Aha! A morning tea to appease coffee drinkers. The loose leaves of this hazelnut (also known as filbert if you’re botanically savvy) tea smells earthy, warm and dare I say sweet!?! It creates a rich, henna colored infusion. Seriously, I want my hair this color… you are what you drink, right?
Oh, somehow a milky taste snuck in for a full rounded, creamy mouthfeel. I had my rock sugar on standby, wary of bitter tannins, but no sweetener was needed, which is really saying something. It is bold and at the same time, smooth, with a lingering earthy nutty aftertaste.
This tea is the highlighting and contouring of tea, emphasizing what’s already amazing in a way that seems natural. Still tasty after 3 steeps, this is definitely making its way into my regular stock, for my coffee snob friends.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Description:
This flavor combines the full, bright taste of Ceylon black tea with the cozy creaminess of hazelnuts. Very nutty and aromatic, slightly roasty with a rounded, sweet flavor. Toasty dryness. A mellow, very well-blended cup of tea. Great with just a touch of brown sugar.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Guayusa Tea with Yerba Maté and Ginseng from Stash Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Guayusa and Yerba Maté
Where to Buy: Stash Tea
Tea Description:
GUAYUSA (gwhy-you-sa) is a rare herbal tea produced from the leaves of a holly tree (ilex guayusa) native to the Amazon Rainforest of Ecuador. Guayusa is naturally caffeinated and has an awakening effect similar to coffee and yerba mate. For this signature blend, Guayusa is paired with yerba mate and ginseng for an invigorating brew that is sure to awaken your senses.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This blend really surprised me. It doesn’t really taste at all like what I expected, which was a very earthy and vegetative/herbaceous kind of taste. I didn’t really get that at all. This tastes more like a very smooth, sweet coffee.
It has a warm, nutty kind of taste: rich, slightly earthy and sweet. I taste very little of the ginseng. I also taste very little of the yerba maté … or at least, what I’ve come to recognize as yerba maté. I taste Guayusa, but, it tastes sweeter than the Guayusa I’ve tasted in the past … perhaps a result of the combination of the other components. It’s really quite tasty!
It’s invigorating, too. I woke up much too early this morning, and found myself unable to get back to sleep. So I was very drowsy when I started this cup … but not any more! I’m awake and ready to go!
I am really glad I got the opportunity to try this blend. When I received this sample, I wasn’t all that excited about it … but the taste has won me over! This is really good!
Dandylicious from Byron Bay Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Byron Bay Tea Company
Company Description:
Rich, full-flavoured and caffeine-free, this specialty blend is a cleansing coffee substitute. The roasted wattleseed makes it a little nutty, while the cinnamon adds a spicy sweetness. Ideal for ‘Soy Dandelion Lattés’ (LSDs) plus perfectly palatable on its own.
Taster’s Review:
As I sit here with the cup in front of me, I can smell the aroma from the cup – and it really does have a very coffee-like scent. When I bring the cup up to my nose for closer olfactory “inspection” the fragrance of the cinnamon becomes more distinguishable, but there is still a very coffee-like essence to it.
The flavor is a little … different. It isn’t bad, but it is rather unusual, and I can see how the flavor might be a bit off-putting to some. This blend’s saving grace is the cinnamon, which adds a very pleasing spicy sweetness.
I don’t think I’ve ever tried a dandelion tea before, or if I have, I wasn’t aware of it. So I don’t really know what that tastes like. I mean, when I was a kid, I used to munch on dandelion stems, and I occasionally enjoy a spring mix salad that has dandelion greens in it, but that pretty much sums up my culinary experience with dandelion.
And then there is the wattleseed. I’ve only tried one other tea blend with Wattleseed in it (at least only one other to my knowledge!) and it was Byron Bay’s Chai.
My lack of experience with two-thirds of these ingredients is quite apparent; however, I will do my best to review the teas based upon what I taste. I taste cinnamon (as I mentioned previously) – its sweet and warm spice tones are very apparent in this cup.
There is a herbaceous kind of background note that is somewhat bitter and reminds me a bit of cooked dark leafy greens, so I am going to go out on a limb here and guess that this flavor comes from the dandelion. As odd as this bitterness is, I am finding it quite interesting and a delicious addition to the cup. There is also a pleasing malty flavor. I can also taste a nutty flavor to the cup. All of these interesting notes lend themselves well to the coffee-like translation of this tisane.
I really liked this herbal tea. It is quite different from any other tea or tisane that I’ve tried thus far, and this uniqueness alone sets it apart and makes it rather enjoyable.