Organic Masala Chai Blend from Fashionista Tea

by liberteas

masala_chai

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Fashionista Tea

Tea Description:

Organic blend of Assam tea with cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and other spices to create a finely balanced aromatic blend.  Excellent infused with milk and sugar, hot or iced.

Learn more about this blend here.

Taster’s Review:

I know I’ve said it before, but I’m going to say it again:  I love spiced chai blends!  And this Organic Masala Chai Blend from Fashionista Tea is fantastic!  It is delicious!

It has a good amount of spice to it – it’s pleasantly spicy – but there is a certain sweetness to this that is grabbing my attention.  I can taste the sweeter side of the cinnamon, of the cardamom and of the cloves, and these sweeter notes are really delightful, and a lovely contrast to the spicy, peppery notes of the ginger, and the zesty notes of the other spices.  This chai is a really lovely balance of sweet and spicy.

And as good as the spices are to a chai blend … a chai also needs a solid background of tea … and this blend uses an Assam blend that is rich, malty and flavorful.  I like that I can taste the black tea … it doesn’t taste bitter or overwhelming … but it is strong enough to stand on its own too.

This chai is really good served straight up – with no additions!  If you’re trying to eliminate dairy from your diet, this chai tastes great without the milk.  But if you don’t mind adding a splash of milk … this chai is also yummy served as a latte – brew it double strength and then add a little bit of milk or cream to the brewed cup, along with a drizzle of honey or a half a teaspoon of turbinado sugar … just enough to bring out the spices without making it too sweet.  I like that the milk does not mask the flavors … it just enhances the cup!

Another AWESOME tea from Fashionista Tea.  And … every time I write about Fashionista Tea, I mean to make mention of their packaging … but I keep getting so caught up with the delicious teas that I keep forgetting to mention how much fun the packaging for Fashionista Tea is!  Very colorful and very FUN … it’s a pure delight to receive a package from Fashionista … and I love their beautiful tins!

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

Strawberry Mango Green Tea from Trail Lodge Tea

by liberteas

strawberrymango

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Green

Where to Buy:  Trail Lodge Tea

Tea Description:

This a Trail Lodge Tea Blend. It combines strawberries, mangos, and green tea. It makes a refreshing and fruity iced tea.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

This Strawberry Mango Green Tea from Trail Lodge Tea smells INSANELY good!  From the moment I opened the pouch, I can’t seem to stop smelling it.  The dry leaf smells sweet and fruity and fresh … reminding me of fruit candy.  And as the tea brewed, it filled my kitchen with the luscious aroma of strawberry and mango.  The brewed tea smells much less like “candy” and more like fruit.  Still very sweet, but not quite as sugary sweet as the dry leaf.  (Hey, I’m not even complaining about the sugary sweetness … I’ve got a sweet tooth that was trying to convince me to just start munching on the dry leaf!)

With as good as the tea smells, I was sure that the tea tasted good too.  I mean, if it only tastes half as good as it smells, I knew I’d love this.  And fortunately, it does taste as good as it smells.  The flavor is sweet strawberry with hints of tartness from the berry … luscious and tropical from the mango, and the green tea tastes sweet and fresh.

The strawberry is the most prominent flavor, but, the mango comes in strong as well.  It’s almost an even balance of the two flavors, but I think it’s in the aftertaste where the strawberry ultimately wins out, because I taste that tingly berry note in the aftertaste.  You know that sensation you taste and feel on your tongue after you’ve eaten a fresh berry?  Yeah, that.

The green tea is a little overpowered by the flavors here, but it can be tasted, and it adds a certain buttery creaminess to the cup that melds well with the fruit flavors.  It also adds a light vegetative note that I notice especially toward the finish.  There is very little astringency to this cup, and no bitterness.  Just wonderfully sweet, delicious, fruity taste.

The flavors are indeed sweet … it is almost too sweet.  Some might find cloying, but, as for me, I love the sweetness.  But I do recommend trying this one before you add sweetener because I think it’s plenty sweet without any addition.  It is a perfect sweet-tooth kind of treat when you’d rather not over-indulge in something fattening!

