Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Tulsi
Where to Buy: Spicely Organics
Tisane Description:
Relax and restore with this tulsi based blend. Cinnamon and rose blend perfectly with tulsi to ease away any tension and relax after a long day. INGREDIENTS: Organic Tulsi, Organic Cinnamon Sticks, Organic Rose Petals.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Learn more about the Spicely Organics Monthly Tea Membership here.
Taster’s Review:
This Organic Unwind Tulsi Tisane from Spicely Organics has a fairly simple ingredient list – tulsi, cinnamon and rose – but sometimes simplicity works. It certainly did in the case of this blend; it’s really quite tasty.
Since there is no camellia sinensis or other ingredients that were likely to become bitter if oversteeped, I went ahead and steeped this for 10 minutes in 195°F water. The result is a flavorful cup that has strong cinnamon overtones but it’s a natural cinnamon flavor: not that overly sweet-hot red-hot-candies sort of cinnamon-y flavor. This tastes like the cinnamon you’d sprinkle on your toast or over your bowl of oatmeal in the morning. It’s warm and zingy yet sweet.
The tulsi gives the cup a somewhat herbaceous note – I taste notes of basil. Basil and cinnamon are not two flavors that I would normally think to combine but they work nicely together to create a sweet yet savory note with hints of warm, zesty spice.
The rose offers a nice floral undertone. I like the way the rose and cinnamon work together – this is a flavor combination that I’ve been fond of for a long time and I’m happy to see another company embrace the combination.
A very calming, relaxing blend – just exactly the type of tisane I’d turn to if I wanted to “Unwind”!
After 8 Tea Tisane from Eden Grove
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black & Green Teas
Where to Buy: Amazon Trading
Ingredients:
Green Tea, Black Tea, Spearmint, Pineapple, Mint Flavor, Red Rose Petals, Jasmine Flowers, Chrysanthemum Flowers, Hibiscus, Calendula Flower.
Learn more about Amazon Trading here.
Taster’s Review:
This After 8 Tea Tisane from Eden Grove is one of the more unusual teas I’ve come across in my ongoing tea journey! It has a lot going on … but I’m happy to say that the flavors work together in a pleasing way.
I brewed this at a lower temperature to accommodate for the green tea (180°), and steeped it slightly longer (3 1/2 minutes) to ensure that I could get a lot of flavor from the black tea and the herbals in this blend.
The result is a very unusual yet flavorful blend of flower and mint, with an earthy, sweet background. I taste both the black and green teas here. The black tea is not as full-bodied as I would probably have achieved if I brewed the tea at a higher temperature, although if I had, I don’t know that I would be tasting the sweet, buttery notes of the green tea that I am able to taste now. I think that the delicate notes of the green tea would have been lost if the black tea were a stronger, more developed flavor.
The mint is not overpowering, but it is a dominate flavor profile in this cup. It tastes crisp and cool without tasting like someone added a splash of mouthwash to my cup of tea. I taste light pineapple notes, and I’m happy that the hibiscus here is more of a “tart” flavor rather than a profound note.
That little bit of tart flavor from the hibiscus highlights the pineapple and accents some of the sharper notes of the floral flavors of rose and jasmine. I taste more rose than I do jasmine. The jasmine is a soft, exotic note and is not quite a fully realized jasmine flavor, while the rose is a sweet, slightly sharp, distinct rose taste, albeit delicate.
Overall, I found this blend intriguing. It is quite different from anything that I’ve tasted before, and I like that. I like that this is a little out of the box … but not so “out there” that I found it too bizarre to enjoy.
Champagne & Rose Cream White Tea Blend from Butiki Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Butiki Teas
Tea Description:
Our luxurious Champagne & Rose Cream pairs our Glenburn Silver Needle with sweet champagne, fresh cream, and delicate rose notes. The initial sip delivers a lingering sweetness and tang of champagne. Rose and cream notes remain long after each sip. The malty flavor of the Silver Needle tea adds to the champagne flavor and there is a bubbliness that can be felt on the tongue. With each continuing sip the rose and cream notes become stronger. We recommend drinking this tea at a cooler temperature.
Ingredients: Glenburn Silver Needle, Rosebuds, Amaranth, Organic Natural Flavoring (vegan)
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’m impressed with this Champagne & Rose Cream White Tea Blend from Butiki Teas! That shouldn’t surprise me, of course, because I’m often impressed by this company … that’s why Butiki Teas is one of my favorite tea companies. They know what they’re doing!
I’ve tasted several different champagne flavored teas, but I think that this one just may be the most impressive to date. The champagne notes are so clear and on point. The white tea base is delicate and sweet, and accentuates the champagne very nicely, and I especially appreciate how these two flavors don’t seem to be competing with one another. They meld almost seamlessly, offering a flavor that is both champagne and tea – but in a soft, delicious way that is in keeping with the nature of the white tea. The rose is also subtle here, and the floral notes linger on the palate.
The sip starts off sweet, with notes of champagne and white tea making their presence known immediately. A soft rose note comes through next. Throughout the sip, I notice notes of cream, but it isn’t a heavy cream taste. It’s sort of there, just beneath the rose notes.
