Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black Orthodox Tippy Kenyan Tea
Where to Buy: Butiki
Tea Description:
Our truly exceptional Royal Golden Safari originates from a small scale farm in Kenya and has long golden leaves that mingle with milk chocolate and cacao colored leaves. Toasted walnut and oaky notes are prominent with a light pear undertone. Cocoa notes are also present. This orthodox tea does not contain any pesticides.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I was making breakfast when I decided to brew this tea today. I had just got an order in from Stacy and this was one of the samples I requested. I was really not even thinking of doing a review on this one as I was simply wanting to wake up and just enjoy a new tea but I decided not only does this tea deserve a review, Stacy deserves my review, but there is also a review contest going haha. So I decided what the heck. Now again, when I took my initial sips I was not thinking about the tea so much in order to review it – as just wanted to get some tea into my system. Yet what hit me was an intense and lovely flavor of Sweet Potato and Brown Sugar! I instantly thought of another very fine tea that I love that is highly prized and difficult to get ahold of! How lovely to have another option for this flavor profile!
When a tea is so easy to pick flavor notes out of its a real pleasure because it makes it so much easier to review, to enjoy, and to feel joy from. The tea surprised me with flavor note after flavor note!
This tea has a nice sweet aroma and flavor with a creamy texture in the mouthfeel. It gave up notes of honey, nuts and chocolate, and as I have already mentioned, sweet potato, and brown sugar! Just YUM! No wonder it is called Royal Golden “Safari” it felt like being on a safari and discovering one new surprise after another!
There is a malty element to this tea yet its not as malty as one may expect – it is rather mellow and soothing. In a manner more like a Darjeeling in its lighter feel and flavors yet very much the flavor profile of Assam without the heaviness.
The second steep was a bit light in the flavors but steep three brought them back out. It was also in steep three that cinnamon and pear began to peek through.
I forgot to mention that I just love the way the leaves look in dry form. They are truly quite beautiful! The cup itself is pretty as well ranging from steep one a deep crimson color to later steepings being a lighter amber.
I of course love that this tea is pesticide free!
Unfortunately I did not get a fourth steeping from the leaves but I was very pleased with the three I did get! No need to be greedy with such a fine tea.
Overall I really quite like this one. Royal Garden Safari offers delicious flavors and while I don’t know if I would say it could hold up well to milk, being on the lighter spectrum, it would hold up well to sweetener but I would not muddle such a lovely naturally sweet cup with additives.
Tropical Island Black Tea from Kally Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Kally Tea
Tea Description:
“Arrrgh, Hoist the main sails matey.” We are off on a sailing ship in the Caribbean. Pirates abound, treasure hunting, we land on a secluded shore, and notice the varied fruits and flowers on the islands. A thought hits us… let’s combine these tropical fruits with some tea in the hold! As the rum is ignored for the much more exciting and healthy tea blend of freeze dried pear, blackberry, lime leaves, sour sap fruit flavorings, the pirates are calmed and life is good. Let’s sneak off with the new found “treasure”… Arrrgh!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The name of this tea is slightly misleading … at least for me it is! But I don’t mean that in a bad way, I actually quite happy that this tea is different than I expected it to be. Let me explain: with a name like “Tropical Island,” I expected something tasting of pineapple or papaya or mango or a combination of these “usual suspects” when it comes to tropical flavors. I did not expect to taste the flavors of lime and blackberry!
Now, don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the “usual” tropical flavors in tea just as much as I’m enjoying the unique combination of lime and blackberry, but sometimes, it’s nice to get a surprise … something a little different than what I expected from a tropical tea … something that allows me to see things and taste things a little differently. And that’s what I’m appreciating about this tea.
The lime is very bright and vibrant, especially in the first sips … this is where I notice mostly only lime flavor and very little else. After the tea has cooled slightly and I’ve tasted a little more, the flavor of blackberry begins to emerge and I start to notice the flavors of the black tea that have been there all along, but the lime wanted to steal the spotlight and let itself be tasted right up front.
