Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Learn more about Southern Boy Teas here.
You can also learn more about Southern Boy Teas here.
Taster’s Review:
Ahhh! This is yummy!
As the temperature outside continues to rise, I need something cold and refreshing to sip! I generally prefer hot to iced tea but, over the past couple of years, I’ve come to appreciate having a pitcher full of iced tea chilling in the fridge. I try to keep a pitcher in there at all times, and during the warmer days of summer, I usually need to refill that pitcher daily.
To make a pitcher of this Orange Creamsicle Iced Tea from Southern Boy Teas, I hot brewed the sachet. I think I may have to order another package of this so that I can experiment a little and try it cold-brewed as well. By cold-brewing one of Southern Boy Teas/52Teas iced tea sachets, I can get a full gallon’s worth of tea out of the package, however, when I first try a tea from SBT, I have learned that it’s best to start out with a hot-brew and then experiment. The hot brew will tell me whether or not it’s worth my while to experiment.
In other words, the hot brew tells me whether or not the flavors are there. I’ve learned the hard way that with some of the SBT teas, cold-brewing just doesn’t do the tea justice. So, when I’m first trying a tea, I hot brew it so that I can sit down and write a review about it. If I like it well enough to “experiment” then I order another package.
And I like this. There is a good balance between black tea taste and the flavors of orange and vanilla. It’s not overwhelmingly orange and vanilla Some flavored teas seem to go overboard with flavoring and you don’t end up tasting a lot of tea, I like that I’m tasting TEA here!
The taste is sweet but it’s not cloying. The black tea is brisk and full-flavored, not too astringent, and not bitter. It’s a very pleasant, refreshing beverage. And let’s face it, summer’s coming whether I’m ready for it or not. At least I’ll be “armed” with some nice iced tea choices, thanks to Southern Boy Teas!
Passion Fruit Mango Rooibos Blend from Tea of Life
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Learn more about Tea of Life and Amazon Teas here.
Taster’s Review:
There are times when I want something a little lighter and without caffeine. Those are the times that I turn to tisanes. Tisanes like this Passion Fruit Mango Rooibos Blend from Tea of Life that are naturally caffeine free and have a lighter body, something I can sip and enjoy without worrying whether it will keep me up all night.
And this has a really pleasing flavor. The passion fruit and mango flavors are vibrant. The flavor of the rooibos is subdued, but I do taste notes of the nutty flavor and the sweetness – but without that whacked weird flavor that I sometimes get from rooibos.
You know, that weird, off sort of flavor that kind of tastes like wood that’s been soaked in sour vinegar or something? Yeah … that flavor. I’m not getting that strange flavor with this tisane.
Instead, I get a pleasant, tropical fruit flavor with hints of a nutty sweetness in the background. It’s a sweet way to wind down after a long day.
I enjoyed this hot, but, I found myself distracted and left my teacup to cool, and when I returned to it, the tisane had gone cold. No worries! This tastes great cold too!
Iced Black Tea from Tazo
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Learn more about Tazo on their website.
Tea Description:
Certain feats, like executing a reverse swan dive into a shimmering pool while wearing a pair of Euro-cut trunks and a captain’s hat, out only be attempted by a select few. This blend of black teas has the kind of cool, smooth sophistication to pull off a move like that, should it choose to do so.
Taster’s Review:
I received a box of this Iced Black Tea from Tazo from a friend, and while I certainly appreciated her generosity and thoughtfulness, I also appreciated that I didn’t actually buy this tea myself. I would have been sorely disappointed had I done so.
That’s because this is one of the most mediocre teas I’ve tasted in a long time. The thing that I appreciated most about this tea is that it helped me realize just how good the other iced teas that I’ve been drinking lately really are.
I tried brewing this many different ways. I first tried cold brewing the tea, and this produced a rather flat and boring tasting tea. Then I tried resteeping those tea bags – hot brewing the tea this time – and the results were much the same: boring tea. Not much flavor to them at all. And I wasn’t even looking for “flavoring” type of flavor, I was just looking for a good, brisk, refreshing black tea flavor. But I didn’t get that.
Then I tried hot brewing new (previously unsteeped) teabags. Again … just sort of lackluster. This is the kind of flavor I’d expect from the tea in the yellow, white and red box, but not from a tea that is supposed to be at least one notch above that brand. But after trying to brew this tea several different ways, there was nothing I could do to make this tea taste good. The problem wasn’t with the brewing method, but the tea itself.
A really sad tea. It’s tea like this that leaves a bad taste in the mouths of those that claim not to like tea. I wouldn’t like tea either if this is all that I had to drink.
Whole Leaf Green Tea with Essence of Key Lime from Eden Grove
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Amazon Trading
Ingredients:
Green Tea with natural Key Lime Flavor
Learn more about Amazon Trading here.
Taster’s Review:
This Whole Leaf Green Tea with Essence of Key Lime from Eden Grove is one of the nicer lime flavored green teas I’ve encountered. What I’m enjoying most is that the lime is gentle – it isn’t too tart or sour tasting lime flavor, and it doesn’t overpower the flavor of the green tea.
The lime adds a bright lift to the cup. It’s not a strong flavor – just enough to enhance the cup without becoming too obnoxious about it. And this is something that I’ve noticed with the other teas from Eden Grove. The teas with “essence” tend to take a rather subtle approach to the flavoring of these teas. Eden Grove allows the tea to be the real star of the cup while allowing the “essence” to boost the flavor level without overwhelming the tea. I like that a lot!
The green tea is soft and has a lightly vegetative taste. It isn’t grassy nor does it have an overpowering vegetal note. It’s a sweet, fresh “leafy” sort of taste, reminiscent of lightly buttered, steamed spinach. It’s mild and has a very pleasant, creamy buttery note. There is a nice contrast between the sweet of the green tea and the sunny tartness of the lime.
A really pleasant cuppa – good served hot … but I think that this one gets even better as it cools. It makes a great iced tea.
Whole Leaf Green Tea with Essence of Lemongrass & Chrysanthemum from Eden Grove
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Amazon Trading
Ingredients:
Green Tea with natural Lemongrass & Chrysanthemum flavors.
Learn more about Amazon Trading here.
Taster’s Review:
What I’m enjoying most with the teas that I’ve received in this Eden Grove Prism Collection is that many of these blends are very unusual. Take this Whole Leaf Green Tea with Essence of Lemongrass & Chrysanthemum from Eden Grove for example. This isn’t a blend that I’d probably find just anywhere.
Oh sure, I’ve tried many lemongrass blends, and a few teas with Chrysanthemum … but a tea that focuses only on these two essences? No, I can’t say that I’ve found a tea quite like this one before.
And I’m enjoying this. I can’t say that I’ll be out there looking for another Lemongrass and Chrysanthemum blend because I probably won’t. But if I do happen to find one, I wouldn’t be opposed to trying it. I like the light citrus-y note from the lemongrass and the soft floral notes of the chrysanthemum.
The green tea is a sweet and slightly grassy tasting tea, and I think that the natural buttery taste of the green tea accentuates the light buttery taste of the lemongrass. It makes for a pleasant taste and texture. The lemongrass has a sweet citrus taste that is reminiscent of lemon and lime, but without the pucker-y sour notes of the fruits.
The chrysanthemum is a very subtle taste with just a hint of floral taste that contrasts nicely with the tea and lemongrass.
Overall, it’s a pleasant cuppa. I enjoyed about half of my cup while it was still hot, and then I was distracted by other things, and came back to my cup and it was cold. I was surprised to find how tasty it is cold – this would make a really nice iced tea!