Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Rishi Tea
Tea Description:
Iron Goddess of Mercy and a lightly oxidized, flowery oolong from Taiwan are paired with dried peaches and the fresh essence of peach. A blush of hibiscus and a hint of sweetness from natural roots lays the foundation for one of Rishi’s most enticing, indulgent and fruity flavored blends.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
I have to be honest, when I saw that there was hibiscus in this blend, I was skeptical. In my opinion, hibiscus has no place in an Oolong blend. And even after tasting this Peach Oolong Blend from Rishi Tea – and enjoying it! – I admit that I am still keeping to that opinion. Hibiscus should not be in an Oolong blend.
So, yeah, I am enjoying this tea. The Oolong notes are lovely: sweet, creamy and slightly vegetative. The peach flavoring enhances the natural fruit notes of the Oolong and I’m really liking that.
The schizandra berries add a touch of berry tartness to the cup – not that it needs it, but it is an interesting dimension to an otherwise very peachy cup. The hibiscus accentuates the berry notes, but it also enhances the thickness to the body of the Oolong, and this is probably my biggest complaint about the hibiscus here. Oolong is already a thick, lush tea, it doesn’t need additions that will add to this. It sort of “ruins” it. Sure … it’s an enjoyable cup, but I can’t help but think that it would be SO much better without the hibiscus.
Fortunately, there isn’t a strong hibiscus-y flavor … and there is something that saves this tea for me and that’s the licorice root. I love that hint of licorice. It is very slight … it isn’t a strong, licorice-y taste. It doesn’t taste sharp or snappy … it just adds a faint licorice note that keeps me sipping just to experience it.
I don’t think this is a bad tea, I just think that Rishi Tea should rethink the hibiscus addition. It turned what could be a really good tea into something that is just average, in my opinion.
Organic Plum Oolong from Arbor Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Arbor Teas
Tea Description:
The combination of succulent Asian plums, tart schizandra berries, rosehips, hibiscus and select oolong tea leaves create a blend that is a delight for the senses! The pink-hued infusion of our organic Plum Oolong is pleasantly tart with a wonderful fruity aroma.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
When I saw the name of this tea, I wanted to try it. I love plums! But then, I read the ingredients … why hibiscus? Why? Now that I’ve brewed it, I understand why the hibiscus was included, it definitely adds a plum-like color and nectar-like texture to the cup. And it does – together with the schizandra berries – add a little bit of tartness to the cup which provides an interesting contrast to the sweetness of the plum flavor.
The combination of flavors to this cup create a very strong fruity essence that is, indeed, very plum like. I find it to be somewhat like a plum cider or warm plum nectar.
The Oolong tea is a little lost in this, though. Yes, I can taste it, but I find myself really needing to focus on the sip to get a strong Oolong taste. The plum flavor is more significant, as is the schizandra berry flavor, and these two fruits are pretty tasty together.
At the same time, I do find myself thinking that this tea could benefit from a little more Oolong leaf, and even a touch of cinnamon might be nice. This isn’t my favorite tea from Arbor Teas, but it is one that is certainly worth trying. It’s good, just not my favorite, you know? I like the dimension to this cup, it has a pleasing texture and a nice sweet-tart kind of taste to it, and these aspects make for a very enjoyable tea experience.
My Cheap Hubby from WhiteAugust Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: WhiteAugust Tea Company
Product Description:
Is your man too cheap to buy you roses and chocolates? Don’t be mad, enjoy all your favorites in this delicious black tea with dark chocolate, sweet creamy cherries, rose petals and Schizandra berries. This Tea comes in a stylish tin and includes T-sacs, so you can enjoy your Tea on the Go.
Taster’s Review:
My first impression of this tea was similar to that of TeaEqualsBliss – chocolate covered cherries. As I continue to sip it, though, I am finding myself more drawn to this tea than I would be to a box of chocolate covered cherries.
Not that I dislike chocolate covered cherries … it’s just that I find them a bit too cloying. But that is where this tea and the confection begin to part ways. While this tea is sweet, it isn’t overwhelmingly so. I think the Schizandra berries provide just enough tartness to the cup to cut through some of the sweeter notes.
The chocolate is a dark chocolate flavor. It is rich and smooth. The cherry flavor is sweet, and I can also taste a hint of that distinctive floral note from the rose. Together these components make for a deliciously rich, chocolate-y treat.
The black tea base is a fairly mellow, smooth-tasting tea. While it does not lend a strong, stand-out flavor to the cup; it does provide a delicious flavor that enhances the complexity of the chocolate tones very nicely.
This tea is plenty sweet on its own – it needs no additions. Of course, if you like a sweeter tea, a little sugar won’t hurt it. And if you like a creamier tea, milk would be very nice in this tea as well. A delicious indulgence any time of the day!
My Cheap Hubby Tea from The White August Tea Company
Tea Type: Black Tea
Where To Buy: The White August Tea Company
Product Description:
Is your man too cheap to buy you roses and chocolates? Don’t be mad, enjoy all your favorites in this delicious black tea with dark chocolate, sweet creamy cherries, rose petals and Schizandra berries. This Tea comes in a stylish tin and includes T-sacs, so you can enjoy your Tea on the Go. 50g Tin.
Tasters Review:
Chocolate Covered Cherries.
Need I say more?
I probably should considering this is a tea REVIEW site. I should probably elaborate, huh?
The aroma of this one is out of this world! Chocolate Covered Cherries to a TEA (pardon the pun.)
The Black Tea strength was comparable to a medium strength black. The Dark Chocolate flavor was genius but not too much to handle…it blended very well with the other flavors! The Cherry was NOT bitter or tart but juicy and really made you think you were consuming a chocolate covered cherry! The Schiandra berry flavor was more noticeable as the tea cooled or if you were to have it iced. And the creaminess chimed in on the aftertaste more than anything else.
This is a FAB Flavored Black Tea! Tea-riffic!
