Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black (Darjeeling)
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
This week’s Tea of the Week is brought to you by Linda R. who emailed me and requested: “Frank, I’d love it if you could do something with mango and pineapple for the summer – maybe with a honeybush or a green rooibos, or even a green tea. Thanks!”
I did take the liberty of switching up the base a bit. I had this creative itch. I kept thinking, I wonder what those tropical flavors would taste like paired with a nice muscatel Darjeeling… So I decided I should find out. The answer, I believe, is: Delicious!
I started with a nice blend of first flush FTGFOP* Darjeelings, added some freeze-dried mango and pineapple and organic mango and pineapple flavors and… yummmmm! But you’ll just have to try it for yourself. Don’t miss out. This, like all of our weekly teas, is a limited edition blend.
*FTGFOP stands for Fine Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe, or “Far Too Good For Ordinary People” as the industry joke goes. It just indicates this is a longer leaf style.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
I was pretty excited to try this Mango Pineapple flavored Darjeeling tea from 52Teas. In the many years that I’ve been a customer of 52Teas – I’m a subscriber! – I can only recall one other Darjeeling blend. I know that their black tea blend that they used as a base had some Darjeeling in it at one time, but as far as a solo Darjeeling base goes, the only tea I recall is the Dreamsicle Darjeeling. And I did enjoy that tea, so I was happy to try a new flavored Darjeeling.
The fragrance of the dry leaf is very appealing to the sweet tooth: it has a sweet, fruity and almost candy-like scent to it, reminding me of a tropical bubble gum or something. I didn’t smell a lot of “Darjeeling” to the dry leaf, though. The brewed liquid has a lighter aroma. The sweet fruit notes have softened quite a bit, and I can now smell notes of Darjeeling: hints of earth, flower and even whispers of grape. These notes meld quite beautifully with the sweet notes of pineapple and mango.
The first time I brewed a cup of this tea for myself, I was a little disappointed by the flavor. I suspect that this is because the temperature may have been too hot, which is why I tried again with a second cup.
The first cup ended up tasting very much like the aforementioned bubble gum. It even seemed to have a somewhat creamy, almost “gummy” texture to it that I didn’t really find all that enjoyable. I could taste the pineapple and the mango, though, as well as notes of the Darjeeling, but the base tasted a little bit bitter and the finish was a little to astringent for my liking, so I decided to try again and watch the temperature a little closer this time.
Much better! Keep the temperature below boiling! Of course, I usually do this with a Darjeeling anyway, but because I’m without my Breville One-Touch for the time being, I’m a little out of practice with gauging the water temperature by sight. I miss that variable temperature kettle feature on the One-Touch!
So this time, I didn’t walk away from the stove, and I didn’t let the water reach the boiling point. I steeped the tea for just 2 minutes, and this is much, much tastier than the first cup. The mango and the pineapple are quite compatible in the teacup, offering a tropical flavor that is sweet with a little bit of tangy. The fruit notes are bright and vibrant.
There is still a somewhat “creamy” note to this, but it isn’t gummy the way the first cup was. In that first cup, as I stated, the gumminess was a little weird and not in the most pleasant way. But now that it’s creamy and not gummy, I’m not put off by it.
The Darjeeling is much nicer this time around too: light, crisp, and refreshing. I taste notes of grape and earth in the background, and a woodsy tone that marry in a very captivating way with the fruit flavors … it keeps me sipping!
It’s a very unexpected tropical taste, but, I like it. It adds a touch of “exotic” to something that is already exotic. A unique and interesting cuppa!
Passion Fruit Mango Rooibos Blend from Tea of Life
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Learn more about Tea of Life and Amazon Teas here.
Taster’s Review:
There are times when I want something a little lighter and without caffeine. Those are the times that I turn to tisanes. Tisanes like this Passion Fruit Mango Rooibos Blend from Tea of Life that are naturally caffeine free and have a lighter body, something I can sip and enjoy without worrying whether it will keep me up all night.
And this has a really pleasing flavor. The passion fruit and mango flavors are vibrant. The flavor of the rooibos is subdued, but I do taste notes of the nutty flavor and the sweetness – but without that whacked weird flavor that I sometimes get from rooibos.
You know, that weird, off sort of flavor that kind of tastes like wood that’s been soaked in sour vinegar or something? Yeah … that flavor. I’m not getting that strange flavor with this tisane.
