Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Decaffeinated Black
Where to Buy: Dammann Freres
Tea Description:
Coming from the ‘Little Cristal’ collection, Cola is a decaffeinated black tea with a cola flavor that children have so dear.
At tea time, a flavored tea to enjoy the “Five O’clock” like grown people.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Prior to trying this blend, I’ve had exactly three cola flavoured teas: Cola Matcha from Red Leaf Tea, Cherry Cola & Cake from Della Terra Teas, and DAVIDsTEA’s Cherry Cola black tea. I remember that so specifically because all of them were super memorable experiences, and not for a good reason. In fact, DT’s Cherry Cola blend may actually be the worst black tea I’ve ever had. Cola just seems to be something that doesn’t apply well to tea, so I’m going into this tasting with extreme reservation and fairly low expectations.
I probably wouldn’t have purchased this one at all if it weren’t for the fact I got some in a group order, and therefore got to pick up a small size of it. It also helps it’s from Dammann Freres – I’ve yet to really find a “flop” from them, though there have been a few blends that just didn’t click because of personal taste. I have faith that if any company can pull off a cola tea they’re likely to be the ones to do it.
I’m cold brewing this – I just personally think that cola flavor kind of only works cold. I’ve had hot coke before (it was a dare) and it didn’t go over well. I have to say, the dry leaf of this smells pretty wonderful. It definitely conveys the smell of coke without any of the chemical/artificial qualities that I’ve experienced with every other coke tea. I don’t know how they do it! There’s even a whiff of vanilla to the smell as well!
I’ll come right out and say it; this is easily the best cola tea I’ve had. Simply put, it tastes like those shimmery silver cola ball candies that are basically pure sugar – though not as cloying as you’d imagine. There’s a really nice freshness to the tea and more natural notes as well like very mild citrus and possibly also pear. It’s ‘fancy’ cola ball candy! Definitely no sweetened needed with this one though; it’s just barely treading the line between natural sweet and ‘cavity’ sweet. I like that the base is also pretty strong, but not overly brisk. The fact it’s decaffeinated is a huge plus – as a generalization black tea is my favourite type and being limited with how much I can drink at night without the jitters is definitely a concern of mine; this will fit seamlessly into my evening routine.
I can totally see why this is marketed towards children as well; it’s something familiar flavor-wise, definitely sweet enough on its own, obviously healthier than actually giving a child a bottle of Coke, and what parent is going to complain about the lack of caffeine!?
My opinion on cola teas has been completely changed; and I’m already imagining interesting ways to try this one: tea soda, as a latte (because ‘floats’), and possibly even hot…
Juicy Orange Pu’erh from DAVIDsTEA
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu’erh & Black Tea
Where to Buy: DAVIDsTEA
Tea Description:
Something magical happens when you combine rich, earthy pu’erh with sweet, juicy orange. Somehow the result is so much more than the sum of its parts – deliciously fresh and fruity, yet undeniably good for you. Whether you sip it hot or over ice, it’s super-soothing and addictively refreshing. With a tea this happy in your arsenal, who knows what else might go your way? Things are looking cup…
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is a relatively new offering from DAVIDsTEA and it appears to be a part of their regular line up of teas, and not a limited edition seasonal blend or from one of their constant limited edition collections. It’s nice to see the company expanding their Pu’Erh offerings, though I was skeptical about this one even before seeing other people review it; it seems relatively similar to their Garcinia Goodness blend.
Reviews on this one seem to be fairly polar, and I was actually relatively sure I’d land on the side of people who dislike this blend. This smells very juicy, and tangerine-like dry though. Enough so that I didn’t let my prejudice get the better of me and I picked up a small sample in store to try.
Steeped up this actually isn’t anything like I thought it’d taste. Which I suppose is good because, like I’ve already expressed, I was doubtful this would be that good. There’s a sparkling effervescence to this blend. Right off the bat it comes through clear as crystal in the smell and is capture very well in the taste as well. I can see it making a phenomenal tea soda!
I’m really, really tasting the tangerine in the blend which is so lovely and different from a lot of citrus heavy blends. The regular orange flavour is quite strong too and has a wonderful, fresh taste but it’s not nearly as interesting as the tangerine. Overall the flavour reminds me loosely of orange tic tacs? Sweet, candy orange with a little bit of tang to it. Surprisingly I don’t really taste anything that particularly reminds me of hibiscus? That’s certainly a relief. Maybe there’s not a lot of it in the blend, or it just blends into the tangerine really well.
