Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black & Green Teas
Where to Buy: Amazon Trading
Ingredients:
Black Tea, Green Tea, Passion Fruit, Pineapple, & Natural Flavors of Passion Fruit & Pineapple.
Learn more about Amazon Trading here.
Taster’s Review:
This Paradise Tea Tisane is an enjoyable blend of black and green teas flavored with passion fruit and pineapple. I brewed the silky sachet for 3 minutes in 185°F water. The result is a yummy cuppa!
As I’ve said in the past, when it comes to blends like this – where there is more than one type of tea, in this case, there is both black and green tea leaves – I usually opt to infuse the tea at the lowest temperature requirement for the tea to avoid scorching the green tea. This would result in a bitter tasting tea. So, I went with a lower temperature and steeped it for 3 minutes. This seemed to be the perfect setting for this tea, because the flavor is really nice.
The black tea isn’t particularly robust or even brisk. It’s more like a smooth, mild black tea flavor, lightened by the soft, silky taste and texture of the lightly vegetal green tea notes. It doesn’t taste like “black tea” or even “green tea” … it tastes like something totally different, but with similarities to both of these tea types.
And then there is the luscious tropical fruit notes of passion fruit and pineapple! These two flavors add a sweet, juicy taste to the cup without overwhelming the tea base.
The way I would describe this tea is that some mad scientist (a scienTEAist?) brewed a cup of black tea and a cup of green tea and added equal parts of each to a new cup, and then added the nectar of passion fruit and pineapple. I can almost taste the sweet pulp of the fruits! It’s really quite refreshing and tasty. Not too fruity though, I think a nice balance has been achieved. (Insert mad scienTEAist laugh here)
Really tasty served hot, but even better when it cools!
Berry Patch Black Tea Blend from Tea of Life
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Learn more about Tea of Life and Amazon Teas here.
Taster’s Review:
The aroma of the dry leaf of this Berry Patch Black Tea Blend from Tea of Life smells quite yummy with its notes of strawberry and cherry. It’s a fruity scent, obviously, but, it isn’t an overpowering fragrance. It doesn’t smell artificial or candy-like. It smells lightly of fruit, reminiscent of a farmer’s produce market in the summertime when the strawberries are fresh and ripe and perfuming the air with their delicious goodness.
I’m happy to report that what I smell translates to the flavor. The fruit notes are delicate and do not overwhelm the black tea notes. The black tea is a mellower tasting black tea, and I’d categorize it as a medium-bodied black tea base. Smooth and nicely round, this is probably a Ceylon, although Tea of Life does not clarify that on the packaging. It just says “Black Tea.” I like that it’s a flavorful tea, but not too aggressive, especially when considering the delicate fruit notes of this tea. A stronger tea base would mean that I would miss out on the lovely strawberry and cherry flavors.
The cherry is less potent than the strawberry. The strawberry starts out rather subtle but as I continue to sip, the flavor of sweet-tart berries builds on my palate. The cherry is a soft flavor and it’s quite pleasant. It isn’t too sweet nor does it taste medicinal.
Overall, a nice cuppa from Tea of Life.
Rooibos Chocolate Coconut from Tea of Life
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Learn more about Tea of Life and Amazon Teas here.
Tisane Description:
South African Red Bush or Rooibos Tea is a pure and natural herbal blend. Freshly harvested and finely chopped rooibos goes through a process of oxidation with the aid of the oxygen from the atmosphere and subsequently dried int he sun to produce a deep mahogany red cup of which is one of the most popular and healthy herbal drinks today.
“Tea of Life” is proud to introduce five New Naturally Caffeine Free Rooibos Teas combined with Dark Chocolate with delicious natural fruit and mint flavors for your enjoyment – all day and into the evening.
Taster’s Review:
The scent that is coming out of my teacup right now is evoking thoughts of chocolate coconut cake! Yep, my mouth is watering right now, just thinking about chocolate and coconut! Mmm! Some of the most difficult moments of my life are those few minutes that I wait after I’ve brewed a cup of tea and I’m waiting for the cup to cool a little bit so that I can begin sipping. I mean, I don’t want to burn my tongue, but, this smells so yummy that I’m growing impatient.
