Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos & Honeybush
Where to Buy: David’s Tea
Tisane Description:
Looking for a taste of Canada? Try this red rooibos tea. It’s sweetened with (what else?) maple syrup and sprinkled with delicious maple leaf candies. Plus it’s 100% diplomatic (well, caffeine-free) and tastes great in both our official languages. With green rooibos, honeybush, caramel and toffee bits to shake things up. A truly authentic Canadian experience.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The brewed tisane smells scrumptious! It smells like a pancake breakfast and it’s making my mouth water!
To steep: I used my Kati Tumbler and added 1 1/2 bamboo scoops to the basket of the tumbler. Then I added 195°F water to the tumbler and allowed the tisane to steep for 10 minutes.
And it tastes a little bit like a pancake breakfast too. The nutty notes from the rooibos and honeybush add a “pancakey” like flavor to the rich maple-y notes of the flavoring. The toffee and caramel notes enhance the sweetness (this is a very sweet pancake breakfast, mmm-kay?)
But really, even though I’m getting notes of rooibos, honeybush, toffee and caramel, this tisane is really about the maple! Sweet, delicious maple. Not like the weird corn syrup with maple flavoring. This has a real maple-y flavor to it. It’s sweet and luscious!
If you’re a fan of maple, this is a tisane you should try. It has a very dessert-y quality (obviously) so it would make a tasty low-cal/non-fat substitute for dessert or a great treat for the sweet tooth late night craving! And it’s naturally caffeine free!
Oh Christmas Tea from Tealish
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tealish
Tea Description:
A little bit spicy and a little bit sweet, this tea is the perfect treat to share with loved ones over the holidays. Rich black tea is blended with orange slices, cinnamon, cardamom, coriander, cloves, apple pieces, and pink peppercorns.
Taster’s Review:
As I sit here, writing this review, it is July. The sun is shining brightly outside, and the thermometer reads 71°F outside, and I wonder what it will be like when this review actually publishes, as I schedule it for December 13 … a little closer to Christmas.
A Steepster friend sent me a bit of this tea so that I might enjoy a little Christmas in July, and yes, it is very Christmas-y indeed. It is warm with cheery spices and a hint of orange, and while a spiced orange tea is nothing new or out of the ordinary, what I’m liking here is how well-balanced it is. It has a nice, rounded flavor that enlivens the palate with spices that are gently warm – not hot or what I’d call spicy – a touch of delicious, juicy orange and a robust black tea base.
The black tea here is rich yet somewhat understated. It doesn’t attempt to overpower the blend, but it is substantial enough to hold its own and be tasted. It doesn’t taste like it’s just there, barely standing up to the spices somewhere off in the background. It tastes solid and strong without being bitter. It has a mild astringency that complements the orange notes quite well.
The only ingredient that I don’t really taste much of is the apple. I suppose it probably adds a hint of sweetness but a strong sense of apple doesn’t really come through – but then again, I don’t think it is supposed to. It may be there primarily for appearance sake, or as I mentioned, for a hint of sweetness to accent the spices.
A really enjoyable holiday tea – very nice during the holidays, or any time of year that you wish to bring a little bit of the holiday joy to your teacup.
Mint Chocolate Twirl from Tea, Oh!
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tea, Oh!
Product Description:
A lively mint and chocolate blend perfect for after dinner.
Taster’s Review:
This is a delicious mint chocolate tea. And while I cannot think of a mint chocolate tea that I haven’t enjoyed, I think what makes this one so spectacular is that the chocolate note is very well-defined. This chocoholic is quite happy at the moment!
The black tea base is strong without being overwhelming. I suspect it is a black Ceylon tea because it is quite smooth and brisk while not interfering with the other flavors.
The mint is crisp and cool and presents a nice contrast to the creamy, sweet chocolate flavor in this tea. Overall, this is a bit like a “Thin Mint” cookie in a teacup! YUMMY! (I miss Girl Scout cookies already!)
There is a bit of astringency to this cup, and while I don’t normally mind astringency in a tea (and in some teas I celebrate the astringency!), with this particular one, I kind of find myself wishing it wasn’t there. I am not saying that the astringency is bothersome, however, it would make for a much smoother experience without it. So, I guess if I am to offer any criticism about this tea, it would be that I’d rather the astringency not be there.
However, as I continue to sip, the astringency seems to smooth out a bit, and is less noticeable. Perhaps I am getting used to it, or perhaps the chocolate and mint flavors have developed enough so that the astringency is not as pronounced. Either way, I like it more now that I am at mid-cup than I did at the start.
Vanilla Haze from Tea, Oh!
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tea, Oh!
Product Description:
Get lost in this sweet, nutty hazelnut vanilla tea.
Taster’s Review:
This is nice!
The black tea base is brisk and strong. Its assertive flavor does not get lost amid the flavors of vanilla and hazelnut – this is definitely TEA!
The vanilla flavor is creamy and smooth and helps to curb some of the sharper edges to the black tea. The hazelnut tastes nutty and slightly sweet and is really delicious with the vanilla. There is also a background note that is slightly earthy to this cup.
This is a tea that you want to keep an eye on while brewing as it can become bitter if over steeped. I steeped it for 2 minutes 45 seconds and I can taste hints of bitterness; fortunately it is not off-putting. However, I think that a longer steep time would have resulted in a rather bitter cup.
Vanilla Haze from Tea, Oh! is so lovely and complex! A very contemplative cup – one that you want to brew on one of those “take it easy” kind of afternoons so that you can just sit and enjoy all the pleasures this tea has to offer. Particularly nice with a drizzle of honey and a splash of milk to bring out the creamier aspects of this cup. YUM!
Crème Brûlée from Tea, Oh!
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Tea, Oh!
Product Description:
A sweet symphony of toffee and caramel flavours make this a nice after dinner treat.
Taster’s Review:
Crème brûlée? Yes, please!
Crème brûlée is my favorite dessert. I don’t find it often when we dine out – mostly because we can’t often afford to dine in restaurants fancy enough to offer it – but when I see it on the menu, I do try to save room for dessert!
But with this tisane, I can afford to enjoy my favorite dessert any time! The rooibos base is perfect because it is naturally caffeine-free so it makes for a delightful treat after dinner without worry that I’ll be over-caffeinated. The rooibos is lightly nutty which mingles very nice with the creamy flavor of crème brûlée.
I can taste the creamy baked custard flavor of the crème brûlée, it tastes smooth and sweet, and it even has a caramel-y sweet taste to it too, just like the crunchy caramelized sugar that is burnt on top of the classic dessert. All that is missing is the crunch – and while I do love that crunch – the fact that this is calorie free more than makes up for the lack of the crunchy texture.
This is really an awesome treat! Thank you – Tea, Oh!