Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: M&K’s Tea Company on Etsy
Tea Description:
Sweet spices and a minty rooibos blend swirl together in this exclusive M&K’s creation! Peppermint and spearmint coat Asian star anise, providing a licorice taste complimenting the spicey, roasted ginger. This infusion is part of the M&K’s Original 20.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
My first reaction to my first sip of this tisane was: mmm! Now, granted, that’s my reaction to many teas that I taste for the first time and it’s usually my reaction when I indulge in a favorite tea. But, it’s not always a first reaction when I take a sip of a tisane. And it’s certainly not a frequent reaction when I take a sip of a rooibos tisane.
But M&K’s created a winner when they crafted this rooibos blend. It’s warm and cozy but also cool and invigorating! It’s a lovely medley of contradiction.
The first flavor I notice when I take a sip is cinnamon. Almost immediately after picking up on the cinnamon notes, I taste the crisp, refreshing taste of peppermint and spearmint.
Mid-sip, I notice the zesty licorice flavor from the anise. It’s not an overwhelming flavor and I suspect that even those who are not typically fond of blends with star anise would enjoy this tisane. It is more of a warm snap of licorice with a hint of sweetness from the anise without the strong spicy snap of it.
I also notice a warm, peppery ‘glow’ from the ginger.
What I don’t notice is a strong, obvious flavor of rooibos and I’m sure that those who are familiar with my likes and dislikes know that I’m quite alright with the lack of rooibos flavor. I like that I’m tasting the gentle honey sweetness of the rooibos and a hint of nutty flavor without a really strong rooibos taste.
I like the way these flavors – peppermint, spearmint, anise, ginger and cinnamon – come together in this blend. Any one of them can be a very aggressive flavor but rather than one flavor overpowering the others, they are working together in a synergistic way to create a very harmonious taste that’s both spicy and sweet, warming and cooling.
I like this one!
Peach Brulée Black Tea Blend from Tea Forté
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tea Forté
Tea Description:
This refreshing black tea offers a masterful blend fragrant with floral and fruit. Mango and marigold blossoms embrace the lushness of sweet juicy peaches with a lingering finish of tropical cut coconut.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
While shopping the other day at Chuck’s Produce, I stopped by the tea section (as I usually do) and this tea caught my attention. Maybe it was the slick, black “Tea Noir” tin that drew me in, or perhaps it was just the name: Peach Brulée … um, yes please! That sounds amazing. I also liked that this was a loose leaf selection, rather than the tea pyramids that Tea Forté is probably best known for. So, maybe it was a combination of the three things, but there was something that came over me and told me to put that tin into my cart.
And I’m glad I did. This is yum!
The black tea base is a very BOLD tasting black tea. And the reason it’s so bold is that this tea has a pan-roasted Assam to serve as the base. Awesome! I can taste the richness of the Assam, notes of malt, and I’m getting a really nice roasted flavor from the pan-roasting. It has an almost “coffee-like” flavor to it. This would make an excellent alternative to those who are trying to switch from coffee to tea, but miss that rich, robust coffee flavor. This tea has that!
And the flavoring here doesn’t overpower the rich, roasted flavor of the tea. This is a tea that has been flavored with notes of peach and hints of mango and a very subtle kiss of coconut … and not the other way around. That is to say, that this doesn’t taste like a tea where the flavors have been overdone. The flavors are right on point, allowing me to enjoy the really flavorful Assam tea first, and then celebrate the juicy, delicious fruit notes.
The peach is the most prominent flavor after the roasty-toasty notes, and then the mango sort of weaves its way in and out throughout the sip in a very soft, subtle way. The coconut is very delicate, and I notice it more in the aftertaste than I do in the sip itself.
It’s a really flavorful, unique take on tropical fruit flavored tea, and with all this bold, hefty flavor, it’s a great way to start the day. It also tastes outstanding as an iced tea – in fact, I’d find it difficult to say which way I like it best. I think right now, seeing as we’re experiencing the hottest part of the summer thus far, I’d go with iced. But, in the cooler weather, I’d probably say that this is better hot!
