Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Nina’s Tea Store (to be open soon!)
Tisane Description:
Rooibos means ‘red bush’ in Afrikaans. Rooibos infusion from South Africa provides a deliciously light drink. It is caffeine-free and contains numerous health-promoting ingredients. It can be enjoyed throughout the day and is a perfect beverage in the evening. Rooibos can be served with milk and sugar, depending on your preferences. Served as iced tea, it is absolutely delicious!
Gemini Rooibos: Strawberry, vanilla and grapefruit
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
I was interested in this Gemini Rooibos Blend from Nina’s Paris because of the fact that it was the astrological tea for my sign. And while I’m not sure what strawberries, vanilla and grapefruit have to do with the “twins” … I’m liking this tisane anyway.
While it’s hot, I could really taste the creamy vanilla notes. This flavor softened as the tisane cooled, but I noticed more of the strawberry and grapefruit with the cold tisane, and I think I actually prefer this iced.
The flavor of the rooibos comes through, but it isn’t a really powerful flavor. I taste gentle notes of nutty, woody flavors with a honeyed sweetness from the rooibos, and the nutty flavors meld well with the creamy, sweet vanilla notes. The strawberry and grapefruit actually work quite well together, although I must admit that I would not have thought to ever combine these two fruits together. But, like I said, they work – and they taste really quite good together.
The strawberry is sweet and it is the primary fruit note throughout the sip, with the tart notes of grapefruit arriving at the finish. The citrus lasts long into the aftertaste, but it’s not an extraordinarily tart flavor, as its tartness has been softened by the other flavors. Instead, it’s more like a bright, sunny citrus note that perks up the taste buds as the sip nears the finish.
A really enjoyable cuppa – this Gemini is happy with it!
Organic Corsican Olive Leaf Tea from Wise Owl Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Fruit/Herbal Tea
Where to Buy: Wise Owl Tea
Tea Description:
Organic Olive leaf is a natural antibiotic and antioxidant. Olive leaf can rejuvenate your energy and enhance your immune system, supports your cardio vascular system and promote general health and well-being.
Olive leaves give a wonderful golden amber colour and a mild sweetness. This blend includes the delightful hint of apple.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
I wasn’t too sure what to expect from this Organic Corsican Olive Leaf Tea from Wise Owl Tea. I can’t recall ever having tried an olive leaf tea (but that doesn’t mean that I’ve not tried it … just that I don’t remember). And when I opened the very cool tube canister (seriously, I love the canisters!) I was a little bewildered by the amount of tea that is in each silky pyramid sachet. There is less than a teaspoon of tea in each little sachet – could this be enough to make a satisfactory cup of tea?
I contemplated using more than one sachet, but, instead, I went with just one sachet so that I could give as accurate a review of what one sachet of tea is capable of. I poured eight ounces of near boiling water (I never use boiling water in herbal/fruit tisanes like this one), and steeped the cup for five minutes as per the instructions on the package.
And yes! There’s flavor to this cup! The texture is thin but silky, and I taste notes of apple and a tangy pineapple note in the background. I also taste a sweet flavor that is neither apple or pineapple, and this is what I’m thinking must be the olive leaf. It has a soft vegetal flavor that reminds me a bit of green tea – but not exactly like that.
It is as though I can taste the olive there, and I’m not sure that isn’t just my mind telling me that I’m drinking olive leaf tea and I should be tasting olive … or if that’s what I’m actually tasting.
It’s a different taste … but not an unpleasant one. On the contrary, I’m quite enjoying this olive leaf tea from Wise Owl. It’s a mellow tasting tea. I have heard that olive leaf tea can taste bitter if it’s steeped too long, so I was careful only to steep this for five minutes and I’m very pleased with the results, so I’d recommend not going over the five minutes to avoid the bitter flavor … unless you like that sort of thing.
Olive Leaf Tea is known for its health benefits, and if it tastes this good, I’m not opposed to drinking something that’s good for me. That’s why I drink tea – not for it’s health benefits – but that it tastes good. The health benefits are an added bonus. Just like with this Olive Leaf Tea! The health benefits are just a bonus to the tasty flavor.
Organic Unwind Tulsi Tisane from Spicely Organics
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Tulsi
Where to Buy: Spicely Organics
Tisane Description:
Relax and restore with this tulsi based blend. Cinnamon and rose blend perfectly with tulsi to ease away any tension and relax after a long day. INGREDIENTS: Organic Tulsi, Organic Cinnamon Sticks, Organic Rose Petals.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Learn more about the Spicely Organics Monthly Tea Membership here.
Taster’s Review:
This Organic Unwind Tulsi Tisane from Spicely Organics has a fairly simple ingredient list – tulsi, cinnamon and rose – but sometimes simplicity works. It certainly did in the case of this blend; it’s really quite tasty.
Since there is no camellia sinensis or other ingredients that were likely to become bitter if oversteeped, I went ahead and steeped this for 10 minutes in 195°F water. The result is a flavorful cup that has strong cinnamon overtones but it’s a natural cinnamon flavor: not that overly sweet-hot red-hot-candies sort of cinnamon-y flavor. This tastes like the cinnamon you’d sprinkle on your toast or over your bowl of oatmeal in the morning. It’s warm and zingy yet sweet.
The tulsi gives the cup a somewhat herbaceous note – I taste notes of basil. Basil and cinnamon are not two flavors that I would normally think to combine but they work nicely together to create a sweet yet savory note with hints of warm, zesty spice.
The rose offers a nice floral undertone. I like the way the rose and cinnamon work together – this is a flavor combination that I’ve been fond of for a long time and I’m happy to see another company embrace the combination.
A very calming, relaxing blend – just exactly the type of tisane I’d turn to if I wanted to “Unwind”!
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.
Mint Cacao Herbal Tea from Herbal Infusions
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Herbal Infusions
Tisane Description:
A Mint and Cacao infusion that blends premium organic cacao shells and 2nd flush organic peppermint leaves.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
Mmm! This Mint Cacao Herbal Tea from Herbal Infusions is AWESOME! Decadent and chocolate-y with just the right amount of crisp mint.
I’ve read a few reviews/complaints by tea drinkers who state that they don’t get enough chocolate flavor from cacao shell tisanes. My recommendation to them is to steep the cacao shells longer. So long as the blend does not contain tea leaves (camellia sinensis) or hibiscus, you should feel safe in steeping the cacao shells in 195° water for 10 – 15 minutes (or longer!) I steeped this tisane for 15 minutes, and I’m getting a really satisfying, chocolate-y flavor. And you know how I am when it comes to chocolate!
The chocolate flavor here is rich and smooth. It is a dark chocolate flavor, so it is sweet, but there are some bitter tones to contrast with the sweeter notes. Like milk chocolate better than dark chocolate? Just add a splash of milk to the brewed tisane, and you’ll have creamy, indulgent milk chocolate and mint treat.
As I mentioned above, the mint here is “just enough.” By that, I mean that this has a cool minty note, but, the mint does not overwhelm the cup. This doesn’t taste mouthwash-y. This definitely tastes more of chocolate than it does of mint, and I’m quite happy with that arrangement.
A very satisfying, dessert-y sort of beverage, something you’ll want to curl up to and savor every last sip. I do find that just a little bit of raw sugar brings out the chocolate flavor, so, try about a quarter teaspoon of sugar to elevate the chocolate-y goodness in this one. Not a lot of sugar is needed here, because the tisane has a pleasing sweetness without the sugar. The sugar just sort of pumps up the volume on the chocolate.
YUMMY!