Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: Zhi Tea
Tisane Description:
Apple cider tea. A new twist on an old favorite. Created by one of our ambitious and talented employees here at Zhi, this honeybush based herbal tea has a nice, soothing mellow flavor profile. Chock full of organic apple bits and cinnamon, the aroma is at once familiar and comforting. A zero caffeine beverage for any time of day or year, but especially great during the fall and winter as the days a darker, the air is cooler, and you just want to sit with a calming, flavorful cup of a gorgeous herbal tea.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
Yum! I’ve tried several teas that have attempted to capture the essence of apple cider, but I think that this Apple Cider Honeybush Tea from Zhi Tea has nailed it. I had my doubts as I was brewing it, of course, because there’s coconut in the blend (really, coconut!) and I couldn’t help but wonder what the shreds of coconut were doing in this tea.
But, it all melds together in a really delicious way. I noticed the coconut prominently in the first two sips, but after that, the coconut seemed to move off into the background and married with the other flavors, becoming more of a unified creamy and sweet note than a distinct coconut flavor.
Now I taste apple cider. The apple notes are sweet, and there are notes of spice from the cinnamon and cloves. The honeybush is not a strong, distinguished flavor, but it adds an interesting accent to the earthiness of the spices. The vanilla tones balance everything out, offering a flavor that is not so much vanilla, but more like the aforementioned coconut, it becomes seamless with the other flavors in the cup, bringing out the sweetness of the drink.
This is a delicious, autumnal honeybush blend. It’s something that I can see myself drinking on a regular basis!
Witches’ Brew Chai Blend from 52Teas
Chai Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Chai Description:
Thanks to LiberTEAS for the idea for this blend (and no, I’m certainly not calling her a witch of any sort; that’s just what this blend brings to mind for me). LiberTEAS wanted a smoky chai blend with some additional spices, so we blended some of our premium black tea base with some extra assam and some lapsang souchoung (smoked black tea), ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, clove, star anise, nutmeg and cumin along with some organic flavors. The result is a smoky, spicy treat that will warm you to your bones. Get yours today while they last.
Learn more about this chai here.
Taster’s Review:
Now, that’s what I’m talking about!
If you read the above description, you’ll see that I suggested this blend to Frank (the Chief Zoomdweebie over at 52Teas), and he made it for me and called it Witches’ Brew Chai Blend. He wanted to express to me that he in no way thinks I’m a witch, but I told him that it’s perfectly fine to think of me as such … I’ve been called worse! Ha!
Back when I was still blending teas, I created what I considered the perfect chai. I know I’ve told that story more than once. I spent over a year creating the perfect recipe. One of the ingredients that was a MUST for my chai back then was cumin seeds. I would even toast the cumin seeds myself, because it brought out such a lovely, warm, slightly smoky flavor. And of course, I never forgot the nutmeg, which I would freshly grind into the blend.
But one spice that I didn’t include in my chai was star anise. This is a spice that I didn’t become well acquainted with until after my blending days were over, and I have since fallen in love with the spice and it’s licorice-y tones. So, when I asked Frank to create this blend, I wanted star anise in there too. I thought that the star anise, together with the other spices and the smoky notes of Lapsang Souchong … would be … absolutely divine.
And I was not wrong.
This is as perfect a chai as I’ve ever tasted since I stopped blending my own. I love the star anise, I love that it is warm and spicy and there is a complexity within the spice notes. I love that I taste the rich, malty tones of the black tea base, and the way the smoky notes of the Lapsang Souchong meld with the licorice-y notes and the spice.
I love it served non-latte with a teaspoon of turbinado sugar to enhance the spices. It also makes a spectacular latte, just add a splash of milk or cream. Do take care not to add too much milk to the cup because the dimensions of flavor from the spices is really amazing … and too much of the creamy stuff will obscure that. Just a little bit of milk or cream to bring out the malty notes of the Assam will make a devilishly delicious chai latte!
And this chai is perfectly named too. One taste of this and it evokes thoughts of a great big cauldron over a pit fire, and a cloaked figure stirring the brew. This is SO SO SO good.
This is, hands down, my favorite chai from 52Teas yet … and certainly one of my top favorite chai blends of all time! It’s awesome!
Red Hot Chai Rooibos Blend from The Tea Spot
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: The Tea Spot
Tisane Description:
This strong spiced chai kicks the cold away with the season’s boldest flavors: red rooibos, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, chai spices and a kiss of vanilla come together in this complex yet balanced herbal chai tea. Naturally caffeine-free and high in antioxidants and minerals, Red Hot Chai’s rooibos base provides health benefits and a mild honey sweetness to compliment the bold flavors of a traditional masala chai. Absolutely decadent when made with steamed milk as a chai tea latte (click here and then click on the “recipe” tab toward the bottom right of the page for the chai latte recipe!), Red Hot Chai is sure to please palates any time of day this season.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
You might have noticed that I’ve been drinking a lot more chai teas lately. The reason is simple: chai blends are my favorite teas this time of year. The heat from the spices warm me from the inside out, and when it’s chilly outside, I need something warm and tasty to sip! And this Red Hot Chai Rooibos Blend from the Tea Spot fills the bill.