Instead, I get a pleasant, tropical fruit flavor with hints of a nutty sweetness in the background. It’s a sweet way to wind down after a long day.
I enjoyed this hot, but, I found myself distracted and left my teacup to cool, and when I returned to it, the tisane had gone cold. No worries! This tastes great cold too!
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.
Passion Fruit Flavored Rooibos Blend from Octavia Tea
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Octavia Tea
Tisane Description:
Lemon myrtle is more lemony than a lemon itself. If you didn’t know that already, this tea will show you! The citrus hits you, mingles with the tropical fruit and continues to linger. The hibiscus plays its part in adding beautiful colour and a tartness that tones down the sweetness of the tropical fruit, creating a more true fruit flavour.
Learn more about this blend here.
Learn more about subscribing to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
The aroma of this Passion Fruit Flavored Rooibos Blend from Octavia Tea really blew me away! It smells AMAZING! The combination of the passion fruit, peach and mango essences, together with the notes of citrus from the lemon myrtle … create a really ambrosial fragrance that … knocked my socks off!
OK … so my socks are still on, but you get what I’m saying, right?
And … I’m loving what I’m tasting here too. This is really yummy. But … for the purists out there who think that tea should taste like tea and not like a sweet, fruity drink … this tisane is NOT for you! This is a sweet, fruity drink!
In fact, one of the things I like best about it is that I’m not tasting much of the rooibos base. As I’ve said on numerous occasions, I’m not a big fan of the woodsy tasting herb. Here, just hints of the nutty, honeyed taste of rooibos comes through.
And I’m also happy to say that even though I steeped this for seven minutes, I didn’t get a heavy hibiscus note … nor did I get that heavy syrupy thickness that comes with steeping hibiscus a long time. The hibiscus here has been thoughtfully blended … adding just enough to give the cup just a touch of tart flavor without overpowering the blend.
The lemon-y notes from the lemon myrtle is bright and flavorful, and it really perks up the other fruit notes. The passion fruit, the peach and the mango … make delightful partners in this blend … so sweet and juicy!
This is a tisane that kids would love because it has a lot of sweet, fruity flavor. And it would certainly be better for them than that sugar-y soda … not only would it be less sugar, but rooibos have some great health benefits, as does hibiscus. And I love that the ingredients in this tisane are organic, too!
A really tasty tisane! This one gets an enthusiastic thumbs up from me.
Bengal Peach Tea Blend from Tea Xotics
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black & Green Teas
Where to Buy: Amoda Tea
Tea Description:
The peachy aroma of this tea will make our mouthes water. Orchard fruit meets the Hawaiian tropics. There’s a subtle ginger spice that works really well with the succulent fruits and the unique tea base – Assam and sencha!
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about subscribing to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
I love the dry leaf of this Bengal Peach Tea Blend from Tea Xotics. Big slivers of dried fruit, pieces of ginger, black and green tea leaves, petals and blossoms all tossed together in a deliciously fragrant blend.
The brewed tea smells of warm peaches with hints of ginger, evoking thoughts of a warm, gently spiced peach dessert. Mmm! The flavor tastes of peach and mango. The ginger flavor is delicate, adding just a touch of warmth rather than a heavy amount of spice. This doesn’t taste overly peppered with ginger … there’s just enough ginger to keep the flavors interesting so that it doesn’t taste too fruity.
The combination of black and green teas adds an appealing background of flavor as well. When brewed at a lower temperature, I find that I can taste both the black and green teas. I brewed this tea at 180°F in my Breville One-Touch – the package parameters suggest a temperature of 185°F but whenever I brew a blend like this in my Breville, I make it a practice to lower the suggested temperature by 5 degrees since the tea maker keeps the water warmer than a teapot would. I steeped the tea for 3 minutes, and I’m very happy with the results.
The black tea tastes lighter than a typical cup of Assam would. I taste a wine-like quality to the tea, and this complements the fruit notes quite nicely. As the tea cools slightly (hot, but not piping hot), I notice some of the malty tones of the black tea emerge. The green tea doesn’t add a lot of notable flavor to the cup, but it lightens the overall flavor and texture. I notice hints of vegetation in the distance, as well as a slight buttery note that works well with the sweet, caramel-y malt notes.
A very tasty blend. It’s delicious hot and also quite nice iced!