Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Tay Tea
Tisane Description:
Soothing and relaxing with a tangy kick that screams at you to make iced tea. As a hot tea, this is still a delight. Layers of red berries, tart currants, lavender and rooibos with subtle hints of rose. The texture of this tea is amazingly soft on the tongue and the lavender persists all the way through each sip.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about subscribing to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
This is really lovely! Despite the suggestion above to make this into iced tea, I opted for a hot tea – there’s just something about lavender that tells me to make hot tea and since it would seem that A Day in Provence Rooibos Blend from Tay Tea has a strong lavender presence I figured hot tea was the way to go this evening. And as I said … it’s really very lovely!
The lavender is a strong, well-defined essence but it never tastes too floral, perfume-ish or soapy. The lavender (and the rose) have been added at just the right amounts so that the flavors are present in every sip without tasting of Aunt Mildred’s favorite perfume.
And as much as I enjoy lavender, what I’m enjoying most about this particular cuppa is that I’m not tasting a strong rooibos flavor. I taste subtle notes of a woody flavor and hints of nutty tones and that familiar honeyed note, but it isn’t a really powerful presence.
Instead, I taste notes of currant and this gives the cup an almost wine-like taste, and the rose and lavender are very complementary to the wine-ish flavors. I taste a sweet-tart berry note. Overall this has a very indulgent, beautiful flavor that I am finding very nice.
I’m really happy that this tea was part of this month’s Amoda Tea Box! Usually, I approach the rooibos/herbal blends with a certain amount of skepticism, but, this is one with which I’m quite pleased.
Zhejiang White Pearls from Steepster
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Steepster Select
Tea Description:
Hand rolled from the earliest picked buds, this spring harvest tea is light, refreshing, and incredibly floral. A beautifully soft and golden liquor that will focus your senses and revitalize your spirits. A wonderful example of quality white tea.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve had white tea pearls a couple of times in the past, but it’s been a while, so I was excited to see these Zhejiang White Pearls featured in this month’s Steepster Select Box! And these pearls are amazing!
The size of these pearls are smaller than I remember the white tea pearls that I’ve had in the past being. Size wise, these are similar to jasmine pearls – but they don’t smell like jasmine pearls! They have more of a vegetal aroma.
And they certainly don’t taste like jasmine pearls, either!
The flavor is sweet and like honey! Imagine a very thin honey! That’s what I’m drinking right now! It is very light and crisp. There are very subtle notes of melon, air, earth and a light floral tone in the background. For those of you who consider a white tea to be too delicate – you should try this one, because the flavors stand out!
Later infusions were a little earthier than the earlier infusions and a little less like thinned honey. Still sweet and the floral notes begin to emerge. Still a delightful tea, I think I preferred the first two infusions to the last two. (It’s still well worth the effort to keep on infusing!)
I am thrilled with this month’s Steepster Select box! And I want to take a moment to express how happy I am with the customer service from Steepster. I encountered some issues with my account, and they worked very hard to get these issues resolved, and when the resolution took more time and effort than expected, they sent me this month’s box free of charge to make up for my troubles. Thank you, Steepster! If you’re on the fence about trying this amazing monthly subscription, rest assured knowing that you’re in good hands with Steepster! They’ll take good care of you!
Hunan Dark Tea from Tea Source
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Dark Tea
Where to Buy: Tea Source
Tea Description:
This loose Hunan dark tea is very fragrant and steeps up medium-bodied, slightly sweet, and meadowy. Good for multiple infusions. This is a great introduction to Hunan dark teas.
Learn more about this tea here.
To subscribe to Steepster Select, click here.
Taster’s Review:
I am not sure exactly what the difference is between “dark” teas and pu-erh teas, but, Tea Source explains it like this:
The category of China dark tea is shrouded in mystery. They are almost never seen in the West. Dark teas from Hunan Province steep up medium-bodied, very smooth, and usually with a natural sweet note as opposed to the dark earthiness of puer. Technically, dark tea is a tea that has gone through a secondary fermentation process. Like puer, dark teas age well and are probiotic.
Since it would seem that it is similar to, but different from pu-erh, I have created a new category under the “parent” category of pu-erh called “Dark Tea,” and this Hunan Dark Tea from Tea Source is the first tea that is being categorized as a Dark Tea here on the SororiTea Sisters Blog.
However, since it is similar to pu-erh, I gave the leaves a quick rinse before I brewed the tea, just as I would a pu-erh.
I will say that this doesn’t taste as earthy as pu-erh, nor does it have that sometimes “fishy” taste that pu-erh can have. This tea is what I’d categorize as a medium-bodied tea and the additional fermentation has given this tea an almost “vinegar” like note. Not so much a sour taste like vinegar, but I can taste a fermented note, tasting perhaps like a grape-y balsamic vinegar that’s been thinned with wine. But that’s just one dimension in this complex tea.
