Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Fruit & Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Tiesta Tea
Tisane Description:
Take a break from the day and let yourself relax in the golden world of this delicious fruit blend. Smooth ginger and spicy peppercorns unite with soft peaches and mouth-watering honeydew to form a sweet and spicy flavor that just don’t stop.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
As I poured this Ginger Sweet Peach Herbal Tisane from Tiesta Tea into my teacup, I couldn’t help but be captivated by the aroma – it smells like fresh, juicy peaches! It reminds me of summer at my gramma’s house when I was young and the peach tree would yield its delicious fruit … the kitchen would smell so delicious as my gramma would slice up the peaches for peach pie (and of course, my favorite, warm peach sauce for Sunday morning waffles!)
I didn’t smell much of the ginger or the pepper as I poured the tisane … just peaches. But now that I sip it, I do taste the ginger and pepper … although the flavor is not an overwhelming presence in the cup. The ginger is gentle and relaxing, as the label on the pouch from Tiesta Tea promises. Tiesta Tea offers five different “types” of teas and tisanes: Energizer, Relaxer, Eternity, Immunity, and Slenderizer. This tisane is part of the Relaxer category … and it is gentle in flavor, and it is very relaxing to sip. It is also rather soothing, making it a nice choice for after meals.
I steeped this tisane for 7 minutes in almost boiling water (195°F), and this yielded a cup that started off rather muted, but, after sip number two, I began to pick up on the flavors. The peach is very nicely defined at this point, and I taste subtle hints of the melon.
I taste floral tones as well. I am surprised – but happily so – that I taste very little hibiscus here. Maybe a hint of tartness comes through here and there. And the hibiscus is noted in the texture of the tisane … it has a nice, smooth character. I think that if I had steeped this tisane longer, the texture might have gone from smooth to syrupy. By mid-cup, I start to notice the pleasant warming sensation from the ginger and the pepper. It is a mild warmth.
This tastes a lot like a thin warmed, peach nectar that has been infused with ginger and pepper, with just a splash of honeydew melon juice. It’s quite yummy! A really nice tisane from Tiesta Tea!
Orange Danish from Trail Lodge Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Trail Lodge Tea
Tea Description:
You’ll feel like you visited the bakery when you taste this tea! The vibrant green tea leaves are joined with the sweet taste of orange, almond, and spice to taste like an orange danish.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Yum! I’m loving this tea.
It has a very bright and sunny orange-y kind of flavor to it, but I can totally taste the “danish” connection too. There is this sort of nutty, buttery, pastry-like taste to it, very rich and almost creamy, that provides that danish-y type flavor.
I like the mellowness to this cup as well. Even with the bright flavor of orange, there is sort of a calmness to this cup, very sweet and gentle. It would make a great dessert tea, or a mid-day cup for those times when you want something a little bit sweet that won’t weigh you down or cause you to feel sluggish.
The taste of the green tea is not as distinguishable as I normally would like it to be, however, I think that the way the flavors all sort of meld together into a seamless taste works out well. While the green tea is not as sharp or distinct as it could be, instead, it becomes sort of soft and buttery, providing a nice background for the pastry flavor. It all comes together in a very unified way, and it’s quite enjoyable.
Cheers!
Strawberry Ginger Peppercorn from Utopia Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Utopia Tea
Tea Description:
Our Strawberry Ginger Peppercorn is a warming and fruity organic blend. The freshly hand-milled ginger and peppercorns give this tea the perfect combination of sweet and spicy. White tea contains an abundance of polyphenols, which are plant-derived antioxidants, lowers cholesterol, and protects the body against harmful free radicals. White tea provides the body with potassium, magnesium, calcium, vitamin C and K. Ginger helps the body with digestion, fights fevers, and soothes aches and pains. Try this tea hot or over ice!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This tea delivers exactly what the name of it promises: strawberry, ginger and pepper. But – for those who think it might come off as too hot or spicy, you needn’t worry. While this does have a certain peppery zing to it, it isn’t what I’d categorize as hot or spicy … instead, I’d say it’s got a mellow warmth to it that develops as I sip.
I think that this is due to the fact that the ginger here is not a peppery/spicy kind of ginger, it is more of a sweet, soothing ginger that complements the sweetness of the strawberry, which manages to temper the heat from of the spice. The pepper is a pink peppercorn, which doesn’t deliver that same peppery impact that a black peppercorn would, and I think that works to this blend’s favor as well, because a black pepper might overwhelm the delicate quality of the white tea leaves.
Instead, what you get from this tea is a beautiful medley of contrasting flavors. It is at once sweet and peppery with a hint of tangy tartness that tickles the tongue in the aftertaste. And what I like is that there is a certain balance to it all. The strawberry and ginger seem pretty evenly matched, with a touch of peppery heat … again, not too much, and the sweet white tea with its hints of fresh vegetative notes.
Overall, it’s quite lovely. Serve it hot to enjoy on a chilly evening, or serve it over ice for a refreshingly different yet delicious iced tea.
Red Bush Chai from Fusion Teas
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Fusion Teas
Tisane Description:
By itself, chai is merely the generic word for “tea” in much of South Asia and many other parts of the world. In western society chai has become to imply a spiced version of tea. Traditionally a strong base is used so that the spices and sweeteners do not overpower it. Rooibos is perfect in this manner because of the bold almost nuttiness flavor that is present.
There are a wide variety of spices that can be used. When you think of chai you immediately think of “warm” spices. Any combination of the following can be used: cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, fennel seeds, peppercorn, cloves, ginger, and star anise. Cardamon being the most common added spice for its dominant characteristic while a combination of the others play a supplemental role. Our Red Bush Chai stays true to tradition with its boldness.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve sampled quite a few chai-inspired rooibos blends. Some I’ve liked, some I didn’t. I like this one. It is warm and spicy without being too spicy.
In many rooibos chai blends, I don’t taste much from the rooibos, and usually I’m quite happy with that. However, I do taste the rooibos here – I taste that distinct nutty flavor of rooibos – and I am finding myself really enjoying the taste. The sweet, nutty flavor of the rooibos melds nicely with warmth of the spices, adding a pleasant depth to this cup. Also nice is the bright flavor from the citrus peel. It isn’t a dominate flavor, but it adds a vibrant kiss of flavor to the drink.
I really like the blend of spices. A nice peppery kick – but not too powerful a kick. A hint of sweet, sassy licorice from the fennel and anise, but unlike some chai blends that add the fennel and/or anise with a heavy hand, here, the licorice tones are in the background, providing a gentle, welcome flavor. Warmth from the cardamom, cinnamon and cloves.
Really tasty, this Red Bush Chai from Fusion Tea Room!
Patisserie from Tealish
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tealish
Tea Description:
A sinfully aromatic black tea blend which captivates the senses. Exquisite, sweet nut flavours from almond and pistachio pieces are balanced with spice notes from peppercorns, cumin and coriander. Like walking in to a bakery in Paris.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This tea received mixed reviews on Steepster, but I’m really enjoying it.
It is sweet, nutty, warmly spiced, and has a delicious buttery-pastry note that develops as I continue to sip it. Yum! I don’t know that I’ve ever had a pastry with cumin in it, but, I like the hint of smoky spice it adds to the cup.
The black tea offers a delicious background, although sometimes I think it’s a little overwhelmed by the spices in this blend. Every once in a while, I notice it peeking through, but, for the most part, it seems content to play in the background and let the other flavors be the focus of the cup.
The contrast of spice and sweet nutty, buttery flavors seems to be in balance, making for a rich, satisfying cup of sweet and savory flavors. Nice!