The product description for this herbal tisane begins, “If you like your teas tart, this zingy, triple berry combination is for you!”
I don’t like my teas tart. So why did I drink it? Because a lot of hibiscus blends taste pretty good as a sweet iced drink to me. The tartness comes mainly from the organic hibiscus and organic rosehips in the blend, though the berry flavors probably add plenty, too.
Also, hibiscus blends are usually so pretty. They look gorgeous in a clear glass on a hot day, bright red and promising refreshment. It looks like cherry Kool-Aid from childhood. Though I don’t like the tartness of hibiscus, it becomes quite palatable with sugar.
This was all overshadowed by the rooibos, though. Once in a while, a company makes a rooibos blend that successfully covers the rooibos taste. That’s a bad thing if you love rooibos, but I don’t. I rather strongly dislike it. Even with all the other ingredients, this like cherry cough syrup with cinnamon added to me, which is basically just how I describe red rooibos. Maybe someday it will grow on me.
If you like rooibos, you would probably like this blend, and it is all organic, which is awesome! It does look gorgeous in a pitcher or glass, and would really make a nice presentation with some fruit slices or berries floating in it.
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Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Stash Tea
Description
If you like your teas tart, this zingy triple berry combination is for you! We’ve combined natural flavors of strawberry, cranberry and raspberry with hibiscus and rooibos to create a tangy burst of flavor.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Canadian Berries from Siplicious. . . .
Hello precious teacups! Are you cold? I’m cold. I’m always cold, but I’m really cold now because it is winter where I am and so brutal outside that I half expect to see an AT-AT Walker wander past my window. Inside, though, inside is where the tea is and that will warm you up with much less work than a less-than-lively tauntaun.
The saving grace of weather like this is that it’s the perfect time to enjoy a good cuppa. I brewed this particular blend for 5 minutes using boiling water. It brews up the vibrant red you would expect from something containing hibiscus. The flavor is tart and juicy and overwhelmingly hibiscus and cranberry. I like this but I’m not picking up on any of the other ingredients.
I did get three solid steeps out of this tea. I abandoned the third cup and it was cold by the time I got back to it. Turns out this blend isn’t bad hot but it is miles better as an iced tea! It is a fantastic berry explosion in my mouth, much more nuanced than the hot brew. I might have known this if I had paid attention to the website categorizing this as a summer tea!
This blend makes an excellent base for a modified version of Lu Ann’s tea-infused hot chocolate recipe . I brewed the tea like normal, stirred in three heaping teaspoons of Cadbury Drinking Chocolate, added almond milk (maybe a shotglass’s worth, I was eyeballing it), and topped it off with vegan marshmallows. So good! The chocolate and sweetness tone down the hibiscus, allowing the cranberry, raspberry, peach, and strawberry notes to come out by turns.
So the lesson here is a) read instructions and b) don’t be afraid to experiment! This is a delicious herbal berry blend but I would have written it off as a hibiscus-heavy cup of boring if I had only had it as a plain cup of hot brew. Stay warm out there!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Fruit Tisane
Where to Buy: Siplicious
Description
This award winning “All-Canadian”, berry-delicious infusion is packed full of native berries bursting with the flavors of our True North Strong and Free.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Merricat from Malfoy Tea Emporium. . .
I found this tea via a Shirley Jackson gift list on Book Riot. Ms Jackson was an early female horror writer whose work still holds up REALLY WELL today. If you want to be pleasantly surprised by some creepy older stories, give Shirley Jackson a try.
Anyway, this tea is based on a Jackson book I’d just read (We Have Always Lived In The Castle), so of COURSE I had to buy it, and maybe, like, some others fell in the cart, too. The Malfoy Tea Emporium focuses on literary references and guys, I’m mostly made of stuffed animal components, not willpower.
