Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black/Green
Where to Buy: Ette Tea
Tea Description:
Our newest tea formula of Jasmine green, black tea, cranberries, lychee pieces & lily blossoms. Sweet tasting & tangy as the Japanese jelly dessert, Lychee Konnyaku tea provides the added malty texture and body for the gourmet tea lover.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This, along with the Mango Sticky Rice blend that I’ve yet to try, is the Ette Tea blend I’m most excited about tasting and reviewing. I absolutely adore lychee in just about anything, but especially in tea. Plus, cranberry is also one of my favourite fruit flavours in tea so the pairing of the two got me really, really excited. It’s also a pairing that I haven’t seen done before which was really cool too.
Dry; this has some really robust smelling lychee. It’s also fairly floral which should be expected given that there’s jasmine from the green tea and also the addition of lily, but lychee is a very floral tasting fruit too so it comes from that as well. I don’t see as many cranberries in the leaf as I want their to be, though I did make sure that what I measured out for my mug had at least one included.
Wow; this smelled heavenly when it was also steeped up! It’s a very strong lychee aroma; definitely the most powerful aspect of the tea, but there’s also a really soft, soothing jasmine smell backed up by other floral elements like lily and maybe also orchid. It’s actually hard to pick out specific notes from either the black or the green tea used though. I can also smell the cranberry, but only slightly.
Thankfully the cranberry is a bit more noticeable in the taste; it cuts through pretty clearly in the start of the sip with some sweetness but also some tartness that reminds me of cranberry jelly like you’d have around Thanksgiving. However, the very lush taste of the lychee and jasmine over takes it early on leaving me feeling just slightly cheated. I want more cranberry because while it’s so different to me to see it paired with lychee the two flavours go together really well!
The lychee is juicy and rich and reminds me a lot of actual lychee or ‘cocktail’ lychee that’s been canned in its own sweetened juices. It’s mouthwatering and strong as a flavour. I can see where, paired with the sweetness of the cranberry, this could get a little too sweet but thankfully there’s the soothing presence of jasmine that brings this back down to a reasonable level and keeps it distinctly flavoured but smooth and relaxing too.
Also, now that it’s steeped I think the base teas come through just slightly more; the first half of the mug seemed to have a really light vegetal taste to it that was brought more into focus when you concentrated on the jasmine but the slightly malty black base was more present in the aftertaste along with the lingering flavour of lychee, and especially present with the last few tiny sips from the mug when everything had cooled down.
There’s definitely room for improvement, but overall this was a really impressive and well executed tea and I’m absolutely kicking myself for just getting 10g! I’ve now tried 3/5 samples and this is definitely my favourite so far. This company has yet to really disappoint me!
Pomegranate Blueberry Fruit Tisane from Mahamosa
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Fruit Tisane
Where to Buy: Mahamosa
Tisane Description:
The popular pomegranate demonstrates its best attributes in this combination, side by side with the fruity blueberry. This creates a very fruity taste experience and is also great to look at in its robe of royal blue cornflowers and mallow blossoms. Ingredients: apple pieces, hibiscus blossoms, elderberries, freeze-dried apple pieces, pomegranate arils, flavoring, blueberries, cornflower and mallow blossoms.
Learn more about this fruit tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
I love pomegranate, but, I have to admit that I generally prefer pomegranate flavored teas (Camellia Sinensis) rather than pomegranate fruit tisanes such as this Pomegranate Blueberry Fruit Tisane from Mahamosa. That said … I am having a hard time finding anything to complain about with this fruit tisane … it’s actually rather tasty!
I steeped this using just under boiling water (about 195°F) for six minutes. I find that a steep time between five and seven minutes is just about right for tisanes that are crafted with hibiscus … it’s enough time to extract a little bit of tartness from the herb (but not too much!) as well as a little bit of texture (again … not enough to make it unpleasantly thick, but enough to give it an agreeable body). Here, the tartness of the hibiscus plays well with the pomegranate and blueberry, both of which tend to have just a little bit of tartness of their own. The hibiscus seemed to complement these fruits. The apple, on the other hand, smoothed out the tartness just enough, giving the cup a lovely sweetness while keeping the tartness under control (no puckering!)
But, of course, a tisane that is called “Pomegranate Blueberry” had better be about the pomegranate and blueberry, right? And this tisane highlights these two fruits very nicely. I think that they are both evenly matched, too, the pomegranate comes in right at the start of the sip, and then returns right at the end of the sip, while the blueberry comes through mid-sip. The aftertaste is sweet-tart.
A very pleasant tisane … I think I like it better iced than as a hot drink. The iced beverage seems a little sweeter to me. A really nice alternative to sugary soda for kids … this is something I think they’d really LOVE!
