Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: The Tea Spot – be sure to check out the coupon code featured just after this review for a limited time offer on this tea!
Tea Description:
Pink Rose Lemonade is a swirling collage of flowers with a hint of lemon and wintergreen. Like a fancy floral confection, this delicately handcrafted tea will refresh and soothe your palate. Pink Rose Lemonade is totally guilt-free, as it has no caffeine and is naturally sweet. Lemon, rose, mint, chamomile, and lavender spring to life in this absolutely fabulous herbal tea. Pink Rose Lemonade tastes distinctively wonderful brewed hot or cold.
Learn more about this caffeine free tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
Along with my Steep & Go, I received three samples of teas that go well using this cold-brew device: Boulder Blues, Climber’s High, and this tisane. Of those three, this one is my favorite to use in the Steep & Go. This was really surprising to me, because, I tend to avoid chamomile blends. I don’t dislike chamomile, but I don’t really like it either. However, the combination of ingredients in this herbal tisane works together so well, especially when cold-brewed in the Steep & Go.
It’s also quite good when hot-brewed and served warm just before bedtime. I especially like the aroma of the hot-brewed tisane. It smells so beautiful – I can smell the rose and the lavender and the combination of the two flowers is absolutely enchanting.
And it tastes pleasant too! The lavender and chamomile are very relaxing, and I find it tremendously soothing especially after a busy day. The flavors are sweet and lemony, with a foreground of floral notes and a background note of mint. The mint is not nearly as strong as I thought it might be, as mint tends to be a rather aggressive herb. Here, it takes the back seat and allows the other flavors to express themselves in a tasty and calming way.
But as I mentioned above, I really prefer this tea when cold-brewed using the Steep & Go. I recommend allowing this to steep at least ten minutes, but it really gets good the longer you let it steep. I found that after about a half an hour, the flavor was just perfect: light and thirst-quenching. I found that the bright, lemony notes were very refreshing, the hint of mint brought a cool, crispness to the taste and the floral tones added a pleasing contrast. It was pleasantly sweet without sweetener – this is the perfect on-the-go beverage.
To be honest, when The Tea Spot sent me this tea to try with the Steep & Go, I had my doubts… I guess I come from the school of thought that believes that the best flavor can be achieved through hot brewing a tea … but I am coming around to the whole idea of cold-brew after trying this tisane cold-brewed! This one made a believer out of me!
Special, Limited-Time Offer: Now through October 14, you can save 15% on your purchase of this Pink Rose Lemonade from the Tea Spot! Just put the Pink Rose Lemonade in your shopping cart, and use the coupon code sororitearose at checkout, and enjoy your savings … and the tea!
Vanilla African Redbush Tea from MarketSpice
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: MarketSpice
Tisane Description:
The addition of Vanilla flavoring and Chamomile to our standard African RedBush provides a rich and satisfying cup of tea. Add honey for that extra zing. High in anti-oxidants and naturally caffeine free.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
This is a really nice vanilla flavored rooibos blend. Normally, chamomile is not my favorite thing, but, I like the addition of chamomile here. It adds just enough of something different to the cup to keep it interesting.
The aroma of the dry leaf is quite distinctive. It smells of tobacco – like the pipe tobacco that my step-mother would buy for my dad as she attempted to encourage him to smoke a pipe. She liked the smell of pipe smoke. I am not particularly fond of the smell of the smoke, but I liked the smell of tobacco (is it called “raw” tobacco when it’s not smoked and still in the package?)
But I’ll be honest, it throws me off a bit when I smell that fragrance in a tea. I find the smell of pipe tobacco pleasant but it doesn’t smell like something I want to consume, you know what I mean? But, once it started brewing, the aroma became much more like rich vanilla and less like tobacco.
The flavor is very pleasant. It has a smooth, creamy vanilla taste with a hint of nutty rooibos in the background. The woody tones of the rooibos come out as well, and I like the way they meld with the vanilla notes. The chamomile is very light, but I can taste that hint of apple-like flavor from the chamomile.
Overall, it’s a very enjoyable tea. I especially enjoy it later in the evening while watching TV, it’s got such a relaxing quality to it. Very nice!
Secret Garden from SerendipiTea
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos & Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: SerendipiTea
Tisane Description:
Escape for a short while to a secret place for which you only hold the key.
Ingredients: Chamomile (Organic), Lavender (Organic), Peppermint (Organic), Rooibos (Organic), Rose Petals (Organic)
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
This is the third tea/tisane from my June Steepster Select Box, themed “Around the Clock.” Of the three teas in this month’s box, this was the one I was least excited about, but as it turns out, I really am enjoying this … so much so that this one could easily become a permanent fixture in my cupboard. Yes, I like it that much!
