Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Green Rooibos
Where to Buy: Hale Tea Company
Tisane Description:
The aroma is something of a cross between a peach and an apricot. To taste, this tea really does mimic eating an actual Mirabelle plum with it’s tart skin and sweet flesh. The green rooibos brings an interesting savouriness that interacts delightfully with the Mirabelle flavour.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Learn more about subscribing to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
This Mirabelle Cream Rooibos Tisane from Hale Tea Company is the last of the three teas that I received in September’s tea tasting box from Amoda Teas. The fragrance is to die for! My mouth was watering the moment I smelled it – it smells luscious … like fresh peaches and apricots … and evoked memories of my gramma’s kitchen during the month of August and beginning of September, when the last of the peaches and apricots were being harvested from her prolific trees, and she would be making peach and apricot preserves, as well as pies and cobblers. YUM! I think my stomach just growled from thinking about it … now I want a peach/apricot cobbler with a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream!
But I suppose a cup of this tisane will have to suffice since those days have long since past (and I’m not nearly the baker that my gramma was!) And this is tasty … not nearly as tasty as my gramma’s cobbler with homemade vanilla ice cream, but, this also has less fat and fewer calories.
Click on the Pic to go there.
The green rooibos base is a nice choice for these flavors, because the green rooibos has a natural fruity tone to it that accents the notes of plum. I can’t recall that I’ve actually tasted a Mirabelle plum, but I do notice some plummy notes in this tea that remind me of a sun-ripened plum with the juicy, deep red flesh. I notice the sweetness and the hint of sour to those plums. This is sweeter than most plums that I’ve tasted … but I do notice that plum-like tartness to this too.
The flavor is not as peachy or apricot-y as the aroma would lead one to believe … but then, this is not supposed to be about peaches or apricots, but the Mirabelle plum, although the photo of the Mirabelle plum (above right) … those kinda look like apricots!
Overall, I’m finding this tasty tisane to be fruity with a nice contrast between sweet and tangy, with just a hint of cream. I like the lightness of this … it’s very refreshing and it tastes great hot or iced. As it cools, the flavors do soften somewhat, but it’s still a tasty, creamy, fruity drink.
A really nice tisane, I’m glad that Amoda included this in the September box!
Irish Cream Flavored Matcha from Red Leaf Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green (Matcha)
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
Irish Cream with its intoxicating mix of ingredients gets more exciting when combined with the oriental touch of Matcha. Irish cream Matcha is a perfect treat for adults who are looking for a sophisticated snack made up of adventurous ingredients. This unforgettable treat is perfect for after hours, over the weekend or for those special occasions when adults have gathered to bond and have fun. It’s interesting color and arresting taste makes Irish cream Matcha a firm favorite for many adults who want to expand their repertoire of personal entertainment.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Yummy! I prepared a latte for this tasting of Irish Cream Flavored Matcha from Red Leaf Tea, and it is absolutely divine! Sweet, creamy, and I can taste the hint of coffee as well as a whiskey note.
For this batch of flavored Matcha from Red Leaf Tea, I went with my usual specifications: the classic grade of Matcha and the distinctive level of flavoring, and again, the distinctive level is just perfect for my taste. (That happens more often than not!) There is a good balance between flavoring and the buttery, vegetative notes of Matcha.
And one thing that I notice here, and perhaps it is because the flavoring is representative of an alcoholic beverage, that I don’t notice that sort of “artificial” flavoring that I sometimes get from the flavoring that Red Leaf Tea uses. This just tastes like … Irish Cream liqueur and Matcha. But rather than feeling lightheaded after drinking an actual mixed cocktail with these two ingredients, I feel focused thanks to the invigorating powers of Matcha! (Although, now that I think about it, that could make for a very intriguing cocktail, indeed! I’m envisioning it served warm … something that will warm me up in the winter!)
To make my latte, I used 2% milk and heated it. As the milk was heating, I measured out several scoops of Irish Cream flavored Matcha into my sifter and sifted the matcha into my chawan. (Note: Red Leaf Tea does pre-sift their Matcha for all their customers, but, I still sift the Matcha more out of habit than anything else. I like to keep up the habit even when I’m about to enjoy a Matcha that I know has already been sifted, because I don’t want to fall out of the habit, you know?)
Once the milk was heated, I carefully poured it into my chawan and stirred it with a fork until everything was well-incorporated and I was sure that no clumps were stuck to the bottom of my chawan. I don’t typically use my chasen to whisk Matcha lattes because I don’t want the milk to possibly produce bacteria on my bamboo whisk. After I was sure the Matcha was all mixed into the milk, I took my hand-held frothing tool and whipped the Matcha to get a light froth on top. This didn’t froth up quite as much as I would have liked … I’m not sure if that’s because I used all milk rather than a milk and water combination.
Regardless, the latte was absolutely delicious … and it disappeared from my chawan almost instantly it tasted so good! I really, really like this flavor. If you’ve been hesitant to try Red Leaf Tea’s flavored Matcha … this one would be a great place to start. It’s really good!