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 Green Tea

Chocolate Rooibos Black Tea Blend from Fashionista Tea

by liberteas

chocolate_rooibosTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black Tea & Rooibos

Where to Buy:  Fashionista Tea

Tea Description:

A profusion of flavors all come together in this rich chocolaty blend, with an exotic twist of coconut, perfect as a dessert tea with or without milk.

Learn more about this blend here.

Taster’s Review:

When I opened the tin of this Chocolate Rooibos Black Tea Blend from Fashionista Tea, I expected it to be an “ordinary” chocolate rooibos blend … what a surprise when I discovered that it was not just a rooibos blend, but a black tea and rooibos blend.

It’s really tasty too!  The combination of black tea and rooibos offers a lighter tasting base, and I am of the opinion that this lighter base allows the chocolate flavor to taste richer.

And when it comes to teas with chocolate … a strong, rich chocolate taste is just what I want!  The overall cup is chocolate-y smooth and creamy and positively decadent!  YUM!

I also like the addition of coconut and vanilla to this blend.  These two ingredients add a creaminess to the cup, and this makes for a very pleasing “latte-like” taste without adding milk.  I suppose this would also taste really good with the addition, but, I perfer to drink my teas without adding dairy, so I like that this tastes rich and creamy, just like a latte, but without adding the milk or cream.  I mean, why add fat and calories if I don’t need to?

And I also love how sweet and delicious this is without sweetener!  Another addition that doesn’t need to be added … making this a luscious dessert tea that is low-calorie and low-fat.  Awesome!

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, Rooibos

Organic Mint Green Tea from Hampstead Tea

by liberteas

mintgreenTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Green

Where to Buy:  Hampstead Tea

Tea Description:

Refreshing and healthy, our mint green tea has a mellow flavour and cooling finish.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

When it comes to mint teas, I often find myself preferring mint tisanes or pure mint leaves (and my preference is peppermint) over mint combined with tea leaves, because as I’ve found a few mint teas where the mint has overwhelmed the flavor of the tea leaves so much that the taste of the tea is almost indiscernible.  But that is not the case of this Organic Mint Green Tea from Hampstead Tea.

In fact, the green tea seems to dominate!  The peppermint is strong enough to be tasted here, but, it isn’t so strong that it overpowers the green tea … instead, the sweet, smooth flavor of the green tea works to soften some of the zesty flavor of the peppermint … making for a much nicer delivery.  This doesn’t taste like mouthwash … it tastes like a sweet, lovely, delicious tea!

Oh, sure, it has that crisp, invigorating flavor of peppermint, and the palate feels clean and refreshed after sipping … but, it doesn’t feel like I poured mouthwash in my teacup and started sipping.  It has a lightly vegetative, slightly buttery taste of green tea … and the palate notices this immediately.  Then, the zesty flavor of peppermint is recognized.

I love that this tea is organic and fair trade … but what I love most is that this tea is more tea than it is mint!  Well done, Hampstead Tea!

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 Green Tea

Queen Elizabeth Black Tea (Organic, Fair Trade) from CaryTown Teas

by liberteas

queenelizabethTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where To Buy:  CaryTown Teas

Tea Description:

An elegant blend of Assam, Darjeeling, and Nigliri, with exquisite warm and nutty notes.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

A very nice tea blend – it’s hearty enough to serve as a breakfast tea, but it would also be quite nice to serve to guests at a luncheon (or tea party!) or, as an afternoon pick-me-up when a lighter black tea just won’t cut it.

There is definitely some heft to this cup.  It has a strong, rich flavor, but the Darjeeling in the blend keeps the bolder notes under control just a bit, so that it doesn’t become too much.  Just a touch of light to what I might otherwise consider a very dark blend … like a candle in an an otherwise pitch black room.

There is a really lovely undertone of sweetness here that is like honeyed caramel.  This is further accented by the notes of malt in the tea, as well as the fruit-y notes that are scattered throughout the sip.  The description above suggests warm and nutty tones, and I get those as well.  The finish is astringent, but nothing too overwhelming.  I tasted no bitterness, but, this isn’t a tea I’d recommend over-steeping.  In other words:  don’t forget to set your timer with this one!

This would make an excellent latte, but I find it quite enjoyable served straight as well … a drizzle of honey is also quite nice in this.

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