Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Fashionista Tea
Tea Description:
Organic green tea carefully blended with organic raspberries and essence of pomegranate. A tart and tangy taste to the palate. Very Good hot or iced.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
As I’ve stated before, I absolutely love pomegranates, even though it’s a fruit I don’t eat very often, because they tend to be a bit on the pricey side, and since I’m usually the only person who eats them in my household, I think it’s a little selfish of me to choose such an expensive fruit just for me. So, when I find a pomegranate tea like this Organic Green Pomegranate Tea from Fashionista Tea, I am very eager to try it. It’s my way of indulging in one of my favorite fruits without feeling guilty about it!
And this is so good! This blend combines the flavor of pomegranate as well as raspberry … and I think it’s a very good combination indeed. The raspberry offers a hint of tartness that accents the natural tart note of the pomegranate, as well as a lovely depth of flavor. I taste both components, not just the pomegranate accentuated by the raspberry, but the raspberry as well, and I like the way these two fruits taste together. They taste smooth, sweet, and with just the right amount of tartness to come off as tangy without being puckery-sour.
The lush flavor of the organic Sencha also has something to do with the smooth, sweet flavor. It has a light, buttery taste, and just a hint of a vegetative note … nothing that interferes with the fruity character of this blend, just enough to remind you that it’s a green tea that you’re drinking. The best part of this tea, I think, is the buttery quality … its has a soft, silky texture and taste. It’s really pleasant!
This is a tea that tastes great served hot, but, the flavor remains as it cools, so it would be a perfect tea to serve iced as well. I like this one a whole lot!
Blueberry Wild Child Fruit Tisane from Tiesta Tea
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Fruit Tisane
Where to buy: Tiesta Tea
Tisane Description:
The popular pomegranate superfruit demonstrates its best attributes in a tag-team duo with the fruity blueberry. This delicate twosome will invigorate your taste buds with a very fruity taste experience with extraordinary eye appeal with its robe of royal blue cornflowers, blue mallow blossoms, hibiscus, and elderberries.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
I am usually fearful of tisanes with hibiscus in them, mostly because too often, the hibiscus is overdone and the result (especially if oversteeped!) is a thick, syrup-y, overly tart tasting tisane that is really off-putting to me. Fortunately, that didn’t happen with this Blueberry Wild Child Fruit Tisane from Tiesta Tea.
I brewed this in just under boiling water (195°F) for six minutes. I found that this produced a really delightful cup of naturally caffeine free tisane that is sweet, fruity and not too hibiscus-y!
Sure, I taste the hibiscus, but, it melds nicely with the blueberry and does not overpower the cup. This tisane is not syrupy, unpleasantly thick or tart. It is just right! It is a little bit tart, a little bit sweet, and a whole lot of flavorful! The body is what I’d categorize as medium to full … it is substantial without being thick and syrupy.
What I taste, primarily, is blueberry! I also taste hints of pomegranate, hibiscus and even a wine-like note that I attribute to the elderberry. The apple is barely noticeable, but, I think it adds a pleasant sweetness to the cup that it really needs given the tart berries (not to mention the hibiscus) in this blend.
Overall, a very enjoyable cup. Something I didn’t expect to like, but I really do! For something a little different, try adding some bits of cinnamon stick to the tisane before brewing – it gives it a really nice touch of spice!
Pomegranate Splash from Phoenix Herb Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Phoenix Herb Company
Tea Description:
This exotic , refreshing tea won second place in the 2009 World Tea Championship in Las Vegas. This medley of flavorful ingredients is excellent as a sun tea, iced tea, or served hot.
Contains: Black Tea, Oils of pomegranate, huckleberry, lemon
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Pomegranate Splash from Phoenix Herb Company is such a refreshing treat! It reminds me of everything about spring. It has this awakening, light, lovely flavor and aroma, that truly refreshes and makes you feel alive.
So the way I came across this tea and company is that a while back I purchased a Living Social deal. I try to grab up as many of those deals as I can as long as they are tea related. I had never heard of Phoenix Herb Company before but they have more than just tea! They have herbs, incense, essential oils, and so much more! This place is right up my alley! Unfortunately on my three attempts to visit the store itself I had problems. The store is a little over an hour from my home, one way. So I planned to go to the store when I had other events to attend in the area. Well lets just say that each time I missed the boat.
Frustrated and defeated I sat looking at my Living Social print out and decided to just see if Phoenix Herb Company would honor my deal online. So I looked over the site, choose the teas I would like to have, and sent them an email. Within a few hours I had an email from Sean of Phoenix Herb Gallery! He was more than happy to honor my deal online! I of course realized there would be some shipping cost so I only selected teas up to 27.50 dollars leaving a little room toward shipping cost from my 30.00 voucher. Now in retrospect I realize he could have said the voucher does not cover shipping, but he didn’t! For the record I do only live one state away but still – what customer service! Sean also threw in several samples of teas that I had not selected – this is one of those free samples!
I am so thrilled that Sean choose this one for me! I was very tempted to order a few of their flavored and belnded teas but opted for straight teas like Bancha, Sencha, Wu Yi Oolong, etc. When I opened this nice sized sample and sniffed it I said “Ahhhhh” out loud.
