I have never been a lover of floral teas. Normally rose or lavender or jasmine or any other floral ingredient got me groaning. However, that all changed when my university roommate bought me teas from Camellia Sinensis for the holidays. Among the teas she bought me was a blend called Des Roses et Des Bonbons. It was a cherry rose tea and it was amazing. One of my favorite teas EVER! And it’s sadly been discontinued.
Since trying Des Roses et Des Bonbons, I have been all the more open to rose teas. Since its discontinuation, there has been a hole in my heart (and stash) and I have been in search of a cherry rose tea to fill it. Perhaps Tea Sparrow could end my search with their delivery of Cherry Rose Green by Elmwood Inn Fine Teas in one of my monthly subscription boxes…
Cherry Rose Green is a Japanese Sencha Green Tea blended with rose petals, cherries, and natural cherry flavor. I steeped the tea for 2 minutes in 175F, the temperature my kettle recommends for green teas given the company suggestion was a rather vague “not quite boiling water” instruction.
At first sip I am disappointed to report that this is not the replacement I have been hoping for. Des Roses et Des Bonbons was a sweet candy-like black tea blend. Cherry Rose Green is just that…a green tea. Where I want candy, I am getting nature. It’s not bad, just different.
Cherry Rose Green has a fair quality green base, its a little grassy and slightly bitter at the end of the sip. The rose does provide a natural sweetness that is fresh like the green tea base but brighter. The cherry comes in at the end and is a little medicinal when combined with the bitterness of the base tea.
It is not a bad tea but it is not my favorite either. I think the bar was set too high going into this tea because what I wanted and what I got were two drastically different things. I could see this being a nice transition tea for those trying to make the leap from flavored to plain teas. It has flavor but the base tea is really the star here.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Elmwood Inn Fine Teas
Description
We’ve blended Japanese sencha green tea with rose petals and cherries to give you all the flavor and aroma of a springtime orchard. Try it cold-steeped as well!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Barbados Beach from Tea Taxi
Shortly after discovering Tea Taxi, I found out they were starting a monthly subscription program. Each month they send 10 tea samples, all selected to fit the particular theme chosen for that package. At just $7.45CAD per month (for 12 months, it is slightly more if you order for fewer months), I found myself signing up. Now I have a giant pile of Tea Taxi blends that just keeps growing as I am slowly making my way through the many different choices.
This particular blend is a green tea with cherry and pineapple. It brews up a bright yellow and the smell of fruit is strong. The base, though slightly vegetal, is rather timid in flavor. What stands out is the cherry. It is the star of the show and though it is quite sweet at the start of the sip, it has a tart zip at the end. The pineapple is not particularly noticeable but this tea does have a distinctively beach-type flavor to it and I think that is in large part a result of the pineapple in the leaf. At times, this can get a little cough syruppy because of the cherry but that is really quite fleeting and inoffensive.
All in all, this is a nice blend. Bright and flavorful with a lovely cherry quality to it. It screams summer and the beach, which provides a nice escape from the snowy Winter Wonderland that is Toronto right now. I don’t think I will be stocking this blend anytime soon since I just don’t drink green tea that often but I certainly would not turn down another cup.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: Tea Taxi
Description
Come visit Barbados and have a sip of this exquisite blend! Barbados cherry, from the acerola tree, and pineapples will have you travel south to discover the most amazing beaches in the world!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Original, Green Tea +C from Sen Cha Naturals
Original, Green Tea +C from Sen Cha Naturals is something pretty TEAriffic in my book and for SEVERAL reasons, too! You see – Original, Green Tea +C from Sen Cha Naturals – is a Vitamin C Daily Wellness Drink Mix made from whole food ingredients. 1 of those ingredients – and the very first ingredient – I must add – is Matcha Green Tea!
Upon opening the individual serving sized packet I saw that it looked like matcha powder, smelled more mellow with a speck of ginger, and then I got a little bit on my finger tip. I just HAD to try it. Original, Green Tea +C from Sen Cha Naturals – DRY – tastes and reminds me of those 80s powder candies where you dip the candy stick into a flavored sugar powder. Another 80s flash back that popped into my mind was Pixie Stix!
Original, Green Tea +C from Sen Cha Naturals was also a FUN product! At least for me it was – you see – I had a little science experience happen in my cup! I added water and it responded like a volcano! HAHA! LOVE it
Once Original, Green Tea +C from Sen Cha Naturals was in my cup and ready-to-go I noticed it smelled more like Matcha. It looked like Matcha would, too! It was even frothy!
This kind of TASTES like a Pixie Stix, too! But I really like the flavor! The ingredients are: Organic Matcha & Sencha Green Tea, Acerola Cherry, Citric Acid, Natural Sodium Bicarbonate, Ginger Root, Coconut Water Powder, Organic Orange Peel, Turmeric Root, Stevia. I’m always a little nervous when it comes to Stevia but it works in this and tastes GOOD. I think that paired with the Cherry makes it tart like Pixie Stix I remember from the 80s. I LOVE that they used Coconut Water Powder, too! Nice addition! The ginger root is noticeable but done nicely. I am thinking that it is cutting the Stevia and Cherry a bit, too! YUM! Yes! The more I drink this the more I am LOVING it!
The BEST part – other than it being from Whole Foods – it’s also VEGAN, Gluten Free, and Non-GMO! I can’t wait to try the other flavors! Original, Green Tea +C from Sen Cha Naturals surprised me more than once and I applaud that!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea/Matcha
Where to Buy: Sen Cha Naturals
Description
We believe that nutrition should come from whole food ingredients, not synthetic vitamins. Whole leaf green tea, acerola cherry, coconut water, and supporting herbs to help you stay well. Our original blend imparts rich, vegetal notes with a touch of sweetness.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
