Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Dammann Freres
Tea Description:
This blend of black teas from China and Ceylon; flavoured with rhubarb and wild strawberry and scattered with cornflower and sunflower petals gives a fruity note to the infusion. It can be savoured iced too. Brewing time : 4 to 5 minutes
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Jardin Bleu from Dammann Freres is fruity but light, not overpowering with artificial flavors. Quite smooth, and a wonderful strawberry flavor with a tangy zest. Second steep is also delicious!
The aroma is scrumptious! It smells exactly of sweet juicy strawberries and tart rhubarb. Yet it is not puckering tart at all.
Jardin Bleu also has the perfect touch of sweetness, no additives necessary, although a splash of milk does make it develop into a creamy dessert tea!
I am very thankful to have received a generous sample from a Steepster friend.
There is a resemblance to bubble gum both in the flavor and aroma of this tea, even more so when it cools, but its just so wonderful to sip on as an afternoon tea.
Jardin Bleu reminds me of a “ladies” tea and I can imagine sitting around a big linen clothed table with an assortment of fine china filled with yummy tarts, cakes, and scones sipping politely – although I would be the one with sugar paste all over my face dribbling tea on my fancy dress.
Love Affair Rooibos Blend from Defthlesen & Balk
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Amoda Teas
Tisane Description:
Maybe it’s the unusual addition of rhubarb, maybe it’s the cute little candy hearts… but there is something making this a chocolate and strawberries blend like no other. It’s creamy, chocolate-y, fruity and honeyed without being overly sweet. You could sip this with your V-day dessert and not go into a sugar coma.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Learn how to subscribe to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
This is the second of the three teas/tisanes that I received in this month’s Tea Tasting Box from Amoda Teas. (Have you subscribed yet? You can do so with the link above, and you really should! It’s really fun to receive a package form Amoda Teas!)
I admit to finding myself a wee bit disappointed by this Love Affair Rooibos Blend from Defthlesen & Balk. Oh, it tastes alright, but, it’s not quite as good as I hoped for. When I see “Chocolate and Strawberries” in the description, I’m hoping for some seriously yummy tea. You know what I mean?
And I must confess that I am a little spoiled, because for Valentine’s Day this year, my hubby bought me a dozen chocolate covered strawberries. So, my tasting of this tisane comes off of indulging in juicy, ripe strawberries that had been generously coated in various types of chocolate (some were dark chocolate, others were milk chocolate and some had white chocolate drizzle) … and they were just sinfully decadent.
And … unfortunately, this tisane just isn’t nearly as decadent. The rooibos blend tastes mostly of strawberries and rooibos, and the result is a nutty, sweet, fruity, tisane with hints of chocolate. The strawberry tastes sweet with a tartness that reveals itself in the aftertaste … the tart notes are further accentuated with the rhubarb … even so, this is definitely more sweet than tart. (That is a good thing in my opinion!)
The chocolate is rather subtle, and a bit too subtle in the opinion of this chocoholic. If someone says chocolate … I want CHOCOLATE. I don’t want hints of chocolate. I don’t want a subdued undertone of chocolate. I want CHOCOLATE. And I’m not getting that here. As the tisane continues to cool, I notice the chocolate a little more, but it never becomes a strong enough flavor to please my chocoholic palate.
The rose presents a very gentle floral note, and I do like that … it’s a nice contrast to the sweet and fruity notes. Overall, a pleasant enough cup, it just doesn’t live up to my expectations.
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Flavored Honeybush from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
As for this week’s tea, imagine homemade Strawberry Rhubarb Pie, encased in a delicious buttery pastry, full of sweet strawberries and tangy rhubarb. Now imagine that in a comforting mug or icy tumbler full of caffeine- and calorie-free honeybush. Can you imagine it? Well, you don’t have to imagine it, you can order it now.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Mmm! I’m pretty sure I’ve said this before, but I haven’t ever had rhubarb (except for rhubarb flavored teas) … at least, not to my recollection. I am pretty sure that I’ve never had Strawberry Rhubarb pie. But if this Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Flavored Honeybush from 52Teas is any indication of what I’m missing, I think I need to try some soon!
This is really tasty! The nutty, sweet flavor of the honeybush is not a strong, distinct flavor but, I do notice it, and it melds nicely with the slightly buttery taste of the tisane … giving it a sort of freshly baked pastry shell kind of flavor.
