Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Foxfire Teas
Tea Description:
This beautiful black tea from the Yunnan Province in China has a beautiful dried leaf appearance and once steeped it has a wonderful robust aroma with slight fruit notes. This tea is part of the Limited Collection, so we have a very small quantity available and once it is sold out, we may not see it again until it is next harvested.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh. My. Goodness!
This is soooo good.
Once upon a time … (Once upon a tea?) I tasted Dawn from Simple Leaf. Dawn is one of the very best teas I’ve ever had the privilege to sample, and of the pure black teas I’ve sampled, it is definitely in the top three if not at the #1 spot. Unfortunately, Simple Leaf is no longer in business. (sob) But every once in a while, I will encounter a tea that reminds me so much of that amazing experience that I had with Dawn.
This moment with High Mountain Red Tea from Foxfire Teas is one such experience.
The dry leaf is beautiful – long, curly, wiry leaves of dark chocolate brown that smell of sweet fruit, notes of chocolate and hints of caramel. And after the tea brews, that is the fragrance that surrounds my olfactory nerves when I take a deep whiff of this magical brew.
And that’s what I taste too. The flavor is sweet, rich and smooth. Well-rounded. Notes of cacao. Undertones of sweet, luscious caramel. Sweet fruit notes that are reminiscent of apple, plum and currant – but with no tartness. Just the sweet tones of those fruits! There is a pleasant … what I’m going to call “savory” quality … toward mid-sip. This “savory” quality is not bitterness, it is not sweetness, it is not tart or tangy … it’s just … smooth and robust and … well, savory.
There is no bitterness to this cup … and virtually nothing that resembles astringency. There might be the slightest twang of a tangy pucker towards the finish. But this is so slight that if you’re not paying very strict attention, you’ll miss it.
Easily one of the best cups of tea that I’ve had in a very long time – and I’ve had a lot of really, really good tea lately!
Lemon Meringue Tisane from Trail Lodge Tea
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos & Honeybush
Where to Buy: Trail Lodge Tea
Tisane Description:
This is truly a classic tea! It makes a great hot or iced tea. We have finally found the perfect lemon tea. This one has a mild and smooth lemon flavor with a hint of creaminess, reminiscent of lemon meringue pie. It is naturally caffeine free. Ingredients: Rooibos, Green Rooibos, Honeybush, Lemon Bits, Calendula and Cornflower Petals, and Flavoring.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
This Lemon Meringue Tisane from Trail Lodge Teas is easily one of the better Lemon Meringue Pie teas/tisanes that I’ve tasted. It’s totally YUM!
The base is a combination of red (or oxidized) rooibos, green (or non-oxidized) rooibos, and honeybush. I think that this is a winning combination. I’m not big on rooibos, but, when they’re combined with the honeybush, this seems to soften that sometimes “funky” taste that goes along with rooibos. And since green rooibos is much better tasting than red rooibos … this brings out the fruity character to the rooibos rather than that woodsy/nutty flavor. Nice! The honeybush still offers some of that sweet honey-esque tone and just a hint of nutty taste that accentuates the “pie-like” quality of this tisane.
The lemon is a softer, sweeter lemon, much like the creamy curd filling of a lemon meringue pie. I taste notes of vanilla too, and this brings a meringue-like quality to the cup. And every once in a while, I could swear I taste just a hint of butter that seems to imitate a pie crust like flavor together with the nutty tones of the honeybush.
This blend works together so well. Sweet, lemon-y goodness! A nice dessert-y treat that you can enjoy any time of the day … you can even make it a late night snack since it’s naturally caffeine free!
Big Red Sun Black Tea Blend from Harney & Sons
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Harney & Sons
Tea Description:
This full-bodied yet mellow tea is a great way to welcome the sun each morning. We have chosen Kenya and Kenilworth for this blend. The golden tips of Milima are reminiscent of Assam and the bold leaves of Ceylon’s Kenilworth are very mellow.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
If I were to select only one word to describe this Big Red Sun Black Tea Blend from Harney & Sons, the word would be pleasant.
Of course … you probably don’t read this blog just to hear me spout one word about a tea, right? You probably want a few more words. OK, so I’ll give ’em to you.
Yes, this tea is pleasant. I don’t know that I’d get a whole lot more flowery with my wordage than that … I don’t think I’d describe this tea as significantly bold or rich or well-rounded. It has a pleasant flavor that is sweet with a slightly bitter/savory/vaguely sour tone that hits about mid-sip. It isn’t an unpleasant bitterness, it’s actually kind of nice because it offers a contrasting flavor to the sweeter notes.
