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.
Vanilla Coconut Black Tea Blend from Octavia Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black Tea & Rooibos
Where to Buy: Octavia Tea
Tea Description:
As if the individual ingredients weren’t tasty enough on their own… brought all together, this blend delivers YUM in spades. The apple does well in this blend and the red rooibos base stands its ground. You’ll probably want to make a whole pot of this one.
Learn more about this blend here.
Learn more about subscribing to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
My monthly tea tasting box from Amoda Tea arrived a couple of days ago, and this Vanilla Coconut Black Tea Blend from Octavia Tea is the first tea that I’ve tried from it. This month, Amoda Tea has selected Octavia Tea as their tea company of the month.
And this is Vanilla Coconut tea is really YUM! The black tea base is fairly mild – there’s not an aggressive black tea taste here. The rooibos adds some lightness to the overall cup too, I think, so we get an earthy, slightly woody background of flavor that is a bit on the lighter side. The base does more to complement the flavors of vanilla, coconut and chocolate (YES, chocolate!) than stand on its own in this cup. Everything seems to meld together to create an enjoyable union of tastes.
The vanilla is what I notice most prominently. It is sweet and creamy and adds a certain decadent quality to the cup. Then I notice the delectable flavor of the coconut. The coconut is not quite as strong a flavor as I think it should be, given that this tea is called “Vanilla Coconut” but, I do like the accent of coconut flavor here, and I find that more coconut notes come through if I slurp the tea. It might not sound like a very well-mannered thing to do – slurping the tea – but it certainly does enhance the flavor, and since i’m sitting here by myself at the moment, I’m going to slurp!
The chocolate is a soft flavor but, I like how it seems to accentuate the flavor of the black tea. These two flavors are very synergistic, they seem to play off each other very well … each flavor benefiting from the presence of the other.
And then we have the apple bits. Usually, the apple bits do more to increase the visual appeal of the blend than really add a whole lot of flavor to the cup, but, as the tea cools and as I reach the end of my cup, I am starting to pick up on hints of apple-y flavor. The apple adds a little bit of contrast for the palate, a slight sweet-tart taste that’s very enjoyable.
This isn’t the first tea I’ve tried from Octavia, but, it’s nice to be sampling their teas again! Thanks to Amoda Tea for making Octavia Tea the focus of your tea box this month!
And speaking of Amoda Tea, they have made some changes to their box which became effective this month. The first thing that I noticed – the box is a little smaller. (The boxes are super cool, they’re flat (maybe 3/4 of an inch?) and they’re about 10″ long, and about 4″ wide.) The samples are also smaller – just enough for a pot of tea. And with the smaller sizes came a smaller price. I’m really thrilled with the changes that Amoda has made to their monthly box!
Jasmine Pearl from Octavia Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Octavia Tea
Tea Description:
Although we work with sources and gardens that offer less expensive grades of Jasmine Pearl (and you may see many out there on the market), we have chosen to forgo these lesser grades because none of them compare to the quality, appearance, fragrance and flavor of the grade we offer here. This tea is the absolute best Jasmine Pearl on the market and we are very proud to offer it to you!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
These pearls are indeed of high quality, as evidenced not only in the exquisite flavor of the tea, but also in the appearance of the pearls. They are very uniform in size and shape, and there are very little “stray” bits of tea leaf with these pearls – very few broken or crushed tea leaf parts mean more beautiful pearls!
I steeped these pearls in my gaiwan, and while I do keep the lid on the gaiwan as the tea infuses, I would occasionally peek inside to watch the pearls slowly open. Such a lovely dance! I combined the infusions in my designated “Jasmine” Yixing mug (a total of five infusions!) and the result is an absolute jasmine paradise in this tea mug. It smells delightful – the sweet, exotic fragrance of jasmine with no chemical-y or artificial aromas present. Just pure tea and flower. The way a jasmine tea should be.
A very well-balanced flavor of green tea – light, slightly vegetative, with a buttery undertone – and jasmine flower here. The jasmine is not too strong, nor does it come off perfume-y. It isn’t a sharp flavor, instead, it is very smooth and sweet.
An excellent jasmine pearl, one I’d recommend to those who love jasmine as much as I do.
Raspberry Champagne from Octavia Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Octavia Tea
Product Description:
Elegant and inviting, Raspberry Champagne blends the luscious, juicy taste of ripe raspberries with the delicate floral and honey-like notes of champagne. Known for its detoxifying, stress-relieving properties, white tea is said to be the healthiest of all teas and is harvested only a few days each year.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve tried a few Raspberry Champagne blends, but I think this one is my favorite! And the biggest surprise for me with this tea is that this blend has hibiscus and stevia in it, two ingredients I don’t like in tea blends … and I’m still loving it!
Even though the flavors are delicate, they are well-defined. The raspberry flavor is sweet with hints of tart. There is a beautiful floral tone to this. The jasmine and osmanthus give it such a delightful flowery note. The champagne is crisp. And the nicest surprise of them all, a sweet undertone of honey. It is a fantastic and surprising combination of flavors.
The hibiscus is a very light addition, and I think that makes a big difference here. It adds the faintest hint of pink color to the cup, but, next to no flavor or texture. The stevia adds a gentle sweetness without any of the weird aftertaste that I get from stevia.
This is delicious hot, but, as the weather is still rather warm, I prefer it iced. It is very cool and refreshing. If you’ve liked other raspberry champagne blends you’ve tried, I suggest trying this one – it may just become a new favorite like it has for me.
Raspberry Champagne Tea from Octavia Tea
Tea Type: White Tea
Where To Buy: Octavia Tea
Product Description:
Lush and inviting, Raspberry Champagne blends the floral, honey-like notes of champagne with fresh, blushing berries. White tea is said to be the healthiest of all teas and is picked only a few days each year.
Tasters Review:
Raspberry Champagne from Octavia Tea smells like Raspberry and Flowers! The taste is Raspberry and floral but very champagne-like and juicy. The aftertaste is a sweet floral taste. The berry notes are wonderful! I can even taste a bit of honey as well!
I tend to over infuse my loose leaf teas. I infuse more of the actual loose leaf but for a little less time to avoid bitterness or overly grassy or mossy tastes in other teas.
When I over infused the amount of this specific tea here is what I found different from the original infusion…
The aroma was of Honey, Berries, White Tea…it was very nice! The taste was pretty much the same as before but even more so. The Raspberry really came out when I attempted this!
I also tried a 2nd infusion when I over infused the amount of loose leaf and the taste is a bit on the lighter-side…but still very tasty and satisfying. I really enjoyed each attempt! And I really thought this was a great flavored white tea!
