Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Cuppa Crew Tea Company
Tea Description:
Skip the “real” bubbly and go with this gorgeous tea instead!
We start with our Margaret’s Hope 2nd Flush Darjeeling – the “champagne” of teas – and add a touch of wild strawberries and whipped cream for a cuppa that’s fantastic hot or cold and with or without cream and sugar. You’ll love figuring out which way of prepping it you like best!
A perfect tea to enjoy with (or in spite of) that special someone….
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is a tea I’ve been wanting to try since I read my SororiTea Sister Azzrian’s review of it, because it sounded so incredibly yummy! And my sister was so lovely to send me a sampling of the tea. Thanks, Azzrian!
This Strawberries & Sham-pag-nee Black Tea Blend from Cuppa Crew Tea Company is different from just about every other strawberry tea that I’ve tasted (and I’ve tasted quite a few). And the most notable difference between this tea and other strawberry flavored offerings out there is that the black tea base used for this blend is a Margaret’s Hope 2nd Flush Darjeeling!
The Darjeeling gives this tea a lighter body than the typical Ceylon or other black tea leaf would, and this lighter quality lends a very lively, “bubbly” kind of character to the cup. The Darjeeling is a tad on the astringent side, so I would recommend brewing this tea at a slightly lower temperature (I usually go with 195°F for a black Darjeeling), and brewing it for 2 – 2 1/2 minutes. This will keep it from becoming too astringent. The tea still has a dry quality to it, similar to what you might experience when drinking a dry wine. (Note: I also find that this tea benefits from a minute or two of cooling time so that the flavors can develop)
And the tea does have a wine-like quality to it (hints of muscatel!) and I find that this is very complementary to the strawberry notes. The strawberry is delightfully sweet and offers hints of tartness to it too. There is a creamy undertone to the cup as well, and this adds to the sweetness.
A very lovely and unique strawberry flavored tea. I really enjoyed this one.
The Des Anges from Nina’s Paris
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Nina’s Paris
Tea Description:
Strawberry pieces, vanilla, and strawberry flavors.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The Des Anges from Nina’s Paris is a nice simplistic tea with subtle flavors. I can appreciate the way this tea is not over done with flavorings. I can taste the black tea base, the strawberry, and the vanilla, and none seem to be fighting with another for focus. It is a pleasant cup of tea.
I am not quite sure that it is strong enough to hold up to creamer or sweetener but I think that it would give it a nice kick and jack it up a notch. It is rather a no fuss, simple, enjoy me as I am tea. That is not to take away from the blend, but if you are looking for an in your face flavor, this isn’t it. However if you often time flavored teas too flavorful and prefer a subtle hint of flavor to your tea, then this is bang on!
This tea also is not very sweet, which is nice, a lot of flavored teas are too sweet. This taste a lot more like some fresh strawberries had been infused in the tea with a splash of vanilla flavor. I do not find the vanilla to give the tea as much of a creamy flavor and the mouthfeel is very light as well.
Overall a nice change of pace in a flavored tea.
Berry Chocolate Tisane from Kally Tea
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos & Honeybush
Where to Buy: Kally Tea
Tea Description:
Satisfaction! That’s the feeling that comes to mind while sipping on this berry delight. We start off with a mix of phenomenal honeybush and Rooibos, and then delicately mix in safflowers and marigolds, and just as you would think that’s enough, we take the taste buds to a whole new level by adding strawberry and raspberries with a kick of chocolate to finish! Satisfaction!
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
I have to be honest, I wasn’t too sure about this Berry Chocolate Tisane from Kally Tea after the first couple of sips. Mostly, I was tasting the rooibos and honeybush, and I found myself wondering, where is the berry? Where is the chocolate?
But after the third sip, the berry flavor really emerged! Now, I taste more berry than honeybush or rooibos. It is a lovely berry note too, authentic, it doesn’t taste like artificial berries. It tastes sweet, it tastes tart … it tastes like raspberries and strawberries!
I’ve often said that I like it when tea companies combine rooibos and honeybush together, because I find that these two herbs really complement each other nicely. The honey-esque tones of the honeybush help round out that sometimes funky sweetness from the rooibos, creating a very enjoyable sweet note that requires no additional sweetener. Delightfully nutty, the combination of honeybush and rooibos melds nicely with the berry flavors.
