I have never been a lover of floral teas. Normally rose or lavender or jasmine or any other floral ingredient got me groaning. However, that all changed when my university roommate bought me teas from Camellia Sinensis for the holidays. Among the teas she bought me was a blend called Des Roses et Des Bonbons. It was a cherry rose tea and it was amazing. One of my favorite teas EVER! And it’s sadly been discontinued.
Since trying Des Roses et Des Bonbons, I have been all the more open to rose teas. Since its discontinuation, there has been a hole in my heart (and stash) and I have been in search of a cherry rose tea to fill it. Perhaps Tea Sparrow could end my search with their delivery of Cherry Rose Green by Elmwood Inn Fine Teas in one of my monthly subscription boxes…
Cherry Rose Green is a Japanese Sencha Green Tea blended with rose petals, cherries, and natural cherry flavor. I steeped the tea for 2 minutes in 175F, the temperature my kettle recommends for green teas given the company suggestion was a rather vague “not quite boiling water” instruction.
At first sip I am disappointed to report that this is not the replacement I have been hoping for. Des Roses et Des Bonbons was a sweet candy-like black tea blend. Cherry Rose Green is just that…a green tea. Where I want candy, I am getting nature. It’s not bad, just different.
Cherry Rose Green has a fair quality green base, its a little grassy and slightly bitter at the end of the sip. The rose does provide a natural sweetness that is fresh like the green tea base but brighter. The cherry comes in at the end and is a little medicinal when combined with the bitterness of the base tea.
It is not a bad tea but it is not my favorite either. I think the bar was set too high going into this tea because what I wanted and what I got were two drastically different things. I could see this being a nice transition tea for those trying to make the leap from flavored to plain teas. It has flavor but the base tea is really the star here.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Elmwood Inn Fine Teas
Description
We’ve blended Japanese sencha green tea with rose petals and cherries to give you all the flavor and aroma of a springtime orchard. Try it cold-steeped as well!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Love Life/Harney and Sons
My beautiful, foolish husband let me into a Harney & Sons store in upstate New York. I placed a few carefully chosen items into my basket, and moved toward the checkout.
“Is that all?” the doofus queried.
“I can have more?” I asked.
“That doesn’t seem like much stuff,” he said.
I tripled the amount in my basket.
One of my picks was this flower-fruit-coconut concoction that’s basically a bar in the tropics, distilled down into one alcohol-free mug. I felt like I was swimming up to a swim-up bar (I’ve never done this) with a big flower in my hair (I’ve never done this) in the background of Lilo and Stitch (I’ve never done this).
When it comes right down to it, I’m more of a forest/lake/inland kind of girl than a beach girl. I like how trees smell. I don’t like sand between my toes. But this tea, man, this tea almost makes me reconsider my stance. Almost.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Harney and Sons
Description
Delicious, refreshing tea with a charitable twist. Named for GMHC’s slogan and logo, our Love Life tea is a refreshing blend of Japanese Bancha green tea with fresh flavors of strawberry, coconut, rich vanilla, and puffed rice for a light, fruity brew. 50% of the sales from this tea benefits GMHC, an organization devoted to fighting for an end to the AIDS epidemic and uplifting the lives of those affected.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Raspberry Kissed Coconut Green Tea/52Teas
Raspberry and coconut is a tea combination I overlooked for a very long time but one that I loved when I finally tried it. My tea journey started with DAVIDsTEA and I quickly made my way through most of the teas on their wall. One that I always seemed to skip over was Fantasy Island. For whatever reason, it just never appealed to me until a friend sent a sample over in a swap. One taste was all I needed to get hooked. The combination of raspberry and coconut was magical and it left me all the more heartbroken when the blend was discontinued.
Thankfully Anne, the genius behind 52 Teas, blended up a raspberry coconut tea, Raspberry Kissed Coconut Green Tea. The tea combined fair trade single estate zomba green tea, organic coconut, organic raspberries, and organic natural flavors.
Unlike Fantasy Island which was a black tea, this has a green tea base and that green tea is imparting a vegetal flavor. This is a coconut green tea through and through. The raspberry is present but a secondary note to the coconut, adding some brightness to the drink. For a raspberry coconut tea, it is not as sweet as you might expect. It’s a rather mellow tea which makes it nice in the warmer months when you want something light.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below to see the current green tea lineup.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Thorns and Roses/Grimoire Tea
When you purchase tea from Grimoire Tea, they arrive in the cutest little bottles with the most unique labels giving the name and description of the tea purchased. You can tell that she takes the time to really think about what she is representing when coming up with her labels. The top is reinforced by a solid layer of colored wax. This company could not have been more unique with their packaging! I just love her presentation!
I was immediately able to smell the green tea but it was also incredibly floral due to the jasmine and rose petals. There was also a mild fruity sweetness that I attributed to the elderberry. It was a very pretty tea to look at.
Thorns and Roses steeped to a pretty rose gold color. I really enjoyed the steeping process of this tea. In the beginning, it was a pale yellow, as most green teas are when they steep. As the tea continued to steep, it slowly began to change color as the elderberry warmed up.
The flavor was very floral with a soft, sweet aftertaste. The elderberry was able to soften the rose and jasmine which, for me, made it even more enjoyable. I did not add any sweetener to this tea but you absolutely could, if you wanted to bring out a little more of the elderberry sweetness.
This would make a really nice evening tea to help you relax at the end of the day. Jasmine is known to help relax the senses. While this may not be a tea I would keep on hand, I did enjoy the sample. If you enjoy floral green teas you will love Thorns and Roses by Grimoire Tea.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Grimoire Tea
Description
This tea does not appear to currently be available but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
The Dragon!/52Teas. . . .
The Dragon! is a blend of Chinese Dragonwell tea and Japanese Sencha. It is blended with marshmallow root and lime, blackberry, and raspberry.
I have tried a lot of flavored green teas that frustrate me no end. The flavors will be nicely done but there is something grating about the green base. I wish I could tell what exactly it is that puts me off, but I only know to describe it as a sour taste and I have found it across brands and price ranges. My heart breaks a little when a tempting blend of wonderful flavors turns out to be ruined by whatever base it is that I dislike.
This blend, however, is LOVELY. Since the green base I dislike has an effect like pure unsweetened lime stabbing my tongue I thought I may not like this one, and that it might be too astringent. Instead, it is quite smooth and drinkable, not bitter or sour, and the flavorings are very little and amiable.
I find the berries flavors to dominate and the lime is quite subtle. It is sweet and fluffy and goes down quick and smooth.
This tea was a special blend for the anniversary celebration of 52teas. It is not available at present, but check them out for scrumptious teas that are!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.
