Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Della Terra Teas
Tisane Description:
Enjoy the taste of a spicy ginger snap cookie in your cup with our Ginger Snap Tea. Combining the flavors of pineapple, papaya, almonds and mango along with ginger and rooibos created the best tasting ginger snap tea. Mmm Mmm, delicious.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
Mmm! I love ginger snaps! And this Ginger Snap Rooibos Blend tisane from Della Terra Teas … while not a spot-on tisane rendition of one of my favorite cookies, it offers an interesting and tasty interpretation of the goodness of a ginger snap.
The base for this tisane was well chosen, because the natural nutty notes of the South African rooibos melds well with the ginger notes and create a sort of cookie-like taste. The almond further enhances this cookie-ish taste while offering a sweet dimension to the beverage.
When I first read the description of this tisane, and saw pineapple, papaya and mango in this blend, I was a little perplexed. I mean … huh? I have never actually attempted to bake ginger snaps, these fruits are not ingredients I would ever expect to see in a ginger snap recipe. (For a very tempting ginger snap recipe, check out this one from one of my all-time favorite celebrity chefs from Food Network, Alton Brown.)
But even though the tropical fruits seem a little “misplaced” in this tisane, the juicy, sweet flavor of the mango, pineapple and papaya really seem to work with this cup. I can’t say that these ingredients actually make the tisane taste more like the cookie … but, I can say that I do enjoy the role they play in the overall cup. They add a sweetness and a richness to the cup, and in their own way, really enhance the flavor of this “ginger snap” like drink.
I really enjoyed this tisane. It wasn’t overly spicy, and I’ve got to say that usually I expect my ginger snaps to have a little more of that zesty, snappy flavor than this cup provides … but, I like the way this tastes. It has a mild yet delicious ginger flavor, and I think it’s a very interesting take on the ginger snap. Not bad … not bad at all!
Fruity Pebbles Green Tea Blend from Tiesta Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Tiesta Tea
Tea Description:
The 2008 World Tea Champion is a smooth and sweet blend of flowery fruit and sencha with a fantastic base that no one can resist. The synchronization of pineapple, passion fruit, and strawberry form a perfect fruity triangle.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh wow … this Fruity Pebbles Green Tea Blend from Tiesta Tea smells AMAZING! The dry leaf is very fragrant with floral notes and strong fruity tones. It smells like something you’d want to set out as potpourri to freshen your home!
I kind of chuckled when I read the name of this tea … of course, my thoughts turned to the popular rice cereal (which I LOVE but try to avoid because it isn’t the healthiest item in the cereal aisle, is it?) As I waited for the tea to brew, I found myself wondering just how similar it would taste to the cereal.
OK, so it doesn’t TASTE like the cereal. But, I can see the connection. The cereal is sweet and fruity … this tea is sweet and fruity too. But I like that I still taste TEA in there. There is a balance.
The green tea is soft and buttery, with subtle notes of vegetation that meld well with the notes of fruit and flower. I don’t notice quite as much of the white tea notes in this … the Pai Mu Tan is very subtle here, but, this blend would not be the same without it. It adds a lightness and a certain earthiness that directs the palate toward the “tea” notes, if that makes sense. The earthiness is what makes this taste more like tea than of a fruit drink.
The combination of pineapple, papaya and strawberry is delectable! It is definitely tropical-ish because the pineapple and papaya are strong here, but they do not overwhelm the delicious, sweet-tart notes of the berry. I like that I taste elements of each fruit in this tea.
The rose is a little less apparent, and its contribution is definitely seen and smelled more than it is tasted … but, there are very subtle floral tones to the taste and it really heightens the overall experience by adding just a hint of SOMETHING, you know? Just that subtle touch … makes a big difference to the cup.
I really enjoyed this tea immensely … I look forward to trying more of Tiesta Tea’s green tea offerings too … their Jolly Green Kiwi looks intriguing!
Passion Fruit Wulong from Red Leaf Tea
Passion Fruit Wulong from Red Leaf Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong, Wulong
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
Wulong tea has become quite popular in recent years, owing mostly to its reputed weight reducing properties. In any case, Wulong offers a brisk, strong flavor and vibrant aftertaste that will make it a delicious choice even if you are not trying to lose weight. This particular blend has added fruity touches courtesy of the passion fruit and other assorted real fruit pieces for a tea that is exceptional in flavor and aroma.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Passion Fruit Wulong from Red Leaf Tea is a gentle, delicate, dainty tea! How perfect that I decided to use my gorgeous pink with golden swirl teacups! I feel dainty drinking this sweet, juicy, fruity tea!
The Wulong aroma is present but it may have needed more steep time to give me that Wulong punch I am used to.
