Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Culinary Teas
Tea Description:
Our Watermelon Kiwi Green tea has a Sencha tea base, which adds sweetness to wonderful flavor of watermelon and kiwi.
Made with all natural flavorings.
Taster’s Review:
Well, the name of this tea captured my attention immediately: Watermelon Kiwi Flavored Green Tea from Culinary Teas … um … yeah that sounds yummy!
And it tastes yummy too. The watermelon flavor is sweet … almost candy-like. On Steepster, this tea is compared to watermelon Jolly Ranchers which is one of my favorite candies from my childhood. Admittedly, one of the main reasons why I loved it is that my step-mother disliked the smell of it, but, my desire to irritate that woman aside, I also quite enjoyed the flavor of Watermelon Sticks from Jolly Rancher (do they even sell the sticks anymore? I only find them in the small “tootsie roll” size now.)
And this tea brings back those tasty memories for me. I also taste the notes of kiwi and I like the way the two flavors meld together. This is a sweet, juicy, fruity tasting tea … but I like that the flavor of the green tea is also present. It keeps it from tasting too much like a fruit juice drink. The green tea has a lightly vegetal taste with just a hint of earthiness, and this is a nice contrast to the sweeter fruit notes.
I couldn’t find this tea on the Culinary Teas website … I hope that means that the tea is temporarily sold out and not that it’s been discontinued, because this tea would make a delightful summertime tea – it is fabulous iced! In fact, after taking my first few sips of the hot cup of tea, I decided to allow the rest to cool. It was alright hot, but iced, it is a stunner!
Narcissus Oolong Tea from Culinary Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Culinary Teas
Tea Description:
Narcissus Oolong is considered one of Fujian Province’s finest exports. Light floral notes with a mild fullness reminiscent of a Pondicherry red pepper. Full bodied with an astringent finish.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Before I go to the tea vendor’s website and read their description of a tea (which I provide above), I like to taste the tea independent from the influence of the vendor’s thoughts of the tea, and write down my initial impressions. For this tea, I wrote: sweet, floral, with an pleasant, mild sweet-pepper kind of taste.
I found the similarities to my first impressions of this Narcissus Oolong Tea from Culinary Teas as compared to the vendor’s description to be quite interesting! (And I’m also quite glad that my taste buds aren’t playing tricks on me, because while the sweet pepper taste is quite compelling … I thought maybe my taste buds were a bit off when I tasted it! I’m glad they are working properly!)
I like the texture of this tea. It’s very soft and smooth … almost buttery, but it doesn’t stay that way. That is to say that there is enough cleansing astringency to this tea that I don’t feel like I need to wipe my palate after each sip because of “buttery” build up. It is smooth and silky as I sip, and then the palate feels clean, and ready for another sip of silken sweetness!
The flavor is slightly vegetative, with notes of flower (but I appreciate that the floral tones are not overwhelming here), and pleasantly sweet. A sweet-tangy-spicy sort of note. I like that the spicy here is mild – because I think if it were a stronger spicy note, it would overpower the tea. Here, the mellow spice tones are in keeping with the overall calm, relaxing taste of the tea.
A very pleasant Oolong – and I like that this is not your typical cup of Oolong! It is different enough to keep things appealing!
Genmaicha Extra Green with Matcha Tea from Culinary Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to buy: Culinary Teas
Tea Description:
An exceptional blend of the Genmaicha toasted flavor and aroma, with a Matcha natural sweetness. An exotic and harmonious flavor for green tea. Also known as ‘popcorn tea’.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Genmaicha Extra Green with Matcha Tea from Culinary Teas is a very pleasing Genmaicha blend. I love the warm, roasty-toasty flavor, as well as the fresh note that comes with the “extra” green from the Matcha. It’s a very invigorating tea … one that would be a great alternative to the typical black breakfast tea!
Normally, I consider a Genmaicha tea to be on the “light” side as far as that caffeine kick goes… but the Matcha addition not only gives it extra green, but some EXTRA energy too! The Matcha adds a slight creamy tone to the cup, and while I did notice the green powder on the dry leaf (and some powder to spare!) the cup does not appear overly cloudy or thick from the Matcha. It does have a thicker texture than I would normally experience with a typical Genmaicha … but it isn’t as heavy as I expected it to be given the heavy powdering the dry leaf appeared to receive from the Matcha. (The dry leaf was very powdery and green!)
The Matcha also gives this Genmaicha a distinctive flavor. It is sweeter and I like the way the vegetal note coats the tongue. This has a slightly stronger vegetal tone than a typical Genmaicha without the extra Matcha. The Genmaicha offers the flavor that I’d expect from a Genmaicha: I taste that sweet, nutty/toasty rice flavor. Overall, this combination of Matcha and Genmaicha is sweet, nutty, vegetal … it’s delicious!
