Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: The Boston Tea Co.
Tea Description:
As you open the envelope of this certified organic tea, the luscious scents of vanilla will surround you. A silken sachet filled with our premium organic blend of Chinese and Inidan black teas, slices of organic almonds and vanilla. This tea will soothe your soul with every sip.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Organic Vanilla Almond Black Tea from Boston Tea Co. is certainly fragrant! The scent of vanilla and almond is getting my taste buds happy! I steeped one of the pyramid sachets in 8 ounces of boiling water for three minutes, and this produced a flavorful, aromatic cup.
The black tea base is a blend of teas and it’s a rich, full-bodied cup that not only supports the strong flavors of almond and vanilla well, but is able to stand out and be tasted in the presence of the flavors. There is some astringency to the cup, I’d categorize it as a moderate, dry astringency.
The vanilla and almond are well matched. It’s sweet, nutty, and warm, evoking thoughts of autumn – and at this point with all this way too warm weather, I’m wondering when autumn will finally get here! I’m ready for it and this tea is reminding me of how much I miss it.
The flavor combination of almond and vanilla give this an almost “cookie” like flavor, and the smooth, delicious flavor of the tea complements that profile. This is a tea that is strong enough to serve as the first cup of the day and would take the additions of milk and honey well if you want to add them (I liked it just fine served straight up though!) It would also make a nice afternoon cup or a tea to serve to guests. It’s a warm, welcoming type of flavor.
This tea tastes alright iced, but I think I prefer it hot. Especially since the taste is so cookie-like! I like my cookies when they’re still warm, and I prefer this tea when it’s still warm too.
Organic Cranberry Lemon Black Tea Blend from Boston Tea Co.
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: The Boston Tea Co.
Tea Description:
Enjoy this tartfully-sweet tea whether it’s morning, noon, or night! The perfect blend of our premium organic Chinese and Indian black teas with organic cranberries and lemon will leave you taste buds dancing with delight!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I wasn’t sure how I would like this blend, because even though I’ve enjoyed many cranberry flavored teas as well as quite a few lemon flavored teas – to have these two tart fruit flavors together in one tea seemed a little too tarty for me.
But this is alright. It’s not my favorite tea that I’ve tasted from Boston Tea Company, but, I’m enjoying it. The flavors of cranberry and lemon go together surprisingly well. I usually see cranberry and orange as a combination but seldom do I see cranberry and lemon. And it’s a nice combination. Yeah, it’s tart, but it’s still tasty.
I think what really saves this tea for me and makes it tasty instead of way too tarty is the black tea base. It’s a smooth, robust black tea. I taste sweet notes of malt and these sweeter notes of the tea as well as it’s strong, bold taste seems to take some of the attention off the fact that we have two sour fruit flavors in this blend.
Not that the tea base overpowers the fruit notes, but, it manages to curb some of the really sour notes so that it tastes just a little less tart than I anticipated it to taste. So I’m able to experience some of the sweeter notes of the berry and the bright, refreshing flavor of the lemon without feeling that urge to pucker when I take a sip.
I steeped one of these silky pyramids in boiling water for 3 minutes. It produced a flavorful, aromatic cup that is not too tart, but it is a bit more tart than it is sweet, so if you’re one who fancies a sweeter cup, you might want to add just a pinch of sweetener to soften the sour just a bit. I enjoyed it as is, and I tend to be a little sensitive to tart flavors. This tea just “toes the line” at being a little too tart. It’s very tart but not quite there.
Overall, a pleasant tea – this makes a really tasty and refreshing iced tea. I think this is even better iced than hot – the tart notes mellow out just a little bit and make for a very smooth and juicy tasting drink.
Blood Orange Cranberry Rooibos from The Boston Tea Co.
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: The Boston Tea Co.
Tea Description:
A sweet-tart blend that is going to leave you dancing for joy! Now in a silk sachet you’ll be thrilled to take your new favorite tea with you wherever you go! Sip and savor this blend any time of day, it’s naturally caffeine-free!
Learn more about this rooibos blend here.
Taster’s Review:
This is a tasty rooibos blend that I find more enjoyable as I continue to sip it.
The cranberry and blood orange flavors are about evenly matched and play well together, offering a taste that isn’t too tart or too sweet. The finish is tangy from the berry and the citrus, and overall, I find the cup to be pleasantly fruity, and really quite smooth despite the tart and tangy notes. There is a really enjoyable smoothness to the flavor.
However, I do find myself wishing that I wasn’t tasting so much of the woody/nutty flavor of the rooibos. The autumnal nature of the rooibos does meld well with these autumn fruits, but, I’m tasting just a wee bit too much rooibos and not enough fruit for my personal taste. That’s not to say it’s bad or it’s good – it IS tasty – I just think it would be even more tasty if the fruit flavors were a bit stronger to help mute out some of the rooibos flavor.
Overall, an enjoyable cup of tisane, and something I’d drink again if it were offered. Not my favorite cuppa from The Boston Tea Co. … but it’s still a decent cuppa.