Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Spice Melange
Where to Buy: Bluebird Tea Co.
Tisane Description:
Award-winning nostalgic aniseed, star anise + liquorice herbal tea blend
This blend won the highest food award in the country. The judges said: ‘Truly original and delicious infusion that packs a true punch.. finally a blend that’s blokey’! It’s also the nation’s favourite childhood sweet. Not just our opinion, it’s fact. There was a survey, questionnaire and everything.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
When Bluebird Tea Co. asked me what teas I’d like to try, this one was near the top of my list. After reading the ingredient list, you might wonder why it was that this was one of the teas I requested…
Ingredients: Liquorice, Aniseed, Star Anise, Hibiscus, Stevia, Chilli.
I mean, this tisane has two of my “I’d rather this tisane not have this ingredient” ingredients: hibiscus and stevia. So you might be wondering why I’d choose this tea. But this tisane also has three of the ingredients that I love to see in teas/tisanes: Licorice, Aniseed and Star Anise! And I guess my requesting this tisane proves that my love for these three ingredients overpowers my disdain for the hibiscus and stevia.
Oh, I’m still wishing that the hibiscus and stevia weren’t in there. Before even taking a sip, I’m thinking that it would be a better tisane without them, although it isn’t really a fair assessment because I haven’t yet taken a sip.
The dry leaf is gorgeous. Lots of whole pieces of star anise! They’re so pretty. It smells delightful too: sweet, warm and zesty.
To steep this tisane, I used my Kati Tumbler. (I prefer to use this device when I’m brewing a spiced tea/tisane like this because when I brew a spiced tea in my Breville, the spices become “embedded” in the tea maker and it requires a soak in baking soda to get the odors to release. Then again, I need to soak my Breville anyway, so maybe I should have used it to steep this!) I measured out 1 1/2 bamboo scoops of the tisane into the basket of the Kati and then poured hot water (195°F) over the tisane and let it steep for 8 minutes.
Ordinarily, when brewing a tisane with hibiscus, I steep it for 6 minutes or less. However, I could see very little hibiscus in the loose leaf blend so I figured that this tisane could benefit from a little more time. Spices need time to get their flavors to release fully.
OK! So now it’ sip time. I can definitely taste the hibiscus. Next time I try this tisane, I might go with 6 1/2 or 7 minutes rather than a full 8 minutes. That said, it doesn’t taste too hibiscus-y. But I’m still wishing it wasn’t there.
That said, this is really quite nice despite the presence of hibiscus and stevia. And for those who don’t really mind hibiscus quite so much, it does add an interesting tart, berry like flavor to the cup. It’s a little bit tart and I can feel the insides of my cheeks pucker slightly as I take a sip, but because there is enough going on with this blend from the warmth of the chili to the zesty sweetness from the licorice-y notes, I find that the tartness doesn’t upset me.
The stevia adds sweetness (obviously) and this is a nice contrast to the spicy chili tone. And take note: even though chili is listed as the last ingredient, this tisane has a real spicy kick to it from the chili! I can feel the heat at the back of my throat. It’s not too spicy or hot. I’m not running to the kitchen to find something to temper the heat. But it is warm enough to alert the sensors in the mouth that something spicy is dancing around the palate.
But the three real stars of this cup are the licorice, star anise and aniseed! This has a really lovely licorice-y flavor! If you are a fan of black licorice, this tisane should be at the top of your must try list! This has a lot of snappy licorice flavor! Sweet and zesty. It reminds me so much of the black licorice candy that I love. In fact, it tastes as though someone liquefied some black licorice candy and then served that in a cup with a splash of hibiscus, a pinch or two of chili pepper and a little bit of sweetener.
I like this served straight up without additions but it would also be quite nice with a cinnamon stick garnish. (I like the combination of cinnamon and licorice.) Really, it doesn’t need anything other than that. It could do without the hibiscus, although I’m not hating that the hibiscus is there. The same goes for the stevia. I like the little bit of sweetness that the stevia adds to this. It’s enough sweetness without getting that funky flavor that I sometimes taste from stevia in teas. Bonus!
Yet another huge win for Bluebird Tea Company!
Spicy Anise Black Tea Blend from English Tea Shop
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: English Tea Shop
Tea Description:
Spicy Anise: Black tea, ginger pieces, cloves and star anise with ginger, mint and anise flavours.
Taster’s Review:
The ingredient list of this Spicy Anise Black Tea Blend from English Tea Shop shows a variety of spices that are reminiscent of a chai blend, however, the flavor is more like a warm, slightly spicy and minty tea rather than a chai. The anise is not as prevalent as I would like it to be, especially when considering the name of the tea. The name suggests to me that I’m going to have a strong anise-y tasting tea, but, the anise is not as dominant as the mint is in this blend.
The other spices – ginger and clove – are very subtle and offer a warm background note. The black tea base almost seems lost in the presence of the other flavors here. Oh, I can still taste the black tea, but it is a little too mellow in my opinion. I think a bold black tea base as well as a stronger presence of anise would make this a tea worthy of a name called “Spicy Anise.”
This is a bit disappointing, really. I was hoping for more from this blend.
Licorice Green Tea from The Jasmine Pearl Tea Merchants
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where To Buy: The Jasmine Pearl Tea Merchants
Tea Description:
Licorice root, fennel, anise, and gunpowder green tea, with a touch of cloves brews up sweet to the taste and full of licorice loveliness.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
I know I’ve mentioned Chuck’s Produce several times on this blog. I love this store! It not only offers great produce, but other high quality foods as well, including some great teas from local vendors like The Jasmine Pearl Tea Merchants.
In the bulk section of Chuck’s, I can get these teas bulk, which means I can get as little or as much as I want. I like that flexibility, because as I’ve said before, I’m a tea taster. I like to try a little bit of every tea rather than having a large quantity of a favorite. And the bulk section lets me get just enough for a pot full of tea, but not so much that I’ll have more than I need.
