Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Fruit/Herbal Tea
Where to Buy: Wise Owl Tea
Tea Description:
Organic Olive leaf is a natural antibiotic and antioxidant. Olive leaf can rejuvenate your energy and enhance your immune system, supports your cardio vascular system and promote general health and well-being.
Olive leaves give a wonderful golden amber colour and a mild sweetness. This blend includes the delightful hint of apple.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
I wasn’t too sure what to expect from this Organic Corsican Olive Leaf Tea from Wise Owl Tea. I can’t recall ever having tried an olive leaf tea (but that doesn’t mean that I’ve not tried it … just that I don’t remember). And when I opened the very cool tube canister (seriously, I love the canisters!) I was a little bewildered by the amount of tea that is in each silky pyramid sachet. There is less than a teaspoon of tea in each little sachet – could this be enough to make a satisfactory cup of tea?
I contemplated using more than one sachet, but, instead, I went with just one sachet so that I could give as accurate a review of what one sachet of tea is capable of. I poured eight ounces of near boiling water (I never use boiling water in herbal/fruit tisanes like this one), and steeped the cup for five minutes as per the instructions on the package.
And yes! There’s flavor to this cup! The texture is thin but silky, and I taste notes of apple and a tangy pineapple note in the background. I also taste a sweet flavor that is neither apple or pineapple, and this is what I’m thinking must be the olive leaf. It has a soft vegetal flavor that reminds me a bit of green tea – but not exactly like that.
It is as though I can taste the olive there, and I’m not sure that isn’t just my mind telling me that I’m drinking olive leaf tea and I should be tasting olive … or if that’s what I’m actually tasting.
It’s a different taste … but not an unpleasant one. On the contrary, I’m quite enjoying this olive leaf tea from Wise Owl. It’s a mellow tasting tea. I have heard that olive leaf tea can taste bitter if it’s steeped too long, so I was careful only to steep this for five minutes and I’m very pleased with the results, so I’d recommend not going over the five minutes to avoid the bitter flavor … unless you like that sort of thing.
Olive Leaf Tea is known for its health benefits, and if it tastes this good, I’m not opposed to drinking something that’s good for me. That’s why I drink tea – not for it’s health benefits – but that it tastes good. The health benefits are an added bonus. Just like with this Olive Leaf Tea! The health benefits are just a bonus to the tasty flavor.
Vanilla Rooibos Herbal Tisane from Tea People
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Tea People
Tisane Description:
Dubbed ‘Rooibos’ meaning ‘red bush’ by the speakers of the Dutch Afrikaans language, this “tea” is only produced in South Africa. This one is from Cederberg mountains in South Africa, the home of rooibos where it is grown at an altitude of 1500 – 2500 ft.
Don’t be fooled by the name, the plant itself is green but the leaves turn red after processing. This flavourful relaxing tea has a creamy vanilla scent and is caffeine free, perfect as a nightcap, or any time of the day!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Mmm! This Vanilla Rooibos Herbal Tisane from Tea People has a really yummy vanilla flavor, and it has a wonderful creamy texture too – something that’s a little unusual when it comes to rooibos blends!
I tend to find most rooibos blends to be a little “thin” in texture, but I’m not experiencing that with this blend. It has a nice creaminess to it that complements the creamy, sweet vanilla flavor.
The naturally sweet, nutty flavor of the rooibos melds nicely with the vanilla notes, and there is a hint of almond to this cup as well. The flavors marry very well together to create a decadent sweet treat that would make a tasty dessert substitution (with far fewer calories and no fat!) This is the kind of tisane I like to curl up to late at night – it’s cozy, it’s comforting and it’s very yummy!
Currently, the fine people at Tea People are hosting a campaign on indiegogo to help the tea garden workers of Darjeeling and their families. I hope you’ll consider donating to this very worthy cause!
Organic Unwind Tulsi Tisane from Spicely Organics
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Tulsi
Where to Buy: Spicely Organics
Tisane Description:
Relax and restore with this tulsi based blend. Cinnamon and rose blend perfectly with tulsi to ease away any tension and relax after a long day. INGREDIENTS: Organic Tulsi, Organic Cinnamon Sticks, Organic Rose Petals.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Learn more about the Spicely Organics Monthly Tea Membership here.
Taster’s Review:
This Organic Unwind Tulsi Tisane from Spicely Organics has a fairly simple ingredient list – tulsi, cinnamon and rose – but sometimes simplicity works. It certainly did in the case of this blend; it’s really quite tasty.
