Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green (Matcha)
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
Boysenberry is an interesting fruit that greatly resembles a big sized raspberry, loganberry and blackberry. Its sharp and tart taste is mellowed by Matcha’s velvety flavour to make a Boysenberry Matcha treat that blends perfectly into the palate. This richly fruity treat is perfect for those people who want to expand their fruit filled snacks with different fresh new flavours. Boysenberry Matcha can also become a perfect hot weather treat to both cool and excite the palate with its enlivening sharp taste. It forms an interesting addition in the occasions of young children with its interesting reputation for being the surprise fruit-based treat.
Learn more about this Boysenberry Matcha here.
Taster’s Review:
When I realized that Red Leaf Tea had a boysenberry flavored Matcha, I had to get some! I love boysenberries. I attribute this to my childhood … specifically, to all the time I spent at the Knott’s Berry Farm Theme Park in Buena Park, California. I love that place! As a kid, I liked it better there than at Disneyland, and the boysenberries had something to do with that!
Of course, there were a few other factors that made this the place to be when I was a kid. Back then you could feed the ducks at the pond across the street … and then there was the amazing fried chicken from Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant! Well, Mrs. Knott’s not only knew how to fry a chicken, but she sure could make a mean Boysenberry Preserves too (and a great syrup that was used to top the funnel cakes that you could buy just across the way from the Log Ride!)
Boysenberries have a special place in my heart because of Knott’s Berry Farm, and thanks to Red Leaf Tea, I’m able to relive some of the joy that boysenberries brought me in my youth with this Boysenberry Matcha! It is so good! It tastes authentic and just like a tangy, sweet-tart boysenberry, together with the deliciously fresh, lush taste of Matcha!
My “default” selections when it comes to the flavored Matcha from Red Leaf Tea is “starter/basic grade” matcha and distinctive flavoring. This is what I chose for this Boysenberry Matcha as well. I like to be able to taste both the Matcha and the flavoring, and the distinctive level of flavoring seems to really work for my palate. I can taste the tingly berry taste of the Boysenberry, and it tastes so true to the fruit that it tastes as though I might have plucked a few boysenberries off of the vine, immediately pureed it, and stirred the puree in to my chawan! It is sweet and juicy and pleasantly tart.
The flavor of the Matcha is nicely showcased here too. It tastes sweet with vegetative notes, and it has a lovely creamy taste that accentuates the flavor of the berry very nicely. This tastes great served in the traditional style – with hot water whisked into the pre-sifted Matcha until incorporated – but I think it would also make a stunning latte or an excellent addition to a smoothie, so you can bet that I’ll be trying a Boysenberry Matcha smoothie and a Boysenberry Matcha latte very soon!
I love this Boysenberry Matcha – and I think that it would have made Mrs. Knott very proud!
Breakfast Smoothie Honeybush from 52Teas
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tisane Description:
Our latest honeybush blend is a delicious medley of sweet honeybush, freeze-dried orange sections, freeze-dried pineapple, and dried banana slices blended with natural orange, pineapple and banana flavors. It’s a caffeine-free treat you won’t want to miss, perfect for breakfast or anytime.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Well, I’m not drinking this at breakfast time, I generally drink teas with as much caffeine as I can get in the morning, because I need it! Instead, this “Breakfast” Smoothie is a late-night treat, and what a treat it is!
Upon opening the pouch, my nose was greeted with a deliciously fruity scent that reminded me a bit of Juicy Fruit gum. And, when served hot, it actually tastes a bit like bubble gum. It is sweet and fruity and it is satisfying my sweet craving. All that without caffeine, calories or guilt! Winning!
I like that the fruit flavors here are well-balanced. I can taste each element without one overwhelming the other. I can also taste the honey-like sweetness of the honeybush, but not so much of the nutty flavor of the herb, which I think might distract from the “smoothie” aspect of this cup. Frank certainly knew what he was doing when he created this blend … but then, I should not be surprised, because Frank certainly does have a way with honeybush; this blend certainly hits that point home!
Overall, this cup is sweet and a little creamy, and it has just enough tangy flavor to keep it interesting. It doesn’t need any additions at all, it tastes great served straight. And as good as it is hot, it’s even BETTER iced. It’s not quite as sweet as it is when it’s hot … it’s just pure refreshment! I love this!