Blood Orange Flavored Black Tea from Mahamosa
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Mahamosa
Tea Description:
This mild China-Ceylon black tea blend evokes the Caribbean. Comprised of light-yellow orange peels and orange-red blazing safflowers, this tea creation has a sweet, firm, fresh and tangy flavor. A sip of this tea will bring to mind the fervent red flesh of sun-ripened blood oranges.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Blood Orange Flavored Black Tea from Mahamosa delivers exactly what it promises! The sweet, juicy flavor of Blood Orange!
The black tea base is a mellow tasting black tea – and before even reading the above description, I could tell just from the taste that this this was a Ceylon … or at the very least, a blend that included Ceylon, and according to the aforementioned description, it is a blend of Ceylon and black teas from China. The flavor is a little “deeper” than a typical Ceylon, I attribute this depth to the China tea. It has a good, solid flavor, but it isn’t what I’d call “bold” or “robust.”
The real star of this cup is the Blood Orange flavor. It is so BRIGHT and refreshing! It tastes authentic … it tastes true to the fruit. So if you’re fond of citrus-y teas, this one would be right up your alley. It’s got a little bit of tangy appeal to it, but mostly, it’s just sweet and juicy like the fruit itself.
I found this to be really tasty … something that would be good to have around when the weather warms up and you want a really delicious iced tea. It makes a really nice hot tea too, it has nice, natural sweetness to it, but, I found that just a pinch of sugar really brought out the natural orange notes just a little more. Really YUM!
Gourmet Dark Chocolate Tea from sTEAp Shoppe
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Steap Shoppe
Tea Description:
Organic Kukicha Japanese Black Tea and Kosher Niligri Black Tea combined with Organic Cocoa Nibs. Kukicha loose twig black tea has a rich coffee aroma that helps enhance the chocolate flavor of the cocoa nibs. Giving depth to this loose leaf and twig tea we added Niligri black tea, the flavor and aroma create complexities on your palate. When you think of delicious dark chocolate you can’t go without the added benefit of organic vanilla which embraces the experience of your indulgence in this spectacular cup of tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve tasted a lot of chocolate tea over the past several years, and I think that this tea may be the most unique and unusual one that I’ve tried yet.
The base of teas is a blend of Nilgiri black tea and Kukicha black tea which in itself is rather unusual to me, because I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a black Kukicha. Most Kukicha that I’ve tried has been green Kukicha. I have tried the oxidized Kukicha, but, I don’t think I’ve ever had it referred to as black Kukicha.
Regardless, the addition of the Kukicha is what makes this tea really unique! It adds a slightly smoky element to the taste, a somewhat toasty note that is quite delightful combined with the chocolate notes. It also lightens the body a little bit, giving this a silkier taste rather than a richer, heavier taste.
The vanilla here adds a nice dimension as well. It doesn’t taste overly “vanilla” or anything … nor does it add a tremendous creaminess to the cup, instead, I think it enhances some of the malty tones of the Nilgiri which melds with the chocolate tones to make for a very smooth, decadent chocolate flavor.
My only complaint, really, is that I’d like there to be more chocolate. But then, when is that ever not a complaint from me? I am a chocoholic, and more chocolate is better. As it is though, I find this to have a pleasant level of chocolate, and I like the way the flavors all come together in this cup. It’s a little smoky and roasty-toasty, warm, smooth, chocolate deliciousness!
Truly a unique chocolate blend – the more I sip it, the more I like it!
Ginger Peach White Tea from Ovation Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Ovation Teas
Be sure to check out Daily Gourmet’s Special Offer on this tea!
Product Description:
Nothing goes better with a BBQ than a glass of iced Ginger Peach White Tea. Cool and refreshing, bursting with sweet peaches and balanced with a gentle spicy ginger twist, this tea will quench your thirst in the summer heat while soothing your full belly. No summer meal is complete without a jug of sweet ginger peach white tea on the table; we like to sweeten it with a hint of agave after it steeps. You can also enjoy this tea hot when the night falls and the evening cools. Paired with some ginger snap cookies, this low caffeine white tea makes the perfect bedtime snack.
INGREDIENTS: Pai Mu Tan White Peony tea, diced peaches, orange peel, ginger, and marigold petals, with peach and orange flavoring.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve tried quite a few ginger peach flavored teas, and for the most part, enjoyed them. But, I can’t remember enjoying one more than I am this Ginger Peach White Tea from Ovation Teas. It is balanced so nicely.
The white tea base (Pai Mu Tan) is – not surprisingly – a very gentle flavor. It is fresh and a bit like a breath of fresh air. It would be easy to overwhelm the white tea with the flavors of ginger, peach and orange, but fortunately, this blend has been skillfully blended with a delicate touch of flavoring to maintain a sense of balance.
The peach and orange work very well together. The peach is sweet, the orange tangy, and with the peppery heat from the ginger and the soft whisper of white tea, it becomes a lovely contrast of flavors.
I love this tea iced! It is so light and delicious.
Be sure to keep an eye on the Daily Gourmet website because for a limited time they will be offering 50% savings on the retail price of some of Ovation Teas’ most popular blends (including this one!) starting August 22!