Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Tulsi & Rooibos
Where to Buy: Fusion Teas
Tisane Description:
A wonderful soothing cup to end a stressful day. The tulsi base calms the stress and has many health benefits that the traditional black tea version does not have. Naturally caffeine free this is especially beneficial as an evening drink.
Taster’s Review:
Normally, I wouldn’t consider a spiced tea to be a “soothing” cup with which to de-stress. But, this truly is a wonderful and soothing cup, just as the description suggests.
The flavors are very calm and gentle. Even the spice notes have their own sense of calmness to them. This is the kind of tisane you want to curl up to on a chilly autumn or winter evening … and it would be especially nice to have on hand when one is feeling under the weather as I am finding it to be quite soothing to my throat. I’m not sick, but I am experiencing my allergies which begin in the late winter/early spring, and they begin with an itchy throat – and I’m finding this to have comforting effect.
Typically, with these orange spice teas/tisanes, they are very heavy on the cinnamon. So, I was surprised (pleasantly so) when the cinnamon was more subtle here, allowing the flavors of the other spices to come through. That is not to say that the cinnamon is not well-pronounced because it is; it just is not the main event. It doesn’t overpower the rest of the spices. Instead, it offers a pleasing warmth that is neither too spicy nor too bland. I like that I can taste each of these spices, as well as a hint of mint from the Tulsi.
The rooibos has a warm, nutty flavor to it. Lightly fruity, it accents the flavor of the orange very nicely. The orange is sweet yet tangy, and I can taste an ever-so-slight apple-y note here as well which serves as more of a sweetness in the distance than anything else.
Overall, this tisane has a mild, delicious flavor that kids as well as adults can enjoy. This is one that I do recommend keeping on hand for when the family has the sniffles – it will bring soothing relief to the aching throats … and it’s much tastier than a cough drop!
PRODUCT REVIEW: Vanilla Chai Tea Mix from Jaipur Avenue
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Jaipur Avenue
Tea Description:
A celebration with delicate fragrances, luxurious cream and soft spice.
Learn more about this chai here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh my goodness … this is like comfort food in liquid form! It is so creamy and delicious.
This Vanilla Chai mix is different from the Original Masala Chai mix in a couple of ways, most notably that this chai is very vanilla-y. I’ve tried several different vanilla chai blends in the past, but, this one takes vanilla to a whole new level.
The spices are more of an accent to the vanilla. In most cases, I’d be disappointed by that, but with this particular chai, it’s hard to be disappointed because it is so good. SO GOOD!
The black tea is noticeable, but, it is somewhat masked by the creaminess of the vanilla and the milky notes. I will say that I found the black tea flavors to develop as I continued to sip, and despite the fact that the flavor was somewhat obscured, this chai definitely has the energizing factor of a black tea.
This would make a good chai mix for someone who likes their chai on the mild side (rather than the spicy), although, I wouldn’t recommend it to someone who dislikes sweet drinks. That’s because this is sweet. It could easily replace a dessert. It has a decadent creaminess to it, like a warm, liquified vanilla spiced custard.
As for me, I absolutely love this. It is incredibly decadent and rich and oh-so-yummy. My sweet tooth highly recommends this one!
Chai Spice Maté from Fusion Teas
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Yerba Maté
Where to Buy: Fusion Teas
Tisane Description:
A spicy take on a traditional Argentinean brew. This fusion of yerba mate, and freshly ground whole cardamom, cinnamon sticks, star anise and ginger bits create a delicious and warming cup. Great iced or with sweetener and a touch of soy milk.
Taster’s Review:
Over the last couple of days, it’s been very windy here in the Pacific Northwest. Windy and chilly! When it’s like this, the chill seems to saturate me, and even my bones feel cold. It’s perfect weather to stay inside and enjoy a hot cup of chai! The warmth of the masala spices helps to warm me from the inside out, and makes me forget all about that howling wind outside.
I like this Chai Spice Maté from Fusion Tea Room very much. The flavors of masala spice and Yerba Maté are balanced very well. The earthy/vegetative quality of the Maté is very prominent, and usually that would be something that I’d find off-putting, but, I’m really enjoying how the earthiness of the Maté and the earthy notes of the spices work together.