Since there is no camellia sinensis or other ingredients that were likely to become bitter if oversteeped, I went ahead and steeped this for 10 minutes in 195°F water. The result is a flavorful cup that has strong cinnamon overtones but it’s a natural cinnamon flavor: not that overly sweet-hot red-hot-candies sort of cinnamon-y flavor. This tastes like the cinnamon you’d sprinkle on your toast or over your bowl of oatmeal in the morning. It’s warm and zingy yet sweet.
The tulsi gives the cup a somewhat herbaceous note – I taste notes of basil. Basil and cinnamon are not two flavors that I would normally think to combine but they work nicely together to create a sweet yet savory note with hints of warm, zesty spice.
The rose offers a nice floral undertone. I like the way the rose and cinnamon work together – this is a flavor combination that I’ve been fond of for a long time and I’m happy to see another company embrace the combination.
A very calming, relaxing blend – just exactly the type of tisane I’d turn to if I wanted to “Unwind”!
Citron Tisane from Eden Grove
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Fruit/Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Amazon Trading
Ingredients:
Naturally Caffeine Free: Hibiscus, Apple, Orange Peel, Lemongrass & flavors of Lemon and Lemongrass.
Learn more about Amazon Trading here.
Taster’s Review:
I am always initially leery of any tisane that boasts hibiscus as the first ingredient in its ingredient list. So, it should come as no surprise to you that when I was offered this Citron Tisane from Eden Grove to try, I was not as excited as I was to try some of the other teas from Eden Grove. (I especially enjoyed their Lovers Leap Estate Indigo Black Tea!)
But, I have been surprised in the past by teas that I was originally skeptical of, and so I decided to give this Citron blend a try. And I’m really glad I did. It might not be my favorite cup of tea from Eden Grove, but, it’s tasty!
Even though the hibiscus is the first ingredient in the list, there is relatively little hibiscus in this. A quick glance through the silky pyramid sachet tells me that the primary ingredient in it is lemongrass. And I like lemongrass. I only saw maybe a couple of hibiscus pieces.
After steeping in 195°F water for five minutes, this tisane brews up a golden color (not pink – another suggestion that there isn’t too much hibiscus in this!) and the texture is smooth – not thick or syrupy. All of the sudden, I feel much better about sampling this tisane!
And it’s pretty good. The flavor (not surprisingly) is citrus-y. I taste a tart note from the hibiscus (but again, this is not an overpowering presence of hibiscus), and that tartness accentuates the tart notes of the lemon and lime. There is a sweetness from these two citrus fruits as well as a sweet hint of orange with just a hint of bitter from the orange pith. I also am tasting a smooth, buttery note from the lemongrass, and a sweet apple note.
Overall, this is a bright and enjoyable tisane to enjoy any time of the day. The sunny flavor of the citrus makes it a good choice for earlier in the day, but it’s also an agreeable tisane for later in the evening when I’m looking for something caffeine free. It would also be nice to brew up and chill for something cool and refreshing.
Organic Soothing Lemon Wellness Herbal Tea from The Cozy Leaf
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos & Herbal Blend
Where to Buy: The Cozy Leaf on Etsy
Tisane Description:
(Organic Caffeine Free Rooibos Tea) This tea blend has a sparkling-like lemon flavor which gives this blend a fresh and lively character – terrific served hot and sensational served iced! This tea is very soothing when served hot with a little honey, perfect for those winter sore throats! Rooibos is an ultra fine, delicate tea and once brewed it will produce a hearty red color with a warm scent. Rooibos holds a superior, natural sweetness that is unsurpassed with a smooth and aromatic after taste!
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
This Organic Soothing Lemon Wellness Herbal Tea from The Cozy Leaf is indeed a soothing blend! As I’ve said before (and will no doubt say again in the future), rooibos isn’t my favorite tisane, but, I find that I do like it better when it’s organic (and yes, there is a difference that’s discernible in the taste!)
I also like how the nutty and earthy tones complement the lemon-y notes here. The lemon isn’t an in-your-face kind of flavor … just as the name implies, it’s soothing. It’s a calm, gentle flavor that is a little bit tart, a little bit sweet and even a wee bit bitter. I find that this tends to be true of blends with the citrus peel in them. Not a bad thing – the contrast keeps the cup interesting.
The lemongrass enhances the citrus tones in a sweeter way, and adds a hint of smooth, buttery taste to the drink. I like that this is a relaxing cup of tea that warms me up when I drink it hot, but is also tasty when served iced. I feel good when I sip it – it’s a very uplifting sort of tisane.
The Cozy Leaf was previously known as Teas and Tapestries, and we have reviewed a couple of their teas here on this blog. They have a very impressive line up of teas, I think I might have to visit them again when my tea budget allows! A really nice company and a really good product.