308 Tasting Notes
Rooibos, why can’t we get along?
I tried this blend per a recommendation from DT on twitter after being tremendously disappointed with Pink Lemonade. It sounded lovely – orange, currants, vanilla. Yum, right? Not so much.
I just can’t overcome the rooibos base. :/
I even purchased Pure Vanilla to mix with it to have this dreamy creamsicle experience that I’ve seen people just gush about.
No. Not this gal. Not these taste buds. Major letdown.
I expected to love this tea. Based on the ingredients it’s got everything I love in a flavored black tea to ice – a balance of tart and sweet flavors. Unfortunately, I wasn’t over the moon about this blend…or the blend I ended up with in my 25g bag anyway. My 25g bag was, unfortunately, very light on the mango. I drank this iced and lightly sweetened with stevia. It was pleasant, but, due to the lack of mango, it’s not something that I’d rush to stock up on.
I’ve had this tea, as an iced latte, several times before. Based on a previous experience with a banana/chocolate tea (DT’s Banana Cream Pie – blech!), I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this blend. I had it hot for the first time this morning with a bit of white chocolate mocha creamer and thoroughly enjoyed it. I can taste every note in this herbal tea (hot or cold), and, to me, it tastes like a banana split with all the toppings. I’m glad I stocked up on this a few months ago.
I didn’t have high hopes for this tea. It’s a white tea, after all, and I tend to shy away from white and green teas because the flavors are usually quite muted and light. I steeped a bit this evening to enjoy over ice. The flavor was light (as expected) but fruity and sweet. There was a slight bitter aftertaste I’m hoping this tea makes a reappearance this summer. I’d like to buy some to cold steep.
Now, I don’t mind a fresh sprig or two thrown into a glass of iced tea, but dried mint is not for me. This tea was part of 2014 summer collection, and, since I’d purchased the boxed collection I thought I’d give it a try because I love melon-flavored teas. I was hoping that the mint wouldn’t overpower the melon, but, alas, for me, it did. I gifted this to my mother, and I will make it a point to avoid teas with mint – spearmint, peppermint, field mint, etc. – in future.
Flavors: Mint
I’m kicking myself for waiting so long to try this tea. This black tea blend has been on my wishlist for ages. I finally gave in and picked up 2 ounces while vacationing in San Francisco at the end of April. I was lucky they had any on hand because the tea has been discontinued and is no longer available on the website. This tea was the perfect pick me up this morning. I don’t normally enjoy hot tea, but I’ve been trying to find black tea blends that I’d enjoy hot to serve as a replacement for coffee during the work week. I didn’t think the combination of coconut and raspberry would work well together, but I was (sadly) wrong. I enjoyed it so much that I steeped the leaves three times this morning. This tea would also be quite a lovely, decadent treat at the end of a long day. I added a few drops of liquid stevia to all three cups and a splash of white chocolate mocha creamer to the last (so heavenly). I might have to try to track down more of this tea.
I’ve never had sangria, so I can’t really speak to how similar/dissimilar this blend tastes to the real thing. Wine just isn’t my thing. However, I have tried a few sangria-inspired tea blends, and I really enjoy this particular blend. I find it’s quite balanced, which can be difficult when hibiscus is thrown into the mix. I tend to steep this on the shorter range of the recommended steep time so that the flavor of the tart hibiscus is softened by the berry and orange notes. It’s quite refreshing over ice and/or as the base of a spritzer. Hello summer!
This tea is one of my favorites from last year’s summer collection. It’s great over ice with the tiniest bit of stevia. It also blends well with other herbal teas. The peach is a bit more candied peach than fresh peach, but I’m okay with that. There’s also quite a bit of apple flavor which I’m not terribly jazzed about, but I can live with it.
Green tea isn’t my thing. If I was into hot tea (when I’m not sick and/or it’s not freezing outside), I might have a different opinion about green tea in general. Most green tea I’ve sampled is very lightly flavored. This tea is no exception. Mind you, I enjoy this tea, despite it’s very light, delicate flavor. It’s really tasty over ice, especially with a squeeze of fresh lime. I don’t find that this tea needs additional sweetener, a total shocker to me. I wouldn’t repurchase this blend but that’s only because I prefer tea that’s got some oomph. If you enjoy green tea combined with citrus, and you don’t mind a few yogurt bits adding a slight creaminess to your tea, I’d definitely recommend this blend.
I’ve steeped this a few times since purchasing it last summer. I do add a few drops of stevia to this because 1.) I like my iced tea sweetened and 2.) because steeping 2x the tea leaves/blend for iced tea seems to amp up the tart hibiscus. Next time I might try steeping this on the lower end of the suggested steep time to see how the taste differs. Overall, I think this tea is a very pleasant combination of tart and sweet, and it makes killer iced tea.