I have mentioned on more than one occasion on this blog that I’m not much of a consumer of alcoholic beverages, but one thing that I do remember from the days when I did consume an alcoholic beverage or two is how quickly champagne would go to my head. I’d start feeling “bubbly” very quickly (I guess I’m kind of a lightweight when it comes to booze), and I guess the reason I bring that up is because I’m feeling bubbly (but in a non-intoxicated way!) over this tea too!
A really amazing tea!
Eight Treasures Valentine Blend from Verdant Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Yabao & Green Tea & Tulsi
Where to Buy: Verdant Tea
Tea Description:
Unique and unexpected. This version of their amazing Eight Treasures Winter blend has been altered to emphasize the surprising similarity with a Valentine’s tradition – candy hearts. If you break the flavours down, this blend is complex – sweet and almost candy-like,with lively citrus, warming vanilla and natural wood and pine.
Learn more about this blend here.
Learn more about subscribing to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
I know I probably say this every month, but I’m always so excited when my Amoda Tea box arrives! I was especially excited for this month’s tea box because I had read on Steepster that this would be a “special” blend box, similar to what we received in December. This month, Amoda Tea teamed up with another one of my favorite tea vendors: Verdant Tea!
And this special Eight Treasures Valentine Blend from Verdant Tea is the first tea that I’m tasting from this month’s Amoda Tea Box. Having previously tried their Eight Treasures Yabao Blend, I felt pretty confident that I’d enjoy this Eight Treasures too.
The ingredients of this blend are similar to the previously tasted and reviewed Eight Treasures, with a few notable differences: this blend has juniper, tulsi and burdock, while the previously reviewed tea has goji berry, marigold and honeysuckle. The result is a drink that tastes slightly warmer … spicier. The previous tea had a more floral and fruity taste – I’d liken it to a “springtime” sort of flavor, while this tea that sits before me has more of a warm “wintertime” kind of flavor to it.
I taste notes of marshmallow from the yabao and these mingle nicely with the vanilla notes. The above description suggests a “valentine hearts candy” sort of taste, and I get that. It does have a sweet taste that is vaguely reminiscent of those little hearts that say “Be Mine” or “Kiss Me” on them.
I also taste the woodsy notes that the description suggests and these notes give it a very winter-y kind of taste: imagine a cozy fire crackling in the fireplace and sipping on tea with your valentine! This tea inspires thoughts like those.
I found that my second infusion was even more delicious than my first – the sweet notes seemed more intense and those “candy heart” notes were better defined in the second cup.
This is a really delightful blend from Verdant, and this box from Amoda Tea makes me a happy subscriber once again.
Rose Oolong Tea from Zi Chun Tea Co.
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Zi Chun Tea Co.
Tea Description:
Our tea master produces our popular Rose oolong by scenting oolong tea repeatedly with fresh rose petals. The outcome is a fresh tasting oolong with a pleasant rose aroma.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Rose Oolong Tea from Zi Chun Tea Co. is absolutely lovely! Rose scenting is not normally something I associate with Oolong teas, usually, I can find rose scented black teas with no problem but rose scented Oolong teas are less common.
But I love the sweetness and slight sharpness that the rose imparts on the soft, silky Oolong tea leaf. This Rose Oolong does not have an overpowering rose essence, it’s delicate and allows for the beautiful complexity of the Oolong to emerge.
This Oolong is a greener Oolong, so the flavor is buttery and floral, and the floral notes of the Oolong marry well with the rose tones, making this an obviously floral Oolong but, I like that I’m not overwhelmed by floral notes as I sip this. I don’t feel like I’m being beaten over the head with flower bouquets!
I brewed this the way I would normally approach an Oolong – in my gaiwan. After a quick rinse, I infused the leaves twice (first infusion was 45 seconds, and the second was 60 seconds), and combined the strained liquid from both infusions into one cup. My second cup was produced similarly, using infusions 3 and 4, and the third cup was comprised of infusions 5 and 6.
The first cup was the most delicate tasting of the three cups. It had a soft, silky, buttery texture and a soft buttery taste to go with it. There were distinct floral notes. There is a barely-there note of vegetation in the background. Mostly with the first cup, what I taste is sweet floral notes that are a little sharp around the edges but not in a perfume-ish way, buttery notes and an undertone of honey-like sweetness.
The second cup had a much creamier undertone than the first cup, the soft and silky notes turned into a very rich and creamy taste and texture. The rose remained the top note, but, it is somewhat softer now, offering a very pleasant, subtle rose note that is much more subdued in this tea than you might experience from a black Rose Congou. I like the rose like this … I like it a lot! There are hints of nutty background notes, and a very enjoyable sweetness that rounds out this cup.
With my third cup, I noticed the flavors starting to meld. The nutty background notes previously mentioned are a little more prominent, but, the rose still remains the top note. A sweetness that reminds me of honey. There is less creaminess now, more floral notes, and a hint of what tastes almost like a tart apple in the distance.
This tea is a must try for the rose tea fans out there. I really like how different rose tastes with Oolong tea as the base!