I prefer my Genmaicha served straight – no additions – and that’s the way I took this cup. It’s really delightful, and I like the energy boost it gives me! Great for those times when I need a “jolt” but don’t want black tea!
Berry Berry Herbal Tea from Culinary Teas
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Fruit/Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Culinary Teas
Tisane Description:
A full flavored berry tea. We have added black and red currants, as well as raisins to our blend. A naturally sweet herbal tea.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
The above description forgot to mention that it is also a naturally tart herbal tea. Hibiscus! But, I’m kind of liking the way the hibiscus marries with the currants. It adds an interesting dimension to the flavor of the currants (and there are TONS of little tiny currants in this blend).
I don’t taste a lot of raisin-y flavor to this, especially not when it is served hot. As the tea cools, a sweet raisin note starts to emerge, but it isn’t a well defined flavor. Mostly what I taste is the flavor of currant, which adds a deep, almost-wine-like flavor to the cup, and the hibiscus, which adds tartness to the already slightly tart currant notes. But the hibiscus also does something else here, it gives more of a berry-like taste to the cup.
Yes, currants are a berry, but, they taste more wine-y to me than a typical berry flavor (that is, a berry like blueberry or raspberry or strawberry), and the hibiscus seems to enhance the berry profile of the currants a little bit, which I really like.
I don’t recommend oversteeping this tea – because although it contains no tea leaves (and therefore it’s not going to become bitter or tannic), it does contain hibiscus and when it’s left to brew too long, it becomes syrupy and tart. I brewed this for about 6 minutes, and I’d say that was just about perfect. It added some texture without going overboard, and it added a pleasant tartness without it becoming pucker-y.
As I sip this, I find it enjoyable, but I think it could be more enjoyable if a few spices were added to it as it infuses – maybe some cinnamon or some cloves might add a warm dimension to the flavor and make it a bit like mulled wine. Or, you could add some hot apple cider (perhaps at a 1:1 ratio?) to give the apple cider a delicious berry taste while lightening the flavor of the berry tea.
This is a tasty tisane. It’s not what I’d call a favorite, but, it’s not bad. I like it served warm by allowing it to cool somewhat after it’s been brewed. When it’s too hot, the hibiscus is very prominent. But as it cools, the flavors mellow somewhat and it’s much nicer.
Roasted Maté from Culinary Teas
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Yerba Maté
Where To Buy: Culinary Teas
Tisane Description:
Full bodied and smooth herbal tea. The roasted character of this mate imparts a coffee-like toast flavor. Rich in mateine, which is recognized as a mild stimulant.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
Occasionally, I’ll wake up feeling like I could probably very easily sleep another four or five hours, even after a full night’s sleep. I’ll feel groggy and sluggish and not only “unmotivated” but just too “tired” to get myself motivated. It’s on those days when I need a cup of Yerba Maté! There is more caffeine in Maté than in a typical cup of tea, and I need that invigoration … I need more than just a gentle shake to wake me that I can get from a cup of tea.
I usually prefer the roasted variety of Maté over the green Maté, although I’ve come to appreciate both types. There was a time when I didn’t really care for either, but, now, I embrace Maté. I think that those who process the leaf have come a long way since my earliest cups of Yerba Maté, either that or I’m just better at brewing it! Whatever the reason, I didn’t like it then, but I like it now.
This is a very pleasant Roasted Maté from Culinary Teas. The aroma of the dry leaf is a little earthy and warm, reminding me of autumn and the season that is quickly approaching (yay!) It even smelled a little like chicory, which always reminds me of coffee – and that’s coffee in a good way. I don’t have a lot of good things to say about that other caffeinated beverage (aka coffee) but, there was a time when I did enjoy it, and there are times when I miss the fragrance of the roasted bean. But I don’t miss the sicky, icky feelings of nausea a few hours after drinking it.
So, I do like it when I smell something that smells like coffee and I even like it when I taste something that tastes like coffee, so long as I’m not going to be sick in a couple of hours. Fortunately, I’ve never felt that with Yerba Maté, so I think I’m in the clear.
The flavor of this tisane is warm and rich, very much the way the scent of the dry leaf smelled – that’s what I taste. Warm, earthy flavors, but not too earthy or vegetative. Smooth and rich, almost reminiscent of a cup of coffee. And that’s just what I needed today.
Yerba Maté is delicious served hot with some turbinado sugar – that’s the way I’m drinking it now. It’s also nice served straight (no additions), but, I think that the rich, coffee like flavors come alive for me when I add just a little turbinado sugar. It’s also great served as a latte – just add a splash of steamed milk! Recently, I discovered Maté as an iced beverage too, and it’s really good that way too! Very energizing and restorative!