The spices are very warm but not what I’d consider spicy. I wouldn’t call them “mild” either, they’re somewhere in between the two – very pleasantly warm and exotic without overpowering the palate with spice. One of my favorite spices is star anise, and I like that the flavor of the anise comes through very nicely here, giving a licorice-y kind of taste that lingers well into the aftertaste.
A wonderfully warm and energizing cup of chai! This one will help get you going!
Rooibos Chai from Jennifer’s Tea Garden
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Jennifer’s Tea Garden
Tisane Description:
Based in organic rooibos, this blend with an invigorating aroma and luxurious spices makes a full-flavored treat! Best with steamed milk. Naturally caffeine free.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
My favorite winter-y tea is chai. Not chai as in tea but chai as in the warm blend of spices combined with tea (or in this case, rooibos and honeybush!) Nothing warms me up better than a delicious chai.
And this one is quite yummy! The “usual” spices are all there: cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and ginger. In this blend, there are a couple of other spices too: anise seed and fennel. These two spices are not as noticeable in the flavor as they are in the aroma, but, they do add just a hint of licorice-y flavor to the cup which is really quite lovely.
One thing that is also a little unusual about this particular blend is that the ginger has a softer flavor than I’m used to with chai. Yes, I can taste that peppery heat from the ginger, but it is more of a mild, gentle kind of heat. It doesn’t have that prickly, peppery effect on the tongue that ginger sometimes has.
The biggest effect that the lighter ginger flavor has on this cup – at least, in my opinion – is that the flavor of the cloves and cardamom are really coming through very distinctly. Especially the cardamom! Citrus-y and exotic, and pleasantly soothing.
I’ve said before that I really like the combination of rooibos and honeybush together. I find that the honeybush helps to curb some of the funkier flavors of the rooibos. The result is a nutty flavor that is honey-sweet, and that’s what I’m tasting here. It compliments the spice tones of this blend quite well.
Overall, a nicely balanced chai that is not too spicy or sweet, but, somewhere in between. I brewed mine extra strong and then added a bit of steamed, frothed milk and it became a dessert-like treat. Sweet and delicious, it didn’t even need honey!
Sugar Plum Cinnamon Spice from Culinary Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Culinary Teas
Product Description:
Our Sugar Plum Cinnamon Spice tea has a rounded sweet plum flavor fused with a blast of cinnamon spice!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Several years ago, I tried my very first sugar plum. It was a delicious confection that I found in an old time candy shop, reminding me vaguely of the sweet jelly candies that are covered in sugar … only tasting of plum instead of orange or lemon. Only a few days ago, I had learned that maybe that sugar plum I tasted back then wasn’t actually a real sugar plum, at least, not a traditional sugar plum. So, I’m back to the point I was before … I’ve never actually tried a sugar plum.
So, I can’t tell you from experience that this tea does or does not taste like sugar plums. But what I can tell you is that it is YUMMY!
The black tea base is a delicious black tea, fairly strong … I’d actually describe it as brisk. It isn’t an overpowering flavor but it manages to make its presence known along with the other flavors without attempting to overwhelm them. It tastes smooth, it isn’t bitter, and it has a moderate amount of astringency to it. A very pleasant black tea providing a solid background of flavor.
The cinnamon is really interesting in this cup, because even though it would appear to be the strongest note in the cup, it isn’t really what I would consider a strong cinnamon flavor. Yes, it’s there, it’s gently spiced, but, it isn’t a powerful amount of spice. It’s more like the flavor of cinnamon you might experience from cinnamon-sugar toast: sweet yet warm, and quite delicious.
I think it is the way that the cinnamon mingles with the plum in this particular tea that makes it so interesting. The plum is sweet, but it doesn’t taste like a fresh plum. It doesn’t taste like a dried plum (or prune). It tastes… actually, it kind of tastes like the candy that I told you about at the start of this review – what I believed at the time to be a sugar plum. It has a fruit candy-like taste to it rather than a fresh fruit or even a dried fruit flavor. There is also a distinct tangy note that lingers in the aftertaste that is definitely plum flavor … it tastes quite a bit like my gramma’s homemade plum jam. Delicious!
What I like best about this particular tea – aside from the memories of my gramma’s delicious plum jam – is that it is incredibly warm and inviting. I found myself shivering a bit this morning, as the temperature has dropped … and this is the tea I reached for. It warmed me from the inside out. This tea is a very comforting experience, like happy moments from childhood warming my very soul.