Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Amoda Tea
Tea Description:
There’s a whole lot of tang in this tea: orange peel, lemongrass, bergamot oil. The Ceylon (Sri Lankan) base tea can also have a tangy character. This is a smooth, medium-bodied cup. Obviously, the citrus in this tea is bold, but it’s not aggressive or bergamot-heavy.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn how to subscribe to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
This Citrus Earl Grey Black Tea Blend from Naked Teas Galore is the second of the three teas I received in this month’s Tea Tasting Box from Amoda Tea. I really do enjoy these boxes, and this month, they did things a little different. Instead of providing three different teas/tisanes from three different tea vendors, they chose just one vendor to focus on, and selected three different teas from them.
I kind of like this change … it gives me the opportunity to try not just one tea from a tea company, but, three! Let’s just hope that the company they choose will be a new-to-me company – like this month’s vendor, Naked Teas Galore.
I am very happy with this particular selection – Citrus Earl Grey. Of course, Bergamot is already a citrus, but Naked Teas Galore really zoomed in on the citrus notes by adding Lemongrass and Orange Peel. These additional citrus flavors soften the sometimes sharp bergamot flavor and create a sort of “medley” of citrus-y flavor … sort of like a citrus punch, if you can imagine that. The bergamot is still distinct, of course, but just … more mellow. Smoother. Sweeter! The orange peel and lemongrass do not offer a strong, specific flavor of their own in the brewed cup; instead, these ingredients contribute to the aforementioned “citrus punch” like taste.
The black tea is sort of a mellow-tasting black tea that sits off in the background, content to let the citrus-y flavors play. It is a solid black tea flavor, but it is definitely off in the background. It is not an aggressive flavor, but I think a stronger black tea flavor would have interrupted the citrus-y notes that I think Naked Teas Galore was trying to hone in on with this blend. It might be interesting to see how a stronger black tea base would have tasted here, but as it it, I find this to be a really tasty tea, perfect for one of those lazy afternoons, when you just want to sit and contemplate the joy of tea!
Organic Fashionista Blend from Fashionista Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Fashionista Tea
Tea Description:
This signature blend created especially for the “Fashionista” tea collection, consists of Organic and Fair Trade black teas with botanicals, a reminder of Paris.
Learn more about this Fashionista Blend here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh this is good. So very good. I love this Organic Fashionista Blend from Fashionista Tea!
The black tea base is comprised of a blend of Organic Congu tea and an Organic Breakfast Blend. This combination creates a remarkably smooth, rich, thick background of flavor. I think that’s what I’m enjoying most about this blend – it’s so solid! It’s well-rounded and flavorful and very satisfying. Notes of malt … earthy, it’s got a strong, biscuit-y character. Not brassy or thin.
The base alone is such a delicious tea, it’s rich and full-flavored … it really doesn’t need anything else. So the “treat” of this tea is that you also get some amazing floral notes from the addition of rose and lavender. Neither are overpowering, but they add charm and interest to the cup, and give it a decidedly “feminine” touch that a tea called “Fashionista Blend” just … needs!
There are also notes of citrus here from the bits of orange peel … but I’m liking how the orange doesn’t come off as “astringent” or adding a “light” taste to the cup (although it does certainly brighten the cup!) It is just an extra dimension of flavor to an already really enjoyable cup of tea.
An excellent cuppa! This is a tea that makes a great breakfast tea … or any time you want a really fulfilling cup of tea!
Blood Orange from Mahamosa
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Mahamosa
Tea Description:
This mild China-Ceylon black tea blend evokes the Caribbean. Comprised of light-yellow orange peels and orange-red blazing safflowers, this tea creation has a sweet, firm, fresh and tangy flavor. A sip of this tea will bring to mind the fervent red flesh of sun-ripened blood oranges.
Ingredients: Black tea, orange peel, natural flavoring, safflower.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
When sipping on Blood Orange from Mahamosa the first thing that comes to mind is POW! Mind blowing orange flavor! If you love the taste of natural orange this is your tea!
Blood oranges tend to be a bit more tart than your average orange with more antioxidants. I used blood orange often in my natural perfume blends and it is a favorite of mine so I was excited to see this on Mahamosa’s website.
The base tea makes way for the orange to take front and center yet there is some interesting taste on the end part of the sip that is distinctly the base tea. It is quite enjoyable but I am thinking this is one that must be cold steeped and enjoyed over ice!
One thing that I personally love about Mahamosa is that they contribute 50% of their annual net profits after taxes to support charitable causes including hunger, poverty, education, environment, clean water, animal/natural life welfare and other causes. You can learn more about their contributions here.
