Product Information:
Where to Buy: Stur
Product Description:
Brewed Black Tea + Lemon – a mouthwatering and naturally sweetened blend of real, brewed black tea and fresh lemons! It just tastes natural, not chemical or processed. Add Stur to your tap water, bottled water, Sodastream/ sparkling water, even cocktails.
Learn more about this product here.
Taster’s Review:
During a recent shopping trip to my favorite produce market, Chucks, I came across a end-cap display of Eternal Bottled Water. Attached to several of these bottles were little trial size packets of Stur products. Most were fruit flavored, but I found a couple of Black Tea & Lemon trial packets, so I grabbed one of those.
These Stur products are similar to the popular “liquid water enhancers” that you can find in most grocery store aisles where juice is sold (or alternatively, where bottled water is sold.) My daughter has recently “discovered” the liquid water enhancers because I’m not fond of her drinking a lot of sugared sodas or fruit juice (which has a lot of natural sugars and really isn’t that much better for her than soda, in my opinion). Sure, I do make tea for her on occasion, but she doesn’t want tea that often, so, I find that these liquid water enhancers – many of which do not contain any sweetener in them – are something I’d prefer for her to drink over the over-sugared soft drinks.
This Stur product does have a sweetener in it: stevia. I would rather that not be in there, because … there’s something off about the stevia in this. Either there is too much stevia in it or the stevia used in this product is a lower quality stevia because I’m tasting chemical-y taste … not just “aftertaste” but chemical while I’m tasting and then chemical that is lingering in the aftertaste.
It reminds me a lot of the drink mix that my step-mother would sweeten with saccharine. Not my favorite taste.
And unfortunately, because of the off tasting sweetener, it’s hard to really talk about the black tea flavor or the lemon. The lemon is there – and it’s a tart, acidic flavor (as if someone squeezed lemon juice into my water bottle). The lemon is actually the best part of this “liquid enhancement.”
I don’t taste a lot of the black tea flavor, and that could be because the sweetener flavor is blocking my ability to really taste the black tea. I don’t know, but I’m finding it hard to enjoy this particular beverage because of the stevia in it.
There is either too much stevia in this or the stevia product used is not a high quality product. I wish I could say that I like this, but I just can’t … because … I don’t. And I feel as though I ruined a perfectly good bottle of Eternal Water.
Spicy Apple Tisane from Tea People
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Fruit & Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Tea People
Tisane Description:
They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away. May we add our own to that ‘an appy a day keeps you happy all day’. The tea is made with luxury dried apple spiced with natural dried ginger, cardamom, pepper and cloves and sweetened with cinnamon and stevia. Add to that beautiful dried petals of cornflower and you have the tea of your dreams! A perfect drink for cold days to spice up your day, it also tastes heavenly as iced tea on a hot summer day.
Ingredients: Natural dried Apple, Hibiscus, Dried Ginger, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Cloves, Pepper, Stevia, Cornflower petals and Natural flavours
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
As I was reading through the ingredient list of this Spicy Apple Tisane from Tea People, I found myself wishing that they didn’t include stevia in this. This is my “usual” complaint when it comes to tea or tisane blends with stevia in it, I personally prefer the option to sweeten or not sweeten, and I prefer to choose my sweetener. Stevia isn’t my favorite sweetener, because it’s one of those things that when overdone … it’s just wrong. That said, I have tried several teas/tisanes that have had stevia in the blend and I liked them just fine, so I’m going to keep an open mind until I’ve tasted it!
Hey – this is pretty good! I do think that the stevia is a little too much, and that it would be better without the stevia, but, I really like the taste of the apple and the spices. It’s kind of like an apple cider with masala chai spices!
The hibiscus is on the lighter side here, and really all it seems to do to this particular blend is add a little color and texture to the brewed liquid. I’m not getting that hibiscus tart from this, and that’s a good thing as far as I’m concerned.
The apple flavor is well-defined, as are the spicy notes. The spices are nicely balanced. I taste ginger, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom, and there is just a hint of pepper to this that sort of tickles the back of the tongue in the aftertaste. I like that the spices are not competing with one another in this tisane and it’s spicy but it’s not overdone. I think that even those who are not generally too keen on spicy teas or tisanes could enjoy this because it’s warmly spiced, but not too spicy.
Overall, a nice tisane. If I were blending it, I would have omitted the stevia, because I think that there is just a little bit too much of it in this blend. It has a slightly “funky” sweetness to it, and while it doesn’t deter from my enjoyment of the drink, I think I’d enjoy it a lot more if the stevia wasn’t there.