After a few more sips, I begin to notice other notes of this tea – it’s very “sweet and sour” like with an emphasis on the sour. This must be the sour sap? I’m not too familiar with this fruit … and I have a feeling that if I were to see this tropical fruit in the produce section, I’d probably avoid it because I tend to shy from the sour flavors … but what I like is that the sour is not so much that I feel the need to curb it with the addition of sugar. There is just enough sweetness to this cup to keep it enjoyable when served straight (although a wee bit of sugar won’t hurt it either).
There is also a subtle … ever so subtle … note of pear that I notice by the time I reach mid-cup. Another nice surprise! This tea is full of them! A very enjoyable tea that’s full of discovery. I think that is what i like best about this tea. It challenges my palate, and takes it on a journey of delightful flavors!
Pear Matcha from Red Leaf Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green (Matcha)
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
Pear matcha is a sweet-tasting drink that provides excellent reason to keep people together. This is because, the delightful taste of pear matcha keeps people wanting more because, the exquisite blend of ripened pear and matcha combine to make a tea that excites the palate with it invigorating flavor. Pear matcha is the drink for all seasons and reasons.
Learn more about this pear flavored Matcha here.
Taster’s Review:
Another flavored Matcha from Red Leaf Tea? Why yes! I really have to say that I can’t seem to get enough of the amazing selection of flavors of Matcha at Red Leaf Tea. And I love that the Free Matcha program allows me to explore so many flavors at so little cost! If you haven’t yet taken advantage of this program, you really should! It is a great way to try some new and exciting Matcha flavors that are customized to your personal taste level – for this Matcha, I chose the starter or basic grade of Matcha and the distinctive level of pear flavoring.
And there are even some new features to the Matcha set-up at Red Leaf Tea. You can choose not only from green tea for your flavored Matcha, but also white tea, black tea, or rooibos! So, if you love Matcha but find that the caffeine is a bit too much for you, try the rooibos Matcha. Or if you want a little less of a vegetative taste to your Matcha, go with the white Matcha! And for those of you who prefer your Matcha pure and unfettered – Red Leaf Tea also offers pure Matcha in various grades for every level of Matcha connoisseur. The options seem nearly limitless! I love that!
So, let’s get on with the latest flavor in my chawan! Well, actually, it’s not a chawan now, it’s a small bowl. Unfortunately, I recently cracked my chawan and need to get another one. The small bowl that I’m using is almost shaped like a chawan though, but it is a thinner material, and I miss the weighty feel of my Matcha bowl. Anyway… enough of my story of sorrow, let’s talk about the good stuff: Pear Matcha!
I can’t get over how much this smells like pear. Ripe, delicious pear! I didn’t even have to hold the package up to my nose to smell it, from the moment I opened the package, a strong aroma of pear emanated from it. I don’t think I’ve experienced anything like this from a pear flavored tea before. I’ve had several pear flavored teas, but this one is the first with such a strong scent of pear that its unmistakeably pear.
So, I’m thrilled with the fragrance alone. I love pear, but, as I’ve lamented over a few times before, it seems that pear is a difficult flavor to capture in tea. I’ve managed to find a few pear teas that do an exceptional job at nailing the pear flavor, and I’m just hoping this tastes as pear-fully delicious as it smells, so that I can add this Pear Matcha to that small number of teas that have a well-flavored pear tea.
Oh wow! This is PEAR. It tastes very true to the fruit. Sweet, succulent pear. I can almost feel the pulpy texture of the pear as I sip this Matcha because the pear flavor tastes so authentic.
What I’m also loving about this Matcha is that it frothed up so beautifully! It seems that with flavored Matcha, sometimes the flavor ends up replacing the lovely frothy cap of the Matcha, and I like that I have a nice, creamy-looking bowl of Matcha in front of me that seems to be disappearing very quickly! Matcha is one of those teas that just disappear way too quickly! Matcha is just so good.
But even as I reach the end of this bowl of Matcha, I notice that the powder has stayed well suspended into the hot water. It hasn’t really separated a whole lot. There is some separation, but, not so much that I need to get the whisk out again. I just swish the bowl around carefully, and the Matcha powder reintegrates into the tea.
