Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Fruit/Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Davidson’s
Product Description:
This herbal iced tea blend elegantly balances the delicious tart character of fresh organic cranberries with citrusy orange peel and sweet chamomile. High vitamin C rosehips and hibiscus create a rosy red brew and sharp contrast to sweeter elements for a truly refreshing experience. Contains a total of 8 one-quart brew bags brewing appx. 2 gallons of iced tea.
Ingredients (* organic): Chamomile flowers*, orange peel*, hibiscus*, rosehips* & natural flavor.
Taster’s Review:
This is Davidson’s “tea of the month” (which means it’s now on sale! Yay!) and it is a surprisingly good herbal blend. As some of you are probably well aware, I’m not always particularly keen on herbal teas, especially those with hibiscus. But, even though this one has hibiscus in it, it’s quite delicious.
Davidson’s tea of the month this month is offered three different ways: as an “iced tea” (packaged in quart sized tea bags for easy brewing), in single-serving sized tea bags, and in loose leaf form. In loose leaf form, this tea is a little different, as the blend also contains rooibos. What I will be reviewing here is the iced tea blend.
The combination of cranberry and orange is typically an autumnal flavor combination, but, it is a deliciously refreshing summertime flavor too! This herbal blend makes a very flavorful iced tea. It is light and crisp. The flavor is lightly sweet with a tart note that lingers into the aftertaste. I am not usually fond of tart tasting teas, but, here, the tartness works. It compliments the flavor of the cranberry and orange.
The orange is sweet and juicy. The cranberry is tangy and tart. These two flavors work together very well, and seem to bring out the best in each other. The chamomile is not a very strong flavor in the blend, although this blend wouldn’t taste the same without it. I can also taste hints of the hibiscus. It gives the tea a little bit of body, but it isn’t that thick, syrupy texture that is sometimes associated with hibiscus-y teas.
A refreshingly different iced tea!
Hibiscus Flower Tulsi from Davidson’s Organics
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Tulsi/Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Davidson’s Organics
Product Description:
Davidson’s blends three varieties of Tulsi (Krishna, Rama and Vana) with hibiscus to create a delicious tartness and a beautiful rosy color. Hibiscus contains natural vitamin C, and is now thought to reduce cholesterol, while also lowering blood pressure.
Ingredients (* organic): Tulsi*, hibiscus*, cinnamon*, lemon peel* and orange peel*.
Taster’s Review:
This tea scared me a little. As some of you probably are aware, I’m not fond of hibiscus, although a little bit in blends is not bad. But with a name like “Hibiscus Flower” I figured that there was going to be more than a “little bit” of hibiscus in this blend.
But I’ve got to admit that this isn’t bad at all. In fact, it’s pretty tasty! While the hibiscus is there, the thick, syrupy, tart hibiscus flavor is not. Of course, that had something to do with the steep time (I steeped it for four minutes), but it also has something to do with the other ingredients in this blend.
I can taste an herbaceous flavor that is somewhat minty (that’s the Tulsi), as well as a warmth from the cinnamon. I can also taste the bright citrus-y notes of the lemon and orange peels. Together with the hibiscus, these ingredients create a very interesting, pleasant-tasting tisane.
While I am enjoying the juicy flavors of the citrus peels and the fresh taste of the Tulsi, I think that the ingredient that saves this blend is the cinnamon. It is not incredibly spicy, but it offers enough heat to give contrast to the tangy hibiscus and sweet citrus tones.
While I wouldn’t go so far as to say that this is my favorite Tulsi blend (because it isn’t), I’ve enjoyed this. I like it more than I thought I would, and while it is not something I’d buy on a regular basis, but I wouldn’t mind sipping on it on occasion.