Earl Grey Classic Black Tea from Compass Teas

by liberteas

EarlGrayTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Compass Teas

Tea Description:

A very bold black tea with bergamot flavoring.  Makes a good iced tea.  We suggest sweetening it with Sugar Gems.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

Earl Grey tea just makes me … HAPPY!  Well, OK, so a lot of different teas make me happy, but there is just something about that distinctive bergamot aroma and flavor that brings a smile to my face.  And this Earl Grey Classic Black Tea from Compass Teas is the delightful Earl Grey that is making me happy today!

When I opened the pouch, the strong fragrance of bergamot began drifting through the air.  I just love the smell of bergamot, and when it comes to bergamot, I’m often of the opinion:  the stronger the better.  This is not always the case and of course, the quality of the bergamot is just as important as the quantity.  The bouquet of this tea tells me that the bergamot is strong … and the flavor tells me that it’s of good quality.

The bergamot tastes tangy and a little bit sweet.  The flavor is uplifting.  It is a strong bergamot flavor, but, it hasn’t been overdone:  this doesn’t taste of soap or perfume.  It tastes like bergamot should taste.

The black tea base is a rich tasting, medium-to-full bodied black tea.   The description above suggests that it’s a bold black tea.  I don’t know that I’d describe it as bold.  Brisk might be a better word to use.

It is an invigorating tea, though, and it has a pleasing strength to it.  It might not be the tea that I’d reach for first thing in the morning, because I’m not finding that “gusto” that I’d want from a first cuppa, but, this is absolutely a tea I’d reach for either mid-morning or early afternoon for that little pick-me-up when I need one.

A really good cup of Earl Grey … this is one of those Earl Grey teas that I’d reach for again and again.

liberteas

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see. Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog! Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!

This post was posted in Black Tea, Earl Grey

Sunset Pineapple Tisane from Compass Teas

by liberteas

sunsetpineapple

Tisane Information:

Leaf Type:  Rooibos

Where to Buy:  Compass Teas

Tea Description:

This naturally Caffeine Free blend is sure to be a favorite! Amazing hot or iced, it is highly recommended. 

Taster’s Review:

This Sunset Pineapple Tisane from Compass Teas is not currently available on their website, I hope that it is only a case of being temporarily sold-out.  I hope that this is not a tisane that has been discontinued by Compass Teas because this is one of the better pineapple flavored teas/tisanes that I’ve had!

Pineapple is one of my favorite fruits, moreover, it’s one of my favorite juices.  I swear by pineapple juice when I’m feeling under the weather, because I’ve found that it is VERY effective at reducing mucus.  Pineapple has a enzyme that helps break down proteins which is essentially what mucus is.  I really don’t drink a lot of fruit juice except for pineapple … and that’s something that I keep in the pantry at all times for when those “under the weather” times arrive.

The flavor of this green rooibos tisane is sweet and pineapple-y, but what I like is that it isn’t a candy-sweet pineapple taste.  It tastes more like a true pineapple flavor.  The combination of the fruity-tasting green rooibos and the pineapple gives the pineapple flavor a softer, smoother taste.  It isn’t sharp or tarty … it’s sweet without tasting overly sweet.

This is just so easy to drink.  It tastes amazing iced!

liberteas

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see. Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog! Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!

This post was posted in Rooibos

Chai Green Tea from Compass Teas

by liberteas

chaigreentea

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Green

Where to Buy:  Compass Teas

Tea Description:

You will love the amazing aroma of Cinnamon, Almonds & Spices in this Chai Green Tea.  Enjoyable hot or iced, sweetened or unsweetened.

Learn more about this chai blend here.

Taster’s Review:

I’m really enjoying this Chai Green Tea from Compass Teas, and I think what I’m liking best about this particular chai blend is that it doesn’t have ginger!  Now, don’t get me wrong, I LOVE ginger – LOVE it!  But, I think that ginger in this particular blend would have overpowered the smooth flavor of the green tea as well as the delicate note of almond, and that’s what’s really winning me over!

The green tea base is a soft flavor.  Hints of subtle vegetation and a light, creamy tone add a delightful dimension of flavor to the spices in this blend.  It isn’t bitter, it just tastes fresh and light and sweet … with notes of butter and cream.

