Leaf Type: Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: The Tea Spot – be sure to check out the coupon code featured just after this review for a limited time offer on this tea!
Tea Description:
Pink Rose Lemonade is a swirling collage of flowers with a hint of lemon and wintergreen. Like a fancy floral confection, this delicately handcrafted tea will refresh and soothe your palate. Pink Rose Lemonade is totally guilt-free, as it has no caffeine and is naturally sweet. Lemon, rose, mint, chamomile, and lavender spring to life in this absolutely fabulous herbal tea. Pink Rose Lemonade tastes distinctively wonderful brewed hot or cold.
Learn more about this caffeine free tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
Along with my Steep & Go, I received three samples of teas that go well using this cold-brew device: Boulder Blues, Climber’s High, and this tisane. Of those three, this one is my favorite to use in the Steep & Go. This was really surprising to me, because, I tend to avoid chamomile blends. I don’t dislike chamomile, but I don’t really like it either. However, the combination of ingredients in this herbal tisane works together so well, especially when cold-brewed in the Steep & Go.
It’s also quite good when hot-brewed and served warm just before bedtime. I especially like the aroma of the hot-brewed tisane. It smells so beautiful – I can smell the rose and the lavender and the combination of the two flowers is absolutely enchanting.
And it tastes pleasant too! The lavender and chamomile are very relaxing, and I find it tremendously soothing especially after a busy day. The flavors are sweet and lemony, with a foreground of floral notes and a background note of mint. The mint is not nearly as strong as I thought it might be, as mint tends to be a rather aggressive herb. Here, it takes the back seat and allows the other flavors to express themselves in a tasty and calming way.
But as I mentioned above, I really prefer this tea when cold-brewed using the Steep & Go. I recommend allowing this to steep at least ten minutes, but it really gets good the longer you let it steep. I found that after about a half an hour, the flavor was just perfect: light and thirst-quenching. I found that the bright, lemony notes were very refreshing, the hint of mint brought a cool, crispness to the taste and the floral tones added a pleasing contrast. It was pleasantly sweet without sweetener – this is the perfect on-the-go beverage.
To be honest, when The Tea Spot sent me this tea to try with the Steep & Go, I had my doubts… I guess I come from the school of thought that believes that the best flavor can be achieved through hot brewing a tea … but I am coming around to the whole idea of cold-brew after trying this tisane cold-brewed! This one made a believer out of me!
Special, Limited-Time Offer: Now through October 14, you can save 15% on your purchase of this Pink Rose Lemonade from the Tea Spot! Just put the Pink Rose Lemonade in your shopping cart, and use the coupon code sororitearose at checkout, and enjoy your savings … and the tea!
Real Red Paradise Tea from Tea & Botanicals
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Tea & Botanicals
Tisane Description:
Red Tea is naturally caffeine-free red tea blended with colorful flower petals and tropical flavors. Red Tea has reputed health benefits, as it is antioxidant rich and also contains vitamins and minerals.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
Visually, this is a very pretty tisane. Amongst the needle-like reddish-brown rooibos leaves, there are beautiful petals of blue, red, and yellow. There is really very little aroma to the dry leaf, which is a little disappointing because with a name like “Real Red Paradise Tea,” I was kind of hoping for a beautiful, exotic fragrance. The brewed tea has a slightly stronger scent, smelling of a tropical fruit medley – not like any one fruit in particular, its more like a tropical fruit punch.
The flavor is surprisingly good. I say that because, with most rooibos blends I want a strong flavoring, because I don’t usually like to taste the flavor of oxidized rooibos. They are nutty, a little woody, and there is often this really funky sweetness that lingers into the aftertaste. It’s not really the most pleasant flavor.
But, somehow, this all works together very well. F0r starters, I don’t taste that funky sweetness nor do I taste a funky lingering aftertaste that I normally associate with red rooibos. I do taste the nutty tones, but somehow these typical rooibos flavors just work well with the flavors and more importantly with the level of flavoring that this tisane possesses. I taste sweet, nutty flavor, and unlike some other red rooibos blends I’ve tried in the past, this tastes very pleasant!
The tropical flavors are very light. I don’t know that I taste any one type of tropical fruit specifically. Every once in a while I think I taste pineapple, but, it tastes more like a harmony of fruit notes … and it’s a very delicate taste, like it’s off in the distance, just barely tempting the palate with sweet, fruity goodness.
And what I’m really enjoying most of all is how well these whispers of tropical fruit mingle with the floral notes … the rose is especially noticeable. The sweet notes from the rose together with the soft tropical fruit is really quite delightful.
Not a bad tisane, quite enjoyable. Nice for a quiet evening, when you just want to sit back and relax.
