Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Teas & Botanicals
Tea Description:
Originally designed as a loose leaf ice tea blend, but great served either hot or iced. Blend of three flavored black teas producing sophisticated nectar with hints of cinnamon and citrus.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
When I hear (or read) the word “Ambrosia,” a very distinct image pops into my head. That of a fruit salad composed primarily of canned fruit, fresh sliced bananas, coconut shreds and mini marshmallows, all mixed together with a tub of Cool Whipped Topping to create a very fruity, sweet, white cloud of a salad that I would devour eagerly as a youngster during family gatherings. An ambrosia salad was certainly at most of these family gatherings, especially if my stepmother was hosting it.
So when I received this tea, that is immediately what I though of. But I must say, this doesn’t taste much like the ambrosia salad that I remember as a kid… this actually tastes better. It’s not quite as cloyingly sweet as the salad was, and while I do still have a sweet tooth as an adult, I do like the sweet flavors to be balanced with something to temper it. This tea provides that balance – with a taste that is sweet from the various fruit flavors, but, also a little something more. The cinnamon gives it a little bit of warmth and contrast, as does the black tea.
And with so many fruit flavors going on, one might thing that the black tea base might be a bit overpowered, but it isn’t. It is the strongest flavor, the first flavor that I noticed with my first sip, and each sip that has followed. It is a good, solid tasting black tea, not overwhelmingly strong and not a lot that stands out about it, except that it is pleasant and nicely round.
I taste the apricot flavor probably more than any other fruit note in this, and it is a smooth, sweet kind of taste. The orange seems to come through toward the tail end of the sip, and seems to linger on through the aftertaste. The other fruits seem to meld together in the background, offering more of a combined “fruit” flavor rather than several individual flavors, sort of like “fruit punch” tastes like a medley of assorted fruits rather than one distinct fruit flavor.
The cinnamon is blended skillfully here. Too much cinnamon and you’d end up with another of those cinnamon-orange type of teas with the majority of the other fruit flavors overpowered by the strength of the cinnamon. Too little and well … it wouldn’t be noticeable in the midst of the many fruit flavors. But here, it’s just right. It offers just enough gentle, warm flavor to the cup to perk up the flavor; to give it just a little bit of pizzazz without going overboard.
As this tea cools, I notice that the fruit notes begin to emerge stronger – not as individual fruit notes, but more of the combined fruit flavor that I discussed previously. The cinnamon emerges a little more also, but, still maintains its gentle presence and never becomes too strong.
Overall, a very enjoyable cup, makes for a lovely afternoon cuppa, it would be equally as nice served over ice on a hot summer afternoon (like today!) as it is served hot. In fact, I am allowing the rest to cool so that I can indeed enjoy this iced – because I’m wanting some cool liquid refreshment – this might just be the thing I need!
Premium Korean Green Tea from Choice Organic Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Choice Organic Teas
Tea Description:
Brighten your outlook with this lush tea hailing from Jeju Island, South Korea’s “Island of the Gods.” From fertile volcanic soil to subtropical forests, this pristine isle offers rich tea-growing terroir. The leaves are steamed, rolled and dried in the Sencha tradition, for a fresh and savory cup.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The first time I drank this, I brewed it, walked away from it for about 45 minutes, and by that time it was completely cold. But even cold, this is really a tasty tea.
Cold, I find the flavor to be vegetative, leaning more toward the savory side than the sweet, but with enough sweetness to keep it interesting. I note a fruit-like note that is juicy and a little sweet, this hits just after mid-sip and carries through to the finish, leaving an aftertaste that is slightly sweet with fruit tones, and pleasantly savory. It is smooth without bitterness, and an astringency that seems to build as I continue to sip.
But, I didn’t want to leave it with just a cold cup review, so I decided to brew another cup at a later date and complete this review at that time.
Revisiting this tea a few days later, I find that I prefer this tea served hot. It was delicious cold too, and would have been even nicer with a thin slice of citrus or perhaps a sprig of mint. But, I digress…
When served hot, this tea has a really lovely flavor that is slightly on the kelp-y side – not a strong kelp flavor because I doubt I would like it if it did, I’m not particularly fond of seaweed – and a warm buttery undertone. Sweet yet savory, which is what I noticed with the cold tea. The creaminess of the butter notes is more pronounced when it is hot, and less astringency now too.
Both were very enjoyable cups of tea, but, I do think I prefer this one hot. This would be a nice tea to have on hand when you want the convenience of a bagged tea but still want that delicious, refreshing flavor. This one offers both!
Carrot Cake Cupcake Green Rooibos from Simpson & Vail
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Simpson & Vail
Tisane Description:
The latest addition to our popular dessert teas are these cupcake teas! Available in Red Velvet Cupcake, Carrot Cake Cupcake and Strawberry Cupcake.
