Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos & Fruit/Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Davidson’s
Product Description:
Tart cranberries, rosehips, and hibiscus with sweet orange essence.Ingredients (* organic): Rosehips*, orange peel*, hibiscus*, chamomile*, rooibos*, cranberries* & natural flavor.
Taster’s Review:
Yesterday, I published my review of Davidson’s Cranberry Orange Iced – Davidson’s tea of the month. This is the loose leaf variety of their tea of the month. They are both very similar, but two significant differences: 1. this is a loose leaf tisane; and 2. this loose leaf blend lists rooibos as one of its ingredients, whereas the bagged (both the iced and the single-serve bag) varieties do not.
Does the rooibos make a significant difference? I am not sure … but I will work that out as I write this review. What I notice about this tea, first and foremost, is the hibiscus. It seems much stronger in this blend than it did in the iced tea I made for yesterday’s review. It has a thicker consistency, not quite syrupy (I didn’t steep it long enough for that), and I can taste the hibiscus. But, it doesn’t taste like the typical tarty hibiscus taste that I’ve grown to recognize as hibiscus, if that makes sense. It is a far more tolerable hibiscus flavor – but that doesn’t mean that I’d rather it not be there.
Perhaps it is the flavors of the cranberry and orange that turn the tea around. These prominent flavors make this hibiscus-y tea much more enjoyable to drink. And now that I am about mid-way through my cup, I am noticing more of the rooibos flavor – there is a nuttiness in the background that is distinctly rooibos-like. Much like the iced version, I don’t taste a lot of the chamomile here, but I’m glad it’s there. Why? Maybe it’s my imagination, but I suspect that the chamomile, together with the rooibos, helps to thin out the consistency of this tea and give it a very satisfying texture.
Overall, this herbal tea is tart with pleasing notes of sweetness and a very faint woody/nutty tone. I really like that tangy note that comes from the orange. While I did prefer the iced version, I find this to be a very soothing tea to be sipping this evening. It is a very relaxing and yes, tasty cuppa.
Stress Relief Tea from Solay Tea Therapy
Tea Type: Herbal Tisane/Green Tea
Where To Buy: Solay Tea Therapy (AKA Solay Wellness)
Product Description:
Solay Tea Therapy Organic Stress Relief Tea
With organic Chamomile, organic Peppermint, organic Indian Green Tea (decaffeinated), organic Skullcap herb, organic Wood Betony, organic Catnip herb and organic Stevia herb.
Steep one scoop of tea in boiling water for five minutes. Enjoy one to two cups daily.
Net weight 2 ounces $ 9.95 with wood scoop
Organic Chamomile – Soothing Sedative Properties
Organic Peppermint – Relieves pains from colic, dyspepsia and flatulence.
Organic Indian Decaffeinated Green Tea – Has a very high concentration of powerful antioxidants.
Organic Scullcap – Mild relaxant, therapy for anxiety and nervous tension.
Organic Wood Betony – General relaxant, helps to alleviate nervous tension.
Organic Catnip – Mild Sedative in humans.
Organic Stevia – All natural sweetener and antibacterial properties.
Tasters Review:
This is my busiest time of the year doing what I do for my Full Time Job and I thought I would have a cup of this to try and mellow out before switching gears from “work mode” to “home mode”.
I may not always grab an herbal tisane by choice – or should I say “at first glance” – but I have found the ones I am drawn to have mint in them. Lucky for me this one features mint…among other things. Another thing I am excited about in this blend of flavors is the Stevia…but I will get to that in a minute…
The post-infusion color of this tea/tisane is that of a bright yellow with a slight orange hue. Very vibrant! The aroma is mostly chamomile and mint but not overly-so.
The taste is soothing, relaxing, slightly minty, a bit of chamomile, green tea, and herbally. Everything jives well together and there isn’t one ingredient that over powers the others…I like that in herbal teas! It has a sweet finish which is nice, too!
The Stevia gives it a sweet or a hint of a sugar-sweetness to it. I think this works very well here! I think it really makes the blend special!
Another thing I like about this offering from Solay is that it came with a cute little wooden scoop which I will be doing a separate review on within the next week!
Please! Check out this website! It’s wonderful! Their customer service via email is great! They are good at answering any questions you may have! Their ingredients are top-notch! What a delight!
Cranberry Orange Ice from Davidson’s Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Fruit/Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Davidson’s
Product Description:
This herbal iced tea blend elegantly balances the delicious tart character of fresh organic cranberries with citrusy orange peel and sweet chamomile. High vitamin C rosehips and hibiscus create a rosy red brew and sharp contrast to sweeter elements for a truly refreshing experience. Contains a total of 8 one-quart brew bags brewing appx. 2 gallons of iced tea.
Ingredients (* organic): Chamomile flowers*, orange peel*, hibiscus*, rosehips* & natural flavor.
