Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Lu-Lin Teas
Tisane Description:
This is a caffeine free blend made from African Red Bush, cinnamon bark, cocoa shells and a sprinkling of lavender. The flavours infuse in a sweet and floral harmony. The perfect dessert tea as it contains no calories but satisfies your sweet tooth.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
This Lavender Chocolate and Cinnamon Rooibos Blend from Lu-Lin Teas just smells too good! The combination of cinnamon and chocolate evokes thoughts of my homemade hot cocoa … something I haven’t made in a long time (what can I say? I’ve been busy drinking tea!) but something that when I take the time to make is absolutely indulgent. And the hint of lavender adds such a lovely floral tone to the aroma without going overboard and making it smell like a bar of soap.
And the best part about this tisane is that it tastes just like I wanted it to taste. It is a pleasing balance of the key three ingredients … just enough of each one to provide a lovely flavor that is sweet, cinnamon-y … chocolate-y and floral … and not very rooibos-y! That’s a win-win in my book.
The cinnamon is sweet and has just enough sassy spice to keep the flavor interesting without overwhelming the cup – something that cinnamon can sometimes do! The chocolate … well, I am a chocoholic, so yes, there could be more cacao flavor here, but, there is enough to bring a smile to my face. It taste delicious and decadent.
But the real surprise here is the way the lavender plays in this cup … it is delicate and sweet. Lavender is one of those ingredients that when overdone, the tea ends up tasting soapy, and when underdone … what’s the point. This is has a lovely floral intonation but not so much that I taste “soap.” Instead, I just taste delicious lavender … one of my favorite tea floral flavors.
A really lovely tisane … I highly recommend this one, whether you’re a fan of chocolate, or of cinnamon, or of lavender (or if you happen to be a fan of all three, like me!) you really should try this tisane!
Lemon Dreams Tisane from 52Teas
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush & Herbal
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tisane Description:
I have an odd relationship with chamomile. Chamomile is like the really cute girl that I WANT to like, but she’s so sweet and cloying that I just can’t take her seriously. You know they type: She gets you an anniversary gift for your one week anniversary; wears a t-shirt that professes her love for you and offers you the matching shirt…
I WANT to like chamomile, really I do, but it’s so sweet and heady and flowery; it’s just too much. BUT… a little bit of chamomile with a LOT of honeybush, some lemon myrtle and organic lemon flavors, THAT is a tea I can cozy up with. I hope you enjoy this blend as much as I do.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
I put off trying this Lemon Dreams Tisane from 52Teas for a while … why? Well, it’s the same ole reason … chamomile. I don’t hate chamomile. I have even been known … on occasion … to actually enjoy chamomile. But, every time I encounter a chamomile blend … there’s this little voice in my head that tells me “you won’t like it.”
Well, you know what, little voice in my head? You’re WRONG! I do like this. This is really tasty!
The honeybush offers a very pleasing sweetness to this cup, it tastes nutty and sweet with a touch of honey-like goodness. The chamomile is light and floral … and it hasn’t been overdone in this blend. There is just enough. And the lemon myrtle provides a delicious lemony note without tasting too tart. It tastes herbaceous without tasting medicinal … and it is very calming.
This is perfect for one of those nights when you’re feeling restless and something in you just isn’t ready to wind down and relax … and you’ve GOT to get some rest! After sipping on this for a little while, I feel much more relaxed … and I feel that restless spirit settling … getting ready to rest.
A really delightful, soothing blend.
Cherry and Almond Rooibos from Trail Lodge Tea
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush & Rooibos
Where to Buy: Trail Lodge Tea
Tisane Description:
This is one of Trail Lodge Tea’s own blends.Tart cherries and slivered almonds are combined with a combination of rooibos and honeybush. Caffeine free. Ingredients: Fair Trade Certified TM organic rooibos, and honeybush, and dried cherries, sliced almonds, and organic natural flavor.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
This Cherry and Almond Rooibos from Trail Lodge Tea is really delicious! I’m loving this!
I’ve had a lot of flavored rooibos blends … and some I like better than others. One thing I’ve noticed is that almond flavor works very well with rooibos, I suspect this has something to do with the fact that rooibos has a natural nutty flavor to it, and when paired with almond flavoring … the sweet, nutty flavor really shines through nicely.
