Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Fruit/Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Chai Diaries
Tisane Description:
The first thing you’ll notice about this holiday blend is the color: a vibrant amaranth red that grabs you by the lapels and demands your attention. Then the aroma: enticing vanilla, sophisticated orange peel, hints of rose and lemon all tangle for a share of the stage in this bold elixir. Finally, the first divine sip.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
I have to disagree with the above description … the first thing I noticed about this Blood Orange Tisane from Chai Diaries is not the color. What I noticed is that this is not a one with an overload of hibiscus! Yes, there is hibiscus in it, but, after steeping for six minutes, the tisane is not heavy, thick or syrupy the way a tisane with too much hibiscus would be.
The fact that the hibiscus is not overdone gets bonus points from this reviewer … because as you are probably aware (if you’ve read very many of my tisane reviews!) I don’t like hibiscus! In small amounts, hibiscus can be beneficial to a tisane. It adds a little bit of body and color to the brewed cup, as well as a distinct flavor – tartness! – not to mention significant health benefits. But too much hibiscus can mean a very tart, syrup-like thickness to the brewed tisane. Not very appealing, at least, not to me!
This tisane, on the other hand, is very appealing because the hibiscus is done the right way … as are the other components to this tisane. It is sweet with enough tartness to keep it interesting. The vanilla in this adds a very enjoyable creamy note to the cup, tasting a bit like a one of those creamsicle frozen treats!
While it is good served hot, I found that I preferred it iced! I recommend brewing it stronger when you want this one iced, because the flavor softens a bit as it cools. And brewing it stronger means adding more dry leaf to the teapot … not steeping it longer. Keep the steep time to 5 – 7 minutes to minimize the hibiscus’s impact on the final product.
This is sweet enough that it doesn’t need any sweetener – and this would be a fantastic alternative to overly sugared sodas for the kids (and adults!) in the summer!
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!
Ancient Forest Rooibos Blend from Whispering Pines Tea Co.
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Whispering Pines Tea Co.
Tisane Description:
Sweet notes of mint and tart hibiscus with just the perfect elderberry twist flow smooth as water through the rooibos base – It’s like a cup of serenity pulled straight out of the deep northern forests!
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
This Ancient Forest Rooibos Blend from Whispering Pines is really quite nice! I was surprised to find that this has hibiscus in it, because, while I do taste the hibiscus, it isn’t a strong, prominent flavor … and hibiscus is one of those herbs that tends to get strong and prominent in no time at all. And I steeped this tisane for 10 minutes! But … it did not get thick, syrupy or overwhelmingly tart! Hooray for Whispering Pines Tea Company … they know how to blend with hibiscus!
The hibiscus here seems to accentuate the elderberry flavor … and I like that just fine. I’m not a fan of hibiscus (as I’ve said many times before) but, I don’t mind it if it’s done right, and Whispering Pines did hibiscus right with this blend.
The spearmint is done right too – it’s not a powerful minty taste … it is crisp, cool and refreshing … but it doesn’t taste like toothpaste! There is a really enjoyable balance of flavors here. Even the rooibos – which is another herb that I’m not particularly fond of – works well with this blend. The natural nutty tones of the rooibos melds nicely with the berry notes and the minty notes, while the sweetness of the rooibos offsets some of the tartness of the cup.
A really enjoyable blend, this Ancient Forest Rooibos Blend!
New Sensation Tisane from Hari Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Hari Tea
Tea Description:
What adult doesn’t look back and wistfully remember a time when he or she had more plentiful energy? We spend enormous amounts of time and money trying to satisfy the longing for the feeling of newness – eagerness to take on life with no thought of limitation. We love the old feeling of a new sensation. And we certainly love the refreshing taste of hibiscus and mint.
Taster’s Review:
As I was reading the above description, I couldn’t help but think … no, I certainly do not love the taste of hibiscus. Sorry … but hibiscus is just one of those things that does not do it for me. So, I took on this New Sensation Tisane from Hari Tea with a bit of dread … feeling certain I would really dislike it.
And … even though I can’t sit here and say I love it … I don’t hate it either. It’s not bad.
This bagged tisane (a nifty little woven fabric bag, I like these because they don’t end up imparting a funky “paper” taste to the brewed liquid) isn’t something that I’m going to jump up and down and get all excited over … but, after steeping for five minutes, I like that the hibiscus and the mint are balanced enough so that I’m not tasting this overwhelming tart flavor nor do I get a heavy, syrupy-thick texture. It is thicker than say a pure mint tisane would be because the hibiscus does give the cup a slightly heavier consistency. But, after steeping for five minutes, it did not get too heavy, thick or syrupy.
And I like that the mint offsets some of the tart of the hibiscus too. This is neither too minty nor too hibiscus-y. It has a really nice balance between the two herbs. It is just a little bit tart, and a little bit zesty from the mint.
Overall, it’s a drinkable beverage. Not one that I’d probably want to drink every night or anything, but I would drink it again if it were offered to me. A nice surprise!
Caribe from Harney & Sons
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black & Green Teas
Where to Buy: Harney & Sons
Tea Description:
Breathe in the sweet aroma of Caribe, a light fusion of green and black teas enhanced by tropical flavors. The exotic tea mellifluously fuses hibiscus, guava, coconut and strawberry, accented with marigolds and cornflowers. The first sip tastes of green tea, trailed by an impressive array of fruit and floral surprises, revealing endless tropical notes tucked into each sip. A favorite for many, Caribe is an inventive and exotic blend softened into a serene escape.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I really, really need to start checking up on teas before I try them blindly without knowing a little bit about them. Case and point: this Caribe blend from Harney & Sons, which is a blend of black and green teas. I thought it was a straight black tea blend with no green tea … so I brewed it as such, using boiling water.
Fortunately, this tea is pretty forgiving, because I didn’t get a scorched green tea leaf taste in my cup – no bitterness, no foul or off taste. Just deliciousness.
I noticed the hints of green tea and guava right off the bat, with a earthy black tea that provided a solid background of flavor. After a couple of sips, the strawberry notes really came through nicely, and this became a tea that was mostly about the strawberry! Nothing wrong with that, I love strawberries!
But that doesn’t mean I couldn’t taste the tea. The black tea is … quite obviously … the strongest tea note of this cup, but the green tea is certainly noticeable. I find myself wondering how this tea might have tasted with a slightly lower brewing temperature … if I would taste more green tea flavor, how the strawberry and guava would present themselves … but of course, I only had enough for one pot of tea, and so, I’m left to wonder. (Fortunately, if curiosity gets the better of me, Harney does offer this in generous loose leaf sample packages for just $2.00!)
The coconut is not a well-defined flavor, I notice more of its texture than its taste here, providing a slick coconut texture that is supple and slightly creamy. And I’m glad to say that the hibiscus does not have a strong presence in this cup either … it does offer a slight tartness to the overall cup, but this seems to accent the berry notes quite nicely. The floral notes are faint to this cup as well, but, the flower petals certainly do add charm and color to the dry leaf.
Overall, not a bad cup of tea. I enjoyed the combination of flavors, and the way they presented themselves. If you do get around to trying this one, and have a chance to brew it at a slightly lower temperature, do let me know how it fairs! I’m interested to know!