Love Flavored Rooibos from TeaFrog
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: TeaFrog
Tisane Description:
Our most popular Rooibos blend, the Love blend is an aromatic delight that you will not be able to resist! This tea is so good, we sample it at every show, and sell out at every show! The scent and flavor are simply to die for!
Learn more about this rooibos blend here.
Taster’s Review:
I’m generally pleasantly surprised when I come across a rooibos blend that I enjoy. And really, I don’t know why I should be surprised anymore, as I tend to find more that I actually DO enjoy versus those that I do not like. But usually, the blends that I do like are ones where the flavorings have managed to mask the flavor of the rooibos in such a way that it obscures the flavor of the rooibos entirely. It’s a more startling discovery, though, when I come across a rooibos blend where I can actually taste the flavor of the rooibos and I’m still enjoying what I’m tasting.
But this Love rooibos blend from TeaFrog has managed to do just that. I can taste the nutty flavor of the rooibos, and it works really well within this blend. The nutty flavor adds depth to the sweet, luscious orange notes and the lovely floral tones, without coming off as too funky or sweet. Instead, it is very evenly flavored and has a richness that I don’t often find with rooibos (which usually tend to taste kind of thin).
This is nice served hot, but I like it even better cold! I had intended on drinking it hot this evening, but, after taking a few sips of it, I got busy doing something and when I returned to my teacup, the beverage had gone cold. Rather than toss it, I added an ice cube or two, and sipped on this deliciously orange-y, nutty tisane. I like the balance, I like that I can taste the rooibos without tasting some of the funkier flavors of the rooibos, and I like that while it is sweet, it isn’t too sweet. Very enjoyable, indeed!
Pomegranate Green Tea from Peter Asher Coffee & Tea
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Peter Asher Coffee & Tea
Tea Description:
The pomegranates magenta color certainly makes them pop and one look at their vibrant skin probably has you expecting a provocative punch of flavor. Well, you won’t be disappointed here. This cup of tea is the perfect package for drinkers who want a pleasing potion in a small package. One cup is enough to win over the pickiest of the picky and keep the coming back for more. So if you’re looking for a palatable pekoe chock-full of natural goodness look no further.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I really love the fragrance of the dry leaf. The combination of the rose petal, Japanese Sencha and pomegranate flavor create a very delicious scent that is fruity and sweet, with lovely floral tones in the background.
The brewed tea takes on a stronger “green tea” aroma, smelling a bit like freshly steamed vegetables. There are still hints of pomegranate in there too, as well as a whisper of rose.
As for the taste: it is wonderful! The green tea is the most prominent flavor, and that’s a good thing. It tastes light, sweet, and slightly creamy with hints of buttery notes. There is a vegetative tone to the overall cup, but I like that it does not overwhelm it.
The pomegranate is tart and sweet. It tastes true to the fruit, although it is a little different because of the strong green tea notes. But, I like this, because pomegranate flavoring in tea can sometimes be too tart, but, because of the sweetness from the green tea, I find that the tartness is softened. It is still a little bit tart, but it isn’t too tart. The rose is not a strong flavor, but hints of the rose can be detected.
A really wonderful pomegranate tea, and it’s delicious hot or iced.
Cherry Rose from Peter Asher Coffee & Tea
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Peter Asher Coffee & Tea
Tea Description:
The name alone probably has you picturing teacups shaped like flowers or a Daughters’ of the American Revolution meeting about rare manuscript preservation. While it may sound a little haughty this cup of tea is actually very approachable. The cherries provide a little sugar to the earthy complexity of the roses and the end result is a perfectly rounded flavor that is vibrant and refreshing. The moral of the story is don’t judge a tea by its name because even the very proper sounding Cherry Rose has sweet and sultry sides just waiting to surprise you.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is very pleasant cherry flavored green tea. The cherry flavor (and aroma!) is strong. The aroma almost smells a bit like a cough drop, but it doesn’t taste like it! The fragrance also has a very lovely rose tone to it. The rose essence is stronger in the bouquet than in the flavor.
The green tea base looks like a Sencha, with its forest-y green, spear-shaped leaves. It is sweet and smooth. There is a buttery note to the tea, and a slight vegetative tone.
The cherry is sweet, but there is also a hint of tartness to the cherry. It reminds me a bit of a Rainier cherry, it has that sweet, juicy kind of flavor of the Rainier cherry, along with just a whisper of tartness … just enough to keep it interesting.
The rose is subtle here. The floral notes are slightly sharp but mostly sweet, and linger in the background … offering just enough flavor to be noticed without interfering with the flavor of cherry and green tea.
This is my first tasting of a Peter Asher tea – and it’s quite an enjoyable experience. I look forward to trying some others!