There is also a sweet, creamy sort of taste to this, and that is something I can’t recall tasting in a pu-erh! It’s almost like a vanilla frosting note! Wow! Notes of sweet honey and molasses, but again … lighter than these. Almost like a thinned molasses. Notes of earth, but I like that the earth tones aren’t dominating the cup, instead, I’m experiencing more of the grape-y and sweeter flavors of vanilla cream.
What an enjoyable tea experience! This is remarkably smooth and mild.
My second infusion proved to be sweeter than the first. It was a little less creamy than the first infusion. Not quite as “vanilla frosting” as the first, but I still taste the honey notes and the fruit notes are emerging. I am also noticing a mineral-y sort of taste that imparts a slightly dry note toward the tail. I’m also noticing an ever so slight grassy tone to this cup.
The mineral notes seem to have replaced the “fermented” note that I tasted in the first cup, because I’m not getting that fermented wine/balsamic flavor that I experienced in the first cup, but, as I said, the fruit notes become more focused in this second cup.
It’s hard to say which cup I preferred – the first or the second! Both were delightful. This is a really good tea, I highly recommend it.
Cranberry Breeze Herbal Tisane from Simple Loose Leaf
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Fruit/Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Description:
This perfectly balanced blend of subtly sweet cherry and rose hips with tart cranberry and hibiscus make this herbal tea refreshingly delicious and reminiscent of a fun fruit punch drink. Perfect for children and others watching sugar and caffeine; Cranberry Breeze is wonderful hot or iced and is the perfect alternative to sweet caffeinated drinks.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s Selection Club subscription program here.
Taster’s Review:
This Cranberry Breeze Herbal Tisane is not one I would have selected for myself. I am sipping on it only because it was one of the five teas in this month’s Simple Loose Leaf Selection Club and I opted for the five samplers instead of choosing an ounce or two of two of the teas. But you know what? I’m glad that I received this because I am enjoying it.
Yeah, normally, I’m not a big fan of hibiscus, and this is hibiscus-y! Really hibiscus-y. When I drink a hibiscus-based tisane, I want it to either be light on the hibiscus, or have ingredients that work well with the hibiscus. Well, this tisane isn’t light on the hibiscus, but the cranberry and hibiscus work very well together.
Yes, it’s tart. There are times when I’d even go so far as to say it’s sour! But, cranberries are like that, and as I said, the hibiscus and cranberry work really well together in this tisane.
I taste notes of sour cherry too, and the cherry and cranberry together give this a very juicy, fruity, party punch flavor only healthier, because even though I am not a fan of hibiscus, it is does bring a lot of health benefits to this party in a teacup.
I like this better iced than hot because the fruity punch flavor just tastes better iced. Not my favorite tisane, but it is something that I’d drink now and then when I want something a little bit different to give my taste buds a jump start. Try brewing up a pitcher of this, chilling it, and then serving it to the kids the next time they want something to drink – it’s a great naturally caffeine free alternative to those sugary sodas!
Oh, and don’t forget about Simple Loose Leaf’s special April promotion! You can get your first month of the Selection Club for just one dollar! Yes, you read that correctly! Use this code: 1DOLLARMONTH and enjoy up to five different teas next month for just one dollar! Wow! That’s amazing! Be sure to check it out and tell ’em that I sent you!
Soba Cha Deep Roast Buckwheat Tisane from Steepster
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Buckwheat Tea
Where to Buy: Steepster Select
Tisane Description:
Soba cha (roasted buckwheat berries) is a caffeine free tisane drank in noodle shops in Japan. With an intoxicating aroma and slightly sweet, nutty brew, this is sure to become a favorite. GLUTEN FREE!
Taster’s Review:
Mmm! I’m pretty sure that I’ve tried Soba Cha before, although, I’m not sure when. This Soba Cha Deep Roast Buckwheat Tisane from Steepster reminds me a lot of drinking Genmai … (the toasted rice part). It has that roasty-toasty quality of Genmai rice, but, this has more of a malty … or perhaps a barley like flavor. It reminds me a lot of a freshly baked, whole multi-grain bread.
The flavor is sweet with notes of honey and nutty tones. There is a caramel-ish sort of flavor to this as well and that melds nicely with the honey. Then there is the grain-y sort of flavor that is so reminiscent of “breakfast” to me. Whole multi-grain toast with a pat of butter on it and honey drizzled over it. Yeah … that’s what I taste with this.
On Steepster I saw a suggestion of adding some maple syrup to this, and I think that would make a stunning addition to this. It’s quite good served straight up (I prefer this hot, it seems to lose something to the flavor as it cools), but, if I were going to add something, I think I would add the maple. It would give this a real “breakfast-y” sort of appeal.
A really yummy, naturally caffeine free alternative!