Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Learn more about Tea of Life and Amazon Teas here.
Tisane Description:
South African Red Bush or Rooibos Tea is a pure and natural herbal blend. Freshly harvested and finely chopped rooibos goes through a process of oxidation with the aid of the oxygen from the atmosphere and subsequently dried int he sun to produce a deep mahogany red cup of which is one of the most popular and healthy herbal drinks today.
“Tea of Life” is proud to introduce five New Naturally Caffeine Free Rooibos Teas combined with Dark Chocolate with delicious natural fruit and mint flavors for your enjoyment – all day and into the evening.
Taster’s Review:
The scent that is coming out of my teacup right now is evoking thoughts of chocolate coconut cake! Yep, my mouth is watering right now, just thinking about chocolate and coconut! Mmm! Some of the most difficult moments of my life are those few minutes that I wait after I’ve brewed a cup of tea and I’m waiting for the cup to cool a little bit so that I can begin sipping. I mean, I don’t want to burn my tongue, but, this smells so yummy that I’m growing impatient.
But the flavor is worth the wait. As I’ve said on numerous occasions, I’m not big on rooibos, but, I’ve actually found quite a few that I enjoy. And I’ve really been enjoying these Dark Chocolate blends from Tea of Life. This one features luscious notes of Dark Chocolate and sweet and creamy notes of coconut. Yum!
As you’d expect, this is a sweet tisane. The chocolate notes are deep and rich and bittersweet. The coconut notes are a little more subdued than the chocolate, but, not by much. There is a pretty good balance of flavors between the two components here. Lots of chocolate and lots of coconut.
What I’m not getting lots of is rooibos flavor and that’s alright. I do get some warm, nutty tones from the rooibos and some of the sweetness of the cup I also attribute to the natural sweetness of the South African herb. But overall, there isn’t a strong rooibos flavor to this cup. This tisane is all about the chocolate and the coconut, and you won’t get any complaints about that here. Chocoholic: satisfied!
Gemini Rooibos Blend from Nina’s Paris
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Nina’s Tea Store (to be open soon!)
Tisane Description:
Rooibos means ‘red bush’ in Afrikaans. Rooibos infusion from South Africa provides a deliciously light drink. It is caffeine-free and contains numerous health-promoting ingredients. It can be enjoyed throughout the day and is a perfect beverage in the evening. Rooibos can be served with milk and sugar, depending on your preferences. Served as iced tea, it is absolutely delicious!
Gemini Rooibos: Strawberry, vanilla and grapefruit
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
I was interested in this Gemini Rooibos Blend from Nina’s Paris because of the fact that it was the astrological tea for my sign. And while I’m not sure what strawberries, vanilla and grapefruit have to do with the “twins” … I’m liking this tisane anyway.
While it’s hot, I could really taste the creamy vanilla notes. This flavor softened as the tisane cooled, but I noticed more of the strawberry and grapefruit with the cold tisane, and I think I actually prefer this iced.
The flavor of the rooibos comes through, but it isn’t a really powerful flavor. I taste gentle notes of nutty, woody flavors with a honeyed sweetness from the rooibos, and the nutty flavors meld well with the creamy, sweet vanilla notes. The strawberry and grapefruit actually work quite well together, although I must admit that I would not have thought to ever combine these two fruits together. But, like I said, they work – and they taste really quite good together.
The strawberry is sweet and it is the primary fruit note throughout the sip, with the tart notes of grapefruit arriving at the finish. The citrus lasts long into the aftertaste, but it’s not an extraordinarily tart flavor, as its tartness has been softened by the other flavors. Instead, it’s more like a bright, sunny citrus note that perks up the taste buds as the sip nears the finish.
A really enjoyable cuppa – this Gemini is happy with it!
Nonpareil Yunnan Dian Hong Chinese Red Black Tea from Teavivre
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Tea Description:
A cup of Nonpareil Yunnan Dian Hong Chinese Red Black Tea will not only attract you by its taste, but also by its appearance: so dark and strong with tight and long tips. This tempting appearance is produced in Yunnan. While if you want to describe its taste, you can use the word elegant. It can serve you a cup of elegant gongfu tea or afternoon tea.
