I really love this tea. It is one of my favorite rooibos offerings and I was heartbroken when I ran out, especially because I accidentally forgot to boil the water and wasted the remainder of the leaf by steeping it in cold water. Granted this tea is sold by a Toronto company with a website and a storefront so I had access but I never made it to the store and didn’t have interest in enough teas to hit free shipping. I lucked out though because I came across the Tealish booth at the One of a Kind show which meant I got to replenish my stash of this blend.
At the booth, I noticed this was being marketed as an iced tea. I have only had it as a hot tea, which has a crisp strawberry flavored that is tamed by smooth kiwi flavor. The green rooibos is so mellow that the fruity flavors just shine. It is a great caffeine free option for all seasons when hot but if Tealish recommends icing it, who am I to say no? Plus, it is a summery tea that I imagine would be nice for icing when the weather heats up.
Drinking it now, I would say the iced cup is still refreshing and fruity, but I think I still prefer this tea hot. The flavors are flatter iced, with the strawberry not being as sharp and the kiwi fading into the background. The base is more present which isn’t necessarily bad but the true stars here are the fruit flavors and the overpowering presence of the base is dampening their fruity contribution.
Ultimately I still love this tea and I might ice it if I really want something to cool down with in the summertime but at the end of the day, this excels as a hot cup and I will probably continue to prep it that way in the future.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Tealish
Description
Drink this tea and you’ll feel like you’ve just been sprinkled with fairy dust, it’s so good. With notes of strawberry and kiwi, this blend of green rooibos, apple, strawberry, kiwi, orange blossoms, elderflower, and mistletoe, is our favourite way to escape to never never land once (or twice) a day.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Southern Belle from Tealish. . . . . .
Tealish is a loose leaf tea store operating out of Toronto, Canada. They have a great variety of blends inspired by everything from desserts to the many flavors Canada has offer (maple, prairie berry, etc.). Personally I absolutely adore their caffeine free selection; awesome fruit teas and some of the best rooibos teas I have come ever come across (I am looking at you, Fairy Dust Rooibos!).
This blend is one of the many fruit teas by Tealish I like to keep around, especially in the summer. This tea has a focus on stonefruit and unlike others that have tried and failed, it is not overly sweet/cloying. I think there is a tendency to go the peaches-and-cream route when making teas like this and incorporating that cream element often means adding sweeter ingredients and throwing the flavors out of balance. Tealish instead uses a variety of fruits to get that peachy/apricot sweetness while maintaining balance with hibiscus.
With that said, the hibby tartness does take over a bit in the hot brew, as tends to be the case with so many other fruit teas. As a result, this may not be for everyone. One other issue I have noticed with the hot tea is, at times, the fruits can come off a bit waxy. Consequently I enjoy this best iced or as a teapop but the hot cup is still a welcome alternative to the monotonous fruit options offered by so many other companies.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Tealish
Description
The taste of sweet Georgia peaches and juicy apricots combine for an herbal tea that’s just peachy! Real pieces of apricot, peach, apple, pineapple, and elderberries mixed with lemon zest, hibiscus flower, and marigold blossoms.
Southern Belle herbal tea makes an amazing iced tea!
BREWING INSTRUCTIONS: Fruit tea can be steeped for as long as you like. We recommend steeping Southern Belle for 4-6 minutes in boiling water. Use 1 tsp loose leaf tea per 6-8oz of water.
INGREDIENTS: hibiscus blossoms, apple bits, raisins, apricot bits (apricot, rice flour), candied pineapple bits (pineapple, sugar), lemon peels, peach bits (peach, rice flour), marigold petals, flavourings
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Oh Christmas Tea from Tealish
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tealish
Tea Description:
A little bit spicy and a little bit sweet, this tea is the perfect treat to share with loved ones over the holidays. Rich black tea is blended with orange slices, cinnamon, cardamom, coriander, cloves, apple pieces, and pink peppercorns.
Taster’s Review:
As I sit here, writing this review, it is July. The sun is shining brightly outside, and the thermometer reads 71°F outside, and I wonder what it will be like when this review actually publishes, as I schedule it for December 13 … a little closer to Christmas.