But the flavor is worth the wait. As I’ve said on numerous occasions, I’m not big on rooibos, but, I’ve actually found quite a few that I enjoy. And I’ve really been enjoying these Dark Chocolate blends from Tea of Life. This one features luscious notes of Dark Chocolate and sweet and creamy notes of coconut. Yum!
As you’d expect, this is a sweet tisane. The chocolate notes are deep and rich and bittersweet. The coconut notes are a little more subdued than the chocolate, but, not by much. There is a pretty good balance of flavors between the two components here. Lots of chocolate and lots of coconut.
What I’m not getting lots of is rooibos flavor and that’s alright. I do get some warm, nutty tones from the rooibos and some of the sweetness of the cup I also attribute to the natural sweetness of the South African herb. But overall, there isn’t a strong rooibos flavor to this cup. This tisane is all about the chocolate and the coconut, and you won’t get any complaints about that here. Chocoholic: satisfied!
Forest Fruit Black Tea from Tea of Life
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Learn more about Tea of Life and Amazon Teas here.
Taster’s Review:
As I start a tea to steep, I find myself wondering – anticipating? – what the tea will taste like. This Forest Fruit Black Tea from Tea of Life has the flavors of strawberry, blackberry, black currant and cherry, so obviously I was expecting a very fruity tea.
But, what what surprised me – happily! – is that this tastes more of tea than it does of fruit. Oh, the fruit flavors are there and they’re loud and clear, but, the black tea base is robust and has a strong, solid black tea flavor. It doesn’t take a back seat to the fruit notes.
Instead, I taste a medley of fruit notes that sit just beneath the black tea notes. Strawberry pops out first with a sweet-tart cherry note coming in just after. The blackberry notes seem to weave their way in and out of the sip and are sometimes more difficult to discern than the strawberry and cherry. The black currant is most recognizable at the finish, when I notice a sort of tart note, and the astringency of the black tea makes that more distinguishable. It’s almost “wine-ish” at the finish. The aftertaste is like a blend of the four fruits, with a prominent berry tingle on the tongue.
An enjoyable black tea blend from Tea of Life: it’s sweet, fruity and flavorful. I find it especially nice as it gets cooler, making this an ideal choice for iced tea.
Ayurvedic De-Stress Tea from Tea of Life
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Learn more about Tea of Life and Amazon Teas here.
About Tea of Life Ayurvedic Collection:
The word “Ayurveda” is derived from two words – “Ayus” meaning life and “Veda” meaning ‘knowledge’ or ‘science’. So the literal meaning of the word Ayurveda is ‘The Science of Life.’
Life or Ayus, according to Ayurveda, is a combination of senses, mind, body and soul. So Ayurveda does not just limit itself to the body or physical symptoms, but also provides comprehensive knowledge about spiritual, mental and emotional health.
The traditional healing system of Ayurveda is based on a theory of balance between the body (physical), the soul (spiritual) and the mind (psychological).
Ingredients:
Green Tea with Lemongrass, Gotukola, Ginger, Lavender Buds, Cumin Seed, Fennel.
Taster’s Review:
I don’t know that I was necessarily looking to “De-Stress” today, but I definitely wanted something that would help me unwind and relax without making me want to go and take a nap (like Chamomile would do!) so I decided I’d try this Ayurvedic De-Stress Tea from Tea of Life to help me calm down a little.
When I opened the individually wrapped package that held this tea bag, I could smell the cumin seed! I love cumin and because it’s not really a spice that you often find in tea blends, I’m happy when I do come across a tea blend that has cumin in it.
And I can really taste the cumin in the brewed tea. It is the strongest flavor that I notice in the cup, but, it doesn’t overwhelm the palate. I am also tasting the gotakola here, and together these two spices give the overall cup a very ‘curry-ish’ sort of flavor. I also taste notes of green tea and citrus, the peppery notes of ginger and a hint of licorice from the fennel. I don’t taste a lot of Lavender.
This is a very savory tea with the spices that have been used to craft this blend. The green tea adds a slight vegetal note and a buttery tone and texture, as well as a hint of sweetness that contrasts nicely with the overall savory flavor of this tea.
I enjoyed it, and I will say that I think it served its purpose as I feel not quite as wound up as I was before I started sipping on this tea. It’s not something I’d drink daily, but it is something I’d turn to – happily! – on a stressful day when I need something to get my mind back on track.