As for the base; it’s hard for me to believe this is pu’erh or black tea (the blend uses both). It’s just really light overall and the flavourings are really the focus here. I suppose I do taste the pu’erh just a little though; there’s a rawness to the fruit that tastes a little earthy in the finish. The mouthfeel of this one is nice too; kind of thick with that sparkling quality.
I’m pleasantly surprised by the blend. I didn’t buy a lot but I’ll be able to have a few more cups and if they’re like this one at all I could, in fact, see this as a blend I’d buy more of! It seems like it’d work as an iced tea as well, so it could be a wonderful spring or summer companion.
Chai Cola from Kally Tea
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Kally Tea
Tisane Description:
Okay all you cola lovers out there; this is what you have been looking for. A great healthy alternative to carbonated cola drinks. This chai starts off with a Rooibos base, then we mix ginger root, cinnamon, green cardamom and a hint of vanilla flavor. Excellent either brewed with water alone or in the traditional Chai method. What a divine substitute.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
It’s not that hard to get me really excited about a tea. I get excited about tea every day! But, it’s a little more difficult to get me excited over a tisane, particularly a rooibos tisane. I just don’t really like rooibos enough to get really pumped up about it.
But this is really REALLY good.
The nutty flavor of the rooibos melds so seamlessly with the flavors of the spice and the cola notes that I hardly notice it as rooibos. That’s quite a feat. For me to actually like a rooibos blend usually either the rooibos needs to just work with the flavors at hand, or the flavors need to be strong enough to overwhelm the rooibos so I don’t taste the rooibos. Here, though, the nutty sweetness of the rooibos comes together with the flavors of the cola and the spices in such a way that the rooibos isn’t exactly overwhelmed … it just becomes part of the blend in just the right way.
The cola flavor translates well here, and it goes together with the spices in a very nice way. The spices energize the cola flavor, rather than offer a hot-spicy kind of taste. The spices are warm but in a very gentle way, kind of like what you might expect in a chai cola, where the cola is the main flavor and the spices accent it.
I really enjoyed this cuppa – this is one that I’d be happy to have again and again!
PRODUCT REVIEW: Chai Cola from Natural Brew
Product Information:
Product: Chai Cola – a bottled, micro-brewed soft drink from Natural Brew.
Where to Buy: New Seasons Market or where Natural Brew products are sold.
Product Description:
Chai is the Hindi word for “tea,” a centuries-old beverage often mixed with a complex blend of spices. By using only the finest natural ingredients, Natural Brew® Chai Cola offers a spicy, aromatic pleasure accompanied by a unique and refreshing taste.
Learn more about Chai Cola here.
Taster’s Review:
As some of you may be aware, I’m not only a tea fanatic, but somewhat of a foodie too. I write about my foodie adventures on another blog, and I even subscribe to the Foodzie monthly tasting box. Every month, we choose from three different boxes with different themes. In February, I selected the Valentine’s Box which was loaded with chocolate goodies (did I mention that I’m also a chocoholic?), but there was one product in another box that really piqued my interest: Chai Cola. Since that time, I’ve been on a mission to find some Chai Cola so that I could try it.
I don’t know if the Chai Cola that was in the February “Movie Night” box was from Natural Brew, but, when I found a four-pack of this cola in New Seasons yesterday, I had to have some! And while I don’t drink cola or soda on a regular basis (you may have noticed that I drink a lot of tea instead), I really like what I’m tasting here!
This has a totally different taste from most commercial sodas on the market today. It actually tastes as though it was made with care, rather than mass produced, a result, perhaps, of the micro-brew process. As a result, I find that this is a beverage with more flavor, and less of a syrupy sweet concoction that inundates the palate with sweetness rather than anything of substance.
It is sweet, of course (sweetened with cane juice), but after the first couple of sips, I find that the spices of the chai really start to come alive, and help offset the sweetness of the beverage. I taste hints of ginger, a little cinnamon and even some clove in there! It doesn’t taste overly spicy, but it has a gentle spiced tone that contrasts pleasantly with the sweetness of the cola.
And then there is the tea! I was actually surprised to read in the ingredients list that it is a decaffeinated tea that they use, I suppose that the “cola” part of this already has caffeine in it and the caffeine of the tea might have been too much? I don’t know what their thinking was when selecting the tea. But that being said, it doesn’t taste like a decaffeinated beverage, nor do I get a chemical-y taste from the decaffeinated tea … but I do taste tea. Of all the flavors that I do taste here, the tea is perhaps the mildest of them, but I can definitely taste it.
Overall, I find this to be a very delicious cola … I still prefer tea, but, for a soda … this is definitely my cup of tea!