High mountains and proper environment produces good tea. Chinese Red has a price of high value. Its special tea tree and superb making skills make this tea carrying a unique fragrance as rich as perfumes. The top notes make you delighted; the middle notes fresh your mind; the base note of strong floral fragrance make you intoxicated.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Ahhh-ma-ZING! This tea is truly remarkable. Nonpareil Yunnan Dian Hong Chinese Red Black Tea from Teavivre is one of those memorable black teas that I believe all tea lovers should try!
The tea brews up dark and has a thick, silky mouthfeel that seems to coat the palate with it’s full-flavored goodness. I taste notes of deep, dark bittersweet chocolate and an undertone of rich, creamy caramel. It has that “baked” quality to it, the kind of taste that evokes thoughts of freshly baked bread.
There are notes of malt and there is very little – as in next to NO – astringency to this tea. In fact, I mention the astringency only because just now I took a sip and really focused on what I was experiencing to see if I could notice any astringency. And when I’m very focused on it, I can detect a slight dry sensation toward the tail. It’s ever-so-slight and those who tend to be astringent-sensitive shouldn’t worry about this tea.
For those of you who remember Dawn from Simple Leaf and miss it (and let’s face it, if you remember the tea, you miss it!) this tea would make a really good substitute for that tea. It reminds me a lot of that tea. It is rich with notes of cocoa, sweet, caramel-y undertones and notes of stone fruit (plum-ish) mid-sip.
A really memorable, delicious tea – and it’s just as flavorful with the second infusion, too!
Lovers Leap Estate Indigo Black Tea with Essence of Peony from Eden Grove
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Amazon Trading
Ingredients:
Camellia Sinensis with Red Pigments (Red Tea) with natural Peony Flavor.
Learn more about Amazon Trading here.
Taster’s Review:
I am usually a little put off by the prospect of trying a bagged and/or sacheted tea, because let’s face it, loose leaf is better. It just is. However, I do try to go into the experience of trying a new to me sacheted tea with an open mind. And so far, the teas that I’ve tried from Eden Grove have been impressive – and all have been sacheted teas! Eden Grove is definitely making a believer out of me.
This Lovers Leap Estate Indigo Black Tea with Essence of Peony from Eden Grove is quite nice. The Ceylon is flavorful and smooth. It has a very pleasing, even taste to it. It’s sweet and has some malty tones to it, and I taste no bitterness whatsoever. It’s good.
I taste hints of flower to this as well, and I presume that it is the peony essence that I’m tasting. I can’t recall ever tasting peony in the past, so I don’t have a memory of what peony tastes like to be able to compare what I’m tasting now. It is a sweet, gently floral taste. It isn’t sharp, and it doesn’t have a perfume-y taste to it. It’s an enjoyable flower essence.
Overall, a really nice cup of tea. It’s a mellow tasting black tea, not one I’d want to start the day off with, but, one that I’d love to drink in the afternoon when I want a little bit of a pick-me-up to keep me going. It’s good.
Rooibos Chocolate Vanilla from Tea for Life
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Learn more about Tea of Life and Amazon Teas here.
Tisane Description:
South African Red Bush or Rooibos Tea is a pure and natural herbal blend. Freshly harvested and finely chopped rooibos goes through a process of oxidation with the aid of the oxygen from the atmosphere and subsequently dried int he sun to produce a deep mahogany red cup of which is one of the most popular and healthy herbal drinks today.
“Tea of Life” is proud to introduce five New Naturally Caffeine Free Rooibos Teas combined with Dark Chocolate with delicious natural fruit and mint flavors for your enjoyment – all day and into the evening.
Taster’s Review:
These dark chocolate rooibos blends from Tea of Life are really good. The chocolate is rich and dark and there’s a good amount of chocolate flavor to the blend. I’m really enjoying this Rooibos Chocolate Vanilla blend – LOTS of chocolate flavor with a sweet, creamy vanilla undertone.
I taste hints of honeyed, nutty sweetness from the rooibos, but, I like that the flavor of the rooibos isn’t as pronounced as the dark chocolate notes and the notes of vanilla. Normally, I want the flavor of the “tea” to be the star of the cup, but, since this is rooibos and I’m not particularly a big rooibos fan, I like that I am only getting a little bit of the flavor of the rooibos.
Plus, we’re talking chocolate here, and when it comes to chocolate, more chocolate is always better. I really can’t think of any instance when that isn’t true. And this has a strong chocolate presence. The sweet notes of vanilla give this cup an almost “milk chocolate-y” sort of taste, and I like the way the two – chocolate and vanilla – meld together in this cup.
A really tasty cup.