So, when I noticed this Licorice Green Tea from The Jasmine Pearl Tea Merchants, I was excited! I love licorice!
This has a powerful licorice flavor from not only licorice root, but also fennel and anise. It tastes licorice-y, reminiscent of a strong black licorice candy. The clove comes in and cuts through the licorice a little bit to keep it from tasting like those licorice cough drops. The clove is just the right touch for this blend.
With my first couple of sips, I found myself wondering where the green tea was in this blend, because I really couldn’t taste it. All I was tasting was licorice and clove. But after a few sips, the smooth flavor of the Gunpowder green tea came though. The green tea notes are a little overwhelmed here. I taste the nutty flavor of the green tea, and a soft buttery note which is something that I don’t usually note in a gunpowder green. I find it interesting how different ingredients in a blend like this can bring out different qualities in a tea that I haven’t really experienced (or rarely experienced.)
Even though I feel like some of the green tea flavor is lost here, I really do like the licorice-i-ness of this tea. This tea is a licorice lover’s delight, but this isn’t that wimpy fruit flavored licorice stuff that they sell at the concession stand in a movie theater. This is REAL licorice flavor, so if that’s not your thing, this is not the tea for you.
Mandarin Chai with Anise from Davidson’s Organics
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Davidson’s Organics
Tea Description:
Beautiful, full-flavored black tea, chai spices, anise and mandarin orange essence.
Ingredients (* organic): Black tea*, cinnamon*, cloves*, cardamom*, orange peel*, natural flavor & anise seed*.
Learn more about this chai here.
Taster’s Review:
This is another tea that I received from a friend as a holiday gift. I hadn’t yet tried the Mandarin Chai with Anise from Davidson’s Organics so I was happy to receive it!
Eh … this is alright, but as far as chai blends go, it’s a little on the underwhelming side. The black tea is flavorful, but the spices are a bit tame for my liking. It’s not extraordinarily spicy, and chai blends don’t all have to be extraordinarily spicy to make me happy but, this just … seems to miss the mark a little bit. Every once in a while I notice that my palate seems to be “searching” for the peppery kick of ginger but it doesn’t find it because there isn’t ginger in this.
I do like the snappy little licorice-y note that I get from the anise, and the cinnamon, cloves and cardamom give it a really wonderful warmth. But part of me would like this to be a wee bit spicier than it is. I think maybe I’d feel less disappointment if this weren’t called a chai and was instead called a “Mandarin Spice” blend. I realize I’m arguing semantics here, because, ‘chai’ means ‘tea,’ but, as I’ve mentioned more than once, in this part of the world, we’ve come to think of chai meaning a spiced tea, and usually a highly spiced tea.
I do like the orange in this blend, it’s a little bit of “brightness” in the cup and it brings an overall “holiday-ish” sort of feel to the drink. This tastes very much like what many tea companies would promote as their “holiday” blend, but there is much less spice to it than in the typical holiday blend.
It’s alright, but, just kind of boring. In a world that is filled with so many interesting and wonderful teas, this one just falls a little short of the mark.
Creme Brulee Chai Blend from Herbal Infusions
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Herbal Infusions
Tea Description:
We use a well rounded flowery orange pekoe as the base for this decadent and luxurious chai mix. Hand blended ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, anise, peppercorn, and clove is accented by a rich creme brulee flavour.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
Chai blends are among my favorite teas to drink this time of year – when it’s blustery cold outside, there’s really nothing nicer than to have a steaming cup of spicy chai in my tea mug! So, I’m glad I found this Creme Brulee Chai Blend from Herbal Infusions in my stash today. And, YUM! It’s just what I want from a chai: warm, spicy and delicious.
There is a good level of spice to this chai. It’s spicy, but, it’s not over-the-top. It isn’t a jarring level of spice. You know what I’m talking about, right? It’s not so spicy that I’m tasting way too much spice and not enough tea flavor. Here, the spice is strong – stronger than the tea, but that’s alright – but it isn’t overpowering the tea. The tea is tasted. It’s alright if the spices are stronger than the tea in a chai, Most of the time, I prefer it that way when it comes to chai! But I don’t want it so spicy that the flavor of the tea becomes completely obscured by the spice.
I taste the clove and cinnamon above all the other spices, but the cardamom is coming through nicely too. I can even taste that subtle “citrus” note from the cardamom here. The ginger and black peppercorn offer a peppery kick that I like. And there is a subtle hint of licorice-y anise to this as well. Anise is one of my favorite spices to use in a chai, and I’m glad that Herbal Infusions chose to include it in this chai.
And then I taste the creamy, custard-like flavor of the “creme brulee” flavoring in this. Personally, I am wishing I could taste more creme brulee here, not just because the chai is called “Creme Brulee Chai” and I think if it’s going to be called Creme Brulee … I should taste the Creme Brulee front and center and I’m just not getting it that strongly here. I taste it, it’s definitely there, but I want more, because, well, Creme Brulee is my favorite dessert. I was hoping for more custard-like flavor, and also that caramelized note of the burnt sugar atop a creme brulee. As it is, I do taste some creamy notes, some custard-like notes … and barely-there hints of caramel.
This is a very finely chopped chai – the spices and tea are both finely milled into a very fine cut. And because of this, I suggest using a shorter brew time than you might normally employ. It’s good with a dollop of honey or a sprinkling of turbinado sugar to bring out the flavors, however, I found that the creamy notes of the custard flavoring gave this a satisfying latte-like taste so I didn’t need to add milk.
Overall, this is a very flavorful chai. Lots of spice flavor to warm you from the inside out! It’s just the ticket on cold days like this one.