Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Functional Tisane
Where to Buy: Naked Teas Galore
Tisane Description:
This is crafted ever so carefully to ensure that no one ingredient overpowers another. Wow! What a blend. Balanced spice, herbaceous nettle and a subtle apple-like flavour brought by the chamomile. Soothing mint and sweet liquorice to finish.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Learn more about subscribing to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
I wasn’t all that excited to try this Detox Tea from Naked Teas Galore. For one thing, it’s an herbal tisane, and for another it’s a functional herbal tisane. Two strikes against it right from the start, and then it’s a chamomile blend too. Yikes!
But I tried to remain positive and give it a try. After all, Amoda Tea has been pretty good at selecting teas and even tisanes that make me happy that I’m a subscriber. I mean, hey, if I wasn’t happy as a subscriber, I would have cancelled the subscription a long time ago. (Speaking of subscribing, I highly recommend signing up for December’s box … it sounds like it’s going to be a winner!)
But, let’s get back to this Detox Tea, shall we?
This is actually a lot tastier than I thought it would be. Normally, when I think “Detox Tea” or even “Functional Tisane,” I think that I’m in for a medicinal, herbaceous tasting drink. Fortunately, this tastes neither medicinal or herbaceous to me. The spices here are in the foreground, tasting more like cinnamon, cardamom, cinnamon and licorice than it does nettle or chamomile.
Oh sure, I can taste notes of the chamomile, and even hints of the herbaceous character of nettle and peppermint and dandelion root. I taste notes of citrus from the lemongrass. And all the flavors meld together in a way that is very tasty and not at all medicinal.
I like that the apple-y notes of the chamomile marry with the citrus tones of the lemongrass and the bright goji berry to create more of a “fruity” quality than distinct individual notes of each of these. The same is true of the spices. It doesn’t taste too much like any one of the spices, instead, I taste a medley of warm, zesty spice.
One of the nicer Detox tisanes that I’ve tasted … this is a detox I can stand behind, because this tastes really nice!
Persistence of Memory Green Tea Blend from Hari Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Hari Tea
Tisane Description:
Sometimes it feels like the drawer is open and the file is right there, but the printing is in some other language. It is the persistence of memory that we count on.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Yeah, I held off trying this one for a little while. I’m not a big fan of ginkgo, and since it’s one of the main ingredients in this Persistence of Memory Green Tea Blend from Hari Tea, I was hesitant to try it. But, this is alright! I like it.
Perhaps it’s the other ingredients in this tea – lemon grass, pepper and basil – together with the Sencha green tea that elevates this tea for me. I taste subtle notes of pepper and hints of citrus. I also taste the rose. The herbs together with the floral tones really turn this tea into something tasty.
The aroma of the dry leaf is herbaceous and sweet with floral tones. The brewed tea doesn’t have a strong aroma … it smells like Sencha green tea … but it’s a soft scent. There are whispers of herbal tones along with the green tea fragrance.
An enjoyable and soothing drink. A really good way to add ginkgo to your diet if you’re like me and don’t find it to be particularly enjoyable … this is a good way to get your ginkgo and enjoy it too!
Absinthe Aethers Green Tea Blend from Solstice Brews
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Solstice Brews
Tea Description:
That curl of steam that rises in the air with a fresh cup of tea…happens to smell identical to absinthe. Enjoy the flavor of the green fairy without the wicked hangover!
Ingredients: Gunpowder Green Tea, Lemongrass, Anise Seed, Fennel Seed
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I am not at all familiar with the flavor of Absinthe. I once bought a tiny “sampler” bottle of it while shopping in a liquor store with my husband, but, I didn’t get to try it, because my brother in law decided he wanted it. And so he pours it and mixes up some concoction with sugar but, he didn’t like the drink he made with it so it didn’t get consumed. I did notice a strong licorice-y scent from the liquor though. And the aroma that I’m smelling from this Absinthe Aethers Green Tea Blend from Solstice Brews is very similar to what I remember from the alcoholic beverage that my brother in law prepared but didn’t drink.
But I’ll be honest … the main reason why I bought the tiny bottle of Absinthe is because Vincent Van Gogh was on the label. Yeah … I was suckered in by packaging. What can I say? I’m a Van Gogh groupie.
Anyway … I’m really enjoying not just the licorice-y scent of this Absinthe Aethers tea but, also the flavor of it! It has a fantastically snappy, warmly spiced licorice note to it, and the hint of citrus from the lemongrass offers a really compelling contrast. These interesting flavors do not detract from the smooth, sweet, slightly smoky and earthy notes of the gunpowder green tea, but seem to enhance the overall cup. I really like how the flavors all come together.
The fennel and anise give it that licorice-y taste that I’ve been raving about, but also a nice warmth and hint of spice to it. Not really “spicy” … but a sense of warmth that is not unlike the warmth you might experience when you sip a glass of liquor. Not an unpleasant warmth … something gentle and soothing. And that seems to be the overall experience that I’m getting from this tea – a very gentle, soothing comfort.
