Blood Orange Cranberry Rooibos from The Boston Tea Co.

by liberteas

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Rooibos

Where to Buy:  The Boston Tea Co.

Tea Description:

A sweet-tart blend that is going to leave you dancing for joy! Now in a silk sachet you’ll be thrilled to take your new favorite tea with you wherever you go! Sip and savor this blend any time of day, it’s naturally caffeine-free!

Learn more about this rooibos blend here.

Taster’s Review:

This is a tasty rooibos blend that I find more enjoyable as I continue to sip it.

The cranberry and blood orange flavors are about evenly matched and play well together, offering a taste that isn’t too tart or too sweet.  The finish is tangy from the berry and the citrus, and overall, I find the cup to be pleasantly fruity, and really quite smooth despite the tart and tangy notes.  There is a really enjoyable smoothness to the flavor.

However, I do find myself wishing that I wasn’t tasting so much of the woody/nutty flavor of the rooibos.  The autumnal nature of the rooibos does meld well with these autumn fruits, but, I’m tasting just a wee bit too much rooibos and not enough fruit for my personal taste.  That’s not to say it’s bad or it’s good – it IS tasty – I just think it would be even more tasty if the fruit flavors were a bit stronger to help mute out some of the rooibos flavor.

Overall, an enjoyable cup of tisane, and something I’d drink again if it were offered.  Not my favorite cuppa from The Boston Tea Co. … but it’s still a decent cuppa.

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 Rooibos

Moroccan Mint from The Boston Tea Company

by liberteas

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Green

Where to Buy:  The Boston Tea Company

Tea Description:

Keep on rockin’ with Moroccan! Mint, that is! Try this Chinese Gunpowder variety of long-leaf green tea, hand-rolled to form tiny pellets and blended with fragrant Moroccan Mint leaves. When steeped, the tea leaves unfurl, releasing their delicate flavor which, combined with the mint, makes for a uniquely refreshing cup every time! It’s lovely iced, too!

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

I love many different types of flavored teas, and I wouldn’t even say that Moroccan Mint is my favorite, but I will say this, I’d be hard-pressed to find a tea that is more refreshing than a Moroccan Mint!  The fresh, cool taste of mint combined with the delicate, sweet flavor of a high-quality Chinese gunpowder green tea leaves my palate feeling clean and refreshed while invigorating me from within.

This Moroccan Mint from the Boston Tea Company is splendid!  It has the flavor I’ve come to expect from a top-notch Moroccan Mint tea.  It’s minty, but not overpoweringly so.  It’s sweet and tastes fresh and zesty, and it’s cooling even when served hot (which is how I’m sipping it now).

Before steeping, I poured some of the leaves into my palm, just to get a good look at it.  I could see the tiny pellets of the gunpowder tea tossed amongst the bits of mint leaves.  I liked that while the mint leaves were broken to uniform size, they were not pulverized into dust and the pellets appeared to be pretty uniform in size and shape too.  And – no surprise! – it smelled minty fresh.

While this is delicious hot, it is equally as nice served iced and as I said at the start of this review, it’s easily one of the most refreshing teas out there – something that you’ll want to keep stocked up on as these hot summer days seem to go on and on!   This is great for cold-brewing too!

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 Green Tea

Organic Bombay Chai from The Boston Tea Company

by liberteas

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  The Boston Tea Company

Tea Description:

You’ll do the cha-cha over our Chai tea! Ever so popular, worldwide, Chai is a centuries’ old tradition of Indian culture. Boast to your friends about Boston Tea’s aromatic, cheery blend of black tea with sweet fragrant spices. Simply add a pinch of sugar to bring out its rich flavorful spices of cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and anise seeds. Top with a generous splash of milk and sensually savor each sip!

Learn more about this chai here.

Taster’s Review:

Seldom do I make chai lattes anymore, usually, when I drink a chai, I drink it straight.  Sure, I still do love the creamy, spicy goodness of a chai latte, but I’ve been discovering just how lovely a chai tea is without the milk.  When brewed in boiling water, and just a touch of turbinado sugar is added to enhance the spices.  It becomes a lovely, warm and spicy blend that is delicious no matter what the weather is like outside – at the moment, it’s 72°F outside – a bit on the warm side and the sun is shining brightly, but, I still find this warm, spicy chai (served hot, no less!) to be absolutely refreshing.

When I first opened the package, I could smell the cardamom.  It had a delicious, exotic warmth as well as a hint of bright citrus tones and I could feel my mouth start to water just from experiencing the aroma of this chai.  I stood impatiently over my timer today … I WANTED – perhaps even NEEDED – this tea!

And this chai was indeed worth the wait.  It is gently sweet from the turbinado sugar (I added about a half a teaspoon), but more than the sweetness I notice the depth of the enchanting spices.  I like that the ginger and cinnamon do not overwhelm the cup – which is so common in chai blends, it seems – they are more of a background flavor.  The cardamom and the cloves tend to be the strongest spices here.  The anise is also in the background, offering its unique sweetness to the overall flavor.

I like that I can taste the tea here too.  It is rich, a little malty and smooth.  It is not bitter (although, I wouldn’t recommend over-steeping it, as that may cause bitterness), and it finishes with a tangy astringency.  The spices compliment the black tea quite nicely, providing a cup that is robust with black tea flavor as well as invigorating spices.

I really enjoyed this lively chai, and I like that it is available in both loose leaf and sachet form.  At the time of this writing, I noticed that this is currently out of stock – I hope their supply is replenished soon!

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 Black Tea, Chai

Sweet Cherry White Tea from The Boston Tea Company

by liberteas

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  White

Where to Buy:  The Boston Tea Company

Product Description:

As fragrant and beautiful as a cherry tree in full bloom, this delicate Chinese white tea, only harvested in early Spring, is blended fruitfully with natural cherry flavor, sweet blueberries, and tart red raspberries. It’s a fruitful brew to help start your day anew!

Taster’s Review:

This is one of the best cherry teas I’ve tasted in a long time. But it’s so much more than just a cherry tea – this tea is ambrosia in a teacup!  YUM!

The cherry flavor is the strongest flavor of the cup.  It is sweet, and I can taste a hint of tartness from the raspberry.  It isn’t a SOUR berry taste, just a little kiss of tart to add some contrast.  And the blueberry adds another dimension of sweetness to the flavor of the cherry.

The base of white tea is tastes and feels soft with its light grassy taste and velvet-y mouthfeel.  My favorite note in this cup is that of the rose.  It is a very subtle flavor, but the floral tones it provides really complete the tea, giving it a well-rounded taste.

This tea is light and delicious – it’s perfect summertime refreshment!

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 White Tea