Tea Smith

Tisane Information:

Leaf Type: Honeybush

Tisane Description:

A unique herb from South Africa, honey bush is slightly sweet and reminiscent of a baked dessert. It’s a great way to cheat on your diet!

Learn more about this tisane here.

Taster’s Review:

I’ll be honest, when I opened this month’s Steepster Select box, I was a little disappointed. Maybe even a lot disappointed.

Inside, there was a package of pure Guayusa, and a package of pure Honey Bush (which is what I’m reviewing right now). Really? Really??? The only package that seemed to be somewhat redeeming in this themed collection – called “New Frontiers” – from Steepster was the Hawaiian-Grown green tea. But even that didn’t really seem worth the $19 bucks a month that this subscription costs.

I mean, okay… I like Guayusa. And I even like honey bush. But in the case of these two leaf types, I find them to be much more enjoyable as flavored tisanes or as part of a blend … especially honey bush. It’s tasty enough as a pure tisane, but, it’s kind of just boring. Not all that exciting.

This is basically what I expect from a honey bush: lightly sweet with nutty tones and a background of wood-like flavor. I find that I notice more of the natural nutty tones and woody notes when it is unflavored, but, that’s not necessarily a good thing. I find that the toasty nut flavor is enjoyable, but, the wood tones can be a bit on the sour side, especially if you steep it for a long period of time.

Fortunately, I didn’t steep it too long, so, I find myself actually enjoying this nutty, honey-sweet tisane, even though I do find myself wishing that there was a little more to this month’s “New Frontiers” box. I do appreciate that it is an organic honey bush, as I find that there is a distinct difference in flavor between organic and conventionally grown honey bush (as well as rooibos). It’s enjoyable, but, just a little ho-hum.

liberteas

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see. Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog! Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!

This post was posted in Honeybush