Green Tea Fruit Smoothie from Ovation Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Ovation Teas
Check out Daily Gourmet’s Special Offer on this tea!
Product Description:
Green tea blended with strawberry pieces, mango, pineapple, marigolds, and globe amaranth with strawberry and mango flavoring.
Taster’s Review:
When I first opened this package, I had intended to only brew a cup of the tea to drink hot. I hadn’t expected it to smell so INCREDIBLE! As a result of the breath-taking aroma, I am now brewing enough to have for iced tea tomorrow afternoon.
This tea is appropriately named, it smells like a fruit smoothie. The flavor is ambrosial. Sweet, fruity, and with just enough tarty fruit taste to keep it interesting.
The green tea base is – surprisingly – not obscured by this fruity combination. It tastes fresh and light, like the air in a lush, green forest. It is not overly vegetal, though, but has enough grassy taste to remind you that this is a green tea and not a fruit punch that you’re drinking.
The strongest flavor that I’m tasting is the mango, followed by a lovely strawberry note. The pineapple is a little more in the background. The flavors are sweet and nectar-like, with a tingly tartness that sits on the tip of the tongue in the finish. This delicious, sweet-tart fruit flavor lingers long after the sip.
I like this served hot or iced – but my preference is iced. It is complete thirst-quenching refreshment.
For a special offer on this tea (and other amazing foodie products!), check Daily Gourmet. For a limited time, you can order Ovation Tea’s Summer Set of Teas for just $15. (That’s a 50% savings!) I recommend getting yourself some of this tea right away, while summer is still here … you’ll be glad you did!
Orange Red Carrot Raw Green Bush Tea from The Republic of Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Republic of Tea
Product Description:
Spot of Sunshine Herb Tea Blended with orange peel, sweet carrot and beetroot bits, raw green rooibos takes on a fresh wake-up flavor. If you could taste sunshine, it just might taste like this. Low in tannins, it steeps a unique, gratifying cup – hot or iced.
Taster’s Review:
This tisane is part of The Republic of Tea’s “Raw Green Rooibos” collection, and it was one I was definitely excited to try. I love carrots, and I’m always intrigued by teas or tisanes that are carrot flavored.
And I’m very happy to say that I’m not the least bit disappointed by this blend! It’s really good. The green rooibos has a more fruity taste to it than the typically nutty-woody tasting red rooibos, and I appreciate that difference in this blend. The sparkling fruity tones to the rooibos accents the orange flavors nicely.
The beets give this a beautiful reddish color as well as a fair amount of sweetness (in fact, if you’re one who routinely sweetens their tea before tasting, I would recommend tasting this one first, because you may find that it is sweet enough on its own). The carrot flavor is sweet and earthy, while the orange flavor lends a hint of tartness and a juicy taste to this – it almost tastes like a breakfast smoothie (but without the thick, ice-y texture!) and is just as refreshing. It also has a very revitalizing quality to it. It is naturally caffeine-free so it’s a great way to get that energy boost without caffeine.
I’ve really enjoyed the three varieties of The Republic of Tea’s Raw Green Teas that I’ve tried – and I think this one might just be my new favorite. It’s awesome!
Matcha Lychee from Teaopia
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green (Matcha)
Where to Buy: Teaopia (although this product appears to have been discontinued)
Product Description:
Our lychee Matcha gives a sweet-fruity flavour to this traditional powdered Green Tea. Those new to the art of drinking Matcha may find this tea a good place to start.
Taster’s Review:
I have had this Matcha for a while now, and it has been my go-to Matcha when I want a smoothie. I love the hint of lychee that it adds to my smoothies!
But this Matcha isn’t only good for smoothies… it’s really quite delicious on its own, whisked in a chawan just like a typical Matcha. The flavor is sweet and the lychee fruit adds a wonderful dimension of flavor to it. The Matcha is vegetative and smooth. It coats the palate with a creamy, sweet taste of fruit and grassy taste. Delicious!
Matcha can be somewhat of an acquired taste and for those of you who want to acquire a taste for it, I recommend starting with a flavored Matcha. The vegetative flavor is not quite as intense with flavored Matcha, and it will help ease you into the experience.
Once you do acquire a taste for it, though, I guarantee you will not want to turn back. Matcha is better for you than other tea types because you consume the whole leaf. But, honestly, I don’t drink Matcha for the health benefits – they are a bonus! I drink it because I love the taste! It’s really delicious!