Tangy Orange Carrot from Steeped Tea isn’t really a tea, per say, but a tisane…one could even call it a ‘veggie tea’, however, there aren’t any actually tea leaves in this one, folks!
What it DOES have is: Carrot bits*, Apple bits*, Sea Buckthorn peel*, Ginger*, Turmeric root*, Orange wedges*, Pumpkin bits*, Anise*, Natural flavors*. *Organic.
I have had this one HOT which was pretty good, but I prefer it cold or ICED, instead.
When infusing I used about a teaspoon or two of the loose tisane ingredients and let them sit in the hot water for about 5 minutes. If cold brewing you can do that overnight, as well.
As for the flavor, the carrot, orange, apple, and ginger blend nicely. The pumpkin and spices are an afterthought but I’m glad they aren’t overdone, too.
This is a nice tisane COLD in late summer or WARM for fall. So, basically, a win…win!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Fruit Tisane
Where to Buy: Steeped Tea
Description
This tea looks to be no longer available but click below for blends that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Cheerful Blend from Tealyra. . . .
One can often tell something about a tea from it’s name. Teas like Foggy Coconut or Chocolate Delight come to mind. These teas make it clear what will be in your cup when all is said and done. Sometimes tea companies get a bit creative and come up with fun names like “Ghoul Gulp”, “Fairy Dust”, or this Tealyra tea, “Cheerful Blend”. These teas appeal to emotions or create certain associations in order to pull you in. The issue is, when you don’t really know what is in a blend, it is easy to overlook a tea. That is what has happened to this blend that has been bumping around my tea stash for over a year without ever being tasted.
The other day I was inventorying my teas and I looked this one up. I was intrigued by the unique ingredient list: apple bits, carrot bits, ginger bits, pumpkin bits, coriander, banana chips, and natural flavorings. I thought it sounded like it would make for a nice cold brew so I dumped the whole sample in a water bottle and left it to steep overnight.
Taste wise, it is unlike anything I have had before. It is sweet but not dessert-like. It has a lot of carrot and banana chip flavors. Almost like I am drinking the little bit of water that always seems to be in bags of baby carrots, while snacking on banana chips. The more I drink, the more pumpkin sweetness intermingles with the carrot. Unfortunately the sweet together just builds and builds and eventually the tea, though interesting, is just too much. I was hoping for some ginger to cut through and add something different to the layer upon layer of sweet but I never got any.
I think with some more ginger, this tea could be a real winner. It is different than most of the other fruit tisanes I have tried which rely heavily on apple or hibiscus but unfortunately it quickly becomes one note: sweet. This needs something to gives this more flavor and more depth. As it is, I am content with just the one cup.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Fruit Tisane
Where to Buy: Tealyra
Description
Cheerful Blend is a sweet, orange-hued veggie infusion ideal for those looking for a healthy veggie tea with a pleasant mild fruit taste!
Brew up a taste of a freshly juiced health tonic with our Cheerful Blend! Our organic Cheerful veggie fusion blend features a fine base of dried apple bits, pumpkin, carrots and banana chips, to that we have added pure dried ginger and coriander for a sweet and healthy treat!
At first sip, a rich banana nectar flavor takes the lead, it is wonderfully complemented by naturally sweet carrots, then finishes with pumpkin-ginger. The veggie tisane has a thick velvety body, similar to fresh made juice.
Cheerful Blend will encourage a gentle detox and strengthen your immune system health from the inside out! Sunny days are ahead! Try it hot or iced for a zingy refresher!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Carrot Cake Pancakes from 52Teas
I am a carrot cake fiend. I also love me some pancakes. And before I found this magical tea hybrid of the two, I found actual carrot cake pancakes…or perhaps it was pancakes carrot cake? Basically it was a cake sold in a deli in Montreal that looked like 20 pancakes stacked, with cream cheese icing in between the layers. It always fascinated me but I never got to try it so this tea is my chance to give it a go.
The first thing I noticed while drinking this tea is that it has the nice spice that I love in a good carrot cake. The cinnamon is definitely strong, though smooth, with a touch of nutmeg and a dash of allspice. It is a nice rounded spice flavor that is kept in check by the sweetness of the carrot. With that said, the black tea has a touch of thickness in the mouthfeel that is bringing to mind a denser pancake as opposed to a fluffy/light cake.
At first when I finished the cup I was sad that there was no semblance of a cream cheese icing. With that said, I can definitely see this as carrot cake pancakes, as in pancakes inspired by a carrot cake recipe as opposed to the carrot cake that looked like 20 stacked pancakes layered with icing. So no cream cheese icing but this does taste like a pancake with carrot cake spices and some carrot sweetness. If you want carrot cake, this is not the tea to go with but if you want carrot cake pancakes, then give this a try.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Carrot Cupcake from The NecessiTeas. . . .
This is an herbal blend of apple, carrot, almonds, walnuts, cinnamon, coconut, pineapple, crystallized ginger, cloves, and natural and organic flavors. In the packet, it smells sweet, light, and fruity, with only a little of the clove coming through – a minor miracle since clove so easily overpowers other flavors.
Steeped for about six minutes in boiling water, it is still a light but flavorful cup. I have had carrot cake and this is lighter than I would expect. Tasty, but not the taste I was expecting.
Apple and pineapple are keeping it light and fresh, the ginger and clove are remarkably well behaved and sit on the back row without demanding all the attention, although that crystallized ginger keeps trying to peek to the forefront. The nutty flavors are plainly here, with the cinnamon being a bit shy and the coconut adding a bit of body overall.
While this is a lovely fall like tisane and I am enjoying it, it does not make visions of carrot cupcake dance in my head. I would love to try this again, but mix it half and half with a good black tea base. I think that could be an awesome experience.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Tisane
Where to Buy: The NececssiTeas
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Caramel Carrot from Tea Shirt
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Tea Shirt
Tea Description:
Flavoured fruit & vegetable tea blend
Ingredients: carrot flakes, apple pieces, pineapple cubes (contains sugar), cocoa peel, cream-caramel pieces (sweetened, skimmed, condensed milk, sugar, glucose, molasses, butter fat, wetting agent, emulsifying agent), flavouring, safflower.
Preparation: Put one heaped teaspoon of loose leaf tea per person into 100°C water for 8-10 minutes.
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Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Caramel Carrot from Tea Shirt has the same feel to it as one of 52Teas’ amazing concoctions! The tea blend immediately called to me. I love the odd teas that are out there and love checking them out. This is one odd tea, that is for sure!
First off, Caramel Carrot has a very unique look. I swear the tea looks like trail mix. Huge chunks of carrots, apple pieces, and what looks to be a caramel cube. Looking at the ingredient list it really makes me wonder what the wetting agent and emulsifying agent are. Two words I can’t say I’ve ever seen in a tea before!
After looking over the package and not really being sure how to steep the tea, I went with what the packaged recommended. 100C and 10 minute steeping time. The dry leaf itself had an unusual sugary like smell to it. One that I wasn’t too keen on but I was going to see this tea thru to the end!
First sip in and I have to say this to is something else. I can’t say I like nor can I say I dislike the tea. There is an unusual sugary caramel flavor that flows thru the sip mixed with a bright carrot flavor. It seems odd to be sipping on a liquid and getting a true carrot flavor, but that is exactly what is happening. I don’t really get any of the apple or pineapple notes. They could just be contributing to the sugary finish.
So all in all, a fun tea to try. Just can’t say that I would enjoy cup after cup of Caramel Carrot from Tea Shirt. It was a fun cuppa while it lasted tho!
On to my next tea adventure!
