It’s the third day already! Christmas is almost here! Wow!
Without further ado, I will go right into today’s tea, because it’s a good one!
Peppermint Perfection
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Della Terra Teas
Tea Description:
On the third day of Christmas we have ourselves some French hens. Well, that is fine of course, but wouldn’t you rather have a cup of some amazing peppermint tea?
Well, here it is! Peppermint Perfection, pure vanilla and peppermint create this creamy, peppermint-y tea!
Taster’s Review:
I couldn’t find this tea on Della Terra Teas’ website, but I did find their Peppermint Bark tea, and I thought that they might be the same tea, so I contacted Della Terra Teas to find out! (And may I just say that the customer service at Della Terra Teas is top notch! They get back to me via email promptly whenever I have an issue. I like that in a company.)
I asked them whether or not the Peppermint Perfection and the Peppermint Bark teas were the same teas, and here is what they told me:
Actually, though similar, the peppermint perfection has one part more vanilla than the peppermint bark.
That’s really about the only difference other than maybe just a wee bit more mint flake.
So, this tea is similar to the Peppermint Bark, which is formerly known as Candy Cane Lane. So let’s find out how much the additional vanilla and a wee bit more mint flake changes things up, shall we?
Mmm! This is really good. The aroma of the dry leaf is reminiscent of the aforementioned Candy Cane Lane, although I think that the extra vanilla seems to enhance the chocolate-y fragrance just a tad, because I could really smell the chocolate when I opened the pouch this time.
And I can really taste the chocolate too. There is a delicious concinnity of chocolate and vanilla to this cup, and the peppermint is strong without overpowering the cup. The black tea is a little less represented than the flavors here, but, I find that as the tea cools slightly, that I’m picking up on more black tea notes. Everything balances out very well.
This is a tea that certainly benefits from a few moments to allow the tea to cool slightly. The flavors become more distinct after about three minutes of cool time. It’s still a tea that I prefer to drink hot (just not straight from the teapot hot!) and it’s a perfect tea for this time of year.
This was one of my oldest daughter’s favorite teas from last year’s box (well, the Candy Cane Lane was!) so I am happy that a new version of it was included in this year’s box so that I can share some more of this tea with her.
Detox Tea from Naked Teas Galore
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Functional Tisane
Where to Buy: Naked Teas Galore
Tisane Description:
This is crafted ever so carefully to ensure that no one ingredient overpowers another. Wow! What a blend. Balanced spice, herbaceous nettle and a subtle apple-like flavour brought by the chamomile. Soothing mint and sweet liquorice to finish.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Learn more about subscribing to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
I wasn’t all that excited to try this Detox Tea from Naked Teas Galore. For one thing, it’s an herbal tisane, and for another it’s a functional herbal tisane. Two strikes against it right from the start, and then it’s a chamomile blend too. Yikes!
But I tried to remain positive and give it a try. After all, Amoda Tea has been pretty good at selecting teas and even tisanes that make me happy that I’m a subscriber. I mean, hey, if I wasn’t happy as a subscriber, I would have cancelled the subscription a long time ago. (Speaking of subscribing, I highly recommend signing up for December’s box … it sounds like it’s going to be a winner!)
But, let’s get back to this Detox Tea, shall we?
This is actually a lot tastier than I thought it would be. Normally, when I think “Detox Tea” or even “Functional Tisane,” I think that I’m in for a medicinal, herbaceous tasting drink. Fortunately, this tastes neither medicinal or herbaceous to me. The spices here are in the foreground, tasting more like cinnamon, cardamom, cinnamon and licorice than it does nettle or chamomile.
Oh sure, I can taste notes of the chamomile, and even hints of the herbaceous character of nettle and peppermint and dandelion root. I taste notes of citrus from the lemongrass. And all the flavors meld together in a way that is very tasty and not at all medicinal.
I like that the apple-y notes of the chamomile marry with the citrus tones of the lemongrass and the bright goji berry to create more of a “fruity” quality than distinct individual notes of each of these. The same is true of the spices. It doesn’t taste too much like any one of the spices, instead, I taste a medley of warm, zesty spice.
One of the nicer Detox tisanes that I’ve tasted … this is a detox I can stand behind, because this tastes really nice!
Lu’an Guapian Green Tea from SwanSisters
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: SwanSisters
Tea Description:
Delicately vegetal and floral. This is a green tea that stands out from the rest. Lu’an has a roasted note that is reminiscent of an oolong, The toastiness creates a stronger flavour that you will find in other greens. Smooth, nutty and sweet with a round mouthfeel and a long finish.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about subscribing to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
Lovely! What a wonderful tea for Amoda Tea to include in their tea tasting box for November! Just when I thought that they only understand flavored teas, they pull out something like this Lu’an Guapian Green Tea from SwanSisters, and prove me wrong. (But please don’t tell my husband I said that!)
This is sweet and has a texture that is like a nourishing broth: thick and smooth. The above description mentions a round mouthfeel and yes, that’s it exactly. It is very well-rounded. It is not quite as vegetal as you would expect from a green … and again, as the description above suggests, this is more like an Oolong.
