Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Talbott Teas
Tisane Description:
Your own private renaissance, this delightful twist on the English classic opens your eyes to endless possibilities. A delicately aromatic, naturally caffeine-free rooibos tea made with bergamot orange essence and blue cornflower blossoms.
Ingredients
All natural premium ingredients: rooibos, cornflower petals & bergamot flavor.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
As much as I love Earl Grey and its many variations on this classic tea blend, I tend to find myself skeptical of bergamot flavored rooibos blends. Perhaps that’s because I’m not as fond of rooibos as I am of other tea/tisane bases, and I worry that the flavor of the rooibos is going to interfere with my beloved bergamot.
But that doesn’t happen with this Earl Grey Enchantment from Talbott Teas. The rooibos flavor is there, but, it is not a strong or overwhelming flavor, and it doesn’t throw off the bergamot flavor. It has a soft nutty flavor in the background, with a sweetness that offers a compelling contrast to the tangy citrus tones of the bergamot.
In fact, this tastes suprisingly quite a bit like an Earl Grey tea … even without the black tea base. It doesn’t have that deep, rich flavor of the black tea, of course, but, the rooibos provides some earthiness to the background to offer a solid flavor. This doesn’t taste thin or wispy. It’s quite satisfying, and that’s something I don’t often say about rooibos!
Very well done, Talbott Teas!
Red Hot Chai from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
If this doesn’t warm you up on a cold day, you better check your pulse.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I think I’ve mentioned this before here – at least once! – but I love red hots. They were definitely one of my favorite candies when I was a kid. I loved that spicy cinnamon flavor.
So, I have to admit that I was slightly disappointed the first time I brewed this. It was a delicious chai, but it didn’t have the spicy hot cinnamon flavor that I wanted. But, I’ve come to realize the fault was not with the chai, but with me. I was a bit distracted, and before I took a moment to sip it without additions, I added some warmed, frothed milk to it to make a latte. The milk – unfortunately – muted the spicy cinnamon flavor. Delicious, but not quite what I expected from a “Red Hot Chai.”
So this time when I brewed this tea, I decided to go non-latte, and see what happens. It is MUCH better like this. I can now taste a bit of the red hot-ness going on. Very cinnamon-y! I can taste the other spices here too, however, they become more of a supporting cast to the starring role of the cinnamon. Especially nice is the cardamom, which brings in a hint of citrus-y flavor which accents the cinnamon nicely; and the anise which offers a whisper of licorice-y flavor in the distance. This isn’t a strong flavor, but I like how it teases the palate as I sip. The black tea base is also discernible amid the strength of the cinnamon, providing a solid, robust flavor.
Overall, a very tasty chai. It isn’t my favorite chai from 52Teas (still loving the Gingerbread Chai, Frank), but, it is quite enjoyable and definitely has a cinnamon kick!
Phoenix Yunnan Gold from Tea Valley
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tea Valley
Tea Description:
Our Phoenix Yunnan Gold is quickly becoming a favorite in our fine selection. The lasting sweetness in every cup will keep you brewing for more. If you enjoy black teas, this is certainly not one you would want to miss out on.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve been busy trying to get my tea stash organized – that’s my only excuse with being so behind on reviewing the teas from February’s Steepster Select box! Of all the months to be behind … February is not the month is not the month I would have chosen (fewer days to get caught up!)
This is the first of the three teas that I’m reviewing, and it is the only black tea of the three selections. This month’s theme is “Year of the Dragon” to commemorate the Chinese New Year. About their choice of this tea, Steepster stated:
The Yunnan Gold varietal uses the robust leaves of classic Yunnan black teas with a healthy portion of young, golden buds. In Chinese culture, the Phoenix is a complement to the dragon, forming both sides of Yin and Yang respectively, and we think the bold, fruity flavor of this brew is a fitting complement to the other teas in this month’s box. It’s a tea for coffee lovers, and it comes to us by way of The Tea Valley, a company founded by a China expatriate named Chaozhou, who returned to his birthplace to rediscover tea and its heritage.
Whatever reason they chose to put this tea in the Steepster Select box for this month, I’m good with it … because this tea is fantastic. It is a richly flavored tea with a delicious spiced overtone. I find that this tea is best served hot, but not piping hot. After it’s had a few moments to cool, the aforementioned spice notes seem to really come alive.
