190 Tasting Notes
See my full review, coming soon to Sororitea Sisters.
http://sororiteasisters.com/author/mrspremise/
Flavors: Cinnamon, Cloves, Pumpkin, Yams
The rooibos is definitely a power-player in this blend, so careful not to over-steep. Otherwise, the coconut is creamy and nutty, helped along by the additional vanilla in the blend. A sweet, vanilla cream herbal decaf for a dessert-like nighttime brew. It was fun to taste it in the Amoda monthly box, but I’m not sure it’s a flavor I would crave on a regular basis. For those of you who like creamy coconut or pina colada, this might be your new favorite tea.
Flavors: Coconut, Cream, Frosting, Nutty, Rooibos, Vanilla
Pu-erh tea can be a bit tricky for the average tea drinker. Unflavored pu-erh has its own particular traditions and processes, and I’ll let the experts handle those reviews for now. Flavored pu-erh tends to be more approachable, but the brew times should definitely be followed. For one of my brews, I let the tea sit a tad too long and I started to get more sour, fishy notes that weren’t too appealing.
When I’m more careful with the brew times and temperatures, this blend takes on the full-bodied smoothness that pu-erh drinkers rave about. There’s a strong vanilla creaminess, and even notes of almond-marzipan, surprisingly sweet and smooth, very much like dessert. The creamy flavors pair well with the more rich and earthy coffee and chicory tones.
I’m not sure that coffee drinkers would use this tea as a replacement, but it may serve as a nice alternative for the rich, warm, after-dinner brew.
Flavors: Almond, Coffee, Earth, Marzipan, Vanilla
The black and oolong blend is a winning combination. Black tea on its own can sometimes get too strong or bitter, but the oolong helps keep this balanced, while still giving the brew enough body. When brewed hot, the tea is smooth and sweet, even without milk or sugar.
There are lots of flower petals in this tea, many of them a rosy pink color, which makes for a delicate and pretty dry leaf. With these lady-like touches, this tea might be suited for a fancy tea party, or simply when you want to be sweet to yourself. I didn’t notice any papaya flavor, though it may be a part of what makes this blend sweet without any additives. The name of the tea is very appropriate, with fruity strawberries and rich cocoa nibs as the predominant flavors.
This tea would make a great Valentines-themed blend, so maybe stock up now to gift to your sweetheart later.
Flavors: Chocolate, Cocoa, Strawberry
See my review on Sororitea Sisters:
http://sororiteasisters.com/2016/10/24/happy-pumpkin-tea-octobers-amoda-tea-monthly-box/
Flavors: Brown Sugar, Cinnamon, Cloves, Ginger, Pepper, Pumpkin, Spices, Sweet Potatoes
The first thing I noticed about this blend was a large dried calendula blossom in the loose leaf— the whole flower was preserved in the mix! I’m not sure if this was intended, but was a surprise when I opened the bag. With all those jasmine blossoms and calendula petals, it’s certainly a blend that’s easy on the eyes. Upon brewing, the green rooibos and apples are a good combination, both providing gentle sweetgrass and honey notes. The green tea expands on this theme, bringing out the fresh, grassy hay tones from the rooibos. Jasmine is the real star of this tea, extremely fragrant in the dry leaf and the brew, evoking images of standing in a flowery orchard, or having fresh, grassy air blow by. A lovely low-caffeine treat, that was airy, floral, and green.
Flavors: Apple, Floral, Flowers, Grass, Honey, Jasmine
I love ginger, spicier the better. This blend is similar to others I’ve had from other vendors, but I still like it. There’s lots of lemongrass in the dry leaf, and it gives the ginger something strong and bright to play with. There’s also a good dose of licorice that helps soothe a sore throat, and adds and herbal sweetness of its own. I don’t notice anything particularly tropical or fruity about this blend, unlike the tropical ingredients list, but it’s still a solid herbal blend. For ginger lovers, you can’t go wrong with this tea.
Flavors: Ginger, Lemongrass, Licorice
I love peach candy and peach tea, both of which are very different kinds of peaches. I’ve tried a lot of summery peach blends, and they are usually cloyingly sweet, or more like peach rings than the fruit. This blend is the truest peach tea I’ve ever tasted.
This tea is sweet, but not like candy, it’s just like genuine peaches! The blend brews up a light amber, peach color, not too pink or dark. When brewed, the fruit flavor is gentle, but forward, and you can see peach pieces in the leaves. The rest of the ingredients are simple and herbal enough, they they really let the peach shine (no rooibos overshadowing the peach in this blend). Strawberry leaf and citrus peel help make the blend naturally sweet and bright.
Probably best as an iced summer blend, this could have some great comforting potential as a hot tea. Mix it with a little chai and you’ll have a peach cobbler tea in no time. Overall this was a lovely taste-test. The tea is caffeine free, sugar free, and deliciously peachy.
Flavors: Citrus, Fruity, Peach
I got this in my very first Amoda Tea subscription box. This blend comes from Naked Teas, which I haven’t tried before. This blend is a quality tea, rich in flavor, smooth, fragrant, big leaves and pieces. The loose leaf is definitely beautiful to look at with cornflowers and apple pieces and little New England blueberries. I definitely taste the berry flavors, especially blueberry. The black tea base is starchier than I usually expect from a Ceylon, which might be part of the “waffles” aspect of this blend. There’s next to no maple syrup flavor, but the blend is smooth and very gently sweet. I think this is closer to a blueberry black tea, or maybe a blueberry scone tea. It’s a cute idea and a cute name, and well worth a try if you like bright, breakfast, berry flavors.
Flavors: Berry, Blueberry, Pastries