Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black, Oolong & Rooibos
Where to Buy: Inspired Leaf
Tea Description:
Tempting crisp apple with notes of earthy sweetness.
Inspiration No. 53: Harvest the good in those around you.
Ingredients: Black tea, oolong tea, organic rooibos, apple pieces, fig pieces, clove, star anise, natural flavors.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Berkshire Apple & Fig Blend from Inspired Leaf is really yummy!
The base of black tea and Oolong is a pleasing combination – it is mild but not too mild … it is strong enough to provide a solid background of flavor without overwhelming the flavor of apple and fig. There is a moderate amount of astringency … just a slightly dry sensation of the palate toward the tail, and the aftertaste is sweet … the kind of sweetness that lingers on the palate after eating dried fruit.
As for the rooibos … I don’t taste it! Then again, I can’t say that this blend would taste the same without the rooibos, and some of the nutty, earthy flavors of this cup are probably due to the presence of the rooibos.
But what I really like about this cup is the way the apple and the fig taste together. Sweet and autumnal … a trait that is further accentuated with the addition of clove and star anise. The spices are subtle … adding just a hint of warmth and exotic sweetness without adding a lot of distinct spicy flavor.
This is a real treat … a cuppa that evokes thoughts of autumn even though spring is just around the corner.
Fig Matcha from Red Leaf Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green (Matcha)
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
The much loved fig fruit can be likened to eating a pear and an apple together. When it is combined with exotic Matcha, the resulting Fig Matcha treat makes a fruity sensation that can send the tastebuds reeling with delight. This delicious fruity treat can be part of the wide selection of treats within the tables of special occasions for young children. Its overall sweet fruity appeal would instantly make it likeable among the very young. It would also be a cool treat in hot weather when a person wants to relax with a trendy treat on hand. Fig Matcha is the perfect snack for all the right reasons.
Learn more about this fig flavored Matcha here.
Taster’s Review:
Have I mentioned how much I love Red Leaf Tea lately? They are definitely my favorite source for Matcha. Now I know that there are those of you that think that flavored Matcha is somehow wrong, perhaps even sacrilegious. And I get that. And believe me when I tell you that I love pure Matcha just as much (if not more) than flavored Matcha, but, I also cannot deny how exciting all these flavors are from Red Leaf Tea, and how my mouth waters when I read some of the flavors that are available! So many flavors and so little time! (By the way, I feel it would be remiss not to mention the fact that Red Leaf Tea also offers pure, unflavored Matcha too – in several different grades, so whether you’re new to Matcha or someone who wants nothing but the best … Red Leaf Tea has got you covered!)
But when I saw this Fig Matcha I simply HAD to try it. I’ve mentioned before my love of fig. I have adored this fruit since I was very small. There are some foods that evoke fond childhood memories for me, and figs are one of them (actually, come to think about it, fruit is probably the main food group that evokes these memories!)
When I was very small, I remember vaguely living on a farm. It was for a short while, and it was never during what I’d call my main memory “patch” – that is, I remember pretty much everything by the time I was six or seven, but not so much before that. I think it’s that way for most people. But there are vague little images, vague little patches of memories that I recall from times before I was six or seven … and figs play a central role in one of those memory patches.
This farm that I lived on, I don’t remember who all lived on that farm. I know I lived there with my mother, but I know that other people lived there too. My mother and I stayed in a guest house that was on the farm, and I also remember sometimes living in the house across the street from the farm. The foods that I remember from my time on this farm include soup made from cactus … and fresh figs eaten right after it’s been picked off the tree, while it was still warm from the summer sun. I’d spend my afternoons wandering through that fig orchard, picking figs and eating them. So delicious.
Now, when I buy fresh figs at the supermarket, they do not taste as good as they did in those memories. And I don’t really care for Fig Newtons. I mean, they’re OK, and there are times when I actually crave Fig Newtons, which is kind of weird too, now that I think about it. But they aren’t on my shopping list regularly, and they aren’t something I usually keep stocked in the house now… and when I do happen to buy a package, they end up stale before the package is finished. I’m better off with one of the small sized packages that I can sometimes find in a convenience store.
But, there is still part of me that wants to recapture those happy memories, so when I see teas that are fig flavored, I usually end up buying them. Which brings me to now, with this Fig Matcha that sits in front of me.
The aroma is very fragrant, very Fig. And the flavor is very fig-like too. It has that sweet, succulent flavor of a fig, along with the slightly perfumed essence that I remember from the figs I ate so long ago. This is much more like the fig I remember from way back when than any fresh fig I’ve purchased in the supermarket or any fig confection for that matter. (Although, there are some pretty amazing fig crackers from O Pair)
The Matcha has much of the qualities you’d expect: it’s creamy and rich and slightly buttery. It’s vegetative. But here’s where it gets interesting. The vegetative taste has a slight … spicy … tone to it that I don’t think I’ve ever noticed from Matcha before. And all I can think is that the flavor of fig somehow brings this quality of the Matcha out, highlights it. It doesn’t taste like fig, but it is a welcome enhancement of the flavor of the fig. It gives the overall cup (bowl) a sort of autumnal feel – warm and comforting. Almost cake-like.