One glance at the ingredients suggest that this is the evening tea of the Steepster Select Box: soothing, naturally caffeine-free chamomile and lavender, cool peppermint, and sweet rooibos and rose petals. This is definitely a tea made for bedtime.
I really like the way the ingredients work together in this blend. The rose and peppermint offer the strongest flavor, but, they also balance each other out so that it is neither too rosy nor too minty. The chamomile is subtle, but offers a sweet, apple-like flavor in the background. And thankfully, the lavender is not overdone here. I love lavender, but when lavender is too strong it imparts a very perfume-y taste, and while this is strongly floral, it doesn’t taste of perfume.
The rooibos is not a strong flavor here, and I’m okay with that too. It does offer a slight earthiness to the overall flavor, somewhat nutty and woody, but, these flavors manage to meld together with the stronger floral essences and create a very pleasing taste. The overall cup is definitely on the feminine side – sweet with exotic floral tones – and I find that helps to give the cup an almost nurturing effect.
I feel very calm and relaxed after sipping on this tea, and I find this enjoyable enough that I could easily enjoy this on a nightly basis. It’s really quite nice!
Restful Blend from Zhi Tea
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Zhi Tea
Tisane Description:
Our Zhi Signature Organic Restful Blend is pure magic.
A synergy of flavors, bouquets, and a visual delight, as well. We designed this as an evening wind-down drink, but this great as an all-day drink. Naturally zero-caffeine.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
This really is a beautiful blend. The chamomile blossoms are whole and large (no crushed up chamomile powder here!) and together with the lavender, lemon grass, hibiscus petals, and other herbs, it creates a stunning array of flowers and colors that is as pleasing to the nose as it is to the eye!
And, it’s pretty tasty too. As some of you are probably aware, I’m not particularly fond of hibiscus, but, I’m not finding it to be too overwhelming here. It is mostly noticeable in the color, and just a little in the texture. But this tisane is not tart … actually, it’s quite sweet.
This probably has something to do with the stevia, and to be honest, I am usually turned off when tea companies add stevia to their blends, but, with this blend, it works. It balances out the tart nature of the hibiscus without making this blend too sweet.
What I like best about this blend, though, is not the chamomile, or the stevia or hibiscus… but the fennel and licorice root! I love how the distinct licorice notes weave their way throughout the sip. I also like how there really isn’t one flavor that dominates in this cup. Each ingredient adds a little something to the overall flavor, giving it a gentle spiced note combined with hints of citrus and floral tones.
This is a very enjoyable way to wind down from a long day!
No. 2/14 – Lover’s Leap from Steven Smith Teamaker
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Steven Smith Teamaker
Tea Description:
A delicate, fragrant marriage of high grown Ceylon tea from Lover’s Leap Tea Estate, coupled with pink rose petals from China, hand-sorted chamomile blossoms and subtle citrus flavors. Complicated and delicious — just like love.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I am going to take a leap and confess my love for this tea.
I’m actually giddy about this tea! Not unusual for a tea to make me giddy, but it is rather unusual for a tea that does not contain chocolate or jasmine or bergamot to make me giddy this way. And it is even more unusual for a tea that does contain chamomile to make me this excited.
But, then, that is the magic of Steven Smith.
The aroma of this tea is amazing. It smells like roses. Of course, over the last week or so I’ve reviewed quite a few rose teas, and all of those had a rose fragrance to them, but what makes this one different is the touch of citrus and how it melds with the rose tones so beautifully. It gives the overall bouquet a freshness that is reminiscent of the aroma one would experience if they were to walk into a flower shop. It’s that kind of fresh, beautiful scent that has me head over heels.
The black tea base is a Ceylon. It is brisk and delicious. It is smooth and well-rounded with a moderate astringency. It is not an aggressive tea, it is mellow and on the lighter side … I’d categorize it as a medium-bodied tea.
The citrus is the most prominent flavor after the flavor of the Ceylon, and it nicely accents the natural citrus-y tones of the Ceylon tea very nicely. The citrus is strong but it isn’t overwhelming, and it tastes like real fruit, not an artificial flavoring.
The rose is more of an accent flavor. It is very mild – like a whisper of rose essence that wisps along the palate. The chamomile is almost unnoticeable, but, every once in a while, my palate recognizes a insinuation of apple-like flavor.
I fall more in love with this tea with every sip!