This is so subtle yet enticing with its flavoring. I could see this being the perfect tea for a young girls tea party, to introduce new tea drinkers to finer teas, etc. Brewed double strength I can absolutely see how this would be a wonderful iced tea as well.
Yes, I do like this one quite a bit. I tend to lean toward stronger flavors personally but this tea has really hit its mark with a soft warm gentle glow.
Passion Fruit Wulong has a strong buttery aroma, with fruity notes jumping up for attention. The flavor of passion fruit, and mango, perhaps even some papaya come out to play then to finish there is a lingering flavor of melon, perhaps honeydew or cantaloupe.
At 4.99 for 1.6 ounce its a steal!
Next time you are picking up some of the amazing matcha from Red Leaf Tea be sure to snag some of this as well!
Green Papaya Matcha from Red Leaf Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green (Matcha)
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
Green Papaya powder is made from Raw Wild-Harvested Green Papaya. This is because, important nutrients are contained in this fruit which eventually dissolve as the fruit begins to ripen. In its raw form, green papaya powder includes chymonpapain and papain. These are very crucial in helping the body to work down proteins and also assist the digestive system.
Learn more about this flavored Matcha here.
Taster’s Review:
This is a very timely review because we will be hosting a giveaway of this EXACT Matcha in two weeks! That’s right, a full 30g package – all shiny and new! – filled with this Green Papaya flavored Matcha. The specifics for this particular Matcha is: Imperial Quality Matcha with Distinctive Flavoring level. A value of $27.98!
But, let’s get on with the review, shall we?
This tea represents the first flavored Matcha that I ordered with the Imperial quality Matcha specification. I chose it because Green Papaya tends to be a sour fruit flavor, and I thought that the Imperial Matcha would soften the acidic note just enough to make it palatable for me. I tend to have a rather sensitive palate when it comes to sour flavors, but, this combination is really nicely balanced. Tart? For sure. But, not too tart. The tartness hits the palate toward the finish and lingers on the tip and sides of the tongue for quite a while in the aftertaste.
The Matcha powder is noticeably a brighter shade of green than the Classic Matcha grade that I’m used to with these flavored Matcha from Red Leaf Tea. It also whisks up frothier. I’ve got to tell you, I’m quickly becoming an Imperial Grade convert here … I might just start changing how I order my flavored Matcha from Red Leaf Tea…
It also tastes sweeter and richer than the Classic Matcha, and the vegetative tones are smoother and more chocolate-y than they are kelp-y or vegetal.
The green papaya flavor is indeed tart … sour even. But as I said before, there is a good balance between tart and sweet with the Imperial Matcha. I don’t know that the Classic Grade of Matcha could have pulled this off with quite as much finesse.
The overall bowl of Matcha is really quite a delight to sip. I admit that when I first ordered this flavor, I doubted my choice after I placed it, but now I am very glad I did. This is excellent! And don’t forget to watch for our giveaway of this product – starting in just a couple of weeks!
Pineapple Papaya Green Tea from Cameron’s
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Cameron’s Coffee
Tea Description:
japanese sencha garnished with pinapple bits, blue malva flowers and natural flavoring is wonderful hot or as an iced tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
In general, I tend to be somewhat skeptical of teas from a coffee purveyor. Although they are both beverages and there are some similarities between them, I still consider them to be worlds apart. And to be honest, I like to get my tea from someone who knows their tea, and I just don’t feel like a coffee purveyor puts tea first. Maybe it’s my own narrow-mindedness speaking, but, that’s how I feel.
So, when approaching this tea, I tried my best to be as open-minded as possible. And while this isn’t the best flavored green tea I’ve ever encountered, it is still quite good.
The green tea is the strongest note here, and that is a big plus in my book. Yes, I enjoy the flavors and I like it when the flavors are strong … but I still think that the tea should play a key role in the flavor and here, it does. The green tea is a Japanese Sencha, and it is vegetal with a light creaminess to it – not an overly buttery feel and taste but it’s there. It is a smooth, deliciously medium-bodied Sencha, and it melds beautifully with these tropical flavors.
So often in tropical fruit flavored teas such as this, the tropical flavors are overwhelming and even a little cloying, but, I don’t find that to be true with this cup. The green tea prevails, as I mentioned, and the pineapple and papaya play background notes, offering a sweet, fruity note without overpowering the cup. There is just enough of a tangy note at the tail to keep things interesting, and the aftertaste tastes very pineapple-y.
I found this to be good served hot, but even better iced. As I said, this isn’t the very best flavored green tea I’ve tasted but it is good enough for me to not only finish the cup, but also be eager to try more of Cameron’s tea offerings. Not bad for a coffee shop!