Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Tulsi, Herbal & Fruit Tisane
Where to Buy: Verdant Tea
Tisane Description:
The light apple aroma of the chamomile is tempered by herbs and florals and grounded with cacao. This blend does what tea is known to do – bring you to a place of relaxation and reflection. Love & Joy blend tastes sweet and has a soft and round mouthfeel. Sip, relax and enjoy.
Learn more about this blend here.
Learn more about subscribing to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
What an interesting tisane! This Love & Joy Tisane from Verdant Tea is the second tea that I’m tasting from February’s Amoda Tea Tasting Box. Yeah, I’m a little behind. My March box should be arriving within days, and I’m still getting around to tasting February’s teas! Better get a move on!
This tisane has an abundance of ingredients:
Marigold (calendula), Goji, Linden Leaf + Flower, Honeysuckle, Chamomile, Tulsi, Elderberry, Cacao, Coriander, Frankincense.
And even though there seems to be a lot going on here, the flavors all meld together in an agreeable way. The first flavor that I can identify is the chamomile, and it offers a light, crisp, apple-y flavor to the cup. Then I notice the tulsi, and it tastes of basil and mint. There is a background of berry notes, and these berry notes come forward in the aftertaste. I get that tart note, that tingly berry sensation that you might experience after eating a tart berry.
After my first few sips, I start to realize that there is a distinct lime-ish note to this and then I re-read the ingredient list: linden! Yep, that would do it. The linden really brightens the cup.
There are light floral notes, not so much from the calendula (I very rarely taste a strong flavor from the marigold petals), but from the honeysuckle. It tastes sweet and floral and I like this little bit of sweetness from the honeysuckle.
In this cup, I smell the frankincense more than I taste it, but there is a warm spiciness to this cup which is not just from the coriander (and the tulsi!), but also the frankincense.
I found myself wanting more cacao. No big surprise there, I guess, since I am a chocoholic. My first 1/3 of the cup, I didn’t really notice much cacao at all, but by the time I finished that first 1/3 of the cup, I started to pick up on the notes of chocolate, and … YUM! I like the way the notes of chocolate meld with the other flavors of this cup. Sure, I’d like more cacao, but, I always do, don’t I?
As it is, this is a really interesting, intriguing cup. It seems to draw me deeper into the depths of its flavor with every sip. I discover more flavors each time I take a drink.
I have to admit that I like this a whole lot more than I thought I would. I’m not usually all that excited to try tisanes, but, this is really tasty!
Cherry Joy Black Tea from Ovation Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Ovation Teas
Tea Description:
Blend of Assam and Ceylon loose leaf black teas with bing cherries, sliced almonds, and coconut pieces with cherry, almond, and coconut flavoring.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve had this tea twice now, and interestingly enough, the flavor was a little different each time. The first time I tried it, the coconut came out strong from the very first sip. The cherry was there, but, it sort of lingered in the background. The almond was the most subtle flavor of the three.
One thing that remained consistent with both cups is that the tea was the prominent flavor of both cups. I was happily surprised by this, because a tea with so many flavors could have easily been overwhelmed by them. The flavor of the tea is rich and a little malty, with hints of earth and even a sweet biscuit kind of quality to it.
I found the cherry flavor to be a stronger flavor in this second cup. It is a sweet cherry flavor, reminding me of my summers as a child when my family and I would take a days drive down to Cherry Valley in California. We’d spend the day picking cherries off the tree, and then bringing them home to enjoy. Over the course of the next few weeks, our days would be filled with cherry goodness, eating cherries by the bowlful, and having cherry cobbler for dessert. (By the way, try freezing Bing cherries … they’re so yummy and refreshing, one of my favorite treats as a kid!) I love how this tea tastes so distinctly like Bing Cherry that it brings those memories to life for me.
By the time I’ve consumed about half of this second cup of tea, the almond and coconut begin to assert themselves, although never in a very aggressive way. The coconut is smooth and creamy note to the cup that might otherwise taste TOO cherry which might end up giving it too much of a cough medicine-y taste. But the coconut brings it back into the dessert tea realm.
Of the three flavors (and in both cups!), I find the almond to be the most subtle, providing more of a delicious, nutty hint of sweetness to the cup rather than a distinct almond flavor. But, I love the way the three flavors come together – cherry, coconut and almond – it is creamy, sweet, and juicy, and absolutely YUMMY!
I really love this tea, and I enjoy how it offers a different adventure every time you brew it!
Almond Happiness from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Ingredients: Premium black teas, almond slivers, organic cacao nibs, coconut, natural flavors.
This tea is part of 52Teas’ Box of Chocolates Sampler.
Taster’s Review:
This is the fifth “new-to-me” tea from 52Teas’ Box of Chocolates Sampler, and I think that this is the one I was the one that elicited the most excitement from me when I first opened the box. I think I actually squealed when I saw the tea through the lid of the tin, and then turned the tin over to read the name.
When it comes to chocolate, I generally have pretty expensive taste, but, in a pinch, I’ll settle for a readily available candy bar and this tea is created with one of my favorites in mind (I don’t really need to tell you the name of that candy bar, do I?) So, needless to say, I had high expectations when I brewed this tea.
The aroma wafting from my tea cup at the moment is absolutely delicious. I can smell the sweet almond. YUM! I do wish there was a bit more coconut both in the fragrance and in the flavor. That’s not to say that it isn’t a noticeable flavor, because it is, but in the candy bar, the coconut is the strongest flavor, and that isn’t the case with this tea. Here, the almond dominates, followed by the chocolate and then the coconut.
So while I am enjoying this cup (immensely, I might add!), I do think it could be improved with a little more coconut flavor … and perhaps just a touch of vanilla to amplify the creaminess factor. Because while that candy bar may be for those who feel like a nut… its that creamy coconut that most of us really crave.
I also believe that by increasing the coconut flavor, it would help soften the black tea base here, which isn’t bitter but it is quite astringent, and I think that this takes away from the “joy” just a little bit.
Overall, it is still a VERY good tea, but, I think it could still use a little tweaking to make it even better.
Coconut Joy Black Tea from Boston Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Boston Tea Company
Company Description:
Should you put the lime in this coconut? You just may want to try with our Coconut Joy, which is a blend of soft, creamy coconut bits and natural coconut flavors added to our premium estate Ceylon black tea. Typically, black tea is flavored with lemon – who says you can’t go a little nutty? Be bold; try it with a lime! Share your new found joy with a tropical-themed tea party! Don’t forget to don your coconut shells and grass skirt! Aloha!
Taster’s Review:
This is a really tasty tea: very richly flavored with a sweet, natural-tasting coconut essence. It leaves that sweet sort of creamy feeling in the mouth, similar to the texture and sensation that occurs in the mouth after eating coconut.
The black tea is a bit milder than I expected. It has a slight bitter aftertaste to it that sits on the tongue. It is very slight, though, and isn’t really off-putting, and even cuts through a bit of the sweeter notes of the coconut. Other than the slight bitterness, the black tea taste melds very well with the coconut: coconut and tea become a deliciously unified flavor.
This tea is delicious hot (try it latte with a splash of milk … or try a little coconut milk for an extra special treat!), and it is also very good iced.