Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Teakoe
Tea Description:
Satisfy your palate with this perfectly crafted blend of estate grown teas. Our 6th batch achieved its signature status by balancing bold flavor with a smooth finish. The result… superior tasting iced tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Ever made up a huge batch of tea only to be incredibly disappointed by the results? We’ve all been there. There are a few companies out there that make more of a gourmet style iced tea bag to share with others. In the past I’ve been so excited. I’ve prepped everything up per steeping instructions and poured myself a huge glass. Take one sip and I’m disappointed in the flavors either being fake tasting or just non existent. Even over dominating sometimes. This situation sound familiar at all?
Well, not to sound like a commercial for this particular tea or tea company, but seriously look no further!! Teakoe has some of the best iced teas I have ever tasted. They are now a family favorite and have been demanded by the fiance to be a staple in our house.
Teakoe creates their iced teas in small batches with love and care. You can tell. This one in particular may just be my favorite. I brewed this up to the steeping specifications, put ice in my cup, and poured myself a glass. Took a sip and I just sat there and enjoyed. This tea is a beautifully done and well crafted black tea. On the back of the package it reads Black Tea + Artistry + Brilliance. I whole hardheartedly agree. This tea is just simply a slightly flavored black tea that is smooth, rich, and well rounded. it says there is bergamot in the tea but I honestly can’t say I tasted that. I did pick up notes of a slight citrus kick but it was ever so slight and subtle, which I’m glad. I could see this tea getting off the tracks fast and being over thought or complicated. I think that is what I like the best about this tea, the simplicity of it.
I can’t recommend this tea enough and have literally made a note on the fridge to order more soon.
Happiness Rooibos/Green Blend from Lupicia
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green/Green Rooibos
Where to Buy: Lupicia
Tea Description:
Rose petals, marigold and small mallow decorate this green tea and green rooibos blend scented with energizing grapefruit and luscious white peach. One sip and you will find happiness.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
In Canada Lupicia teas are fairly hard to get a hold of without swapping with someone else, which is what I did in order to try this sample. I’ve only tried a handful of their teas, but generally speaking I’ve enjoyed most if not all of them. That said, I’ve read almost entirely negative, or at least relatively critical reviews about this particular blend so know I have some expectation bias prior to trying this blend. With the sample I have, I decided I’d cold brew this tea because I thought it would work well for the fruity aspects but also the dual bases used.
My first thought upon trying this was that it tastes very familiar. I realize I drink a lot of tea, and so it’s no uncommon for new teas to bear a resemblance to ones I’ve tried before but I’m talking serious Deja Vu with this tea; I was convinced I’d had the experience of drinking this one before even though I know I haven’t.
As for the actual flavour of the blend I do have to say the peach element comes through the clearest to me: I made a recent discovery regarding peach, actually. I’ve always thought of peach as a flavor that I could go either way with but someone at work recently pointed out to me that I’m actually very consistent with some peachy things and that’s either “Peaches & Cream” or “White Peach”, both of which I regularly like. So I did a little bit of research (I asked one of our produce clerks the difference between white and yellow peaches; that counts, right?) and it turns out the main difference is the acidity – yellow peaches have a much more noticeable acidity that only levels out as they ripen while white peaches are more delicate and naturally sweet, ripe or not. They’re also a little more floral. Makes sense to me.
So in addition to the clear and enjoyable flavour of white peaches, I tasted a few other fruits – however one fruit I didn’t observe was grapefruit which is actually the flavour that’s supposed to be present. Instead I tasted a more mellow strawberry flavour which was a great compliment to the peach notes. Chef Darcy, at work, tried a little of the cold brew and said he tastes peach and green melons and while I didn’t taste that melon flavour myself I can see where he was coming from: there was a sort of “bubblegum” sweetness, and as I’ve observed from honeydew teas sometimes the flavor of of those two things can be similar. As for the bases, visually I know there was more green tea in my sample but the taste of the green rooibos was a lot stronger in my opinion. I really like the green rooibos that Lupicia uses though – it’s one of my favourite of any company’s.
Overall, this was a really great experience – not just for the flavour, but for the little journey of self discovery that it took me on.
Lemon Sherbet Green from Bluebird Tea Co.
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Bluebird Tea Co.
Tea Description:
Green tea with lemon is a classic. In true Bluebird style we have done it a bit different! Sweet + tangy like sherbet on your tounge + two types of lemon to make your mouth water with delight. Another fantastic blend to add to our traditional sweet collection.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Thank you to my SororiTea Sister Scheherazade for sending me a sample of this tea!
Personally speaking, this is one of those blends that I probably wouldn’t have chosen myself just because I’m not drawn to green blends normally and I think the pairing of citrus/lemon and green tea is a little played out, but the dry leaf smelled really strongly of sweet lemon juice or lemon candy, and I do like the simplicity of the tea so I was actually kind of excited regardless.
