Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos & Herbal Tisane
Where To Buy: The Persimmon Tree
Tisane Description:
Our Banana Coconut herbal tea is a smooth and scrumptious herbal blend of rooibos, chamomile and lemongrass with notes of ripe banana, sweet coconut, graham cracker and a hint of caramel. This caffeine-free tropical blend will put a smile on anyone’s face. Try it iced and lightly sweetened for an extra refreshing summer beverage.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
I don’t always say “yummy” when I’m tasting a chamomile blend. I don’t always say “yummy” when I’m tasting a blend made with rooibos. So to have a blend with both these herbals in front of me and to have me say “yummy” after taking a sip seems pretty remarkable to me. But this is indeed yummy!
And that yumminess factor has less to do with the rooibos and chamomile and more to do with the other flavors going on in this cup: banana, coconut, caramel and even a little bit of graham cracker.
This is an interesting cup because there is a lot going on but it works. When I read the description and saw the flavors of banana, coconut, graham cracker and caramel” I thought … oh, ok, that sounds like a yummy pie. But then you see ingredients like lemongrass and chamomile and you think … what? Why are those ingredients in there?
But somehow, it all works together in a very flavorful way, and without any one flavor or ingredient becoming overwhelmed by any of the others. I taste each component of the tisane and it all tastes really good together.
The chamomile offers a very light apple-y flavor. The chamomile works harmoniously with the honey notes of the rooibos, because I taste a hint of pollen-ish flavor from the chamomile and this melds with the rooibos to bring out the nutty, honey sweet flavor of the South African herb. And the lemongrass is subtle here, offering a smooth, buttery note with a hint of citrus-y brightness.
Each component seems to unite with other components of the cup to bring out the best in each ingredient. And really, that’s what you want from a tea blend – that’s the thing that makes blends so appealing is the way that each ingredient adds to the combination so that the sum is greater than the individual parts. And this blend really succeeded in that quest!
This is a naturally caffeine-free (and guilt free!) treat that makes a perfect bedtime treat for those nights when you’re craving something sweet before you tuck in to bed. Served warm, it’s so soothing, comforting and a delightful sweet-tooth indulgence. It’s also tasty iced!
Tropical Sunshine Herbal Blend from Simple Loose Leaf
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Description:
Tropical Sunshine is an explosion of flavor amongst a rich backdrop of organic rooibos. With cardamom, red peppercorn, lemon grass, cornflowers, cinnamon chips, orange peel, cranberries, apples, papaya and grapefruit flavor, this elaborate tisane is as unforgettable on the palate as it is beautiful to behold. Outstanding both hot and iced.
Cardamom, Red Peppercorn, Lemongrass, Organic South African Rooibos, Cornflowers, Cinnamon Chips, Orange Peel, Cranberries, Apples, Papaya Flavor, Grapefruit Flavor
Learn more about this tisane here.
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s Selection Club subscription program here.
Taster’s Review:
This tisane has a lot going on! And while it may have a lot of ingredients, they all seem to work together in a very tasty way. It is fruity, sweet, tart, and warmly spiced, and I love the contrast in flavors.
What I’m liking best about this particular tisane is that this is more like a medley of flavors rather than a focus on one or two. The different components of this blend work together to create a seamless, unified taste that isn’t really distinctly one flavor or another, but more of a combined effort of all the flavors into one unique taste.
Notes of subtle spice are there from the cinnamon and cardamom. These two spices offer a mellow, gentle warmth that accentuates the nutty flavor of the rooibos and the citrus notes of grapefruit, lemongrass, and orange.
The rooibos is not a strong flavor, but there are some nutty tones. The papaya offers some sweetness, as does the apple, while the cranberry offers a light tartness that plays well with the citrus-y flavors.
It’s a harmonious blend of spices and fruit with hints of nutty sweetness. A really tasty cup – this is the kind of rooibos blend that I tend to appreciate most, where the rooibos doesn’t present a strong flavor profile, instead it becomes part of a combined flavor.
A really tasty herbal that’s naturally caffeine free, it tastes great hot, but I like it even better iced!
Don’t forget to check out Simple Loose Leaf’s Selection Club subscription. I received five different teas every month! It’s an awesome deal! And if you want an even better deal use the coupon code SISTERSELECTION25 when you subscribe to this club and receive a 25% discount when you sign up for the Selection Club! This discount is applicable only to the monthly Selection Club subscription and not the retail selection of teas.
Peach Brulée Black Tea Blend from Tea Forté
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tea Forté
Tea Description:
This refreshing black tea offers a masterful blend fragrant with floral and fruit. Mango and marigold blossoms embrace the lushness of sweet juicy peaches with a lingering finish of tropical cut coconut.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
While shopping the other day at Chuck’s Produce, I stopped by the tea section (as I usually do) and this tea caught my attention. Maybe it was the slick, black “Tea Noir” tin that drew me in, or perhaps it was just the name: Peach Brulée … um, yes please! That sounds amazing. I also liked that this was a loose leaf selection, rather than the tea pyramids that Tea Forté is probably best known for. So, maybe it was a combination of the three things, but there was something that came over me and told me to put that tin into my cart.
And I’m glad I did. This is yum!
The black tea base is a very BOLD tasting black tea. And the reason it’s so bold is that this tea has a pan-roasted Assam to serve as the base. Awesome! I can taste the richness of the Assam, notes of malt, and I’m getting a really nice roasted flavor from the pan-roasting. It has an almost “coffee-like” flavor to it. This would make an excellent alternative to those who are trying to switch from coffee to tea, but miss that rich, robust coffee flavor. This tea has that!