Blue and Grey Tea from Tea For All Reasons
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tea for All Reasons
Tea Description:
A creamy Earl Grey highlighted with smooth, fruity blueberry notes, making this a must-have for all you Earl Grey lovers!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Before reading the description of this tea, I thought that it might be just another Earl Grey Cream, but, NO! This Blue and Grey Tea from Tea For All Reasons is a Blueberry Earl Grey Cream tea! And it is so dee-lish!
This is really, really good. As those of you who have read my reviews for any length of time are probably already aware, I’ve tried many different Earl Grey teas, including many different twists on the traditional, straightforward bergamot flavored black tea. But I can’t recall having tried a Blueberry flavored Earl Grey Cream tea – and after tasting this – I have to wonder … WHY NOT?
This is really a brilliant spin on the classic Earl Grey tea. There is a really tasty balance of flavors here. I taste the bergamot: it tastes tangy and sharp and it lies just beneath a sweet, creamy note of vanilla creme, which softens the sharpness just a little bit – not too much! – just enough to add a silky, sweet taste to the cup that melds beautifully with the flavor of tart, juicy blueberry. These three flavors coalesce to form a serendipitous cup of deliciousness.
And let’s not forget about the black tea base … because, really, that’s what it’s all about, right? It’s all about the tea! And while the black tea base here is on the mild side, I like that I taste it and it isn’t hidden behind these other flavors. No, it’s not a strong, powerful flavor of black tea … but, I don’t want it to be in this blend, because then it would overpower the delicate balance that has been achieved between the bergamot, vanilla and blueberry.
Those who are looking for an strong bergamot flavor won’t find it here. And granted, I do love me some bergamot! But, I really love the way these three flavors present themselves in this tea … I don’t think I’d want to adjust the volume on the bergamot. Don’t add milk to this one – it will overpower it all, and really, with the creamy notes of vanilla … you don’t need dairy! A half a pinch of sugar will help plump up the blueberry flavor, if you want more definition there … otherwise, I’d say that this tea is quite delightful just the way it is!
This is an Earl Grey for those who are looking for something just a wee bit different!
King Cake Cuppa Black Tea from Cuppa Crew Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Cuppa Crew Tea Company
Tea Description:
To celebrate Mardi Gras this year, we’ve developed a blend reminiscent of a gorgeous King Cake. Hints of vanilla cream and cinnamon make for a truly delectable cup that’ll take you away to beautiful N’awlins.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
Tasty! I don’t know that I’m necessarily tasting “cake” from this King Cake Cuppa Black Tea from Cuppa Crew Tea Company, but, it’s still darned tasty!
The cinnamon note is what comes through strongest here, although, I wouldn’t say that it’s a STRONG cinnamon-y tea. The cinnamon is a well-defined flavor without tasting of cinnamon candy (no red-hots here). This is more like the cinnamon taste you might get if you were to bite into a snicker-doodle cookie. Warm, sweet, true cinnamon taste. (Or, if you really want to get technical about it – true cassia taste.)
The vanilla offers a smooth creamy taste that compliments the cinnamon very well. The two together work very harmoniously … the vanilla softens the cinnamon, and the cinnamon keeps the vanilla cream from tasting too sweet or cloying.
The black tea base is not particularly strong here, but it does offer a pleasantly brisk background of flavor for the notes of cinnamon and vanilla cream. I think that if the black tea were perhaps a blend with Assam and possibly a Fujian black tea … this might taste a lot more like cake … or at the very least, like the aforementioned snicker-doodle cookie!
Regardless, this is a very tasty blend … one that I wouldn’t mind drinking again.
Organic Lavender Cream Oolong Tea from The Rabbit Hole
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: The Rabbit Hole
Tea Description:
Creamy oolong tea marries with lavender and vanilla to create this heavenly liquor. A guilty pleasure for those who don’t do guilt!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Wow! What an absolutely DREAMY blend this Organic Lavender Cream Oolong Tea from The Rabbit Hole is! So delightfully sweet, smooth and creamy. I’m loving every sip of this.
I like that the lavender hasn’t been overdone … or underdone! Lavender is one of those herbs that when there is too much of it in a tea, the tea ends up tasting a bit like soap or perfume … and when there isn’t enough lavender, it becomes so subtle that it’s barely distinguishable and when it’s that subtle, as a taster I can’t help but wonder, what’s the point in adding lavender at all … you know?
But, with this blend, the lavender is just right. It is balanced well with the Oolong and the vanilla tones so that I can taste the sweet floral notes without tasting like I’m sipping on body spray. The vanilla softens and sweetens the cup, creating a very luscious, creamy taste and texture.
And these two flavors are blended with a lovely Oolong that enhances both the creaminess of the vanilla and the floral notes of the lavender. These three ingredients play so well together, working in a synergistic way to bring out the best in each. This is something that I could drink again and again. I found it very soothing and comforting to sip on this rainy day!