The first sip was like drinking in a ray of sunshine! Clean, crisp, refreshing, and fruity! The flavor of Pomegranate is spectacular! There is no artificial flavor here and I am choosey about that! I really was not anticipating having a flavored tea this morning but as I looked through my teas, I kept being drawn to this one and I am so glad I went for it. I have had three cups so far – two being re-steeps and I am finding that the tea is actually making me quite perky and cheerful! There is nothing like a really good cup of fruity flavored tea in the morning. Granted I generally trend more toward straight blacks, with the malty depth and complexity, but it is nice to wake up with a cheerful cleansing tea.
I want to add this is not really a very sweet tea, sure there is some fruity sweetness to it but its not cloying or sappy. It is really rather palate cleansing and the after taste is present but does not linger for too long.
Well I am impressed. Both with this tea and with Phoenix Herb Company! I have made it my personal mission to make it INTO their store one day soon, but until I can, and do, I have plenty of wonderful teas to sip on as their prices are excellent as well.
On the Sixth Day of Christmas, Della Terra Teas sent to me …
We are now halfway through the tea-xtravaganza that is Della Terra Teas’ 12 Days of Christmas. I love counting down the days with tea!
Today, I am greeted by Santa on my box/envelope with a stern warning not to peak! The tree and Santa’s beard are sparkly, although it’s difficult to capture that with the camera. I really love these little box-y/envelope-y thingies that each tea has been placed in. It makes each day a little more special to be opening up a little gift of sorts.
So, dear Santa, I’m sorry, but I have to peek! I just have to know which tea Della Terra Teas sent to me today …
Pom-Magical
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Della Terra Teas
Tea Description:
On the sixth day of Christmas you’ll be happier than a fluffy white goose a laying after trying this pomegranate tea.
Have a hot cup of pomegranate tea infused with delicious hibiscus for your treat today. This exclusive to this set tea will warm and relax you. A perfect addition to your festive day.
I really had my doubts about this one. Hibiscus? Why? Oh why do tea companies put hibiscus in blends? Why?
When done properly, I really don’t mind hibiscus all that much, but, more often than not, it seems, it is NOT done properly. So great care should be taken when brewing a tea with hibiscus, because a tea with hibiscus … if steeped too long, will end up tasting tart and syrupy. And just plain icky. Fortunately, this is a black tea, so I am already not brewing it too long for the hibiscus to get to the icky stage. Just 2 1/2 minutes in boiling water ought to do it!
Despite my doubts, this is really quite a tasty pomegranate tea. The black tea is a bold, flavorful tea base. Strong … but not so aggressive that it overpowers the flavor of pomegranate which is juicy and tart … and has just enough sweetness to keep this from tasting like something too sour.
It may seem a bit weird, but pomegranate is one of my favorite fruits … and I say that because I am not a fan of tart food, and pomegranate is really all about the tartness! But, there’s something magical about popping one of those juicy arils in my mouth and letting the juice flow over my palate, it is sour, yes, but, it also has just a little sweetness that helps to soften some of the “tartier” notes. I may pucker a bit while eating a pomegranate, but there is something about this fruit that keeps me coming back for more!
Anyway, this tea has managed to capture that magical quality of the pomegranate quite nicely. It tastes very much of pomegranate and black tea, and not so much of hibiscus. This one gets two thumbs up from me!
Cranberry Pomegranate from Rooibee Red Tea
Product Information:
What It Is: Ready-To-Drink beverage crafted from Red Rooibos
Where to Buy: Goodies Company
Product Description:
Refreshing and delicately flavored with cranberry and pomegranate, Rooibee Red Tea is sure to please. It’s also rich in antioxidants, low in calories, naturally caffeine-free, and certified USDA organic. What’s not to love?
Learn more about this product here.
Taster’s Review:
Recently, I subscribed to a new monthly subscription with Goodies Company, a company that sends out monthly “foodie” tasting boxes. This bottle of Rooibee Red Tea was one of the products in my very first box, which I received a couple of months ago, but am just getting around to trying it now.
I guess you could say that I’m very often reluctant to try Ready-to-Drink teas. I usually find them to be too sweet for my liking, as most of them seem to be crafted with more sugars and sweeteners than actual tea. Add that with the fact that I’m not wild about red rooibos, and you have a product about which I am – at the very least – skeptical.
However, I’m finding this to be quite pleasant to drink. I like that the sweetener used here is Cane Sugar rather than corn syrup, so it doesn’t have that sickeningly, sticky sweet taste that not only sticks to the tongue but to the teeth. The rooibos is naturally sweet, so I think they should have maybe added a little less cane sugar here than they did, because this is still rather sweet.
The flavors of cranberry and pomegranate are not overtly obvious, they meld well into the flavor of the rooibos to create a very unified taste that is part nutty, sweet rooibos, part cranberry and part pomegranate. I notice that the taste of the fruits is most prominent in the aftertaste, where I get a gentle berry tingle on the tongue that tastes very much of both cranberry and pomegranate, but I think that this could be tastier of the two fruits were better represented during the sip and not just after.
Overall, I enjoyed this bottle of RTD rooibos. It is sweet, yes, and a tad too sweet for my liking, but, it was also very refreshing, and nice to drink after a meal. It managed to curb that tendency to hunt down some dessert when I sipped it right after my meal, and I do like that.
Will I buy it again? Probably not. I might try another flavor of the Rooibee Red Tea if I happened to find it while I was out and about, but, I don’t know that I’d go out of my way looking for the product, nor do I think it would be my first choice of beverages if given a wide variety of choices, but if the choices are limited, and the Rooibee Red Tea products happened to be one of those limited choices, I might choose it.