Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: Zhi Tea
Tisane Description:
Apple cider tea. A new twist on an old favorite. Created by one of our ambitious and talented employees here at Zhi, this honeybush based herbal tea has a nice, soothing mellow flavor profile. Chock full of organic apple bits and cinnamon, the aroma is at once familiar and comforting. A zero caffeine beverage for any time of day or year, but especially great during the fall and winter as the days a darker, the air is cooler, and you just want to sit with a calming, flavorful cup of a gorgeous herbal tea.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
Yum! I’ve tried several teas that have attempted to capture the essence of apple cider, but I think that this Apple Cider Honeybush Tea from Zhi Tea has nailed it. I had my doubts as I was brewing it, of course, because there’s coconut in the blend (really, coconut!) and I couldn’t help but wonder what the shreds of coconut were doing in this tea.
But, it all melds together in a really delicious way. I noticed the coconut prominently in the first two sips, but after that, the coconut seemed to move off into the background and married with the other flavors, becoming more of a unified creamy and sweet note than a distinct coconut flavor.
Now I taste apple cider. The apple notes are sweet, and there are notes of spice from the cinnamon and cloves. The honeybush is not a strong, distinguished flavor, but it adds an interesting accent to the earthiness of the spices. The vanilla tones balance everything out, offering a flavor that is not so much vanilla, but more like the aforementioned coconut, it becomes seamless with the other flavors in the cup, bringing out the sweetness of the drink.
This is a delicious, autumnal honeybush blend. It’s something that I can see myself drinking on a regular basis!
Acai Matetini Mate Tisane from Teavana
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Yerba Mate
Where to Buy: Teavana
Tisane Description:
The newest craze in cocktails inspired the infusion of real fruit, herbs, and flowers with mate tea. Our mock martini is a classy notch up, first blending acai, blueberry, raspberry, and blackberry. We added to the mix crisp apples and sweet pineapple, brightened with the zesty citrus notes of orange, lemongrass, and hibiscus. Cheers! SUPERFRUIT ENHANCED
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
My very first impression of this Acai Matetini Mate Tisane from Teavana, based only on the appearance of the dry leaf, is that this tisane has a whole lot going on it it … maybe too much going on. I mean, seriously … this tisane looks a whole lot more like a fruit/herbal tisane than a yerba mate blend.
I can see some yerba mate in this, but, mostly what I see is HUGE chunks of dried fruit. Big pieces of assorted berries as well as apple and orange. I see some lemongrass as well as some hibiscus. Not a fan of hibiscus. You probably already knew that about me!
But, I decided to brew it up anyway. And it’s not too bad. It is very fruity, with lots of sweet and tart flavors going on to tantalize my taste buds. I don’t taste a lot of yerba mate – which shouldn’t be too surprising to me because I didn’t see a whole lot of yerba mate leaves in the dry blend.
I taste a lot of berry flavors, but the sweetness from the apple seems to curb some of the tarty flavors that I’d might normally experience from all those berries. It’s tart … but this is more sweet than it is tart. This tastes a lot more like a fruit drink than it does a tea.
In fact, what comes to mind as I sip this tea is my marinara sauce. Why? Because when my kids were younger, I used to puree zucchini and carrots in my marinara to add vegetables to my kids diet without them knowing it. I kind of feel like that’s what’s being done with this tisane. It’s like someone added all this fruit to the yerba mate to disguise the flavor of the yerba mate, because had I not known there was yerba mate in this blend (based on the name), I wouldn’t have guessed it by the flavor.
Overall, it’s tasty, but it’s not really my cup of tea. If you’re looking for a cup of energizing yerba mate … this is NOT the tisane for you. If you want a sweet, fruity drink that’s more fruit punch than it is tea … this might be right up your alley.
Velvet Tea Rooibos Blend from Art of Tea
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Art of Tea
Tisane Description:
Sweet enticing chocolate swimming in a deep velvety base of organic rooibos and refreshing mint leaves. The perfect answer to a dessert tea. The finish is smooth, complimented by a touch of vanilla.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
Hmmm … not bad. Not my favorite rooibos blend, and not my favorite tea from Art of Tea, but this Velvet Tea Rooibos Blend makes an enjoyable cuppa. My biggest complaint with it at this point is the name, because while I can see the “Velvet” part of the tisane, at the top of the page on the Art of Tea website, on the index tab thingy, this tea is called “Red Velvet Tea.” I can even *understand* why it would be called that since it’s a rooibos blend (which is also known as “red tea”) and the chocolate-y notes are kind of velvet-y, however, the name “Red Velvet” conjures up too many thoughts of red velvet cupcakes, and this does not taste like red velvet cupcakes.
But that doesn’t mean that it’s not tasty.
It is chocolate-y (although the chocoholic in me does want more chocolate), and there is a nice minty note to this. The mint is cool and crisp and it gives the overall cup a delicious taste that is reminiscent to an after dinner mint. A nice dessert tisane.
I can also taste the apple in this, and it adds a little bit of sweetness to the cup without messing up the balance between chocolate and mint. The rooibos flavor is not very distinct, but that’s just fine with me. I taste vague “nutty” tones to the cup but I find that these seem to enhance the chocolate nicely, giving the cup some depth.
