Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tisane Description:
Sweet, caffeine-free African honeybush combined with our signature honking-big coconut flakes and organic flavors. Our Coconut Cream Pie black tea is one of our all-time bestsellers. I can’t fathom why we haven’t made a honeybush version of it yet, but I’m here to fix that now.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
As mentioned in the above description, the Coconut Cream Pie black tea from 52Teas is one of their best sellers. There’s a reason for that! That tea is seriously, awesomely good. Their iced tea version from Southern Boy Teas is also quite yummy. So I was very interested to see how these flavors went with a honeybush base.
The answer: it’s really tasty!
Now, I have to admit that I prefer the black tea version, but then again, I’m more of a camellia sinensis type of girl than I am a Cyclopia (aka honeybush) kind of girl. However, I must say that I like the nutty, honeyed sweetness that the honeybush brings to the coconut cream pie flavors! The coconut and the honeybush meld together nicely, and the honeybush also accents the buttery pie crust notes deliciously.
I taste strong notes of coconut mingling with sweet notes of creamy vanilla and touches of buttery pastry. The nutty, sweet notes of the honeybush marry together with these flavors in a very pleasing way. It’s sweet, creamy and yummy!
It’s dessert in a teacup! It is sweet without coming across as cloying. This is the kind of dessert that you can “indulge” in without feeling guilty afterward.
And even though I do prefer the black tea version of this tea, I like that this is naturally caffeine-free, making it a nice choice for later in the evening. You know those late night sweet tooth cravings? This tea is just what you need to help you satisfy those cravings without eating something that you’ll regret in the morning.
Peach Brulée Black Tea Blend from Tea Forté
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tea Forté
Tea Description:
This refreshing black tea offers a masterful blend fragrant with floral and fruit. Mango and marigold blossoms embrace the lushness of sweet juicy peaches with a lingering finish of tropical cut coconut.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
While shopping the other day at Chuck’s Produce, I stopped by the tea section (as I usually do) and this tea caught my attention. Maybe it was the slick, black “Tea Noir” tin that drew me in, or perhaps it was just the name: Peach Brulée … um, yes please! That sounds amazing. I also liked that this was a loose leaf selection, rather than the tea pyramids that Tea Forté is probably best known for. So, maybe it was a combination of the three things, but there was something that came over me and told me to put that tin into my cart.
And I’m glad I did. This is yum!
The black tea base is a very BOLD tasting black tea. And the reason it’s so bold is that this tea has a pan-roasted Assam to serve as the base. Awesome! I can taste the richness of the Assam, notes of malt, and I’m getting a really nice roasted flavor from the pan-roasting. It has an almost “coffee-like” flavor to it. This would make an excellent alternative to those who are trying to switch from coffee to tea, but miss that rich, robust coffee flavor. This tea has that!
And the flavoring here doesn’t overpower the rich, roasted flavor of the tea. This is a tea that has been flavored with notes of peach and hints of mango and a very subtle kiss of coconut … and not the other way around. That is to say, that this doesn’t taste like a tea where the flavors have been overdone. The flavors are right on point, allowing me to enjoy the really flavorful Assam tea first, and then celebrate the juicy, delicious fruit notes.
The peach is the most prominent flavor after the roasty-toasty notes, and then the mango sort of weaves its way in and out throughout the sip in a very soft, subtle way. The coconut is very delicate, and I notice it more in the aftertaste than I do in the sip itself.
It’s a really flavorful, unique take on tropical fruit flavored tea, and with all this bold, hefty flavor, it’s a great way to start the day. It also tastes outstanding as an iced tea – in fact, I’d find it difficult to say which way I like it best. I think right now, seeing as we’re experiencing the hottest part of the summer thus far, I’d go with iced. But, in the cooler weather, I’d probably say that this is better hot!
Pu-erh Tahiti Blend from Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh
Where to Buy: Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Description:
Decadent coconut, the fruity mystique of papaya and the soft earthiness of pu erh come together for an exotic experience not unlike a walk on the black sand beaches of its namesake. Tropical fruit notes and hints of mineral evoke thoughts of Pacific breezes and rainforest hikes.
Ingredients: Pu’erh Tea, Apple Pieces, Dried Coconut, Natural Coconut Flavor, Marigold Flowers, Mango Pieces, Papaya Flavor
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s Selection Club subscription program here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve tasted a lot of tropical flavored teas. A lot. It seems to be one of the “favorite” fruit medley flavors when it comes to tea. But, most of the fruit combinations are different, because there’s a lot of different tropical fruits from which to choose.
And when it comes to tropical flavored teas, I usually think immediately of a black tea base. That’s because most of the tropical flavored teas that I’ve encountered have been black teas. But because I have tasted so many tropical flavored teas, the tropical blends that are memorable, the ones that manage to stand out in my memory as something I’d like to have again, they are usually the teas with a different base (other than black tea). The tropical flavored white teas or green teas, for example, are more memorable for me.
So even though I tend to be a little nervous when it comes to Pu-erh teas, I was a little excited at the prospect of tasting a tropical fruit flavored Pu-erh!
When I opened the pouch of this Tahiti Pu-erh, I was really happy to not be greeted by an overly earthy scent. In fact, I didn’t really detect any earthiness with my initial casual (and admittedly, somewhat apprehensive) sniff. When I took another – more intent – sniff, I could pick up hints of earthiness, but these notes seemed to meld with the notes of coconut, mango and papaya. Nice!