This is definitely more berry than chocolate, and while the chocoholic in me would rather it be the other way around, I am still finding the berry notes in this tisane to be very rewarding. The chocolate takes a little while to sort of develop, it doesn’t really hit the palate until about the third sip, and then it is rather delicate. By mid-cup, there is more chocolate-y flavor, but, it is still not as strong as the berry flavor.
The berry notes are sweet and tart. The tartness lingers in the aftertaste, but it isn’t a pucker-y kind of tart … more like that tingly sensation on the tip of the tongue – as if I had just eaten a fresh berry. The chocolate notes lend a sort of creaminess to the cup, and together with the bright berry flavor… it’s really quite yummy!
This tisane tastes good hot or iced, I am actually liking this better as an iced drink, but that could also be because we’re experiencing some rather warm weather lately and the cold beverage is just so refreshing to sip. It’s nice and comforting when served hot late at night … like a decadent late-night treat, but one that won’t keep you up because it’s naturally caffeine free.
Peach Picnic Green Rooibos Blend from The Persimmon Tree
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Green Rooibos
Where to Buy: The Persimmon Tree
Tisane Description:
Peach Picnic is a colorful, summer fruit-inspired blend of green rooibos tea, strawberries, peaches, and citrus flavors. This incredibly refreshing, nectar-like peach rooibos blend tastes great with a touch of honey, hot or iced.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
Tasty! I generally prefer green rooibos over the oxidized, red variety of rooibos, so when I saw that this Peach Picnic Green Rooibos Blend from The Persimmon Tree was a blend of green rooibos, as well as peach, strawberry and citrus flavors, I was happy to try it.
The cup has a light, refreshing taste. The strawberry and peach notes are sweet and juicy, with just a hint of tartness from the berry. The citrus notes give the cup a tangy, vibrant flavor that brightens the cup. The green rooibos adds a light, sweet taste that is a little nutty and a little woody.
All these flavors come together in a very interesting way. It’s sweet, fruity, and enjoyable. It makes a tasty enough hot drink, but I found that I preferred it iced. It’s very juicy and thirst-quenching!
This is one of those tisanes that you’ll want for the upcoming iced tea season … especially if you’ve got kids! This is a great alternative to over-sweetened sodas! It’s a definite crowd pleaser from The Persimmon Tree. Be sure to “like” them out on Facebook!
Strawberries and Cream Green Tea from Della Terra Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Della Terra Teas
Tea Description:
Strawberries and cream. So creamy, so fruity, filled with berry deliciousness! Just like the classic dessert, this green tea will cover your tastebuds in all the classic flavor you know… Delicious!
Ingredients: Green tea, Lung Ching, Pai Mu Tan, strawberry flavor and bits, cream flavor
Suggested brewing tips:
Serving Size: 1 level tsp./6oz serving
Water Temp: 158-167°F
Steep Time: 1-3 minutes
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The aroma of this Strawberries and Cream Green Tea from Della Terra Teas is best described as Mmmmmmmmmmmmm. Both in the steeped and dry form the smell is nothing short of perfection. Not only the strawberry and the cream scents, but the tea leaves themselves smell amazing!
Now I already knew going in that Della Terra has some of the best flavored teas on the market. For me they are right up top with Butiki Teas, and a handful of other places. This tea, is just indulgent, lovely, delightful, and about another twenty or so adjectives all adding up to bliss!
To be honest, I really am not even focusing on this review right now, this cup is that good! I keep getting sidetracked by the cup, sitting back inhaling in the sweet creamy aromas, enjoying the aroma of the tea leaves caressing my senses with their delicate, but attention grabbing nature. If they made a perfume that smelled like this I wold wear it. People may say I am too old to wear a scent that smells like a carnival, but put me in a pink tutu and parade me around the ring, I am all in with this tea! It reminds me of the fair, or a circus, and all of the sticky sweet smells that go along with it from spun sugar cotton candy, to kids blowing giant bubble gum bubbles, or the smell of funnel cake filling the air. Yet, it is not really all that sweet at all! The flavor of this tea is nothing close to sticky sweet! Its so natural, so pleasing with the grassy buttery tones of the tea, that while I may be taken into this sweet intoxicating world in my imagination, I am not putting that junk into my body! What could be better!?
Sorry I must end my review here and really sit back and lavish in the rest of my cup.