A really well-conceived blend from Solstice Brews!
White Tea Riesling from Vintage TeaWorks
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Vintage TeaWorks
Tea Description:
Inspired by Riesling, we blended natural ingredients to create a white tea blend that is light, aromatic and playful. Honeysuckle, jasmine, apricot and lemon combine to celebrate a few of the unique characteristics of Riesling.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I know I’ve mentioned this before, but I’m no connoisseur of wine. I could not tell you the difference between a Riesling and a Merlot, except that I think that the Merlot is a red wine and a Riesling is a white wine. But even that I’m not certain about! I can’t tell you the last time I’ve had a Riesling wine … because I don’t even know if I ever have!
But I am enjoying this White Tea Riesling from Vintage TeaWorks. It’s very light and crisp and flavorful, just as I would expect a white wine to be. It has a very enjoyable fruity foreground note of apricot that marries very nicely with the floral background notes of honeysuckle and jasmine.
The fruit notes are complex here. The apricot is the strongest flavor, and it’s noticed not just in the taste but also in the delightful aroma of the brewed tea (as well as the beautiful dry leaf!) I taste notes of lemon as well as hints of crisp apple in the fruit notes, as well as the subtlest whisper of sweet grape. As I continue to sip, my palate tingles slightly from the sweet-tart notes of the fruit in this cup.
I think I’m enjoying the fragrance of this tea as much as I’m enjoying the taste, the apricot notes remind me of a homey, comforting apricot cobbler. But examine the bouquet even further and I notice a beautiful airy, floral background that brings out the fresh notes of the fruit in a really lovely way.
The white tea marries very well with the other flavors, and becomes almost a seamless part of the wine-like tastes. I think that is what makes these blends by Vintage TeaWorks so inspired – the tea bases that they select to blend with the flavors work so harmoniously with the concept of the wines they’re attempting to “reinterpret” through tea. Here, the white tea becomes part of the wine flavor … just as it seemed to happen with the Chardonnay and the Merlot varieties… and the others!
As the tea cools slightly, I begin to really taste the wine-like connection with this tea. This is really a beautiful tea, as are the others in the Vintage TeaWorks collection. I have truly enjoyed tasting each of these teas … I recommend them highly!
Lemon Rose Bud from Fusion Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Fusion Teas
Tea Description:
Taiwanese oolong blended to perfection. With floral notes and hints of lemon and ginger it isn’t just pretty to look at. Instead of picking up that bouquet for your better half try surprising with this one of a kind blend.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
The dry leaf is absolutely gorgeous! The leaves look like a fine quality, green Tie Kuan Yin – although the description is vague about the type of leaf that it is, stating only that it is a Taiwanese Oolong, the leaves are forest-y green and tightly wound into pellets, similar to most Tie Kuan Yin Oolong teas that I’ve encountered – and there are lots of tiny, red, perfectly formed rose buds tossed amongst the tea leaves as well as bits of lemon grass. It’s so beautiful, I was almost reluctant to brew it, because I just wanted to look at it! But, the key word in that sentence is almost! I wasn’t going to let the beauty of the leaf keep me from brewing it.
The aroma is also quite lovely. The dry tea smells very intriguing, evoking thoughts of exotic pastry that is made with rose water. The fragrance of the rose is very distinctive, with bright notes of lemon, a fresh, vegetative note and a touch of ginger. But there is also a bread-y, pastry-like scent to this too, something that is difficult to place because of the ingredients … that is to say, I don’t know why I am smelling a pastry-like scent, but I am! And it smells mouth-wateringly delicious! Once brewed, the fragrance is different, smelling primarily of rose and Oolong.
And I’m very happy to report that the flavor does not disappoint. Sometimes, it happens where a beautiful looking and smelling tea does not carry through with the flavor, but that didn’t happen here. The flavor is definitely rose: sweet and floral. It has a taste that is very much like the rose water I mentioned previously.
The Oolong tastes sweet and slightly creamy … almost buttery. There is a vegetative note to it that marries with the rose notes in a lovely way. The lemon notes are very faint here, almost overwhelmed by the rose, but, I’m liking the way its an accent flavor … sort of like squeezing a drop or two of fresh lemon juice into the teacup. The ginger is also faint, and for this I am glad, as ginger does have a way of becoming a rather overpowering flavor … here, the flavor is very subtle, adding just a hint of spice to the cup. The ginger is most distinct in the aftertaste, where I notice a developing warmth in the back of my mouth. Not strong, nor is it developing in a powerful sort of way, but in the aftertaste … long into the aftertaste, I notice ginger. It’s quite nice.
I’d recommend this tea to those who generally love rose flavored teas – it is a deliciously different approach to a rose tea! I’d also recommend it to those that love Oolong, because it is a really unique Oolong blend, quite unlike anything I’ve tasted before.