It is moderately astringent. It has notes of fruit and flower within the sip, with a sweet honey-like undertone. This isn’t a tea that I’d reach for as that first cup of the day, because it doesn’t really have that “wake-up” kind of flavor nor the vigor that I look for in a first-cuppa tea. It is more like a mid-morning tea, or perhaps an early afternoon tea.
I like this alright … but I can’t say that this is my favorite black tea blend that I’ve ever tasted, because it isn’t. It’s enjoyable … it’s … well, it’s pleasant. Just like I said at the start.
Red Velvet Cake Mate from 52Teas
Tisane Description:
Leaf Type: Yerba Maté
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tisane Description:
Our Malted ChocoMate has been one of our most popular blends over the years, well, at least it WAS until this! Here’s roasted yerba mate blended with organic cacao nibs and organic flavors. It’s chocolate and cream cheese frosting and cake in a cup. I thought about adding some red food coloring, but I think you will agree that even if it isn’t red, it’s delicious.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
YUM! To be honest, I wasn’t really … looking that forward to trying this Red Velvet Cake Mate from 52Teas. And I love chocolate!
Here’s the thing … in addition to being a chocoholic and a tea addict, I have a thing for cupcakes. I go nuts over cupcakes. I see a cupcake bakery and I beg my husband to stop just so I can see what flavors they have … and for me, the more outrageous the flavor, the better. (Kind of that way with tea flavors too) I don’t get so excited over cake … oh sure, I won’t turn my nose up at cake … but a cupcake? I love it. I turn into a kid when it comes to cupcakes.
The problem: it seems that every cupcake bakery has a red velvet offering. It’s become the “Earl Grey” of the cupcake world … everyone has one. Not that I knock Earl Grey, I love it as you’re probably aware! And I actually like red velvet cake (and cupcakes) … but, if given a choice between red velvet cake and a chocolate cake … I’d choose chocolate because red velvet seems to me to be like … a lighter version of chocolate. That is, it’s like a chocolate cupcake, but with less chocolate. And if you’ve read my articles for very long, you know that I am a strong supporter of the more chocolate = better concept. And if more chocolate = better, then less chocolate = worse. Simple logic.
So, I guess I was thinking … OK, so this is going to be a “light” chocolate Yerba Maté and I’m going to have to write my article complaining about a lack of chocolate. There are few things that make me more disappointed in a chocolate tea than a lack of chocolate.
Fortunately, Frank of 52Teas apparently does not subscribe to this idea that red velvet cake is a lighter version of chocolate cake, because this is nice and chocolate-y. (However, more chocolate WOULD be better … because more chocolate = better.) And I can taste the tangy cream cheese frosting note. It is sweet and delicious, and I love the roasted flavor of the Yerba Maté … I love that it doesn’t have that strong vegetative note, that the roasted flavor accentuates the earthy tones which complements the chocolate notes very nicely. And then the overtone of creamy, tangy frosting just … it’s the icing on the cake! (haha, I made a punny! Oh gawd I’m a nerd. Please don’t tell my husband I admitted that.)
This is totally yummy. It is rich, chocolate-y, toasty, and tangy! Absolutely scrumptious. Unfortunately, it is also sold out. So, if you want some, you should let Frank know! Contact him via this contact form or, you could tweet him, or visit his facebook page. Please tell him you heard about this tea from me!
Sweet Chai Black Tea Blend from Spire Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Tea Description:
A sweet-spiced black chai tea blend with traditional spices and citrus notes. We dare you to try it with a bit of sugar and no milk!
Learn more about Spire Tea on their website.
Taster’s Review:
Also known as Soho Chai, this Sweet Chai Black Tea Blend from Spire Tea is a delightfully spicy-sweet chai that evokes thoughts of the holidays with its notes of spicy-hot cinnamon, warm cloves and sweet orange.
And what I like best about this particular cinnamon-orange type of chai is that while it has those familiar sweet-spiced notes of the red-hot candies, it isn’t as over-the-top or in-your-face as some of those teas can be. This has a little mellower, a little milder … and this makes a big difference. I can taste the rich black tea in this … this tea is not all about the cinnamon and orange!
But the cinnamon and orange play big roles in this tea. This is a very energetic, warm tasting tea that will invigorate you on those cold days when served hot, but it also tastes GREAT iced! It’s a very refreshing, deliciously different tea when served iced. The spice becomes slightly more subdued with the chill, and this makes the tea very thirst quenching and easy to drink.
This is one of those middle of the road spicy-hot yet sweet cinnamon teas that is not quite as in your face as some of the teas out there … but it’s bold enough to take your taste buds on a wild ride. I like it.