The liquor is smooth and sweet with vegetative notes that marry beautifully with the distinct flavor of pear. The texture is creamy and smooth. No chalkiness. The pear tastes so delicious, just like biting into a fresh, ripe pear… like I said before, I can almost feel the texture of the pear pulp as the liquid washes over my palate. So amazingly good.
Of the many flavored Matcha teas that I’ve tried thus far from Red Leaf Tea, I think this one is one of my top three favorites … I might even go so far as to say it is my favorite! And it is definitely my favorite pear tea … and that is saying something, because I had created a pear tea that I was rather fond of in my tea flavoring/blending days. I think I like this even better than that often missed tea. Yes … this Matcha is THAT good! It’s awesome!
Carmelized Pear from The Art of Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos & Honeybush
Where to Buy: The Art of Tea
Tea Description:
One of Art of Tea’s most popular offerings, this delectable dessert infusion is sweet and flavorful with notes of honey, caramel, and fresh baked pear.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is one of the teas that was included with the Steepster Select box for August … which also happens to be the last box in this Steepster Select Program. I’m a little sad about this program coming to an end … it seems like two of my favorite subscriptions – Foodzie and Steepster Select – are ending at just about the same time.
For the final box, Steepster decided to go with the theme “Founder Favorites” and feature three teas/tisanes that the men who brought us Steepster consider favorites. The theme card says
Steepster is filled with amazing opinions from thousands of avid tea drinkers, but wanted to share a few of our own. This month we bring you three favorites of the guys behind Steepster. Teas that inspired us, evolved our tastes, and made us fall in love with tea all over again.
These past 12 boxes have been a great ride for us. Thanks for all our support and see you soon. – Jason, Jack, Mike and Ricky
I’ve tried two out of the three teas/tisanes featured in this month’s box, including this one. But, I don’t mind, because these teas are such excellent selections that I don’t mind having them in my stash once again!
As I said, I’ve tried and reviewed this tisane previously, and to be honest, my opinion of it has not changed. It still tastes just like pear … I would swear that I can even feel the texture of the pear in every sip. It is so true to the fruit. And I love that it tastes like baked pear. So YUM!
Even if you don’t really care for rooibos, this is a blend that I’d recommend trying. It has such a sweet, delicious taste, that you will forget that you’re drinking rooibos (you don’t really taste much of the rooibos anyway!) A stunning dessert tea – you’d swear it was loaded with calories! But it’s not! Yummy!
Pear Iced Green Tea from Den’s Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Den’s Tea
Tea Description:
Pear’s sweetness and freshness are harmonized with full-bodied Sencha flavor. Den’s Pear Iced Green Tea is the most popular flavored iced green tea among our development team.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I love pears, but it is one of those “less common” kind of fruits, especially when it comes to fruit flavored teas. It’s become pretty easy to find strawberry or peach flavored teas, for example … but I don’t come across as many pear flavored teas. And I think I know why: it’s not an easy flavor to capture with tea. The flavor of the fruit tends to be a delicate one anyway, so to flavor tea with pear essence is not an easy feat. More often than not, the resulting pear flavored tea ends up tasting like artificial pear or not like pear at all. I’ve only tasted maybe a handful of pear flavored teas that ended up tasting true to the fruit.
Well, add this one to that handful! Because this does taste true to the fruit while still managing to maintain the presence of the green tea. In fact, the green tea is the strongest flavor of this tea, and it is sweet and tastes lushly green – very vibrant and yet calm … just like the color itself.
But the pear is also strong – deliciously strong – without tasting fake. No odd flavors here, nothing tastes off. It tastes like deliciously smooth, vegetative Japanese Sencha and sweet, juicy pear.
Oh… and did I mention just how refreshing it is? It’s been so hot lately, it’s finally cooling down, but it is still rather warm. But gulping this tea helps keep me cool and hydrated! So good that you won’t even think about how good it is for you. But it is … so you don’t have to worry about that, either!