It’s a nice cup, tasty for later in the evening when you want something sweet to curb those cravings, and this won’t ruin your diet. (Yeah, I hate that word too.) It’s good, and I’d drink it again.
Vanilla Coconut Black Tea Blend from Octavia Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black Tea & Rooibos
Where to Buy: Octavia Tea
Tea Description:
As if the individual ingredients weren’t tasty enough on their own… brought all together, this blend delivers YUM in spades. The apple does well in this blend and the red rooibos base stands its ground. You’ll probably want to make a whole pot of this one.
Learn more about this blend here.
Learn more about subscribing to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
My monthly tea tasting box from Amoda Tea arrived a couple of days ago, and this Vanilla Coconut Black Tea Blend from Octavia Tea is the first tea that I’ve tried from it. This month, Amoda Tea has selected Octavia Tea as their tea company of the month.
And this is Vanilla Coconut tea is really YUM! The black tea base is fairly mild – there’s not an aggressive black tea taste here. The rooibos adds some lightness to the overall cup too, I think, so we get an earthy, slightly woody background of flavor that is a bit on the lighter side. The base does more to complement the flavors of vanilla, coconut and chocolate (YES, chocolate!) than stand on its own in this cup. Everything seems to meld together to create an enjoyable union of tastes.
The vanilla is what I notice most prominently. It is sweet and creamy and adds a certain decadent quality to the cup. Then I notice the delectable flavor of the coconut. The coconut is not quite as strong a flavor as I think it should be, given that this tea is called “Vanilla Coconut” but, I do like the accent of coconut flavor here, and I find that more coconut notes come through if I slurp the tea. It might not sound like a very well-mannered thing to do – slurping the tea – but it certainly does enhance the flavor, and since i’m sitting here by myself at the moment, I’m going to slurp!
The chocolate is a soft flavor but, I like how it seems to accentuate the flavor of the black tea. These two flavors are very synergistic, they seem to play off each other very well … each flavor benefiting from the presence of the other.
And then we have the apple bits. Usually, the apple bits do more to increase the visual appeal of the blend than really add a whole lot of flavor to the cup, but, as the tea cools and as I reach the end of my cup, I am starting to pick up on hints of apple-y flavor. The apple adds a little bit of contrast for the palate, a slight sweet-tart taste that’s very enjoyable.
This isn’t the first tea I’ve tried from Octavia, but, it’s nice to be sampling their teas again! Thanks to Amoda Tea for making Octavia Tea the focus of your tea box this month!
And speaking of Amoda Tea, they have made some changes to their box which became effective this month. The first thing that I noticed – the box is a little smaller. (The boxes are super cool, they’re flat (maybe 3/4 of an inch?) and they’re about 10″ long, and about 4″ wide.) The samples are also smaller – just enough for a pot of tea. And with the smaller sizes came a smaller price. I’m really thrilled with the changes that Amoda has made to their monthly box!
Apple Cardamom Flavored Rooibos from 52Teas
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
It’s been a while since we did a rooibos blend, but I think the sweet apple and uniquely spicy cardamom go well with the caffeine-free redbush. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do, and I hope you order a bunch of it, so I’ll have gas money to get back from Ft. Worth. (Just kidding! …sort of.)
Learn more about this Rooibos Blend here.
Learn more about Zoomdweebie’s fundraising campaign to reopen the Tea Bar here.
Taster’s Review:
Mmm! Yummy! This Apple Cardamom flavored Rooibos is a really well-crafted blend from 52Teas. The apple and cardamom notes meld beautifully with the nutty tones of the rooibos. It’s a tisane that screams autumn!
But, I’m getting ahead of myself. The aroma of both the dry leaf and the brewed tisane is delightful. I can smell the sweet notes of apple, and the warm notes of the cardamom, and hints of a woody, earthy scent from the rooibos. It even SMELLS like autumn!
I don’t usually get all giddy over rooibos blends. Most rooibos blends are met with somewhat of a ho-hum kind of attitude from me, I’m kind of blasé about most of the rooibos blends. There are some that I just don’t like at all, and the majority of them are alright … but like I said, I’m relatively indifferent. I could take ’em or leave ’em. But every once in a while, I’ll find one that knocks my socks off. (OK, I am not wearing socks at the moment, but you know what I’m saying, right?) This is one of those that is knocking my socks off.
It’s like I said … the sweet, nutty, woody tones of the rooibos just work really well with the sweet apple notes. There’s just a hint of tartness from the apple too. Just enough for a little bit of contrast. And the cardamom adds a pleasing amount of warmth to the cup. It’s a crisp, almost-peppery, spicy-sweet taste that I get from the cardamom, and it plays beautifully with the apple. Cinnamon seems to be the popular spice to mix with apple … but, I am really liking the way the cardamom tastes with the apple … perhaps even better than the cinnamon. Next time I make my baked apples, I think I’m going to have to use cardamom in the recipe because this is just … perfectly delightful!
Because of the autumnal taste of this tisane, I have to say that I really do prefer it served warm. It’s got that warm, cozy taste of apple cider. It’s tasty iced too, but, I prefer it hot. It doesn’t need sweetener … but if you really want to add some, try some brown sugar (just a pinch of it!) to enhance the cardamom.
PS: Don’t forget to visit Zoomdweebie’s fundraising campaign to help Frank re-open his tea bar!