So no, this is not the most complex tea I have ever had the pleasure to sip on, but then again it is absolutely what it states that it is, a blood orange black tea made with natural flavors. The use of natural flavors does make this tea better than many flavored teas I have tried as I am very particular about flavorings used in tea.
As the tea cools a little the blood orange allows some of its sweetness to present and while there are no sweeteners used in this blend I do get a slight sweet note in the tea after cooling which, once again, makes me eager to do a cold steep with this leaf.
This is my first experience with Mahamosa Tea and I am eager to try more based on this experience.
Spice Blend from Tiger Spring Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tiger Spring Tea
Tea Description:
Our Spice Blend is a blend of ceylon tea, orange peel, cloves, cinnamon bark, ginger and fennel seeds. It is a spicy, comforting brew with or without milk, and can be sweetened with sugar or honey if preferred.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Even though Tiger Spring Tea did not indicate this as a “chai” on their website, the ingredients are very chai-like, which is why I categorized it as a chai. As I taste it, though, I find it to be a little less like a chai and a bit more like a Christmas Spice tea. The spices are warm and soothing, but they maintain a nice balance with the black tea base – in this case, a strong Ceylon tea – and the orange notes from the orange peel. It’s very holiday-ish, and it has me looking forward to the upcoming holiday season.
The overall cup is pleasantly spiced. Not what I’d call hot or spicy, but, it is zesty and warm, like a good mulled cider. The orange brightens up the cup considerably, and the Ceylon here is a very good quality Ceylon that is on the stronger side (no wimpy Ceylon here!) and holds its own in the midst of the spices. Of the spices, I find my palate focusing primarily on the clove – with the cinnamon and ginger playing more of a background note and the fennel offering more of an accent note.
And even though it is a bit more holiday-ish than chai-ish, it does still strike a familiar “chai” chord too. It’s very warming, very comforting, just like a good, well-spiced chai, and it would make a nice latte if you happen to be in the mood for a chai latte!
As for me, I find this to be delicious without the milk … and while it doesn’t really NEED it, the spices really perked up when I added about a half a teaspoon of turbinado sugar to my cup. It tastes good straight up, but the spices really seem to SING with the little bit of sugar that I added to the cup, so I would recommend adding just a little bit of sweetener to this to enhance the flavor of the spices.
A really warm, pleasant Spice Blend from Tiger Spring Tea. It is a wonderful way to welcome autumn – my favorite time of year.
Mayan Mist from Della Terra Teas
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Della Terra Teas
Tea Description:
This unique blend will take you to the rainforest with the taste of sweet chili and orange. This tea is blended from an ancient South American recipe and has orange peels, chili pepper bits, red peppercorns, coconut and pure cinnamon. Perfect for a night time treat.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
I’m enjoying this much more than I expected I would. I don’t know that I had any real “expectations” … but, as I’ve mentioned before, I have this sort of automatic repellant response toward rooibos. And it really isn’t very fair. Most of the rooibos blends that I’ve tried in the last two or three years have been enjoyable enough, and some were actually really good. It all goes back to my first few times trying rooibos – plain, conventionally-grown rooibos at that – that causes that response. Like I said, it’s not fair. There are a lot of really tasty rooibos blends out there.
And I’m really enjoying this rooibos blend from Della Terra Teas. The first couple of sips, I noticed the woody and nutty tones of the rooibos coming through strongly, but they seemed to meld quite nicely with the flavor of orange and cinnamon. The orange is bright and juicy tasting, and the cinnamon shows us the sweeter side of cinnamon, allowing the chili pepper to handle the spicy notes.
At first, I didn’t really taste much from the chili pepper, but now that I’m about halfway finished with the cup, the spicy notes from the chili are coming through. But they never become super-spicy hot … they are more like a warm spiciness that stays with you throughout the sip, and then imparts an enjoyable burn on the palate in the aftertaste, reminding you of the delicious warmth of the tisane.
The coconut is also something that I didn’t notice at the start. But after the first couple of sips, I began to notice a slight creaminess that arrived toward the tail end of the sip. It isn’t a strong flavor, and never really becomes a strong flavor, but it does develop slowly as I continue to sip. It doesn’t offer that distinct “coconut” flavor, but, it does add a sweet, creamy note that contrasts nicely with the sunny orange and sweet and hot flavors of the spices.
Overall, I found this to be an extremely enjoyable cuppa. Something I’d enjoy keeping on hand to enjoy once or twice a week, when I want something spicy yet sweet for those late-night cravings!