Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black Orthodox Tippy Kenyan Tea
Where to Buy: Butiki
Tea Description:
Our truly exceptional Royal Golden Safari originates from a small scale farm in Kenya and has long golden leaves that mingle with milk chocolate and cacao colored leaves. Toasted walnut and oaky notes are prominent with a light pear undertone. Cocoa notes are also present. This orthodox tea does not contain any pesticides.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I was making breakfast when I decided to brew this tea today. I had just got an order in from Stacy and this was one of the samples I requested. I was really not even thinking of doing a review on this one as I was simply wanting to wake up and just enjoy a new tea but I decided not only does this tea deserve a review, Stacy deserves my review, but there is also a review contest going haha. So I decided what the heck. Now again, when I took my initial sips I was not thinking about the tea so much in order to review it – as just wanted to get some tea into my system. Yet what hit me was an intense and lovely flavor of Sweet Potato and Brown Sugar! I instantly thought of another very fine tea that I love that is highly prized and difficult to get ahold of! How lovely to have another option for this flavor profile!
When a tea is so easy to pick flavor notes out of its a real pleasure because it makes it so much easier to review, to enjoy, and to feel joy from. The tea surprised me with flavor note after flavor note!
This tea has a nice sweet aroma and flavor with a creamy texture in the mouthfeel. It gave up notes of honey, nuts and chocolate, and as I have already mentioned, sweet potato, and brown sugar! Just YUM! No wonder it is called Royal Golden “Safari” it felt like being on a safari and discovering one new surprise after another!
There is a malty element to this tea yet its not as malty as one may expect – it is rather mellow and soothing. In a manner more like a Darjeeling in its lighter feel and flavors yet very much the flavor profile of Assam without the heaviness.
The second steep was a bit light in the flavors but steep three brought them back out. It was also in steep three that cinnamon and pear began to peek through.
I forgot to mention that I just love the way the leaves look in dry form. They are truly quite beautiful! The cup itself is pretty as well ranging from steep one a deep crimson color to later steepings being a lighter amber.
I of course love that this tea is pesticide free!
Unfortunately I did not get a fourth steeping from the leaves but I was very pleased with the three I did get! No need to be greedy with such a fine tea.
Overall I really quite like this one. Royal Garden Safari offers delicious flavors and while I don’t know if I would say it could hold up well to milk, being on the lighter spectrum, it would hold up well to sweetener but I would not muddle such a lovely naturally sweet cup with additives.
Blueberry Streusel Honeybush from 52Teas
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tisane Description:
Buttery, cakey, brown-sugary blueberryness in a cup (or a glass). With a tiny hint of lemon. Caffeine-free vegan deliciousness. Get it while it lasts.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
When 52Teas announced this one, I knew I’d love it. First of all, I can’t think of a honeybush blend that 52Teas has come out with that I did not like … combine that with the fact that I adore blueberries … and the buttery, cake-y kind of flavors that they do are usually just OFF THE HOOK delicious … I KNEW that this blend would be absolutely sensational.
And it is! The blueberry flavor is reminiscent of the kind of blueberry taste you’d find in the gourmet style muffins from your favorite bakery – you know the kind where you bite into one of the berries that have been baked into the muffin … it is ripe and bursting with flavor. That’s what I taste here. The kind of blueberry flavor that has been intensified by the heat of the oven. So juicy and delectable!
And of course there’s the baked cake-y kind of flavor that 52Teas captures so well. It’s buttery and rich, and there are even hints of that brown sugar crunch topping on top! The honeybush offers a sweet, nutty flavor to the cup that seems to play to the streusel flavor really well. There is also the oh-so-subtle touch of lemon to this, and it while it doesn’t contribute a heavy lemon-y flavor to the cup, it manages to brighten it up and add just the right touch of acidity to this streusel in a teacup.
This is oh-so-yummy! And, sadly, it is also sold out. I don’t know if they’re planning on reblending this one, but if they do, you should really jump on that opportunity and grab yourself a pouch while they’re available. And in the meantime, consider subscribing to one of their money-saving plans. It not only saves you a little bit of money but it will also save you the heartache of missing out on one of their popular flavors (like this one) that ends up selling out before you have a chance to buy it! For this reason alone, it’s definitely worth it!
Raisin Oatmeal Cookie from Della Terra Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Della Terra Teas
Tea Description: Just like your favorite oatmeal raisin cookie! This delicious black tea blended with vanilla, brown sugar, cinnamon and raisins will invite to have cup after cup with its incredible aroma and smell. Could it be you just baked a fresh batch of these in your kitchen? No, it’s the tea! That’s how perfectly created this blend is, it really is just like the real cookie in smell and taste! mmm mmm!
Ingredients: Black tea, vanilla and brown sugar flavor, cinnamonb, raisins
Learn more about this tea here: Della Terra Teas
Taster’s Review:
Oh goodness! THIS is delicious! Not only is it exactly as described but it will give you several re-steeps as well! Both my daughter and myself have steeped this same teaspoon of loose leaf tea several times and the flavor is still going quite strong! I rarely find myself able to steep and re-steep a black tea this many times, let alone a flavored black! All too often I find follow up steeps to be very lacking in flavor but Della Terra Teas has this blend down to perfection!
Now I am not going to claim that this fifth steep I am now having is as good as the first but I will say if I placed this fifth steep in front of you and did not tell you it was a fifth steep you would still love it!
