Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Amazon Trading
Ingredients:
Black Tea with natural bergamot flavor.
Learn more about Amazon Trading here.
Taster’s Review:
I saved my review of this tea for a while since TeaEqualsBliss had also reviewed it, and I figured I had a lot of other teas from Eden Grove to sample, so I’d save this bergamot for one of the last ones I’d try from this company. Well, that and … it IS bergamot. I saved what I thought I’d like best for one of the last teas I’d try from them.
Now that I taste it, I can’t say that I do actually like it best. I think there were some other teas from Eden Grove that I preferred over this Inverness Estate Black Tea with Essence of Bergamot. That’s not to say that I dislike this one, because it’s actually quite nice.
That said, when it comes to bergamot, I prefer it strongly flavored and this is a little on the subtle side. The Iverness single estate black tea is brisk, however, I think I’d like the bergamot to be on even footing with the robust flavor of the black tea and it isn’t.
There is a nice, bright, citrus-y note to this, but it tastes more like lemon than it does bergamot to me. Again, not necessarily a bad thing, but, for an Earl Grey fan like me … I’m all about the Italian orange! I want bergamot!
Overall, this is a tasty cuppa, and I was happy with it. I just could have been even happier if the bergamot were stronger.
Organic Green Tea Pomegranate from Tea of Life
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Tea Description:
Organic green tea, organic pomegranate and organic rose petals with pomegranate flavor.
Learn more about Tea of Life and Amazon Teas here.
Taster’s Review:
I’m actually tasting more rose than pomegranate with this tea. Kind of a surprise, but, it’s not a bad surprise. I find the combination of flavors: the floral notes of the rose, the sweet notes of the green tea and the sweet-tart notes of the pomegranate to be appealing.
The green tea has a nice buttery note to it that lends a creamy note to the cup, and I like the way this marries with the notes of fruit and flower. The rose is a subtle flavor, but as I said before, it’s actually a bit stronger than the pomegranate, especially during the sip. In the aftertaste is where I notice a real punch of pomegranate flavor.
Overall, this is an enjoyable cup of tea. I appreciate that all the ingredients are organic. It’s good as a hot tea (but do allow it a couple of minutes to cool as the flavors seem to benefit from some cool time), and it’s even better as an iced tea. I cold-brewed the pyramid sachets and was pleasantly surprised at how refreshing the tea was.
Verveine Tisane from Les 2 Marmottes
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Tisane
Where to Buy: Les 2 Marmottes
Tisane Description:
When stress plays tricks on you, verbena takes you by the hand. Let us guide you, it will take you to a quiet and peaceful place. At the end of a meal, ask him his note. She will present weightless and far from salt.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I love the smell of verbena. That light, bright, lemon-y aroma that smells so fresh and lively. And that’s the fragrance that greeted me when I tore into the packet of this Verveine Tisane from Les 2 Marmottes.
It’s a scent that reminds me of summer. My grandmother had a very prolific lemon tree in her backyard, which meant a summertime full of freshly squeezed lemonade, lemon meringue pies and other yummy lemon-y treats.
As much as I love an ice-cold glass of freshly squeezed lemonade, I think I prefer the taste of a cup of brewed verbena over lemonade. I can get a smooth, sweet lemon-curd like taste from a cup of verbena without the tartness and without all that sugar that I’d get from a glass of lemonade.
And this Verveine from Les 2 Marmottes is very refreshing and relaxing to drink! It would taste great iced (and I like to add some verbena to my pure Ceylon tea when I brew it for iced tea for a nice little touch of citrus), but tonight, I’m enjoying a cup of hot Verveine and it’s quite soothing. I feel it calming me with each sip I take.
The flavor is delicately sweet and bright with lemon-y notes. It doesn’t have that tart pucker that I’d get from lemon, though, this is a smooth, gentle lemon note with a touch of butter, similar to what I might taste if I were to eat the sweet, creamy filling of a lemon meringue pie. There are some subtle herbaceous tones to this as well, but I like that they don’t disrupt the lovely lemon notes.
