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!
Darjeeling Second Flush Rohini Black from sTEAp Shoppe
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Darjeeling. Black
Where to Buy: sTEAp Shoppe
Tea Description:
Rohini Second Flush Black Tea delightfully smooth full bodied mouth feel. Cocoa notes with highlights of almond and spice delivered in a baked bread. Warm and inviting gliding over the palate pleasing your every whim. As with all of the high quality Darjeeling teas this tea remain inviting for several steeps.
Rohini is a well established Tea estate, though the estate did remain closed for a period of 30 years the Saria family revived it in 1994. The garden is divided into four; the lower Jaberhat, mid elevation of Kotidhara and Pailodhora, and Tukuriya which is the highest in elevation. Tukuriya division which is located at an average elevation of 4400 FT and stretches right up to Kurseong town. The teas from Tukuriya are made from tea bushes that have remained there for more than 100 years.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Darjeeling Second Flush Rohini Black from sTEAp Shoppe offers a lighter darjeeling with a deep lurking presence.
Upon first sip you will get a sweet raisin note, a light grape essence, not nearly as muscatel as some Darjeeling, and you may even think that it is a rather light, bright, tea with a clean finish. But wait… sneaking upon your unsuspecting taste buds is a rich, full mouthfeel, almost creamy, velvety, with a nutty, woodsy, backdrop of flavor.
There is a honeyed sweetness to this Darjeeling, and while my palate does not detect cocoa notes as in the description it does offer a wonderful hint at almond, and fig.
The more the tea cools the fuller and more robust it becomes, almost as if it thickens.
I could see this tea being quite excellent iced, but it requires no additives and I feel adding any thing, even sweetener, would ruin this perfect cup.
Janet at sTEAp Shoppe offers up another winner in this Darjeeling Second Flush Rohini Black.
Chai Green Tea from Compass Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Compass Teas
Tea Description:
You will love the amazing aroma of Cinnamon, Almonds & Spices in this Chai Green Tea. Enjoyable hot or iced, sweetened or unsweetened.
Learn more about this chai blend here.
Taster’s Review:
I’m really enjoying this Chai Green Tea from Compass Teas, and I think what I’m liking best about this particular chai blend is that it doesn’t have ginger! Now, don’t get me wrong, I LOVE ginger – LOVE it! But, I think that ginger in this particular blend would have overpowered the smooth flavor of the green tea as well as the delicate note of almond, and that’s what’s really winning me over!
The green tea base is a soft flavor. Hints of subtle vegetation and a light, creamy tone add a delightful dimension of flavor to the spices in this blend. It isn’t bitter, it just tastes fresh and light and sweet … with notes of butter and cream.
And those butter/creamy notes really play nicely to the hint of almond in the cup. When measuring out the dry leaf, I really had expected more of an almond flavor based on the sheer number of slivered almonds that landed in my teapot. But, the almond notes are really very subtle … and for that reason, I really wouldn’t recommend going latte with this particular blend. I think that adding dairy to this cup would completely overwhelm the almond notes … and the almond notes are what makes this blend really special in my opinion.
The cinnamon is the strongest spice note in this blend. It is a spicy-sweet cinnamon that is just a little more sweet than spicy. I like that, because, again, too spicy a cinnamon would throw off the balance that Compass Teas has achieved with this chai. The cloves and cardamom give a nice background of warm spice.
Overall, this is a very pleasant cup of chai. It isn’t a ~spicy~ chai, but, it has a certain zesty quality to it that I find quite enjoyable. It is a gentle, warmly spiced chai with a smooth, sweet flavor and just a hint of nutty sweetness. A really nice way to sip away the chill on these still cold days of early spring!
Almond Cookies from Georgia Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Georgie Tea Company
Tea Description:
A delicious green tea with a smooth coconut flavor backed up by roasted almond undertones.
Ingredients: green tea China Sencha, coconut rasps, almond flakes, flavor.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Holy Almond Cookie! Almond Cookies from Georgia Tea Company has really made me fall in love! Georgia Tea Company – be put on notice, I will be making an order with you again soon!
I have never ordered from Georgia Tea Company before but considering this tea, which is amazing, and their more than fair prices, I am holding myself back from ordering more now!
Now I do adore almond cookies, when I get one served to me at an Asian restaurant I squeal. I always seek out a better almond cookie in stores, and I am always looking for the perfect almond cookie tea. I have found mostly tisanes that make me happy when it comes to this flavor. Yet now, this beautiful green tea, with the sweet yummy goodness of almond! You know, as for the coconut, I don’t really get it as coconut like I do in other teas. However it must play some form of a good supporting role to the other elements in this tea because this is one of the best almond cookies I have ever had! Err, umm, I mean almond cookie teas!
I can taste the almond, obviously, the green tea gives a wonderful flavor and a healthy base, and yet I swear I can taste the crispy crumbly cookie in here too! You know how good almond cookies have that buttery, crispy, crumbly texture? That is this tea! And if I had to describe this tea any other way I would go with vanilla cake batter.
I think that the green base is affording the tea some of that buttery quality. You know quite honestly, I don’t want to explain this tea anymore. Call me selfish but I just want to sip on this all day, in bliss, and I think I am going to go order more, I mean its so inexpensive its crazy!
IN LOVE with this tea!
Supreme Phoenix Dancong Snow Flake Oolong from China Cha Dao
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: China Cha Dao
Tea Description:
Phoenix Dan Cong, a Famous Oolong / Wulong Tea from Chao Zhou Province in China.
Tea comes with a superb aroma and sweet taste!
The Phoenix Dan Cong are noted for their ability to naturally imitate the flavors and fragrance of various flowers and fruits, such as orange blossom, orchid, grapefruit, almond, ginger flower, etc…
Dan Cong is a botanical term that refers to the morphology of the tea plant. Most tea bushes emerge from the ground as a cluster of branches, however, the uncommon Dan Cong variety emerges as a single trunk that branches off higher up the stem.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Supreme Phonenix Dancong Snow Flake Oolong from China Cha Dao (deep breath) is …. a mouthful! A mouthful of goodness that is.
This is not necessarily in line with my favorite flavors in a tea, but I absolutely appreciate it for what it is. The flavors range from citrus, to sandalwood, floral, to astringent.
The aroma is that of flowers, orange, and grapefruit. The liquid should be rather pale, be sure not to over steep this one. Gong Fu brewing is recommended.
I prefer the second steep to the first, and in the future would probably even do a quick rinse, like one would do with pu-erh, before sipping.
This is a unique tea with a completely different flavor profile from any oolong that I have ever had. I can see where some would adore this tea and where others may not care for it. I think those who adore it will want it in their stash at all times, however for those we do not, they should at least experience an oolong like this once.
I feel as though this years Snow Flake picked up plenty of citrus elements, and then secondly floral aspects. I really had hoped to pick up the almond flavor, but could not.
The leaves of this tea are long, full, and lovely but do expect some stems as well.
China Cha Dao started on Ebay but they now have their own website and it is designed quite well. Their teas are sold in larger quantity 4.4 Ounces or 125 Gram being the norm, with Worldwide Free Shipping. The site even has a language translator in the upper left corner of the page.
What I have noticed about this tea that is also unique is the heat retention. My cup seems to have stayed warm for far longer than most teas do using the same cup. It also is a heart warming tea, meaning that I feel as though I am warming up from the inside out as I drink it. Seems perfect for a winter harvest!
Be sure to check out their Chinese New Year Sale here.