This is yet another stunning addition to the massive line of flavored Matcha that Red Leaf Tea offers … and yet another that I would put on the must try list, especially if you like figs. This is one that I think I’ll keep on hand, even though there are some that I liked better than this that I probably would not keep on hand. Weird, huh? Then again, nothing about my journey with figs seems very normal, if you think about it.
This is just another one of those things that add to it – in a very good, but weird way.
Fig Formosa from Tin Roof Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Tin Roof Teas
Tea Description:
High quality Taiwanese oolong is the perfect base for the rich taste of Smyrna fig.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I love Steepster. One of the things I love most about the tea community is that there is a great opportunity to meet other tea enthusiasts and occasionally, swap teas with them. It’s a great way to taste different teas that maybe I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to try otherwise, not to mention the fact that it allows me to share my abundant tea supply with others!
This is one of the teas that was recently sent to me by one of my Steepster friends. I was excited to try it, because I love figs and I love a good Formosa Oolong.
This tea bears a striking resemblance to the Fig Formosa tea from Teas Etc, the same name and visually, this tea looks the same as I remember the Fig Formosa looking … especially in the brewed tea. The liquor is such a unique color – it’s purple! Purple!
I absolutely loved that tea, and I remember it tasting unlike any other fig tea that I’ve tried. This has that same strong fig flavor, along with the deliciously smooth flavor of the Formosa tea. Delightful!
And this tea also manages to bring me back to those memories of the fig orchards when I was a child. Happy times!
I don’t know that these teas are the same, and it’s been long enough since I tasted the other tea that I can’t compare them properly, but, I really don’t care either. I know that there are a lot of tea companies out there who resell other companies products and to be honest, that doesn’t bother me one bit. As long as the tea is fresh and delicious and has been properly cared for, that’s what matters to me. As far as who the wholesaler is or who is the re-seller in this case (or even if both of them are re-selling teas) … that doesn’t matter to me.
For me, it’s all about the tea … and this tea is good!
Brown Sugar Fig Black Tea from Ovation Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Ovation Teas
Tea Description:
Blend of Assam and Ceylon loose leaf black teas with diced figs and brown sugar flavoring.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The aroma of the dry leaf is delightful – very fig-y! As I’m sure I’ve shared on this blog before, I have a great fondness for figs, so, when I saw this tea in Ovation Teas’ collection of teas, I knew it was one I had to try.
Unfortunately, the flavor of the fig is not as strong as the scent lead me to believe. Sure, the fig flavor is there, but, it just isn’t as dominate a flavor as it is a fragrance. A little disappointing, as I was looking forward to a strong fig presence; however, it is still a tasty tea.
The brown sugar is quite nice in this, and the combination of black teas, brown sugar and fig flavors create a sort of fig toffee kind of flavor. Very delicious, and even though it is a brown sugar flavored tea, I am not finding this to be too sweet.
The base of the tea is a blend of Assam and Ceylon black teas, and the Assam has a bite to it, so I do recommend a shorter steep time than you would normally allow for a flavored black tea. I steeped my first pot in my Breville for 2 1/2 minutes and found that this was a bit too long as there was some bitterness to the cup. However, after a few minutes of cool time, the bitterness did subside, and the flavors of brown sugar and fig became more apparent. The second time I steeped the tea, I steeped for 2 minutes in my Breville, and this was much better. The black tea was strong, and as the tea cooled slightly, the flavors began to pop.
If you like fig, you should really try this tea. I don’t know that it is my favorite fig flavored tea (Ha! I say that as if there are a bunch out there to choose from!) but, I am finding it quite enjoyable.
Fig Formosa from Teas Etc.
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Teas Etc.
Product Description:
Full whole leaf quality Taiwanese oolong is the perfect base for the rich taste of Smyrna fig. The addition of cornflower and poppy flower petals add rich color and a natural sweetness enhancing the visual and taste character.
This blend is a complete departure from your typical cup of dark oolong tea and a pleasurable experience whether served hot or cold.
Taster’s Review:
I absolutely love figs. I have very fond childhood memories of them. For a brief time, I lived on a farm and there was a fig orchard on this farm. So on any given afternoon, I could be found in the orchard, picking a fresh, ripe fig and eating it, right there in the orchard. It was one of the most incredible culinary experiences of my life.
Unfortunately, when I go to the supermarket now, I can never find figs that match that memory.
But… interestingly enough, this tea does! This tea tastes so much like those figs that I remember … and because I’m drinking this hot, it even has that warmth from the sun that I recall from those figs. Wow!
The Oolong seems a perfect match for the flavor of fig, as it is smooth and rich but doesn’t overwhelm the delicious flavor of fig. It is sweet and luscious. This is so true to the flavor of fig that I can almost taste the seedy pulp from the fig, I can almost feel that texture.
I do miss those figs from that farm so much, but, I think I may have finally found something that will pay tribute to that flavor that I miss so much and let me indulge in a very memorable tea at the same time.