Taster’s Review:
This is Davidson’s “tea of the month” (which means it’s now on sale! Yay!) and it is a surprisingly good herbal blend. As some of you are probably well aware, I’m not always particularly keen on herbal teas, especially those with hibiscus. But, even though this one has hibiscus in it, it’s quite delicious.
Davidson’s tea of the month this month is offered three different ways: as an “iced tea” (packaged in quart sized tea bags for easy brewing), in single-serving sized tea bags, and in loose leaf form. In loose leaf form, this tea is a little different, as the blend also contains rooibos. What I will be reviewing here is the iced tea blend.
The combination of cranberry and orange is typically an autumnal flavor combination, but, it is a deliciously refreshing summertime flavor too! This herbal blend makes a very flavorful iced tea. It is light and crisp. The flavor is lightly sweet with a tart note that lingers into the aftertaste. I am not usually fond of tart tasting teas, but, here, the tartness works. It compliments the flavor of the cranberry and orange.
The orange is sweet and juicy. The cranberry is tangy and tart. These two flavors work together very well, and seem to bring out the best in each other. The chamomile is not a very strong flavor in the blend, although this blend wouldn’t taste the same without it. I can also taste hints of the hibiscus. It gives the tea a little bit of body, but it isn’t that thick, syrupy texture that is sometimes associated with hibiscus-y teas.
A refreshingly different iced tea!
Chamomile Citron from Tea Forté
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Tea Forté
Product Description:
A calming Egyptian chamomile blended with a melody of fruits and herbs. Chamomile flowers, rose hips impart an enticing balance of tart and sweet. Aromatic Thai Lemongrass adds depth to this soothing, citrusy infusion.
Taster’s Review:
I received one of these “single steeps” along with my KATI cup, but I have held off on trying it until now. That’s just the way I am when it comes to chamomile blends – I have a mental “preset” that tells me that if it has chamomile in it, I probably won’t like it. But, truth be told, I actually have liked more chamomile blends than I’ve disliked over the last couple of years, and I am really enjoying this one, too.
I must admit that I find the name of the tea to be somewhat misleading, because I thought that there would be citron fruit in this blend, but according to the ingredient list, there is not. That being said, I am still finding this to be a tasty, soothing blend.
The chamomile actually starts out as almost an afterthought in terms of flavor for this blend. By about mid-cup, I can taste the apple-like notes of the chamomile. It doesn’t taste too floral or pollen-y, but it does have a hint of honey-esque flavor and that distinct apple tone.
The peppermint is a strong note in this blend but I am not finding it to be overwhelmingly minty. It is more like a cool crispness with subtle mint tones. I suspect the reason for the lack of minty flavor has something to do with the licorice root – because these two meld together quite seamlessly, creating a flavor that is not quite as sharp as licorice and not quite as minty as peppermint, and yet capturing the cool, crisp sweetness of these two ingredients quite nicely.
The lemongrass and lemon verbena bring the citrus-y tones to the cup without creating a flavor that is too sour. It is more like a sweet lemon-y flavor with just a hint of tartness. Even the hibiscus – one of my least favorite herbs that is found in far too many tisanes – is not too strong here and doesn’t affect the flavor too much.
I am surprised at how much I actually like this tisane, and even more surprised at how well it steeped in my KATI cup, as I expected some of the smaller particles in the blend to fall through the fine mesh of the strainer, but there was relatively little sediment settled at the bottom of the cup. Overall, I’m quite pleased!
Royal Camomile from Hampstead Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Hampstead Tea
Product Description:
A beautiful golden infusion made from prized sweetly scented camomile petals. Camomile relieves inflammation, soothes and relaxes.
Naturally caffeine free.
Ingredients: Fairtrade camomile flowers
Taster’s Review:
When I first opened the pouch of this tea bag, I was amazed at just how fragrant the chamomile was. Yes, I’ve smelled chamomile before, but, usually it is a much more subtle aroma than this. The scent here is so strong, much stronger than other bagged chamomiles that I’ve tried. Such a lovely fragrance – sweet and flowery. Beautiful.
And the bouquet is not the only unexpected thing about this tea – the flavor is very surprisingly good. I know that I have been harsh in the past about chamomile, especially bagged chamomile. But this bagged tisane is changing my beliefs about chamomile in a tea bag! This is lovely!
The flavor is light and flowery with a crisp apple-like note. It is a very soothing, comforting tisane – especially later in the evening when I’m getting ready for bedtime. Especially good with a drizzle of honey.
I do recommend steeping this (and all botanical teas) at a below boiling temperature. When the water is too hot, it really seems to destroy the flavor of the chamomile. I think this is one reason why I disliked chamomile so much in the past – because I was brewing at too high a temperature. Keep the temperature below boiling, and you too will be rewarded with a pale gold cup of tasty goodness!