Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Herbal Infusions
Tisane Description:
An exotic and spicy blend of ancient Mexican vanilla, forest garden cinnamon, spices using a base of authentic Mayan cacao shells – truly medicine for your soul.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh my goodness. This Vanilla Cacao Tea from Herbal Infusions is incredible! When I was perusing their website and saw that they had authentic Mayan cacao shells in this blend, I knew I had to try it. I’ve tried a tisane of pure cacao shells before and I loved it, and so I was really excited to try this blend that is cacao shells, vanilla and cinnamon.
YUM! This tastes a lot like a “Mexican” hot chocolate. The chocolate is rich and decadent tasting and the vanilla adds a sweet, creamy element to the cup, while the cinnamon adds just a touch of spice. It’s not overtly spicy or hot. The three components in this tisane work in a synergistic way to deliver a flavor that is warm, sweet, and deliciously chocolate-y.
The best way I can describe this is that it’s like a really good hot chocolate, except that it’s a little thinner in body than a hot cocoa. It’s not milky,although I suppose you could steep this in a combination of hot milk and water like stove top prepared chai. I prepared this the way I would prepare most tisanes, using 195°F water, and instead of steeping it for 6 minutes (my usual time for a tisane with hibiscus) or 10 minutes (my usual time for rooibos or honeybush blends), I went with a 15 minute steep for this. And it’s perfect!
Rich with chocolate flavor. Just enough cinnamon and vanilla to add some interesting contrasts to the cacao flavor. If you’ve ever had an authentic Mexican hot chocolate, this tastes a lot like what you might have tasted … although I find that this is not quite as spicy as some of the Mexican hot chocolate drinks that I’ve had (I think that they also sometimes use cayenne pepper in them.)
This is a tisane for chocolate lovers. Like I said before, it doesn’t have that heavy, milky body. But, I personally prefer it this way. I rarely fix myself a cup of hot chocolate/hot cocoa because I find it to be too heavy and too sweet for my liking, but, this is just right. It’s a little thinner, and not quite as cloying. It’s just right!
Muzha Tikuanyin Oolong Tea from T-Oolong Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: T-Oolong Tea
Tea Description:
This Premium Muzha Tikuanyin tea is competition grade. The tea is handpicked, handcrafted and produced from Tikuanyin varietal. The production method of Taiwan TKY is complicated as the tea leaves must be repeatedly rolled and cloth twisted and then charcoal roasted for several days. The aroma and taste is this tea is fruity and sweet with this attractive and lovely Tikuanyin fragrance. It is rich and complex, and stands up very well to multiple infusions.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
My first cup (the first two infusions after a quick rinse) of this Muzha Tikuanyin Oolong Tea from T-Oolong Tea was lighter than the subsequent cups, but it was still very flavorful. I could taste the charcoal roast, nutty notes, and a sweet, fruity tone come through.
But the second cup (infusions 3 & 4) is where the taste really came alive with this tea. It is so delicious and roasty-toasty. The nutty flavors and the fruity notes are coming through stronger now. There is a creamy, buttery taste to this, but instead of a typical cream/milk/butter type of taste, this is more reminiscent of browned butter. Sweet and toasty! The creamy notes accentuate the nutty tones, and the fruit flavors evoke thoughts of sweet stone fruit. This cup started out really smooth, and as I neared the end of the cup, I started to notice a mineral-y sort of taste and texture toward the finish.
With my third cup (infusions 5 & 6), I noticed more of the mineral notes begin to emerge, although I wouldn’t say that this was an overly “mineral-y” cup at all. It was deliciously sweet with notes of fruit and nut. It was less creamy than the second cup, though, and I noticed more astringency with this cup. The flavor was still deliciously toasted.
I was hesitant to actually publish this review since this tea is currently sold out on the T-Oolong Tea website, however, I decided to still offer the review in case my readers might be interested in watching T-Oolong Tea for when this tea might be back in stock … it’s definitely worth checking for because this is a really delightful tea!
Premium Sencha Green Tea from Aiya
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Aiya
Tea Description:
Premium Sencha is one of the most prized Sencha teas available in Japan.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Premium Sencha Green Tea from Aiya is easily the freshest Japanese Sencha tea I’ve ever had the pleasure of tasting! The freshness is due to the fact that Aiya’s teas are packaged in sealed tins. Not just a closed tin, not even just an airtight tin … but sealed … like a tin can. You know, the kind where you pull the ring and peel back the lid. Aiya takes the freshness of their products very seriously!