The cinnamon is not over done which I often find that cinnamon can really take over the whole flavor profile of a tea. The raisins add a very nice note that dances off the brown sugar and what a nice black base they have used here. There is a wonderful bakey flavor to this tea that pulls everything together into the perfect Oatmeal Raisin Cookie tea!
I have a 19 year old son who never drinks tea, I really don’t want to know what he does drink lol but he absolutely loves Oatmeal Raisin Cookies and I am going to have him try this tea as soon as he comes over next. Never have I even considered introducing him to tea, moms are lame enough without pushing our tea love on our younger “adult” children, but this one is the one I will introduce him to the wonderful world of tea with and I am positive he is going to love it! I think however I will go iced when introducing it to him, maybe not as refined but this is a tea that can absolutely work in an iced format and I am pretty sure my son will be more willing to give it a try that way.
If you love winter blends, chai, hearty teas, autumnal drinks, raisin oatmeal cookies, things that make you feel cuddly and warm and longing for the holiday season, do not pass this up! I am sure this would even work extremely well with an alcohol additive if you consume alcohol.
I also would like to add that Della Terra has wonderful customer service and some of the best communication with their buyers that I have experienced. They reply to emails and Facebook questions quickly. That is always important to me and when applicable I like to mention it in my reviews.
I truly could not ask for more in this tea except for more OF this tea!
Maple & Brown Sugar Oatmeal Flavored Black Tea from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
I’m a picky eater. My wife and mother can attest to this. It’s not that I’m trying to be difficult really, but somehow I just wound up that way. Oatmeal is one of those things that, as a kid, made my stomach turn. It SMELLED amazing, but the texture and the appearance of it just ruined me for it. As an adult now, knowing more specifically what the gloppy stuff is, I don’t think I would have such an issue with oatmeal. I’m thinking I might just have to give it another try one of these days.
In the meantime, I’ve been working on this week’s tea of the week–a maple and brown sugar oatmeal flavored TEA! I’m actually enjoying a hot cup of the fruit of my labor right now, and it’s delicious!
My wife, bless her heart, made me some oatmeal scotchies for my birthday tomorrow, and they are an awesome companion to this tea, believe me. With rolled oats and natural flavors including oatmeal, maple and brown sugar, this is a tea that will “stick to your ribs” as my mother used to say of oatmeal. (Probably another reason I didn’t want any–why would you tell a kid that? It sounds horrible and painful.)
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I know I’ve said this before concerning at least one or two of 52Teas’ unusual blends, but, I really had my doubts about this one. I mean, I enjoy oatmeal (even though maple and brown sugar oatmeal isn’t my favorite, I prefer cinnamon and cranberries in my oatmeal), but I wasn’t so sure I wanted an oatmeal tea.
Nevertheless, I wasn’t going to shy away from trying it. The first time I brewed it, it didn’t turn out so great. I find that with this one, how I brewed it was crucial to a good turn out. Of course, that’s true of many teas, isn’t it? It’s just that this one needed a little different brewing than what I’d normally brew a black tea to achieve a successful cup. Using my Breville, I steeped this tea for three minutes (instead of the customary 2 1/2) at 200°F … and wow! This really does taste like Maple and Brown Sugar Oatmeal! Only… it’s tea!
The maple is the strongest note, and I can’t say that I’m disappointed by that, since I love maple and I’ve really been on a maple kick lately. The brown sugar is almost as strong, but not quite. One might think that means this is an overly sweet tea, but I don’t think it is. The black tea base comes in to give it some balance, and the oatmeal is more of a lingering background note.
This has a pleasantly robust flavor with just enough sweetness, and it also has a satisfying kind of flavor to it that is homey and comforting … not unlike a bowl of steaming oatmeal, made with love by mom.
Another unusual tea flavor done amazingly well by 52Teas!
Brown Sugar Fig Black Tea from Ovation Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Ovation Teas
Tea Description:
Blend of Assam and Ceylon loose leaf black teas with diced figs and brown sugar flavoring.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The aroma of the dry leaf is delightful – very fig-y! As I’m sure I’ve shared on this blog before, I have a great fondness for figs, so, when I saw this tea in Ovation Teas’ collection of teas, I knew it was one I had to try.
Unfortunately, the flavor of the fig is not as strong as the scent lead me to believe. Sure, the fig flavor is there, but, it just isn’t as dominate a flavor as it is a fragrance. A little disappointing, as I was looking forward to a strong fig presence; however, it is still a tasty tea.
The brown sugar is quite nice in this, and the combination of black teas, brown sugar and fig flavors create a sort of fig toffee kind of flavor. Very delicious, and even though it is a brown sugar flavored tea, I am not finding this to be too sweet.
The base of the tea is a blend of Assam and Ceylon black teas, and the Assam has a bite to it, so I do recommend a shorter steep time than you would normally allow for a flavored black tea. I steeped my first pot in my Breville for 2 1/2 minutes and found that this was a bit too long as there was some bitterness to the cup. However, after a few minutes of cool time, the bitterness did subside, and the flavors of brown sugar and fig became more apparent. The second time I steeped the tea, I steeped for 2 minutes in my Breville, and this was much better. The black tea was strong, and as the tea cooled slightly, the flavors began to pop.
If you like fig, you should really try this tea. I don’t know that it is my favorite fig flavored tea (Ha! I say that as if there are a bunch out there to choose from!) but, I am finding it quite enjoyable.