I love carrot cake, whether it’s in a loaf or in cupcake form. What I don’t like is that “some” people always feel the need to add raisins to what is already perfection. Don’t mess with success people! And what I do like about this rooibos tea version, is that you get all that lovely carrot cake goodness with none of the calories (and no wrinkled little grapes!). The dry leaf has a delicate aroma of carrot cake spices. The brewed cup is full flavored and fabulous with the smell of just baked carrot cake.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
Simpson & Vail has an all-new line of cupcake inspired teas that they’ve added to their dessert tea collection, and I’m so excited to be able to try some of them, because I not only love tea, but I adore cupcakes, too. These cupcake teas let me enjoy them both without all the calories!
But I have to admit I was a little skeptical about the idea of this carrot cake cupcake rooibos. I have tasted some cupcake flavored teas in the past, and even a couple of carrot cake flavored teas … but, I still find myself a bit leery about them … carrot taste … in tea? That might be a little too weird, even for me.
However, this is really tasty! I taste notes of cinnamon along with a hint of fruit as well as the carrot taste. The carrot is sweet, and melds really nicely with the green rooibos which has a lighter, fruitier taste versus the red (oxidized) rooibos. I think the green rooibos was the right choice to use as a base here, because the fruity notes seem to tie in with the carrot-cake-like flavors.
The sweetness of this cup seems to lend a sort of cake and frosting kind of taste to the overall taste. I don’t know that I’m tasting a definitive “carrot cake” kind of flavor here – but, then again, I don’t know that I’m not. I just know that as I sip and I taste the medley of flavors and how they work together, my taste buds get a sense that I’m drinking liquified carrot cake.
This is really yummy, and it’s an ideal way to enjoy carrot cake without indulging in the calories!
Southern Boy Teas Series, Part 5: Lime Jello from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Premium Indian CTC black teas blended with organic flavoring. Amazing tea with a great lime Jello finish.
Learn more about Southern Boy Teas.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve got to tell you, I am absolutely loving the iced tea series from 52Teas this year. Last year, there were some pretty unique flavors and I loved that, but, what I think I really like about this year (and this may come as a surprise to some!) is the fact that they’re bagged! Yes, you read that correctly.
At first, I disliked that these were bagged because I had planned to hot-brew the lot, but, after getting my new glass iced tea pitcher and started cold-brewing these teas, I am loving the how easy it is to cold-brew, especially since these teas are bagged, I wouldn’t enjoy having to strain the teas the next morning. But even more than the simplicity, I really enjoy the flavor that comes from the cold-brew process. The flavors seem smoother and sweeter with the cold-brew process.
When I drink a tea hot, I enjoy having all the “precise” flavors of the cup, but, when it’s iced, I prefer the tea to be smooth and easy-drinking. And the cold-brewing process really encourages a softer, smoother tea.
This Lime Jello flavor of the Southern Boy Teas series is quite nice: lots of sweet-tart lime flavor, a hint of marshmallow, and there also seems to be another fruit in there … pineapple? The overall taste is very refreshing. The black tea is not overwhelmed by the flavors, everything is really balanced well.
I must admit to preferring the Lime Jello Salad Green Tea from 52Teas that was released around Thanksgiving of last year. I think that the green tea melded beautifully with these particular flavors, and produced a very memorable tea indeed. But, I am enjoying this one as well, and glad that 52Teas re-fashioned the flavor for their iced tea series this year.
Southern Boy Teas Series, Part 3: Razzleberry from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Premium Indian CTC black teas blended with organic flavoring. Amazing tea with a great razzleberry (raspberry/blackberry) finish.
Learn more about all the Southern Boy Teas here.
Taster’s Review:
I cold-brewed this tea overnight, and it is so yummy! I have already finished half of the the 2 quart pitcher (in other words, I’ve already polished off a quart of it), and I can’t seem to stop sipping!
The berry flavors are bright and refreshing, with a good, solid berry flavor. It starts out with a distinct blackberry flavor that remains throughout the sip, and by about mid-sip, I notice the raspberry notes start to come through. The raspberry is especially noticeable in the aftertaste. It is here, in the aftertaste, where all I taste is fresh, juicy raspberry! Sweet with just a hint of berry tartness.
The black tea seems to have a mellower taste when infused using the cold-brew method, it is very smooth and there is very little astringency and absolutely no bitterness. It is strong enough to offer an ample base flavor to the glass without overwhelming the delicious berry flavor.
I used to be a hot-brewed iced tea kind of girl, but, lately, I’ve been preferring the cold-brew method, especially when it comes to these great tea bags from 52Teas. The bags are large enough to accommodate the tea leaves in their expanded (brewed) form and then some. And it’s so easy to brew them using the cold-brew method – just filter the water, fill the pitcher, and add the tea bag. No timers. No standing over the teapot waiting for the tea to finish steeping. And because these are in the large tea bag, there is nothing to clean up – just remove the tea bag.
Watch for my reviews of the other iced tea offerings from “Southern Boy Teas!”