Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Fruit & Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Tea People
Tisane Description:
They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away. May we add our own to that ‘an appy a day keeps you happy all day’. The tea is made with luxury dried apple spiced with natural dried ginger, cardamom, pepper and cloves and sweetened with cinnamon and stevia. Add to that beautiful dried petals of cornflower and you have the tea of your dreams! A perfect drink for cold days to spice up your day, it also tastes heavenly as iced tea on a hot summer day.
Ingredients: Natural dried Apple, Hibiscus, Dried Ginger, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Cloves, Pepper, Stevia, Cornflower petals and Natural flavours
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
As I was reading through the ingredient list of this Spicy Apple Tisane from Tea People, I found myself wishing that they didn’t include stevia in this. This is my “usual” complaint when it comes to tea or tisane blends with stevia in it, I personally prefer the option to sweeten or not sweeten, and I prefer to choose my sweetener. Stevia isn’t my favorite sweetener, because it’s one of those things that when overdone … it’s just wrong. That said, I have tried several teas/tisanes that have had stevia in the blend and I liked them just fine, so I’m going to keep an open mind until I’ve tasted it!
Hey – this is pretty good! I do think that the stevia is a little too much, and that it would be better without the stevia, but, I really like the taste of the apple and the spices. It’s kind of like an apple cider with masala chai spices!
The hibiscus is on the lighter side here, and really all it seems to do to this particular blend is add a little color and texture to the brewed liquid. I’m not getting that hibiscus tart from this, and that’s a good thing as far as I’m concerned.
The apple flavor is well-defined, as are the spicy notes. The spices are nicely balanced. I taste ginger, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom, and there is just a hint of pepper to this that sort of tickles the back of the tongue in the aftertaste. I like that the spices are not competing with one another in this tisane and it’s spicy but it’s not overdone. I think that even those who are not generally too keen on spicy teas or tisanes could enjoy this because it’s warmly spiced, but not too spicy.
Overall, a nice tisane. If I were blending it, I would have omitted the stevia, because I think that there is just a little bit too much of it in this blend. It has a slightly “funky” sweetness to it, and while it doesn’t deter from my enjoyment of the drink, I think I’d enjoy it a lot more if the stevia wasn’t there.
Apple Cinnamon Black Tea from Zest Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Zest Tea
Tea Description:
We looked to American icons when creating this blend and what’s more American than Apple Pie? Unfortunately, football and the Grand Canyon didn’t make for great teas. This blend of premium Orange Pekoe black tea smothered in real bits of apple and cinnamon is a nod to your grandmother’s 4th of July specialty. Even modern teas can have a traditional twist.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about Zest High-Octane Tea here.
Taster’s Review:
From the moment I cut into the pouch of this Apple Cinnamon Black Tea from Zest Tea, I could smell the apple! It took me a little by surprise because I figured I’d probably smell the cinnamon – and I do! – because cinnamon is a very fragrant spice but apple can sometimes be a subtle aroma in flavored teas like this. But the apple here is abundant and very aromatic, right along with the cinnamon. It’s lovely!
And the flavor is lovely too. It is sweet with apple and cinnamon notes, but, I like that I’m also tasting black tea. There is a really pleasing presentation of all three components. The black tea is a smooth, rich backdrop of flavor, while the apple and cinnamon play in the foreground.
The apple and cinnamon flavors are blended in a really nice way. I like the amount of flavor I taste. There is just enough of each ingredient to please the palate without it being too much of either one. More specifically, there isn’t too much cinnamon which can sometimes be an aggressive spice. I don’t taste an overpowering cinnamon-y flavor with hints of apple. I taste apple and I taste cinnamon and these don’t compete with each other; they bring out the very best in each other.
Zest Tea offers “extra caffeine” in each of their blends, and I have to tell you that the more I’m trying the “extra caffeine” teas like this, the more I’m liking them. They get me alert faster in the morning but without the jolt that I’d get from coffee – that same jolt is what gives me the sickly feeling about three hours after I consume coffee. I don’t get that with these Zest Teas! I just get a steady stream of strong caffeine to get my day started!
And I like that I don’t “taste” the caffeine. I don’t taste an extra “weird” taste in my tea. It tastes like a smooth, rich, deliciously flavored black tea. This one is a sweet tea, but not too sweet. This tea makes it OK to have a little bit of “apple pie” at breakfast time!
If you’re looking for that extra charge in the morning, these teas from Zest Tea may be just what you’re looking for!
Apple Pie Keemun from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
I’ve paired a nice Chinese Keemun with freeze-dried granny smith and red delicious apples, cinnamon chips and organic flavors, including some brown sugar and other yumminess that goes in an apple pie. I think this one is going to be really popular, so don’t drag your feet about getting yours.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
When I opened the pouch of this Apple Pie Keemun from 52Teas, I was greeted with the delicious aroma of apple pie! A strong cinnamon note with lingering apple notes. Mmm! I started to get very excited over the prospect of tasting apple pie in a tea!