The strawberry tastes sweet … in fact, it might be a tad too sweet for me to say that it tastes of authentic strawberry … it tastes a bit more like a glazed strawberry or like the strawberries that my gramma would mash with sugar for strawberry shortcake. There is a tart note to this too, but it isn’t that “berry tart” … so I can only presume that the tartness comes from the rhubarb. The aftertaste imparts a slight “berry tingle” on the tip of my tongue.
I find that I like the fruit taste here … it is smooth, sweet and delicious. It doesn’t really POP as a strawberry flavor … the strawberry is more of a smooth, soft flavor, and again, I can only presume this is due to the rhubarb presence. But I do find this to be an enjoyable tisane, one that is nice to sip later in the evening when I want something sweet and dessert-like. I like this one … it’s not my favorite from 52Teas, but, I’m enjoying it.
Nina’s Paris from Nina’s Paris
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Nina’s Paris
Tea Description:
Blood orange, peach, strawberry, cherry,
This tasty blend will fill you with its exquisite fruity flavour. Orange, peach, strawberry and cherry brightened with sunflowers to please all tastes.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Nina’s Paris from Nina’s Paris tea company is their signature tea.
Upon steeping Nina’s Paris provides a lovely colored cup of an amber burnt orange hue.
The aroma is delightfully fruity with orange essence being most prominent.
The initial sip evokes the cherry flavors in such a pleasant way. Nothing like a medicinal cheery or artificial cherry flavor. As a matter of fact the flavors in this tea are delicious and quite natural with no residual “oily” look or texture floating on top of the cup. In fact the tea is so clear that I am highly pleased as I anticipated some type of oils from all the varied flavorings.
The best way to describe the flavor of this tea is sunny. It will bring a smile to your face. With all the different flavors one may think it is very powerful or strong on the palate but it truly is not. Its flavorful without being overwhelming and has a graceful subtlety.
It is wonderful how lovely the flavors meld, I can distinctly pick up all flavors of peach, strawberry, and cherry, and they blend in harmony.
I do believe this would make a scrumptious iced tea although you would want to use plenty of extra leaf to get it strong enough. It is a cheery, bright, sunny, yummy cup of fruity goodness!
Strawberry Mango Green Tea from Trail Lodge Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Trail Lodge Tea
Tea Description:
This a Trail Lodge Tea Blend. It combines strawberries, mangos, and green tea. It makes a refreshing and fruity iced tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Strawberry Mango Green Tea from Trail Lodge Tea smells INSANELY good! From the moment I opened the pouch, I can’t seem to stop smelling it. The dry leaf smells sweet and fruity and fresh … reminding me of fruit candy. And as the tea brewed, it filled my kitchen with the luscious aroma of strawberry and mango. The brewed tea smells much less like “candy” and more like fruit. Still very sweet, but not quite as sugary sweet as the dry leaf. (Hey, I’m not even complaining about the sugary sweetness … I’ve got a sweet tooth that was trying to convince me to just start munching on the dry leaf!)
With as good as the tea smells, I was sure that the tea tasted good too. I mean, if it only tastes half as good as it smells, I knew I’d love this. And fortunately, it does taste as good as it smells. The flavor is sweet strawberry with hints of tartness from the berry … luscious and tropical from the mango, and the green tea tastes sweet and fresh.
The strawberry is the most prominent flavor, but, the mango comes in strong as well. It’s almost an even balance of the two flavors, but I think it’s in the aftertaste where the strawberry ultimately wins out, because I taste that tingly berry note in the aftertaste. You know that sensation you taste and feel on your tongue after you’ve eaten a fresh berry? Yeah, that.
The green tea is a little overpowered by the flavors here, but it can be tasted, and it adds a certain buttery creaminess to the cup that melds well with the fruit flavors. It also adds a light vegetative note that I notice especially toward the finish. There is very little astringency to this cup, and no bitterness. Just wonderfully sweet, delicious, fruity taste.
The flavors are indeed sweet … it is almost too sweet. Some might find cloying, but, as for me, I love the sweetness. But I do recommend trying this one before you add sweetener because I think it’s plenty sweet without any addition. It is a perfect sweet-tooth kind of treat when you’d rather not over-indulge in something fattening!