has a sarsaparilla taste but that is equally matched by the base, which is a little bit woody and a little bit honey. It is nice enough but I think I would stick to making this as a latte.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: The NecessiTeas
Description
This blend will take you back to your childhood days, sitting on the porch, sippin’ on those old fashioned root beer floats. Add a touch of sugar and splash of milk and you will swear you were drinking the real thing! Perfect hot or poured over ice and naturally caffeine free!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Happy Zombie from Design A Tea. . .
This tea accompanied me to this season’s Game of Thrones premiere. I figured that the show is on at night (it’s a rooibos!) and has an army of the undead (the title has zombies!). SPOT-ON. THE NORTH REMEMBERS.
This tea’s spicy oranges taste a bit like mulled wine. It’s a little savory, a little sweet, and puts a dash of twinkle in your eye.
I don’t know if this is the influence of the show, but I could imagine this being served at a sturdy, rough-hewn wooden table. Maybe a tavern. Plotting to kill your enemies. Amassing a group of ragtag soldiers, arguing about where to ride the dragons to next, et cetera.
So next time you need something to sip while you’re cuddling your dire wolf, give this a whirl!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Design A Tea
Description
A crisp tropical Orange will jump out (no pun intended) with hints of cinnamon. Don’t know if it will make you want to embrace the next zombie while at the beach… but who knows. But PLEASE take warning-If he does want to snuggle against your neck… just run away really fast!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Canoe Lake Blend
On Canada Day, I was looking for a festive tea to celebrate with when I happened upon this tea…Canoe Lake Blend by Pluck Teas. This tea that Pluck calls “a truly Canadian blend” is made up of black tea, rooibos, sunflower, jasmine, calendula petals, real maple syrup, licorice root, cocoa, safflower petals, cornflowers, and natural flavour. Meant to remind you of campfires and sugar shacks, I thought it was worth a try.
I brewed it at 200F for 4 minutes as the recommended steeping parameters of 5 minutes in boiling water seemed like it might be a bit much. Using my method, this tea definitely has a smokey campfire flavor to it. Smoke and maple sweetness. There is also a thick caramel sweetness here that is almost a bit burnt and a little bit stale. It hits you at the back of the throat and is a little offputting for my tastes if I am being honest.
I am surprised there isn’t more going on here given the list of ingredients that seem odd and out of place. What jasmine and sunflower had to do with a smokey maple/caramel tea is beyond me and though I know licorice root is often used to add sweetness, I am glad I can’t actually taste its cloying flavor. Plus, the cocoa is lost as there is no chocolate to be found, though it may be adding to the offness of the caramel since cocoa can sometimes read dusty and stale in teas.
I think this tea is trying to capture a relatively simple flavor with too many ingredients. Unfortunately, I think it suffers for it. Though it is not bad perse, I certainly found myself disappointed by the flavors promised versus the actual execution of it. It was fun to try but ultimately this tea just isn’t for me.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Pluck Teas
Description
Jennifer’s Tasting Notes
Notes of caramel, maple sugar, and pine smoke interwine in this rooibos and black tea blend. Memories of campfires and sugar shacks… a truly Canadian blend.
Ingredients
Black Tea, Rooibos, Sunflower, Jasmine, Calendula Petals, Real Maple Syrup, Licorice Root, Cocoa, Safflower Petals, Cornflowers, Natural Flavour.
100% natural.
Blended and packed in Canada by real people
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Forest Friend blend by Leslie Kiesler on Adagio Teas
Adagio Teas is where I credit my loose leaf tea beginnings. They have a variety of teas for both beginners and experts, but their success comes from their lively fandom blend community. There’s a themed-blend for every movie, book, and video game out there. I know I’ve had a great time designing my own flavors, and I’m always interested in trying new blends from other tea lovers.
My favorite summer blend of late has been Forest Friend by Leslie Kiesler. This blend is a homage to the main creature in the film, My Neighbor Totoro, of Studio Ghibli fame. To me, Forest Friend is tea-blending at its best. It is mixed from Adagio’s white strawberry, white pear, and rooibos jasmine flavors. On their own, none of these teas are really my favorite: I found the strawberry to be a bit too sweet, the pear to be a bit too earthy, and the rooibos jasmine to be overwhelming floral. But when mixed together in these proportions, I can’t seem to get enough of this tea. It’s magical, like finding out you have a big fuzzy, forest friend as your neighbor.
I prefer this blend iced, with our without sugar depending on my mood. This is a blend mainly made up of white tea leaves, so keep your water temperatures a little cooler than usual to avoid any harsh notes. The strawberry makes this a delectable summer blend, almost like sugary kool-aid, but the pear and white tea gives the sweetness just enough grounding that it doesn’t become too much like candy. The rooibos jasmine is amazing when added to a blend in smaller quantities. It adds some tart, herbal rooibos flavors, and relaxing floral overtones. There are even blue cornflowers and golden marigold flowers in the dry leaf to make the blend look vibrant in my pitcher as it brews.
Top off the great taste with Leslie’s cute label on the tin and you’ll realize why it is so hard to resist this blend. Forest Friend is always in my wish list for when summertime comes around and I need a sweet, magical way to cool down and brighten my day.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White/Rooibos
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Description: There’s a friend waiting for you in the forest, but he’s snoring the day away. Wake him up with a cup of tea so you can begin a magical adventure!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