This is a very cinnamon-y blend, reminding me a lot of the red hot candies. But I’m not minding that because I love those little red hots! I also notice notes of ginger and cardamom as I sip, and there is a creamy undertone from the vanilla. I think that the vanilla note is my favorite thing about this blend … I like the way it melds with the spicy to give the cup a sweet, creamy yet spicy taste.
I don’t taste a heavy “rooibos” flavor here, and that’s just fine with me. I do taste a little bit of nutty background notes, but none of that weird sweetness or the sour wood note that I sometimes taste with rooibos. This is a really tasty tisane, the kind of tisane I like to curl up to on a chilly autumn evening. And The Tea Spot is one of my favorite companies to deal with as a consumer, because their customer service is TOP notch!
As a special incentive to our readers, you can get 15% savings off any order placed with The Tea Spot between now and December 15th! Just use the coupon code hotTEAs in the coupon field at check out and enjoy your savings! That’s a great way to save a little bit of green this holiday season!
And … check this out! Right now, The Tea Spot is currently offering a FREE sample giveaway! Awesome right? They are also running a Facebook promotion where you can win Free Tea for a Year! Now, that’s the way to kick off the new year … with FREE TEA!
Chocolate Chai Rooibos Blend from Red Leaf Tea
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
This red tea combines the tangy flavor of ginger with the citrus notes of cardamom, to produce a chocolate chai with a taste like no other. With an inherent sweetness that is perfectly blended with spicy warmth, chocolate chai offers the dark sumptuousness of chocolate chips with the smoothness of rooibos tea. With two well-known antioxidants, this is a dessert tea that is a treat in the evening or in the morning!
Learn more about this rooibos chai here.
Taster’s Review:
Hmm … this Chocolate Chai Rooibos Blend from Red Leaf Tea is tasty. It isn’t an overly spicy tisane, but the spices are warming and certainly agreeable on this chilly autumn day.
Let’s start with the chocolate, shall we? Because, if you’ve read many of my articles, you are probably well aware of my fondness for chocolate. Here, the chocolate is not as rich as I would like it to be. Then again, seldom do I find a chocolate tea that satisfies me with it’s level of chocolaticity. (Yes, it’s a word, I just made it up.) That said, there is certainly some chocolate notes here but it isn’t as rich and decadent as I would want a tea that calls itself a “Chocolate Chai.” But I am enjoying what chocolate there is here.
The spices are pleasing. I think that the spice level here is one that most people could enjoy – even those that tend to shy away from spicier teas. This isn’t what I’d call hot or spicy. There is some peppery warmth from the ginger, and the cardamom adds an exotic element to the cup.
The rooibos base is nutty and adds a nice dimension of flavor to these other ingredients. I’m not always happy when I can actually taste the rooibos flavor in a blend, but, here it’s working for me. The nutty tones work well with the earthiness of the spices and the sweet, creamy notes of the chocolate.
A tasty blend. Not my favorite “chocolate chai” that I’ve tasted, but, it’s pretty good, and a nice cuppa to cozy up to on a chilly evening when you don’t want to be drinking a more caffeinated beverage.
PRODUCT REVIEW: Indian Spice Green Tea Infused Sipping Broth from Millie’s Savory Teas
Product Information:
Leaf Type: Green
About This Product:
A snappy blend of curry, spices and green tea. Tastes like your eating at your favorite Indian curry restaurant.
To Learn more about this Millie’s Savory Teas, click here.
To Subscribe to Love with Food, click here.
Taster’s Review:
In my September Love with Food box, I received not one but two new-to-me savory teas from Millie’s Savory Teas to try, including this Indian Spice Green Tea Infused Sipping Broth. Even though I was a little disappointed with the Tomato Basil variety of Millie’s Savory Teas, I still found myself excited at the prospect of trying a couple more of these tea infused sipping broths.
And much to my surprise, I like this Indian Spice flavor much better than I liked the Tomato Basil. I love Tomato, so I expected that to be the one I liked best, but I think that the Indian spices work much better in this tea infused sipping broth concept.
The aroma of the dry “bag” is that of curry, but I also taste the smell of “bouillon” too. You know the smell of the bouillon cubes? Yeah, I smell that salty/savory scent of bouillon. And this broth … is a little on the salty side (don’t salt it before you taste it!) but it isn’t too salty for my taste. I taste a hint of carrot and onion to this too.
It still tastes more like broth than it does green tea … but I can taste more of the green tea here than I did in the Tomato Basil. What’s more, I’m finding this broth to be so soothing and comforting. I think this would make an ideal light meal … perhaps with a piece of fruit.
This sipping broth gets a thumbs up from me. This is one I might buy again!