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.
Sanctify from Hari Tea
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Spice Melangé
Where to Buy: Hari Tea
Tisane Ingredients:
Ginger, fennel, cinnamon, cocoa shells, anise, cardamom, tumeric root, black pepper, cloves.
Taster’s Review:
Life is stressful. At least, it is – at the moment – for me. My oldest daughter is getting married. My youngest daughter is a “tween” who is a little more TEEN than child. My husband has been working some crazy hours. Like I said: life is stressful.
Times like this, I want a tisane that understands that and can help me relax and allow the things that stress me to disappear. And this tea from Hari Tea accomplishes just that.
And it not only helps me to calm the mind and soothe the spirit, but, it is also pretty darned tasty too! The fennel and anise give it a licorice-y note, while the cocoa shells give it a nice chocolate-y note that contrasts nicely with the peppery notes of ginger and black pepper, and the warmth of cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. And when I “say” it like that, it sounds a lot like a chai. It tastes a bit like it too … except that this doesn’t come across so much as spicy or invigorating the way a chai would normally taste. This, instead, tastes very warm, soothing and comforting.
What I like best about this tisane is how well the chocolate and licorice tastes go together. It is sweet without tasting candy-sweet or cloying, and that sweetness comes naturally without adding anything to it, which makes it a good choice for later in the evening when you just want to unwind.
Usually when it comes to “relaxation” teas, I think chamomile or lavender, but, this is a deliciously different relaxation tea for those times when you want something a little different.
Red Chocolate from Shanti Tea
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Shanti Tea
Tisane Description:
Inviting and rich, the warm smell of chocolate greets you as you open the tin and settle in for a cup tea. A rich and smooth blend of Rooibos and cacao, this tea is a refined take on the comforting feeling of sipping hot chocolate on a cold day.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
YUM! This is so rich and chocolate-y that it even manages to satiate the chocoholic in me! And trust me, that’s not easy to do! It tastes LOTS of chocolate … and this tisane has got it!
It is rich and chocolate-y with hints of cacao bitterness. It’s a bittersweet chocolate taste, but the emphasis would be on the SWEET rather than the bitter, in my opinion. If you prefer milk chocolate, this would go nicely with a splash of milk, but I would recommend steeping it at double strength first so that you don’t lose any of this magnificent flavor.
The rooibos base is barely discernible amid all this chocolate-y flavor, but, I do taste some of the hints of wood and the distinct nutty tones of the rooibos. But mostly what I taste is CHOCOLATE … so much chocolate in fact that I think that this just may be the most chocolate-y rooibos blend I’ve yet to encounter. And that’s saying something, because I’ve tried quite a few chocolate rooibos blends.
If you’re an insatiable chocoholic like me, try this tisane. You’re going to love it!
Coconut Truffle from Inspired Leaf
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black Tea & Honeybush
Where to Buy: Inspired Leaf
Tea Description:
Cocoa nibs and indulgent flavors of the islands. Brew up a vacation!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
YUM!
This is the first tea that I’ve tried from Inspired Leaf, but I must say that I’m a fan. My experience with them has been very positive, and this tea is like the cherry on top of the sundae! I would say coconut on top of the sundae but that didn’t seem as illuminating as cherry on top.
The base is a blend of black tea and honeybush which I find enjoyable because I have the rich flavor of the black tea – lightened somewhat by the presence of the honeybush, but not too much. It is light enough to enjoy the complexity of the tea while adding a delicate sweetness from the honeybush. There is a hint of nutty flavor to this as well, and this compliments the coconut in this blend.
The chocolate flavor is at a pleasing level, but, I (being the chocoholic that I am) still find myself wanting MORE chocolate. Some cacao shells would give this more of a truffle-ish flavor, I think. As it is, it is quite delicious, but even more chocolate would make it over-the-top indulgently awesome. (Remember my simple equation? more chocolate = better)
The coconut is creamy and sweet and luscious … and definitely the star of this cup. Sure, I love the chocolate, but, its the coconut that makes this so remarkably good.
And that’s exactly what it is!
Cocoa Matcha from Shanti Tea
Tea Review:
Leaf Type: Green (Matcha)
Where to Buy: Shanti Tea
Product Description:
Matcha tea is kind of like a super-powered green tea—since you’re ingesting the whole leaf instead of just the brewed beverage, you get up to ten times the antioxidant effect and nutritional value of your standard green. Matcha’s rich in antioxidants, as well as chlorophyll and fiber, and has been found to have natural mood enhancing effects. All in all, matcha’s got no match when it comes to healthy teas.
Taster’s Review:
Just like in my review of Shanti Tea’s Cinnamon Matcha, even though this is labeled as “Cocoa Matcha Latte,” I am choosing not to do this as a “Product Review” as I would with most Latte mixes, because the only ingredients to this blend are Matcha green tea powder and cacao powder. Since it doesn’t contain dry milk, sweeteners or other “latte” like ingredients, I consider this to be more of a flavored Matcha than a latte mix.
After sifting this flavored Matcha, I noticed that the Matcha green tea powder and the cacao powder separated. Interesting. My only explanation (read: guess) for that is that each powder is a different weight and/or size and they separate while sifting. Perhaps someone with a more scientific brain might know the answer. I’m an artist, not a scientist.
This whisks up smooth and lightly frothy… a little light on the froth, but that’s OK. The first thought that came to my head when I took my first sip of this Matcha latte? Ovaltine. This doesn’t have that “hot chocolate-y” kind of flavor that I might have expected. It definitely tastes more like Ovaltine to me, but I am finding it quite delicious, regardless.
It tastes very rich and chocolate-y and the texture is very creamy. There is a slight chalkiness to this, but it is more like that “powdery” sensation you might experience from tasting cocoa powder than the chalkiness you might experience from Matcha. I do recommend sweetening this just a little (I added the tiniest sprinkling of sugar) as the cocoa is an unsweetened, bittersweet cocoa and when combined with the slightly bitter taste of the matcha, I found myself wanting more of a sweet chocolate taste.
I used a 1:1 ratio of hot water and steamed milk to make my latte, and it turned out absolutely wonderful. Sweet and rich with chocolate-y flavor, but without overwhelming the sweet, vegetative Matcha notes. I notice the Matcha flavor more towards the end of the sip and moving into the aftertaste, with the chocolate-y tones presenting themselves more towards the start. It is creamy and very satisfying, and it even satisfies a chocolate craving (yay!)
YUM!