This is really quite tasty. When I first read the announcement about this flavor, I thought … “Oh … that sounds amazing. Apple Pie and Keemun tea.” The body of the Keemun is rich and full, and it offers a nice platform for the flavors of apple and cinnamon.
The Keemun has a slightly smoky note to it. This smokiness gives the cup a “fresh baked, home made” sort of goodness which is further enhanced by the buttery, pastry like flavors that I’m tasting. The natural fruit notes of the Keemun elevate the flavor of the apple. And the earthiness of the Keemun compliment the cinnamon.
A really good, palate-pleasing combination of flavors. It all works together very well!
Autumn Chai Custom Blend from Adagio Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Tea Description:
This blend combines candy apple tea with spiced apple chai and caramel tea for an autumn explosion! Add sugar for a Halloween treat too. I added a pinch of cinnamon black tea and this chai completely rocked! If you’ve got some cinnamon tea on hand, add it for an extra kick; or blend freshly ground cinnamon for an autumn adventure.
A Carolynne Keenan Custom Blend.
Learn more about this custom blend here.
Find more Carolynne Keenan blends here.
Taster’s Review:
As I was brewing this Autumn Chai Custom Blend (created by Carolynne Keenan) from Adagio Teas, I was surprised by the scent of apple! Yeah, it says in the description that there is Spiced Apple Chai in the blend, but, with the other ingredients, I didn’t expect the apple to offer such a prominent fragrance.
I could also smell notes of cinnamon, cloves and ginger, with the cinnamon being the most pronounced of those aromatic spices. The brewed tea smells strongly of spice with hints of apple in the background.
This is pretty good. As I’ve said more than once before, I’m not crazy about the black tea base that Adagio uses as it tends to come off tasting harsh. And even though the custom blends seem to be less harsh (and sometimes not very harsh at all), I’m getting some of that harshness here. Not as much as if I were drinking one of the single flavored teas from Adagio (as opposed to the custom blends), but, there is still some of that brash astringency to this cup.
Fortunately, that harsh note isn’t too aggressive, and I am enjoying the other flavors that this drink has to offer. The cinnamon and other spices are fairly well-balanced. The cinnamon is the strongest flavor, but it doesn’t overwhelm the other spices. I taste notes of ginger, clove and cardamom. Then I get a smooth, silky sweet note of caramel. Mmm! The apple comes through shortly after I notice the caramel. In the distance, I notice a bright note of orange.
Overall, it’s an enjoyable chai. Not my favorite, because even though the harshness isn’t terribly assertive, the fact that I’m detecting it means that I’d rather it not be there. And the orange … while it does perk up the cup a little bit, it seems a little out of place. It is certainly tasty though and something I’d be willing to drink again.
Organic Corsican Olive Leaf Tea from Wise Owl Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Fruit/Herbal Tea
Where to Buy: Wise Owl Tea
Tea Description:
Organic Olive leaf is a natural antibiotic and antioxidant. Olive leaf can rejuvenate your energy and enhance your immune system, supports your cardio vascular system and promote general health and well-being.
Olive leaves give a wonderful golden amber colour and a mild sweetness. This blend includes the delightful hint of apple.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
I wasn’t too sure what to expect from this Organic Corsican Olive Leaf Tea from Wise Owl Tea. I can’t recall ever having tried an olive leaf tea (but that doesn’t mean that I’ve not tried it … just that I don’t remember). And when I opened the very cool tube canister (seriously, I love the canisters!) I was a little bewildered by the amount of tea that is in each silky pyramid sachet. There is less than a teaspoon of tea in each little sachet – could this be enough to make a satisfactory cup of tea?
I contemplated using more than one sachet, but, instead, I went with just one sachet so that I could give as accurate a review of what one sachet of tea is capable of. I poured eight ounces of near boiling water (I never use boiling water in herbal/fruit tisanes like this one), and steeped the cup for five minutes as per the instructions on the package.
And yes! There’s flavor to this cup! The texture is thin but silky, and I taste notes of apple and a tangy pineapple note in the background. I also taste a sweet flavor that is neither apple or pineapple, and this is what I’m thinking must be the olive leaf. It has a soft vegetal flavor that reminds me a bit of green tea – but not exactly like that.
It is as though I can taste the olive there, and I’m not sure that isn’t just my mind telling me that I’m drinking olive leaf tea and I should be tasting olive … or if that’s what I’m actually tasting.
It’s a different taste … but not an unpleasant one. On the contrary, I’m quite enjoying this olive leaf tea from Wise Owl. It’s a mellow tasting tea. I have heard that olive leaf tea can taste bitter if it’s steeped too long, so I was careful only to steep this for five minutes and I’m very pleased with the results, so I’d recommend not going over the five minutes to avoid the bitter flavor … unless you like that sort of thing.
Olive Leaf Tea is known for its health benefits, and if it tastes this good, I’m not opposed to drinking something that’s good for me. That’s why I drink tea – not for it’s health benefits – but that it tastes good. The health benefits are an added bonus. Just like with this Olive Leaf Tea! The health benefits are just a bonus to the tasty flavor.