Blueberry Jam Organic from David’s Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: David’s Tea
Tea Description:
Blueberries might just be the greatest fruit around – after all, they’re the star ingredient of North America’s favourite muffin. And hundreds of years before moms were making them into jams, jellies and cakes, blueberries were called “star berries” and revered for their healing powers. Another little known fact about blueberries is that they make for one great cup of tea – when you blend them with black tea, elderberries, cornflowers and stevia, it’s the perfect companion to your morning toast. (MK Kosher)
Organic: black tea, blueberries, elderberries, pink cornflower petals, stevia. With organic and natural flavouring*.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Blueberry Jam Organic from David’s Tea sure does not give me the blues! In fact it is exactly what I was craving today.
So I wanted something super dessert like, something really sweet, something fruity, something that would replace the fact I am not eating many “goodies” these days. This was my selection.
I could not resist all those blueberries, the sweet yummy smell of fruity goodness. This is the best next thing to having jam on my toast which I crave every morning but am not allowing myself to have right now. Lately I have been having juicy plump blueberries either in my matcha (they take the place of boba) or just on their own.
This tea from Davids Tea is so good and sweet and I don’t have to add any sugar to it, although I am tempted to just to see how dessert like I can get this tea. I am going to be a good girl though and appreciate the sweet juicy blueberry flavor on its own.
Also I love that this is made with organic ingredients! Oh and did you know how good blueberries are for you? If I could only have one berry in my life I would have to select blueberries as they just have such wonderful health properties and they are so very good!
Toasta Rica from Mad Pots of Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong, Black, Yerba Mate & Rooibos
Where to Buy: Mad Pots of Tea
Tea Description:
Rainforest, Autumn, Rich spice scents, Costa Rica, Full-Bodied, Meditative Toasty, Aromatic, Fruity, Spicy, Exotic, Intense, Earth Tones.
Learn more about getting a tea designed according to your PersonaliTEA here.
Taster’s Description:
This Toasta Rica from Mad Pots of Tea is a PersonaliTEA that was created for my SororiTea Sister, Azzrian! And it is really delicious. I love that I’m tasting all the components here … with the exception of the Stevia … of which I taste very little! Perfect!
As I sit here and sip and peruse the words of inspiration list (which I’ve included as the “Tea Description” above), I realize that this tea really does fit every single one of these words to a TEA! This tea evokes thoughts of the rainforest with its earthy notes and warm, woodsy tones. The spices speak of autumn to me. It is indeed a meditative, toasty, aromatic, fruity, spicy, exotic, intense, Earthy, full-bodied blend of flavors!
I love that I’m tasting the ginger, the allspice, the coriander and the cardamom. I taste a warm, peppery taste to this cup. There are notes of fruit that taste as though they have been baked in spices … like a baked apple that has been liberally spiced. It is toasty and warm … and definitely exotic.
But the best part of this tea for me is the Sarsaparilla. I love it! It adds just a hint of root beer-ish flavor to the cup … and the spices and sweetness of this cup seem to enhance the root-beer-y taste … like one of those gourmet root beers you might pick up in one of the expensive grocery stores.
If you haven’t yet filled out your own PersonaliTEA questionnaire to order your own custom tea … what are you waiting for? It’s fun … and it really is a delight to receive a package from Mrs. Potts! I need to be reordering my own Personalized blend (Anne’s Creative Cup!) because I’ve been out of it for a while now and I miss it!
Key Lime Ceylon from Fusion Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Fusion Teas
Tea Description:
Transport yourself to warm, summer days with the next best thing to a slice of key lime pie. This is a pleasing and healthful black tea blend of lime leaves, lime juice, lime pieces, and sweet candied pineapple. Delicious hot or cold.
Ingredients:organic black tea, black tea, pineapple, natural flavors, lemon peel, lime leaves, stevia, lime juice, lime bits
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Normally when I have a tea with lime flavors in it I end up with an off putting after taste, but that is not the case with this tea from Fusion Teas. To be honest I had lowered expectations for this tea because of that.
Instead what we have is a bright cheery cup of cake like lime goodness. Yes I do realize it is Key Lime PIE blend but to me there is a creaminess I always associate with cake rather than pie but it does have a creamy pie flavor to it.
When you let it cool … oh the real party begins! The flavors just pop and I even detect a slight whipped cream flavor!
I feel that Fusion Teas has really done well with mastering a lime blend that does not leave that funny flavor lingering on my taste buds causing me to make the pucker ick face!
Another issue I often have with blends using stevia is that the sweetness is over done – again not in this blend! Fusion Teas also masterfully blended this so that the sweetening agent does not take over.
The added kick of pineapple may be the key to this wonderful tropical feel. It adds a delicate but not cloying sweetness that is so nice. It is truly refreshing! I will be taking what is left of my sample from my SororiTea Sister Anne, and doing a cold brew.
I plan to stock up on this for summer, while the cold winter months are incoming in my area, it is nice to have something fruity to remind us of the sweet summer sun.
That is what this tea is – sweet summer sunlight, in a cup.
Yum!