Summer Fruit Ambrosia Tea from Monterey Bay Spice Company

by liberteas

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Monterey Bay Spice Company

Product Description:

Summer Fruit Ambrosia smolders in the cup, a powerful and stimulating fruit tea that helps to slim the body and maintain alertness in the mind! At the heart of this fruit tea is safflower, whose vibrant red petals not only add colour, but also bring essential fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals to the infusion! Coupled with a robust black tea, this beverage is truly a “food of the gods!”

Taster’s Review:

When I think of “ambrosia,” I am reminded of the family gatherings at my gramma’s house on the 4th of July and other summertime occasions (or sometimes, no special occasion at all!)  Gramma would prepare a meal for us – picnic style – that we would all enjoy out on the patio.  One dish that was sure to appear at any such gathering would be ambrosia salad:  a concoction of fresh and/or canned fruits mixed with mini marshmallows and whipped topping.  I don’t really care so much for ambrosia salad now (it’s a bit too sweet for my liking), but when I was a kid, it was a bit like heaven in a bowl!

Well, take away the marshmallows and whipped topping, and add some black tea, and you’d have the tea that I’m enjoying right now.  And I do like this better than I like ambrosia salad (sorry gramma!) because it isn’t cloying.

This is sweet, but it’s a nice level of sweetness.  The fruit tones are pleasant and delicious, although they are a bit muddled.  It is difficult to distinguish any individual type of fruit note – rather, it tastes a bit like a fruit punch.

The black tea is a delicious and strong black tea.  It has a nice level of astringency – astringent but not too drying.  It leaves the palate feeling clean, allowing this taster to enjoy the sweet aftertaste.

Overall, I find this to be quite an enjoyable tea, one that will certainly be a staple these warm months – because it tastes GREAT iced!  My daughters love it too.

liberteas

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see. Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog! Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!

This post was posted in Black Tea

Decaf Exclusive Black from Q Leaf Tea/Monterey Bay Spice Co.

by liberteas

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Q Leaf Tea / Monterey Bay Spice Co.

Product Information:

All Q Leaf Teas are Certified Organic and Certified Fair Trade
Q Leaf Decaf Exclusive Black is a wonderful full-body, malty, rich whole-leaf black tea. Enjoyable any time of day, served hot or iced. Our carbon diozide decaffeination process is considered the best for decaffeinating tea.
Fair Trade Certified, Q Leaf Decaf Exclusive Black Tea is also Certified Organically Grown and processed at the Fatikcherra Tea Estate in northeastern India near Assam (a Sanskrit word meaning peerless.)   The impressive Brahmaputra River flows through the Assam, a land well known for teas, rainfall (up to 150 inches per year) and for populations of wild tigers and rhinocerous. The climate is humid with extreme rainfall March to May, monsoon season mid-June to September, and a cold season October to February. Recorded histories of the area survive from the 4th century BC, including its mention in the Hindu epic Mahabharata and other ancient Sanskrit writings.
Taster’s Review:
As I’ve stated before, decaffeinated teas scare me.  I had a couple of really bad experiences in the past with decaffeinated teas, and since that time, whenever I come across a “decaf” tea – I cringe!
But, the truth is, I’ve come across quite a few decaffeinated teas in the past couple of years that have been really outstanding!
This is one of them.
In fact, this one is so good that if I hadn’t known that it was decaf, I would not have guessed it.  This is a very rich and flavorful tea, with a pleasant body.  It does not come across as a thin or “reduced” tea in any way, nor does it have that funky aftertaste that sometimes accompanies a decaffeinated tea.  It has a strong, malty quality that is baked and even a little chewy!  It’s really delicious!
Because it is a decaf, that means that I can enjoy it now, even though it’s quite late in the evening without worrying about it keeping me from getting a restful night’s sleep.  And because it is 100% Certified Organic and Certified Fair Trade, I can sleep well knowing that the tea I drank this evening was socially and environmentally responsible!

liberteas

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see. Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog! Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!

This post was posted in Black Tea