A Steepster friend sent me a bit of this tea so that I might enjoy a little Christmas in July, and yes, it is very Christmas-y indeed. It is warm with cheery spices and a hint of orange, and while a spiced orange tea is nothing new or out of the ordinary, what I’m liking here is how well-balanced it is. It has a nice, rounded flavor that enlivens the palate with spices that are gently warm – not hot or what I’d call spicy – a touch of delicious, juicy orange and a robust black tea base.
The black tea here is rich yet somewhat understated. It doesn’t attempt to overpower the blend, but it is substantial enough to hold its own and be tasted. It doesn’t taste like it’s just there, barely standing up to the spices somewhere off in the background. It tastes solid and strong without being bitter. It has a mild astringency that complements the orange notes quite well.
The only ingredient that I don’t really taste much of is the apple. I suppose it probably adds a hint of sweetness but a strong sense of apple doesn’t really come through – but then again, I don’t think it is supposed to. It may be there primarily for appearance sake, or as I mentioned, for a hint of sweetness to accent the spices.
A really enjoyable holiday tea – very nice during the holidays, or any time of year that you wish to bring a little bit of the holiday joy to your teacup.
Dreidels & Donuts Tea from Tealish
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tealish
Tea Description:
Who can argue the awesomeness of a holiday where you get to have fun spinning dreidels, winning chocolate coins, and eating jelly doughnuts?! With black tea, creamy chocolate, and luscious strawberries this tea is the perfect partner for those rich Hannukah treats we all love!
Taster’s Review:
NOTE: I wrote this review in Early May, but, I am scheduling it to publish just before the first day of Hanukkah, since it is a holiday/seasonal tea and probably only available during the holiday season.
This tea is so delicious!
The aroma of the dry leaf is so mouthwatering – it smells like jelly doughnuts and chocolate. YUM! Once brewed, the fragrance becomes more subdued, but I can still smell the chocolate and donuts!
The flavor is unbelievably – very much like chocolate and strawberry jelly filled donuts! I get the rich, creamy flavor of chocolate (although, yes, I would like a little more chocolate), the sweet, juicy flavor of strawberry, and even a delicious, baked cake flavor.
And let’s not forget the tea, because I taste that too! It provides a strong background of flavor – robust, malty black tea that mingles well with these tasty dessert flavors.
I’d recommend this tea to everyone – whether they celebrate Hanukkah or not! It is so YUMMY!
Coconut Cream Chai from Tealish
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tealish
Tea Description:
Creamy, coconutty and delicious, this chai blend is pure perfection! Premium black tea, shredded coconut, vanilla, ginger root and cinnamon combine for a new adventure in chai!
Learn more about this chai here.
Taster’s Review:
I was very excited to try this chai. I love chai, and I adore coconut, this tea seemed like a sure thing!
And while it is a tasty chai, I find myself left wanting just a little … more … with this one. The coconut is delicious, and I love the creamy element to this tea. And the black tea offers a good, strong flavor and a nice malty tone that melds beautifully with the creamy notes. It is astringent with a slight bitterness to it, however, I find that the creamy notes seem to soften the blow of the bitterness as I get to mid-sip. Nice.
But, it is when we come to the spices that I’m left wanting. Chai should have a certain kick to it… it doesn’t have to be spicy, but, I do think it needs to have a solid taste to the spices, and I am just not getting that from this cup. Chai should taste like it has a substantial foundation of spice to it, the spices should be the backbone of the blend. And with this cup, the ginger and cinnamon just aren’t filling the bill.
Sure, the ginger has a pleasant peppery taste to it. And the cinnamon tastes warm and cozy and delicious. But, this needs something else. Immediately, I think cardamom and cloves, as these are the “usual suspects” when it comes to chai ingredients. And I think that a little bit of cloves and cardamom would really fill in the gaps that I notice here.
This tastes a bit more like a Spiced Coconut Cream tea than it does a chai. And yes, I know that chai means tea and all that. But, here in Northern America, I think that most of us recognize chai as a spiced tea. And to be called a chai … this needs to have more spices.
Good … but not great. I think it could be great with a reworking of the recipe. As it is, it is certainly enjoyable, and is especially good when served as a latte, but, it could be so much better, and I can’t help but think that Tealish fell just short of the mark on this one.