And while I might have been skeptical before popping the ring and peeling back the seal … after smelling the tea inside the tin and more importantly, after tasting it … I’m a believer! This stuff is fresh! The aroma smells like a combination of freshly cut grass and kelp. Not just “freshly cut grass” but the scent of the air as I mow the lawn. As in JUST cut grass. That is to say, it smells very fresh.
While it smells like a cross between grass and kelp, it doesn’t taste so much like these two things. There are grassy notes, yes, and perhaps even the faintest kelp-y note, the overall flavor is much more like steamed green veggies. A distinct “green” taste.
It is sweet, and there is a savory quality to it too, and I’m finding this contrast to be very satisfying. It has a brothy kind of taste and texture, and it makes for a soothing beverage. As I continue to sip, I start to notice an astringency to the tea, it is more of a “tangy” sort of astringency rather than a drying astringency … there is almost a citrus-y quality that goes along with it.
I’m loving the complexity to this tea … each sip brings with it a new discovery. It’s a wonderful journey in a teacup – and I expected no less from Aiya. I’ve always been so impressed with the quality and the flavor of their teas, and they are a company I feel good about recommending to all my readers!
Green Tea Powder from Nuvola Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Nuvola Tea
Tea Description:
Nuvola Premium Green Tea is not only a treat to the eyes, but also is abundant in antioxidants Catechin and Vitamin C, which could help boosting the immune system.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
When I first received this sampling from Nuvola Tea, I thought it was Matcha. It says Green Tea Powder on the package, but, that usually means Matcha to me, so I was surprised when I visited the Nuvola Tea Website and saw that this was harvested in Taiwan. 
So now I realize that this is not “traditional” Matcha, since it was produced in Taiwan, and not Japan. But, since it *looks* like Matcha – being a green powder and all, I decided to prepare it the same way I would Matcha. I got out my chawan and chasen, and I whisked it with hot water until the liquid was jade green and frothy … and looking a lot like, well, like a bowl of Matcha.
It doesn’t taste quite the same as Matcha, certainly. Matcha tends to be a softer, buttery flavor, with a sweeter overtone. This has more sharpness to it, but, it is still quite tasty. It is more of a “bittersweet” kind of taste with notes of vegetation. It has a creamy texture, and it is quite smooth. It doesn’t taste or feel gritty. In that sense, it reminds me of Matcha … the smooth, thick mouthfeel. There is a light, tangy astringency to this … in fact, there is an almost “citrus-y” finish to this Green Tea Powder.
And I’m feeling much the same effects from this Green Tea Powder as I do from Matcha. That sort of energetic feeling that pumps through the veins after I drink a bowl of Matcha? Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about … I feel that same rush from this Green Tea Powder. It’s revitalizing!
This is certainly a lot more economical than most Matcha out there, so I’m thinking that this would be a great tea to use in smoothies and such. And it’s tasty on it’s own too – it tastes great hot or cold … try adding a couple of scoops to a bottle of water and giving it a good shake to incorporate. It’s a great way to enjoy green tea on the go!
Premium Jasmine Oolong Tea from Zi Chun Tea Co.
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Zi Chun Tea Co.
Tea Description:
High quality hand picked jinxuan oolong blended with natural jasmine flower.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I do love Jasmine teas, as I’ve mentioned many times before, and while white Jasmine teas tend to be my favorite now, I really like Jasmine Oolong teas. I like the way the sweet, exotic essence of the jasmine flower melds with the smooth, creamy notes of the Oolong tea – in this case, a jinxuan Oolong – it seems to be a marriage made in heaven when jasmine flower and Oolong tea comes together. This is certainly true of this Premium Jasmine Oolong Tea from Zi Chun Tea Company.
This is really delightful. The heavier “creamy” notes of the Oolong seem to offset the sometimes sharp notes of the jasmine … and together the two components offer a flavor that is soft, sweet, delicately floral and smooth.
The natural floral notes of the Oolong tea and the jasmine complement each other in a very lovely way … sometimes I find the natural floral notes of a greener Oolong like this tea to be somewhat overwhelming for the palate … but here, even though this is a FLORAL tea, the floral notes do not inundate the palate the way an unscented green Oolong tea’s floral notes sometimes can.
This Oolong tea – like so many other high quality Oolong teas – can be steeped multiple times. I find that the later steepings of this tea are especially wonderful … the jasmine notes subside just a little bit, and really unify with the Oolong.
A really fantastic tea journey awaits with this Jasmine Oolong from Zi Chun!