Confession: I’ve written two reviews for this tea. The first review was written longhand in my journal after a party where I made a few non-tea-beverage tactical errors. It said:
“This tea tastes like what’d it be like to receive a Care Bear Stare.”
The rest of it is, basically, incomprehensible, mostly in terms of handwriting. So I’m writing it again.
“Tropical Fruit” ‘s ingredients include organic orange peel, organic apple, organic rose petals, organic calendula, and natural fruit flavors. Apples, oranges, and flowers aren’t really all that tropical, but the result is still sweet and fun anyway. It tastes like very vivid pastels might taste. I’d probably qualify this taste as more of a “spring” than a “summer” (as the tropics might be), but the accuracy of title-to-flavor isn’t one of my major sticking points.
I’ve drank both of these samples iced. It seems fitting to enjoy the tropics with a cool beverage at your hand.
Cold temperatures also seem to bring out the sweetness in a tea, which I especially enjoy doing with rooibos. It brings out a velvety, vanilla-like quality that makes everything taste like a wash of ice cream.
Or, you know, the Care Bear Stare.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Storehouse Tea
Description
Combines natural exotic tropical fruit flavors with caffeine free, Fair Trade red and green rooibos makes this infusion deliciously refreshing and rich in anti-oxidants. Excellent iced.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Vanilla Cupcake from the True Tea Club
It’s hard to resist a tea named Vanilla Cupcake, especially on a day when you just need something cute and sweet to brighten your day. This tea smells surprisingly fruity alongside the vanilla cake flavors, reminding me of fruitcake or banana bread. In a world of frosting-flavored, cake-themed tea blends, the amount of fruit flavors and fruity ingredients makes this blend stand apart.
The orange and papaya coupled with the vanilla, make this feel more like an orange-glazed sponge cake. Yum! The banana chips add their own full-flavored sweetness, but there is distinctly less of the traditional “frosting” taste, so if you want the extra creaminess, you should add a splash of milk to give the blend that dessert-like twist.
Because this is a decaf rooibos blend, it would be a perfect choice to brew up for a girl’s tea party. Who wouldn’t want a sip of a tea called vanilla cupcake? You could even serve it with real cupcakes and make a day of it!
In addition to all the fruit pieces in the tea, the leaves have at least two types of flower petals which makes the blend especially pretty to the eye. The bright and varied colors seem especially festive if you imagine this tea blend not just as a vanilla cupcake, but maybe as a “birthday cake” cupcake. This is a great blend for any day that needs a celebration.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Roobios
Where to Buy: True Tea Club
Description:
This Vanilla Cupcake Rooibos provides an exotic and smooth rooibos which provides a velvet-mouth feel. A dash of Banana chips amplifies this infusion into a heavenly status.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Lola from Sicilian Tea Company. . . .
This blend will makes you feel like singing, or humming along to your favorite pop song, comforting, pleasing, and drinkable. It’s a rooibos blend, so it’s decaf and full of feel-good antioxidants. There also warming cinnamon and a hint of relaxing lavender. Licorice root brings smooth, natural sweetness, almost fruity, like apples, which compliments the caramel tones of the red rooibos.
The rooibos is the dominant flavor, and if brewed strong, it will overwhelm the other flavors with the almost-medicine floral taste. This blend strong enough that it’s best brewed twice, for two full cups of flavor. This is a versatile tea, and can also be brewed ice with a splash of milk for a creamy, faux-caramel latte.
This is the perfect cup for when you need something sweet, easy, and comforting. Not to mention is will get the pop song stuck in your head… lalalalala Lola…
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Sicilian Tea Co.
Description:
Lola is a sweet treat that’s safe to have before bedtime. South African Red Rooibos is rich in antioxidants. Organic lavender, licorice root and cinnamon make for a yummy treat (without the guilt).
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Organic Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla from The Tea Guy. . . . .
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: The Tea Guy
Not all vanilla extracts are created equally, nor taste the same. Our chief tea sommelier spent a great deal of time, exploring & tasting what was available for vanilla rooibos tisanes. The result was most always a let down.
So, when we decided to go head to head with the best vanilla rooibos’s out there, our job was clear, blow away the palates & imaginations of the huge following this infusion commands.
We choose the bourbon varietal bean extract & pieces. We soaked our organic rooibos in it for a time and then cupped it against the competition. We were ecstatic with our result. You really outta try this so order a bag today!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Carrot Cake from Tea Taxi. . . .
I am a carrot cake fiend. Like I have an insane amount of love for carrot cake. All things carrot cake. In fact, when I go to the Cheesecake Factory, I almost always leave with a piece of carrot cake and a piece of carrot cake cheesecake. Once I got home from the Cheesecake Factory and noticed the carrot cake slice was smaller than normal and we complained and took the slice back. We got yet another piece of carrot cake and another piece of carrot cake cheesecake as an apology for making us drive back there and I practically cried over leaving the “small” (if you ever got a slice of carrot cake at the cheesecake factory, you know that even half a slice is huge) slice there. I was 22. Oh and did I mention I was on a diet at the time? One that focused on portion control, so yeah, I am a little carrot cake obsessed. That means I had high expectations going into this as I do all teas named for this beloved dessert.
Though the scent here is creamy and cinnamon, this misses the mark just a bit. It nods at carrot cake without actually capturing the flavor. It is creamy but bland. There is a thickness that lends itself to the cream cheese icing but lacks the tang. Carrot sweetness is present but just doesn’t blend with all the other components in this blend. And the nuttiness, though having potential, is layering on the rooibos base gesturing toward the idea of baked goods but ones that have maybe soured just a bit.
If anything this is carrot muffin. Carrot cakes younger, more annoying brother who pretends to be as awesome as carrot cake but just isn’t. This one was disappointing though in fairness it was up against some pretty high standards.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Tea Taxi
Description
Ahh, carrot cake… A classic that makes you melt inside everytime! The good news is, you can now enjoy it on the go thanks to our delicious flavorsed rooibos!