The nutty tones make the taste sweet and creamy. It’s not overly “toasty” or roasted in flavor, but, I can see how Amoda Tea made that comparison, because the nutty tones do taste like freshly roasted nuts.
A very enjoyable tea. This is the first tea that I’ve sampled from this company, and my interest is piqued! I hope that I’ll have the opportunity to try more soon!
Passion Fruit Flavored Rooibos Blend from Octavia Tea
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Octavia Tea
Tisane Description:
Lemon myrtle is more lemony than a lemon itself. If you didn’t know that already, this tea will show you! The citrus hits you, mingles with the tropical fruit and continues to linger. The hibiscus plays its part in adding beautiful colour and a tartness that tones down the sweetness of the tropical fruit, creating a more true fruit flavour.
Learn more about this blend here.
Learn more about subscribing to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
The aroma of this Passion Fruit Flavored Rooibos Blend from Octavia Tea really blew me away! It smells AMAZING! The combination of the passion fruit, peach and mango essences, together with the notes of citrus from the lemon myrtle … create a really ambrosial fragrance that … knocked my socks off!
OK … so my socks are still on, but you get what I’m saying, right?
And … I’m loving what I’m tasting here too. This is really yummy. But … for the purists out there who think that tea should taste like tea and not like a sweet, fruity drink … this tisane is NOT for you! This is a sweet, fruity drink!
In fact, one of the things I like best about it is that I’m not tasting much of the rooibos base. As I’ve said on numerous occasions, I’m not a big fan of the woodsy tasting herb. Here, just hints of the nutty, honeyed taste of rooibos comes through.
And I’m also happy to say that even though I steeped this for seven minutes, I didn’t get a heavy hibiscus note … nor did I get that heavy syrupy thickness that comes with steeping hibiscus a long time. The hibiscus here has been thoughtfully blended … adding just enough to give the cup just a touch of tart flavor without overpowering the blend.
The lemon-y notes from the lemon myrtle is bright and flavorful, and it really perks up the other fruit notes. The passion fruit, the peach and the mango … make delightful partners in this blend … so sweet and juicy!
This is a tisane that kids would love because it has a lot of sweet, fruity flavor. And it would certainly be better for them than that sugar-y soda … not only would it be less sugar, but rooibos have some great health benefits, as does hibiscus. And I love that the ingredients in this tisane are organic, too!
A really tasty tisane! This one gets an enthusiastic thumbs up from me.
Creamy Cacao Delight from Hale Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green & White Teas
Where to Buy: Hale Tea Company
Tea Description:
Creamy white cacao pretty much sums it up! Lingering white chocolate flavour and notes of vanilla bean meld naturally with subtle hints of the green and white tea at its base. This is a velvety soft tea that’s surprisingly light.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about subscribing to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
Amoda Tea has made some changes with their monthly Tea Tasting Box, and it sounds to me like these changes may be for the better! First of all, the amount of tea will be less per tea – which is fine by me because I am more of a taster than one who likes to keep large amounts of tea on hand. Second … the cost of the monthly box is less! I can live with that! Ha! Finally, Amoda will no longer be selling the tea to the public … oh, they’ll still assemble the boxes, but if you want more of any particular tea after sampling it, you’ll be forwarded to the tea company that sells the tea to order directly from them.
So far, I’m really happy with these changes!
For the month of September, the featured tea company is Hale Tea Company. The first tea that I chose to sample from this company is Creamy Cacao Delight, because … well, did you happen to see the word Cacao in the name? Yeah, I like that word. That word says to me that this tea will be a yummy, chocolate-y tea. And that brings a big smile to this chocoholic’s face!
The aroma of the dry leaf is deliciously creamy with vanilla top notes and notes of chocolate. My mouth started watering the moment I opened the pouch! Once brewed, I notice less of the vanilla tones and more of the chocolate-y notes.
The flavor … oh my goodness! This is yum. As I’ve mentioned before (even in this article!) I’m a chocoholic. But, white chocolate … doesn’t always do it for me. I’d much rather have dark chocolate. I generally find white chocolate to be too sweet, and I enjoy the contrast of bitter and sweet in a darker chocolate. But … I’m liking the sweet creamy notes here just fine!
There is a lovely balance between vanilla and chocolate notes to provide a very rich, creamy, decadent taste. The white tea and green tea provide a nice base for the chocolate flavors, because it doesn’t overwhelm the chocolate, but it’s also not allowing itself to be overpowered. I taste both teas – the green tea is fresh and vegetative and the white tea has a crispness to it, as well as a hay-like note that tastes really quite nice with the white chocolate tones.
And as the description above suggests, the overall tone to this cup is light. It isn’t a heavy feel on the palate, and this I like because even though it’s white chocolate … it’s a flavor that I often find “too much” because it is a very sweet form of chocolate-y taste. The lightness allows the goodness of white chocolate to come through without all that heavy sweetness.
This is a light, sweet, delicious way to experience a balance between vanilla and chocolate. YUMMY! And … this one must be resteeped! The chocolate-y flavors really intensify with the second steeping.