And when you add cherry flavor … this cuppa becomes sensational! I love the flavor of almond and cherry together … and the base of rooibos and honeybush works so well with these flavors. The end result is a cup of naturally caffeine free tisane that tastes sweet and nutty with just enough contrasting tart flavor from the cherry to keep the taste buds happy.
What I’m liking best about this is that the flavor of rooibos is not a strong, obvious flavor. I taste the nutty notes from the rooibos, but not that weird sweetness from the rooibos. I taste the warm honey notes from the honeybush, but not that sour wood note that sometimes comes with rooibos. This is just a warm, wonderful cup of yumminess!
A delightful tisane … great for any time of the day.
Organic Dehydrated Camellia from Teavivre
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal (although this is technically Camellia Sinensis too!)
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Tea Description:
Gentle taste, soft and smooth, with the aftertaste of dry persimmon.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I have only had the flower of Camellia Sinensis a couple of times, but every time it comes time to review it, I am unsure of how to categorize it. It is a flower, so it can loosely fall under the category of “Herbal” … but, it is also Camellia Sinensis, and usually the category “Herbal” is meant to include those items that do not come from the Camellia Sinensis plant. However, I decided to categorize this Organic Dehydrated Camellia from Teavivre under the category of Herbal, mostly because that is where you can find it on the Teavivre website, and I figured that would cause less confusion to someone who might be looking for the product.
The dry flowers smell floral and pollen-y. The aroma has a slight honey-esque tone to it. Once brewed, the tea has a little less of a floral tone and a little more of a pollen fragrance.
The flavor is quite delicate, reminiscent of a white tea in its delicateness. It also has a slight … taste that is similar to white tea, reminding me somewhat of a high quality Silver Needle type white tea. This has that clean, crisp, airy quality that I enjoy in a Silver Needle.
But the infused flowers do not have the vegetal notes of a Silver Needle, or the “hay-like” quality I’ve come to expect from a Silver Needle. Instead, this has a very pleasant, pollen-y kind of taste that I find very enjoyable. Sweet, honey-esque, and floral. The description above suggests an aftertaste that is similar to persimmon, and since I’m not real familiar with the flavor of persimmon, I can’t tell you that this is what I’m tasting. But I will say that I taste a remarkably sweet, fruit-like quality that is almost “juicy” in the aftertaste, and I am liking that a lot.
It is a very light, refreshing drink that is soothing and relaxing to sip, and since it is lower in caffeine than a typical cup of Camellia Sinensis, this is something that you can drink later in the day without worry that you’ll be up all night (unless you’re particularly sensitive to caffeine, I guess. I’m not a doctor so don’t consider that to be medical advice!)
Another really lovely tea from Teavivre!
Cranberry-Mint African Redbush Tea from MarketSpice
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: MarketSpice
Tisane Description:
Tart yet minty. This tea is a blend of African RedBush, Cranberry and Peppermint flavoring. High in anti-oxidants and naturally caffeine free.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
This Cranberry-Mint African Redbush Tea from MarketSpice has a really interesting combination of flavors … and it’s not what I expected at all!
I expected to taste a strong minty taste, and maybe a hint of sour cranberry. And while the mint is indeed strong … that isn’t the first note I experience. I taste a warm, nutty flavor from the rooibos. It is a distinct rooibos flavor, but, at the same time it doesn’t taste like a typical rooibos. It doesn’t have that sour wood taste, or the sometimes funky sweetness that I often associate with rooibos. Instead … it is more of a taste that is sweet, almost honey-like (reminding me a bit of honeybush rather than rooibos!) and a warm, nutty flavor. Hints of wood but not a sour wood.
Then I notice the fruity notes of the cranberry. It is tangy and tart, but the sweetness from the rooibos curbs some of the tart flavor. I really like how cranberry and rooibos taste together. I don’t think I really realized it until I tried this tisane … but these two components work very well together.
Almost at the mid-way point of the sip, I notice the mint. It is cool and crisp … but it isn’t a strong, distinctly peppermint kind of note. The flavor of cranberry as well as the strong presence of the nutty tones of rooibos has managed to tone down the peppermint just a smidge, to give it a sweet, cooling effect without overwhelming the palate with minty taste.
The flavor is really surprisingly smooth. It almost reminds me of a latte … there is almost a creaminess to this cup (and no, I didn’t add milk!) It’s really very pleasant … a very surprising, delicious cup of rooibos! I’m really enjoying this.