In the above description from the minds at Steepster, they mention that this is a tea for coffee lovers, and I understand where they’re coming from with that statement. It is a very full-flavored tea, quite bold and in that way it is quite similar to coffee. Fortunately, though, this lacks the bitterness that I have experienced with coffee – instead, I get a lovely honey-esque sweet note that I can’t ever recall tasting with coffee.
This is a remarkable Yunnan – deserving of high praise!
ITFA Global Tea Taster’s Club, December’s Shipment, Part 1: Red Tea
Leaf Type: Black
Produced By PT Harendong Green Farm
For More Information, visit the Tea Farms webpage
About ITFA Global Tea Taster’s Club:
By subscribing to the Global Tea Tasters Club, you will receive tea from ITFA tea farms 6 times per year. Each time, we will select a different region to feature and as we grow in tea farm members, so will your tea experience.
Your tea will also be accompanied by info about the tea and the tea farms themselves.
To know where your tea is coming from, who has grown and produced it, to taste the difference in teas from around the world…what could be better?
Taster’s Review:
December’s Shipment of the Global Tea Taster’s Club is here! I get so excited every time this package arrives, because I know I am about to enjoy tea that I would likely never have the chance to try if it were not for the International Tea Farm Alliance (ITFA). This time, we journey to Indonesia to sample the red tea (or what we would refer to as black tea here in the United States) from PT Harendong Green Farm. 
This is truly a unique black tea, quite unlike anything I’ve tried thus far. The dry leaves are very dark (which was expected), and they have been rolled into pellets resembling an Oolong (well, except for the dark color!) The dry leaf aroma is floral and slightly earthy, reminiscent of the air in early spring. It infuses to a coppery brown color with a fragrance that is quite similar to the scent of the dry leaf. It is one of those intriguing scents that draws you in and beckons you to sip.
The flavor is amazing. There are earthy tones with hints of flower in the background, with a foreground of sweet, malty tones, as well as a caramel-like flavor. There is a taste that is similar to freshly baked bread. Our local grocery store has freshly baked French bread daily at 4 o’clock pm (also at 5 and 6 o’clock), and my family and I love arriving there just in time to get a hot loaf of bread, and we eat it immediately. No butter, no jam – just the piping hot bread – the crust is tender and chewy, with just the right amount of crunch to it, and the inside is soft and warm. And that tender, chewy crust is my favorite part, and this tea has a flavor that to it that reminds me of that chewy, deliciously caramel-brown crust.
There are also delicious hints of cocoa in this – rich and chocolatey – that develop as I continue to sip. The finish is dry with a sweet aftertaste.
A truly remarkable tea from Indonesia. I am honored that I had the chance to try it!
Hunan Red Oolong from Imperial Tea Garden
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Imperial Tea Garden
Tea Description:
Hunan Red Oolong is a full leaf oolong tea from the Hunan Provence of China that boasts bold toasty notes with full bodied character ending with a light smooth finish. The infusion is red as one would expect from a classic luxury Hunan Red Oolong tea. Steeped in legend and lore, this soft and subtle Hunan Red Oolong provides a unique tea drinking experience that everyone can enjoy.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is a really unique Oolong, quite unlike any I’ve tried before. That is what I think I love most about Oolong … to take a line from Forrest Gump, they’re like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get! Of course, if you’ve tried one type of Oolong, you’re probably safe to bet that another Oolong of the same type (say, Tie Guan Yin, for example) will taste very similar. But, I’ve discovered that even within the same type of Oolong, there are subtle differences from one tea company to another. (Which actually has more to do with the estates and how it is harvested more than the tea company that sells it).
But, let’s get back to this Hunan Red Oolong. I taste a fruity character, and typically with an Oolong, one would compare it to a peach-like flavor, and while I do detect notes of peach, what it reminds me more of is plum, and perhaps a peach that had been macerated in a fine wine or perhaps a brandy. It is sweet and deep in flavor. Very nice.
There is an earthiness to this as well, in fact, I was about to suggest that this might be something of a love-child created by a Pu-erh and an Oolong, but, the earthiness is not quite that well-defined here. It is as if the Pu-erh would be more of a distant relative rather than a parent. But it does have that smoothness that I associate with a Pu-erh. The earthiness melds nicely with the toasted nutty flavor and light, malty notes that provides the foreground of flavor to this tea.
While I consider this to be a tea that is full of flavor, it does have its nuances to it. It is a tea with lots of flavor but it is more subtle in its approach to deliver those flavors to the palate. It has a nice, soft mouthfeel, and a moderate astringency. Overall a sweet, delicious Oolong – quite lovely!