This tea is a mix of “black tea, raspberry leaves, natural creme flavor, natural blackberry flavor, natural cranberry flavor, and cranberries.” It is, true to its name, a creamy berry delight. The primary thing is the cranberry flavor, with the cream and raspberry skipping along behind it. These are fresh out the garden. A Victorian after-dinner treat.
This blend tastes like the berries in the novel that were covered in sugar and arsenic — except I don’t see poison in the ingredients, so I think I’m good here. If you don’t see any more posts from me, call the cops and tell them how I died.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Malfoy Tea Emporium
Description
Inspired by Merricat Blackwood from Shirley Jackson’s story “We Have Always Lived In The Castle”, this tea is blended with black tea, raspberry leaves, natural creme flavor, natural blackberry flavor, natural cranberry flavor, and cranberries.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
A Trio of Peach Teas from Beleave, Rishi, and Teavana. . . .
Who knew I had so many peachy teas in my cupboard? Let’s look at a spontaneous peach tea trio!
Pinkies Up Peach from Beleave Teas
Leaf type: white tea
This is a white tea with peach pieces and added flavors. The dry leaf smells fruity and juicy without being artificial. When brewed, the white tea base is smooth and buttery and pairs perfectly with the bright sweet peach overtones. White tea and peach are a winning combination. Black tea blends tend to get too tart or overbearing against the sweet fruit. Pinkies Up Peach from Beleave would make a great summer iced tea.
Peach Blossom White from Rishi Tea
Leaf type: white tea
Wow, blossoms indeed! There are plenty of buds and petals in the dry leaf, and the blend smells a flower box. Brewed, the fragrance is even stronger with jasmine and peony. The peach takes a back seat in this blend, and taste a bit more peach candies than fresh fruit. The peach tones pop up in the aftertaste, alongside citrus notes like mandarin orange. This wasn’t a very peachy tea, but it was a unique floral blend that surprised me.
Peach Cran Tango from Teavana
Leaf type: black tea
Even before Teavana closed its online shop, I believe the Peach Cran Tango blend was discontinued. So it’s a bit of a moot point for me to review it now. To help soothe the Teavana ache, I tried to replicate this blend on Adagio’s custom tea builder. Give my Peach Cran Tango and try and see how it stacks up.
The last of the Teavana sample I tasted was simple but enjoyable. Sweet peach is balanced with a bit of tart cranberry, all atop a solid black tea base. This is technically a peach blend, though it also features a good dose of cranberry. Cranberries are sweet, tangy and versatile, and seem to tango with just about any fruit partner. The red-berry tartness help the peach from being too cloying and make for a balanced fruit blend.
Well I’m feeling just peachy after all these peach teas. All this sweet fruit makes me feel like warmer weather is on its way already…
On the 7th Day of Christmas, 52 Teas gave to me….Crisp Cranberry Soda Green Rooibos Tea!
On the 7th Day of Christmas, 52 Teas gave to me….Crisp Cranberry Soda Green Rooibos Tea! So for this one, the smell of the dry leaf brought back memories! When I was younger my mom was really into sparkling water mixed with a splash of cranberry juice and a lime. As a little girl, I of course always wanted to copy her. This blend smells exactly like that “soda” drink tasted…down to the carbonation. Although, I’m not sure how you can “smell carbonation”, but I swear I can!
This blend is a total thirst quencher. I’m drinking it hot because I’m not very into icing my teas, but I can imagine this would be so amazing iced. I love the green rooibos base. It is lighter and not as “woody” as red rooibos. The cranberry is not super tart, but it’s still present and I feel like I can taste a little bit of lime or citrus. Then, of course, there is the “soda” aspect. If you did not tell me that this blend was meant to taste like a “soda” drink, I would still have thought it did- that is how accurate this tea portrays crisp cranberry soda. It is so crisp and it tastes so hydrating I am literally gulping it down. I really did enjoy this one and I feel like it totally represented its name 100%. It would be amazing in the summertime as an iced beverage or even as a tea-popsicle! This one is a winner for sure!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Rooibos
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This tea is not available but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