And the flavoring here doesn’t overpower the rich, roasted flavor of the tea. This is a tea that has been flavored with notes of peach and hints of mango and a very subtle kiss of coconut … and not the other way around. That is to say, that this doesn’t taste like a tea where the flavors have been overdone. The flavors are right on point, allowing me to enjoy the really flavorful Assam tea first, and then celebrate the juicy, delicious fruit notes.
The peach is the most prominent flavor after the roasty-toasty notes, and then the mango sort of weaves its way in and out throughout the sip in a very soft, subtle way. The coconut is very delicate, and I notice it more in the aftertaste than I do in the sip itself.
It’s a really flavorful, unique take on tropical fruit flavored tea, and with all this bold, hefty flavor, it’s a great way to start the day. It also tastes outstanding as an iced tea – in fact, I’d find it difficult to say which way I like it best. I think right now, seeing as we’re experiencing the hottest part of the summer thus far, I’d go with iced. But, in the cooler weather, I’d probably say that this is better hot!
Pu-erh Tahiti Blend from Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh
Where to Buy: Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Description:
Decadent coconut, the fruity mystique of papaya and the soft earthiness of pu erh come together for an exotic experience not unlike a walk on the black sand beaches of its namesake. Tropical fruit notes and hints of mineral evoke thoughts of Pacific breezes and rainforest hikes.
Ingredients: Pu’erh Tea, Apple Pieces, Dried Coconut, Natural Coconut Flavor, Marigold Flowers, Mango Pieces, Papaya Flavor
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s Selection Club subscription program here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve tasted a lot of tropical flavored teas. A lot. It seems to be one of the “favorite” fruit medley flavors when it comes to tea. But, most of the fruit combinations are different, because there’s a lot of different tropical fruits from which to choose.
And when it comes to tropical flavored teas, I usually think immediately of a black tea base. That’s because most of the tropical flavored teas that I’ve encountered have been black teas. But because I have tasted so many tropical flavored teas, the tropical blends that are memorable, the ones that manage to stand out in my memory as something I’d like to have again, they are usually the teas with a different base (other than black tea). The tropical flavored white teas or green teas, for example, are more memorable for me.
So even though I tend to be a little nervous when it comes to Pu-erh teas, I was a little excited at the prospect of tasting a tropical fruit flavored Pu-erh!
When I opened the pouch of this Tahiti Pu-erh, I was really happy to not be greeted by an overly earthy scent. In fact, I didn’t really detect any earthiness with my initial casual (and admittedly, somewhat apprehensive) sniff. When I took another – more intent – sniff, I could pick up hints of earthiness, but these notes seemed to meld with the notes of coconut, mango and papaya. Nice!
The brewed tea has a slightly more earthy scent than the dry leaf, and that could be because I did give the blend a 15 second “rinse” before I brewed it. I do this with all pu-erh, I find that the pu-erh is much more agreeable for me when I do this. (And from what I understand, it’s something that you SHOULD do with pu-erh and Oolong teas.)
This is tasty. There are some earthy and mineral notes to the pu-erh, but, I like that these notes have married nicely with the notes of tropical fruit. I taste the papaya and mango and coconut, and these flavors are well-balanced with the flavor of the pu-erh, which tastes smooth and mellow. It’s a little bit like a trip to Tahiti in a teacup. (I’m only guessing, I’ve never been to Tahiti.)
The fruit flavors are not overpowering the tea, and there is a part of me that would have said that I would like for the fruit flavors to overpower the tea – before I tasted it, that is! Before tasting a pu-erh, there’s still that timid tea drinker that is just a wee bit afraid of pu-erh. Those early occasions where I first experienced pu-erh, before I knew how to brew a pu-erh for my palate and before my palate developed … I did NOT like pu-erh. Now I do. Now my palate finds most pu-erh agreeable, although I still don’t have a great appreciation for an overly earthy, fishy, or briny tasting pu-erh. Fortunately, this pu-erh isn’t like that.
And now that I have tasted this pu-erh, I’m happy that a good balance has been achieved with this blend. The fruit flavors are tasted but not overpowered, nor is the tea too fishy, briny or earthy. It’s just … tasty!
I know I say this a lot, but, I’m really thrilled with the teas that I get each month from Simple Loose Leaf as part of their Selection Club subscription program. I can’t recommend this program enough! It’s a great way (and it’s economical!) to try new teas and expand your tea repertoire.
To save 25% when you sign up for this great program, use the code SISTERSELECTION25. This will earn you the discount, and get you well on your way to sampling some amazing teas! This discount is not applicable on the retail selection of teas, and is only good for the selection club subscription.
White Tropics Tea Blend from Tea & Bloom
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Tea & Bloom
Tea Description:
Mixture of white tea with pineapple, coconut and rose petal. High in antioxidants.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I try to go into a tea tasting with no real expectations. It’s not always easy. It wasn’t in the case of this White Tropics tea from Tea & Bloom … because with pineapple and coconut flavors, I couldn’t help but think Pina Colada.
And this doesn’t really taste so much like a Pina Colada as it does a tropical tea. But I’m not disappointed by that. The pineapple and the coconut are nicely paired here, and the white tea is not overpowered by the tropical fruits. And I can even taste hints of the rose in there too. And it’s the rose that gives this a flavor that is different than the typical Pina Colada flavored tea. (Well that, and there’s not a rum note to this.)
I like that I can taste the creaminess of the coconut, and it melds beautiful with the sweet notes of the white tea while the pineapple brightens up the cup. It’s flavorful, but in a delicate, “white tea” way.
All that said, this isn’t really all that exceptional in any way. It’s a tasty enough tea, I like the classic combination of pineapple and coconut, and I like how they meld with the white tea and just a hint of rose flavor. But, it’s just … alright. I’d drink it again if it were offered to me, but it’s not something I’d want to purchase and have on hand.