And those butter/creamy notes really play nicely to the hint of almond in the cup.  When measuring out the dry leaf, I really had expected more of an almond flavor based on the sheer number of slivered almonds that landed in my teapot.  But, the almond notes are really very subtle … and for that reason, I really wouldn’t recommend going latte with this particular blend.  I think that adding dairy to this cup would completely overwhelm the almond notes … and the almond notes are what makes this blend really special in my opinion.

The cinnamon is the strongest spice note in this blend.  It is a spicy-sweet cinnamon that is just a little more sweet than spicy.  I like that, because, again, too spicy a cinnamon would throw off the balance that Compass Teas has achieved with this chai.  The cloves and cardamom give a nice background of warm spice.

Overall, this is a very pleasant cup of chai.  It isn’t a ~spicy~ chai, but, it has a certain zesty quality to it that I find quite enjoyable.  It is a gentle, warmly spiced chai with a smooth, sweet flavor and just a hint of nutty sweetness.  A really nice way to sip away the chill on these still cold days of early spring!

liberteas

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see. Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog! Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!

This post was posted in Chai, Green Tea

Spiced Doughnut Chai Black Tea Blend from Compass Teas

by liberteas

SpicedDoughnutChaitea

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Compass Teas

Tea Description:

Mmmm… Doughnut Tea!   It could easily be considered a ‘dessert tea’ that could help you cut your calorie and fat intake by substituting this yummy cup for your normal dessert.  Scrumptious as is, but tastes amazing with a spoonful or two of our all natural Amber Sugar Gems (made of pure Cane Sugar) and a dash of milk, if you like.

Learn more about this blend here.

Taster’s Review:

This is a tasty chai blend from Compass Teas, but, I’m just not getting Spiced Doughnut from it.  It is a rich, flavorful black tea blend, but, I guess with a name like Spiced Doughnut Chai, I was expecting more of a sweet, dessert-y taste that just isn’t there.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s still really good.  The black tea base is bold and full-flavored.  I taste more of an Assam-like base here than I taste Darjeeling, but I do taste certain notes that hint of a Darjeeling presence in the blend.  Every once in a while I note a sort of “lightness” … a bright note, if you will, that is distinctly Darjeeling-esque.  But the Darjeeling is more of a presence in the background … very soft-spoken and allows the other flavors to do their thing.

The spices are pleasant … the ginger is warm but not too peppery, the cinnamon is more of a spicy than a sweet cinnamon, and I like the nutmeg in this blend.  I taste the cardamom … I taste the cloves.

I am wishing for more of a vanilla taste to this … perhaps that would give it more of the sweet, dessert-y flavor that I had mentioned previously.  The aftertaste has an almost “bake-y” kind of flavor so I can ~almost~ taste where they might get the idea of a spiced doughnut … almost … but not quite.  It’s like almost reaching the finish line … but if you don’t reach the finish line did you really run the race?  Sure.  And this cup almost makes it.

It’s a flavorful tea, but, it doesn’t quite live up to the name Spiced Doughnut Chai for me.  I wish it did, because the idea of a Spiced Doughnut Chai sounds absolutely divine.  Close … but this one isn’t quite there yet.

liberteas

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see. Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog! Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!

This post was posted in Black Tea, Chai

Watermelon Black Tea from Compass Teas

by liberteas

watermelon

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Compass Teas

Tea Description:

Enjoy this Watermelon flavored black tea hot or iced.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

I was excited to try this Watermelon Black Tea from Compass Teas.  I mean … watermelon?  YUM!

My first sip was a little disappointing, because all I really tasted was black tea.  I didn’t taste anything that remotely resembled watermelon.  But, I decided to give it a chance … and I let the piping hot cup of tea cool for a couple of minutes (about three minutes) and hooray!  Here comes the watermelon!

The black tea base is the strongest flavor of this cup, and really, that’s the way it should be.  It is a bold black tea with a fair amount of astringency.  It’s slightly bitter (but only slightly) but I suspect that if I had brewed it another half a minute it would have been more than slightly bitter.

The watermelon shines through nicely.  It tastes sweet and authentic.  It starts out as a gentle flavor (especially if you take your first sip while the tea is VERY hot!) and as I continue to sip the flavor intensifies.  I also notice that the slight bitterness that I noticed at the start is beginning to wane a little bit too, perhaps this is because of the sweetness of the watermelon offsetting the slight bitter bite.  It is a really nice contrast – the invigorating black tea and the sweet, luscious flavor of watermelon.

Not a bad watermelon tea … I suspect this one would make a really amazing iced tea when summer arrives.

liberteas

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see. Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog! Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!

This post was posted in Black Tea