Because it is something I’ve kind of tried before, though, I wanted to do something a little different than usual – so I made this into a tea soda; while I wont take the time to explain my process of doing that (unless anyone would like me to) I will point out that the process uses sweetener though – and with a tea like this that’s already pre-sweetened due to the stevia in it a preparation method like this negates that aspect of the blend a little bit because when I tasted this tea I knew it would be sweet and expected that; theoretically with a more traditional tasting/preparation method I could have tasted the stevia and been more critical about it’s presence – I don’t typically like when my tea is sweetened for me; I want to have the choice to do that and pre-sweetened blends eliminate that choice.
I think the simplicity of the blend ultimately works against this tea though; the flavour was very monotone and I think the only reason that didn’t read as ‘flat’ was because of the carbonation which makes it hard to view anything as tasting ‘flat’. The green base was eclipsed and instead this had a really strong, distinct taste of lemon verbena or lemon myrtle; not exactly a ‘realistic’ lemon flavour and while strong and steady only really enjoyable if you’re big into those flavours to begin with. And you better be, because it’s all you’re going to taste.
Decent blend overall; the name’s pretty accurate so kudos for that. I just wish it had a little more to offer; I shouldn’t feel like I have to resort to creative methods like tea soda just to make this feel a little less mundane.
Mocha Mate from Blackbird Tea Co.
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh Tea, Rooibos & Yerba Maté blend
Where to Buy: Blackbird Tea Co. or Black Bird Tea Co. Etsy
Tea Description:
In Argentina and Uruguay, maté is traditionally sipped through a metal straw in a cured gourd. Try that in rush hour traffic! Our interpretation is a blend of roasted maté mixed with rooibos, black pu-erh tea, and a kick of chocolate, lemongrass, cinnamon and ginger. Drink it throughout the day for a chocolaty, spicy pick-me-up.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
When this tea first arrived, I was so excited! I have a tea that I love from Adagio Teas that is a version of a Mocha Mate. I can take that tea down in no time flat.
I quickly grabbed this tea and throw it in my Breville One Touch choosing the herbal setting (seeing how their is Mate in it). Poured myself a huge cup of it and sat down to write the review and then it hit me. The smell. The smell of my arch enemy. The smell one of the only teas I have trouble drinking. Yes. This tea had rooibos in it.
Unfortunately for me, I am not a rooibos fan. We each have our own teas that we adore and love and then there are the teas that really aren’t our cuppa. This one falls into the latter category. From the other flavors I was getting when I did try a sip, this tea is phenomenal. The spices and chocolate mix so well together and produce this vibrant and invigorating flavor with a sweet lemon like kick.
But with the rooibos in there, I think I need to find this darling a new home. Rooibos and I just have never gotten along. But from what I tasted, the rest of the tea is amazing. If you like rooibos blends, check this one out. I bet it would be delightful to you!
Teatox from Fit Life Tea Co.
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Fit Life Tea Co.
Tea Description:
Say goodbye to weight gain, bloating and digestive stress. Two daily cups of Organic Teatox can help burn fat, stimulate weight loss, boost your immune system and cleanse your digestive system.
Our pyramid tea bag extracts maximum flavor to infuse more essential oils and flavor into your cup. Steeping releases purifying dynamic ingredients that can ease bloating and, together with proper diet and exercise, help promote weight loss.
Custom blended Organic Teatox has a ruby red color, sweet aroma and distinctive fruity taste. And zero calories.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Before I begin with this review, I just want to say that I’ve never had a tea help me loose weight. I’ve had some teas make me feel better, but I’ve never seen any evidence on the scale. I know there is a lot of controversy on weight loss teas and sometimes I’ve seen some pretty heated battles. So for this review,I want to keep things calm and easy going and we aren’t going to talk about the detoxing properties of the tea. I only had one tea bag to try as well so there really wouldn’t be much in the way of results. So let me tell you a bit about my experience with this tea.
What I liked about this tea is the convenience. They provide the tea in tea bags so I was able to prep this up with some boiling water without much fuss. 5 minutes later I am greeted with a gorgeous dark pink beverage waiting for me to try it. Inside the tea bag was a lot of dried hibiscus along with a few other odds and ends of ingredients. But primarily hibiscus.
First sip in and this is for those who really enjoy their hibiscus. I really only tasted the hibiscus and none of the other ingredients listed. The hibiscus dominated the cuppa. Now with saying that, I still enjoyed the flavor. This isn’t something I would reach for on a daily basis but I’m liking the flavor. The tartness is there but it isn’t as sharp as other hibiscus blends. This reminds me more of that sugar free Kool-Aid flavor or Crystal Light.
For my second cup, I added ice and had a nice refreshing hibiscus iced tea for after lunch. Again, tart but not overly so and I didn’t feel the need to add any sweeteners. I think this is a tea that does ask for a sweetener but I wanted to keep this plain.
My last thoughts on this- It was good but not something I would drink a lot of. If you are a hibiscus fan (like I said earlier), I think you may enjoy this one a bit more than me. I’m still happy I was able to try it. Been curious about this one for a bit.
Off to the next tea!