The brewed tea has a slightly more earthy scent than the dry leaf, and that could be because I did give the blend a 15 second “rinse” before I brewed it. I do this with all pu-erh, I find that the pu-erh is much more agreeable for me when I do this. (And from what I understand, it’s something that you SHOULD do with pu-erh and Oolong teas.)
This is tasty. There are some earthy and mineral notes to the pu-erh, but, I like that these notes have married nicely with the notes of tropical fruit. I taste the papaya and mango and coconut, and these flavors are well-balanced with the flavor of the pu-erh, which tastes smooth and mellow. It’s a little bit like a trip to Tahiti in a teacup. (I’m only guessing, I’ve never been to Tahiti.)
The fruit flavors are not overpowering the tea, and there is a part of me that would have said that I would like for the fruit flavors to overpower the tea – before I tasted it, that is! Before tasting a pu-erh, there’s still that timid tea drinker that is just a wee bit afraid of pu-erh. Those early occasions where I first experienced pu-erh, before I knew how to brew a pu-erh for my palate and before my palate developed … I did NOT like pu-erh. Now I do. Now my palate finds most pu-erh agreeable, although I still don’t have a great appreciation for an overly earthy, fishy, or briny tasting pu-erh. Fortunately, this pu-erh isn’t like that.
And now that I have tasted this pu-erh, I’m happy that a good balance has been achieved with this blend. The fruit flavors are tasted but not overpowered, nor is the tea too fishy, briny or earthy. It’s just … tasty!
I know I say this a lot, but, I’m really thrilled with the teas that I get each month from Simple Loose Leaf as part of their Selection Club subscription program. I can’t recommend this program enough! It’s a great way (and it’s economical!) to try new teas and expand your tea repertoire.
To save 25% when you sign up for this great program, use the code SISTERSELECTION25. This will earn you the discount, and get you well on your way to sampling some amazing teas! This discount is not applicable on the retail selection of teas, and is only good for the selection club subscription.
White Tropics Tea Blend from Tea & Bloom
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Tea & Bloom
Tea Description:
Mixture of white tea with pineapple, coconut and rose petal. High in antioxidants.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I try to go into a tea tasting with no real expectations. It’s not always easy. It wasn’t in the case of this White Tropics tea from Tea & Bloom … because with pineapple and coconut flavors, I couldn’t help but think Pina Colada.
And this doesn’t really taste so much like a Pina Colada as it does a tropical tea. But I’m not disappointed by that. The pineapple and the coconut are nicely paired here, and the white tea is not overpowered by the tropical fruits. And I can even taste hints of the rose in there too. And it’s the rose that gives this a flavor that is different than the typical Pina Colada flavored tea. (Well that, and there’s not a rum note to this.)
I like that I can taste the creaminess of the coconut, and it melds beautiful with the sweet notes of the white tea while the pineapple brightens up the cup. It’s flavorful, but in a delicate, “white tea” way.
All that said, this isn’t really all that exceptional in any way. It’s a tasty enough tea, I like the classic combination of pineapple and coconut, and I like how they meld with the white tea and just a hint of rose flavor. But, it’s just … alright. I’d drink it again if it were offered to me, but it’s not something I’d want to purchase and have on hand.
Rooibos Chocolate Coconut from Tea of Life
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Learn more about Tea of Life and Amazon Teas here.
Tisane Description:
South African Red Bush or Rooibos Tea is a pure and natural herbal blend. Freshly harvested and finely chopped rooibos goes through a process of oxidation with the aid of the oxygen from the atmosphere and subsequently dried int he sun to produce a deep mahogany red cup of which is one of the most popular and healthy herbal drinks today.
“Tea of Life” is proud to introduce five New Naturally Caffeine Free Rooibos Teas combined with Dark Chocolate with delicious natural fruit and mint flavors for your enjoyment – all day and into the evening.
Taster’s Review:
The scent that is coming out of my teacup right now is evoking thoughts of chocolate coconut cake! Yep, my mouth is watering right now, just thinking about chocolate and coconut! Mmm! Some of the most difficult moments of my life are those few minutes that I wait after I’ve brewed a cup of tea and I’m waiting for the cup to cool a little bit so that I can begin sipping. I mean, I don’t want to burn my tongue, but, this smells so yummy that I’m growing impatient.
But the flavor is worth the wait. As I’ve said on numerous occasions, I’m not big on rooibos, but, I’ve actually found quite a few that I enjoy. And I’ve really been enjoying these Dark Chocolate blends from Tea of Life. This one features luscious notes of Dark Chocolate and sweet and creamy notes of coconut. Yum!
As you’d expect, this is a sweet tisane. The chocolate notes are deep and rich and bittersweet. The coconut notes are a little more subdued than the chocolate, but, not by much. There is a pretty good balance of flavors between the two components here. Lots of chocolate and lots of coconut.
What I’m not getting lots of is rooibos flavor and that’s alright. I do get some warm, nutty tones from the rooibos and some of the sweetness of the cup I also attribute to the natural sweetness of the South African herb. But overall, there isn’t a strong rooibos flavor to this cup. This tisane is all about the chocolate and the coconut, and you won’t get any complaints about that here. Chocoholic: satisfied!