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.
Sea Breeze Tisane from Eden Grove
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Tisane
Where to Buy: Amazon Trading
Ingredients:
Hibiscus, Chai, Rose Hip, Calendula Flowers, Lemongrass, Mango, Pineapple, Papaya, Cinnamon Bark, Cardamom, Cloves, Orange & flavors of Mango & Pineapple.
Learn more about Amazon Trading here.
Taster’s Review:
I didn’t have high hopes for this Sea Breeze Tisane from Eden Grove. When a tisane sports hibiscus as its primary ingredient, that doesn’t sound promising to me.
But this isn’t too bad. I brewed it for just 5 minutes in 195°F water. Usually when I brew a tisane with hibiscus, I keep the steep time to 5 or 6 minutes to keep the hibiscus from overpowering the cup. When hibiscus steeps too long, I find the resulting liquid to be too tart and too thick and syrupy. Fortunately, at five minutes, this tea does not taste too tart, nor is it too thick or syrupy.
I do taste the hibiscus, but I can taste other flavors too! I taste the cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. I like these spice notes. They offer a wonderful contrast to the sweet notes of the fruity notes. There are notes of mango, papaya, orange and pineapple! I taste notes of mango and pineapple mostly, but I can also taste hints of citrus as well as papaya.
I still find myself wishing the hibiscus wasn’t there, because the tartness of the hibiscus is still strong here, even with the short steep time. I like this alright, but, it hasn’t been my favorite tea that I’ve tasted thus far from Eden Grove.
Acai Matetini Mate Tisane from Teavana
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Yerba Mate
Where to Buy: Teavana
Tisane Description:
The newest craze in cocktails inspired the infusion of real fruit, herbs, and flowers with mate tea. Our mock martini is a classy notch up, first blending acai, blueberry, raspberry, and blackberry. We added to the mix crisp apples and sweet pineapple, brightened with the zesty citrus notes of orange, lemongrass, and hibiscus. Cheers! SUPERFRUIT ENHANCED
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
My very first impression of this Acai Matetini Mate Tisane from Teavana, based only on the appearance of the dry leaf, is that this tisane has a whole lot going on it it … maybe too much going on. I mean, seriously … this tisane looks a whole lot more like a fruit/herbal tisane than a yerba mate blend.
I can see some yerba mate in this, but, mostly what I see is HUGE chunks of dried fruit. Big pieces of assorted berries as well as apple and orange. I see some lemongrass as well as some hibiscus. Not a fan of hibiscus. You probably already knew that about me!
But, I decided to brew it up anyway. And it’s not too bad. It is very fruity, with lots of sweet and tart flavors going on to tantalize my taste buds. I don’t taste a lot of yerba mate – which shouldn’t be too surprising to me because I didn’t see a whole lot of yerba mate leaves in the dry blend.
I taste a lot of berry flavors, but the sweetness from the apple seems to curb some of the tarty flavors that I’d might normally experience from all those berries. It’s tart … but this is more sweet than it is tart. This tastes a lot more like a fruit drink than it does a tea.
In fact, what comes to mind as I sip this tea is my marinara sauce. Why? Because when my kids were younger, I used to puree zucchini and carrots in my marinara to add vegetables to my kids diet without them knowing it. I kind of feel like that’s what’s being done with this tisane. It’s like someone added all this fruit to the yerba mate to disguise the flavor of the yerba mate, because had I not known there was yerba mate in this blend (based on the name), I wouldn’t have guessed it by the flavor.
Overall, it’s tasty, but it’s not really my cup of tea. If you’re looking for a cup of energizing yerba mate … this is NOT the tisane for you. If you want a sweet, fruity drink that’s more fruit punch than it is tea … this might be right up your alley.
Energy Green Tea Blend from Byron Bay Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: Byron Bay Tea Company
Product Description:
Brighten your day with this clean, balanced and lively infusion of Green tea, Siberian Ginseng, Gotu Kola and mixed berries. A perky and delightful tea to pick you up in the morning, inspire your afternoon, or energise your evening. A healthy alternative to coffee. Enjoy!
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
I am liking this Energy Green Tea Blend from Byron Bay Tea Company, even though I really didn’t think I would like it. It’s got two strikes against it right at the start: hibiscus – yikes! ginseng – ugh! But I’m enjoying it … it would seem that it’s a hit even though it started out with a lot going against it.
The berry flavor is strong. I can taste the currants and the strawberries and hints of blackberry. And yes, I do taste the hibiscus, but somehow, when paired with berries, hibiscus is less … difficult for me to drink. Hibiscus seems to highlight the tart notes of the berry and somehow make the berries taste a little more like berries.
The green tea is tasted in there too, although I will say that the flavor is slightly obscured by the rest of the ingredients. I taste the fresh vegetal tones of the green tea though, and I like the way all these ingredients work together – yes, even those ingredients that I’m less than enthused about!
Overall, this is a refreshing drink, and it lives up to its promise as stated in its name – it’s an energizing beverage that will help get you going when you need that snap of vitality.
Passion Fruit Flavored Rooibos Blend from Octavia Tea
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Octavia Tea
Tisane Description:
Lemon myrtle is more lemony than a lemon itself. If you didn’t know that already, this tea will show you! The citrus hits you, mingles with the tropical fruit and continues to linger. The hibiscus plays its part in adding beautiful colour and a tartness that tones down the sweetness of the tropical fruit, creating a more true fruit flavour.
Learn more about this blend here.
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Taster’s Review:
The aroma of this Passion Fruit Flavored Rooibos Blend from Octavia Tea really blew me away! It smells AMAZING! The combination of the passion fruit, peach and mango essences, together with the notes of citrus from the lemon myrtle … create a really ambrosial fragrance that … knocked my socks off!
OK … so my socks are still on, but you get what I’m saying, right?
And … I’m loving what I’m tasting here too. This is really yummy. But … for the purists out there who think that tea should taste like tea and not like a sweet, fruity drink … this tisane is NOT for you! This is a sweet, fruity drink!
In fact, one of the things I like best about it is that I’m not tasting much of the rooibos base. As I’ve said on numerous occasions, I’m not a big fan of the woodsy tasting herb. Here, just hints of the nutty, honeyed taste of rooibos comes through.
And I’m also happy to say that even though I steeped this for seven minutes, I didn’t get a heavy hibiscus note … nor did I get that heavy syrupy thickness that comes with steeping hibiscus a long time. The hibiscus here has been thoughtfully blended … adding just enough to give the cup just a touch of tart flavor without overpowering the blend.
The lemon-y notes from the lemon myrtle is bright and flavorful, and it really perks up the other fruit notes. The passion fruit, the peach and the mango … make delightful partners in this blend … so sweet and juicy!
This is a tisane that kids would love because it has a lot of sweet, fruity flavor. And it would certainly be better for them than that sugar-y soda … not only would it be less sugar, but rooibos have some great health benefits, as does hibiscus. And I love that the ingredients in this tisane are organic, too!
A really tasty tisane! This one gets an enthusiastic thumbs up from me.