A really nice cup of pure verbena!
Pure Ceylon Tea from Sarabeth’s
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Sarabeth’s
Tea Description:
Ceylon, an island of only 25,000 square miles and called the pearl of the Indian Ocean, is known for its diverse climate, culture and scenery. It has been said that “Ceylon Tea” is Sri Lanka’s gift to the world.
Learn more about Sarabeth’s teas here.
Taster’s Review:
This is a surprisingly strong tasting Ceylon. Surprising, because I generally consider Ceylon black teas to be fairly mellow, smooth, and even-tempered. And sure, this is a smooth and even-tempered black tea, but, I don’t know if mellow is the word I’d use to describe it. It’s pretty hearty for a Ceylon! Even more surprising, I got all this flavor out of a teabag! Yep!
Then again, I’ve been happily surprised by the teas that I’ve tried from Sarabeth’s.
This Pure Ceylon from Sarabeth’s is a robust black tea. It’s smooth. Not bitter. It has a pleasantly round flavor and a satisfying texture. Notes of malt mingling with caramel-y undertones, earthy notes and notes of fruit. Quite nice!
There is very little astringency to the cup. That is to say, that unless I’m really focused on detecting astringency (because, well, that’s part of what I do, right? I review the tea, and part of that is to talk about whether or not it’s an astringent cup) I don’t really notice any astringency. I only notice it when I’m really focused on finding it. And then, it’s a barely there astringency. Those who are a bit sensitive when it comes to astringent teas will find this to be to their liking, I think.
The flavor is rich, smooth and sweet, with caramel-like notes and hints of fruit. Most Ceylon teas tend to have a sort of citrus-y background note that is noticeable toward the finish, I’m not getting that with this one, though. I think that is is probably more earthy than it is fruity, but the fruit notes that I do taste remind me more of a cross between an apricot, grapes and a sweet apple than anything in the citrus category.
A really pleasant cup of tea, and this is a Ceylon that has enough strength to it that I could see choosing this as the first cup of the day. It would take the additions of milk and honey well, making for a nice breakfast tea.
Orange Creamsicle Flavored Iced Tea from Southern Boy Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Learn more about Southern Boy Teas here.
You can also learn more about Southern Boy Teas here.
Taster’s Review:
Ahhh! This is yummy!
As the temperature outside continues to rise, I need something cold and refreshing to sip! I generally prefer hot to iced tea but, over the past couple of years, I’ve come to appreciate having a pitcher full of iced tea chilling in the fridge. I try to keep a pitcher in there at all times, and during the warmer days of summer, I usually need to refill that pitcher daily.
To make a pitcher of this Orange Creamsicle Iced Tea from Southern Boy Teas, I hot brewed the sachet. I think I may have to order another package of this so that I can experiment a little and try it cold-brewed as well. By cold-brewing one of Southern Boy Teas/52Teas iced tea sachets, I can get a full gallon’s worth of tea out of the package, however, when I first try a tea from SBT, I have learned that it’s best to start out with a hot-brew and then experiment. The hot brew will tell me whether or not it’s worth my while to experiment.
In other words, the hot brew tells me whether or not the flavors are there. I’ve learned the hard way that with some of the SBT teas, cold-brewing just doesn’t do the tea justice. So, when I’m first trying a tea, I hot brew it so that I can sit down and write a review about it. If I like it well enough to “experiment” then I order another package.
And I like this. There is a good balance between black tea taste and the flavors of orange and vanilla. It’s not overwhelmingly orange and vanilla Some flavored teas seem to go overboard with flavoring and you don’t end up tasting a lot of tea, I like that I’m tasting TEA here!
The taste is sweet but it’s not cloying. The black tea is brisk and full-flavored, not too astringent, and not bitter. It’s a very pleasant, refreshing beverage. And let’s face it, summer’s coming whether I’m ready for it or not. At least I’ll be “armed” with some nice iced tea choices, thanks to Southern Boy Teas!