Love & Joy Tisane from Verdant Tea
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!
Eight Treasures Yabao Tea from Verdant Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh & Green Tea
Where to Buy: Verdant Tea
Tea Description:
Yabao is an incredibly intriguing tea, evoking marshmallow sweetness, spice, and even cooling cedar notes. By combining it with a light sun dried green jasmine from Yunnan, and whole vanilla bean, this brew steeps up perfectly smooth, thick and velvety. The floral elements of the vanilla and honeysuckle are extended to the aftertaste with marigold and rose petals, and the spice of the yabao is sharpened with goji berry. This well-integrated take on the traditional “Eight Treasures” is sweet but nuanced, and great hot or iced.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
This Eight Treasures Yabao Tea from Verdant Tea is absolutely delightful! Then again, I was expecting nothing less from a company like Verdant Tea. I can’t recall ever being disappointed by a tea from them!
This blend takes the natural creamy sweetness of a Yabao tea and combines it with vanilla bean to enhance the rich, creamy notes and the decadent sweetness. These two components together would be enough to send this tea drinker into a blissful tea experience, but, this is EIGHT Treasures … so Verdant Tea didn’t stop there.
The jasmine green tea adds a little bit of a vegetative taste and a distinct jasmine note. The floral tones are further accentuated with the addition of marigold and rose. I don’t notice the marigold a lot, but, the rose has a distinguished flavor. The tasting note from Verdant Tea suggests an “orchid” note and I am getting that here, although I find that I taste more jasmine and rose than orchid.
I taste the goji berry and the berry adds a tart, tingly sensation toward the finish that offers a nice contrast to the smooth, creaminess of the vanilla and marshmallow notes of the Yabao, and the sweet flowery tones. My first few sips I noticed a slight “resinous” taste … and as I continued to sip, and after reading the tasting notes from Verdant that suggest a Cedar note, I realize that this is the resinous note I was noticing at the start. Slightly woody, slightly earthy … with an invigorating crisp, cool sensation.
The most surprising thing about this tea is just how good it is iced! I was astonished by it’s iced flavor. It is sweet and fruity and very refreshing! The next time you place your order with Verdant … add this tea to your shopping cart – you won’t be disappointed!
Tropical Heaven Oolong from Kally Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Kally Tea
Tea Description:
This luscious treat begins with an exciting characteristic green Oolong. Then we’ve added marigold, safflowers and finished with tropical flavoring. The aromas and the tastes that unite in this tropical delight make you just want to…
“LIMBO!! How low can you go?” (Insert island music here…)
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh wow! This is really yummy! The flavor of this Tropical Heaven Oolong from Kally Tea is intense! I love that while the tropical flavors are strong, I still taste the Oolong. It tastes sweet, fruity and creamy … and yes … heavenly!
The Oolong tea adds a touch of creaminess to the cup as well as a light vegetative tone and a very pleasant sweetness that enhances the sweetness of the tropical flavors. While Kally Tea does not go in to detail about which flavors are in this Tropical Heaven … I definitely taste pineapple. Perhaps some mango and/or papaya. My first sip, I noted a flavor that tasted remarkably like peach, although that could have been the Oolong as I often associate the fruity tones of an Oolong tea to be very peach-like. The fruit tones are very smooth and sweet. Only hints of tartness just to keep the palate’s interest piqued.
I love how smooth this cup of tea is. The fruit flavors are sweet and are washed in a creaminess that is absolutely delectable … it almost tastes like a flavored milk Oolong … that’s how creamy this tea is! It’s one of those teas that disappear from your cup so fast you wonder if someone has been drinking the tea out of your cup when you’re not looking! Before I knew it, my cup was empty, and I resteeped the leaves. The flavors are less intense with the second infusion, but still very present and absolutely delicious – this is definitely worth the second (and even a third!) infusion.
A really great flavored Oolong – a truly yummy cuppa!