TeaFrog

Hmm… this one is interesting. There is an interesting blend of herbs here, nice chocolate flavor (although more chocolate would be better!) and a nice amount of heat from the ginger.

I like!

I have already had an upsetting amount of coffee today and the caffeine rush has passed, time for something calming and soothing. The raw tea smells like a chap stick – the pink “cherry” one that smells like artificial cherry and fruit and wax. This is most likely because I have no idea just how old it is, and it has been in the plastic pouch neighboring four other Tea Frog teas in my tea basket. I feel since I did not repackage them, that they have all melded in aroma. Oh well. I am not put-off by the smell, but the ingredients have me a little wary. There is a lot in here that could get bitter very easily…

That in mind, I go for a small batch, 1 tsp tea, hot water, no additives, infusion time: 3.5 minutes. The liquor is very pink. The aroma has liberated more, I smell hibiscus and citrus. The flavor is surprisingly mild, there is a slight tang to it, I wouldn’t say tart (I don’t think I let it infuse long enough to get tart) but a tang, most likely coming from hibiscus and rosehips. The flavor after the tang is predominantly mango, then a spike of pineapple and papaya flavors finished off by a high citrus note, most likely from the orange peel.

I don’t think this was bad. I think this needs some work. I think that this blended with a green tea or a white tea, maybe some sweetener, and maybe iced would be extremely refreshing. I did not try it this way, I should have enough to do so later…

Got my Teafrog order today! I actually tossed this in as an afterthought, having forgotten that they offer a free sample with every order. So! I used a little less than a teaspoon, because the spices smelled very strong and the black tea is tiny CTC pellets: 3/4tsp for 7oz water seems to have worked fine. The dry leaf smells pretty strongly of anise to me, but the taste is more balanced. With milk and sugar this is a good, spicy chai that I might buy more of (I don’t think I’d want to drink it plain though). I might stretch it by adding some plain black tea next time.

ETA: Lasted fine through 3 steeps, with a little extra Assam. It’s a very nice blend, somehow managing to be spicy without either a pepper or ginger kick.

3/4tsp leaf, 7oz water

After dinner dishes were done and my kitchen was in order, I took some “Me Time” to sit and relax (bring on the Chocolate and Creme tea).
I continue to love this tea.

I was feeling stressed this morning and needed a tea that would brighten my day (enter Chocolate and Creme). I have enough of this tea to last until my order arrives (however I am being careful not to delete my supply until my order arrives).
This is truly a favorite tea of mine.
Thanks TeaFrog for a wonderul tea.

This was a sample that I saved until I had time to sit and truly enjoy. I will guard in my tea vault what is left of this sample until I can ordr some of this tea. The flavor was wonderful and the aroma while steeping filled the kitchen. This is going to be a tea I will only drink on special days when I want a true treat.
Can Not Wait To Order SOme Of This Tea!

A very solid flavored rooibos – I’ve actually enjoyed several cups of this already from my TeaFrog sample, but hadn’t gotten around to logging it. The picture is quite accurate, and I like being able to see the little cubes of caramel in this (they don’t dissolve very easily, for better or worse – 2 or 3 steeps and some vigorous stirring will do it, but one simple steep will not). I have gotten more than one steep from this, but the first is by far the best. I’d consider buying it, but my decaf-creamy-sweet niche is currently being filled by Hazelnut Honeybush; maybe when that’s gone…

This is one of the samples that I ordered way back when it was on Steepster Select.

The bergamot here is pleasant, and is nicely complemented by the lemon peel and lemongrass. It really adds emphasis on the citrus flavor of the bergamot. The jasmine flowers do not contribute an immense amount of flavor to the cup, but there is a subtle whisper of jasmine to the taste.

Astringent but not bitter, somewhat dry though. The combination of the bergamot and lemon-y qualities makes for a different flavor than I’m accustomed to when it comes to Earl Grey. That’s not a bad thing… it just is different.

I’m a big spice lover, so I was a bit disappointed by the weakness of the cinnamon and clove flavors here; there was a lot of rooibos, a bit of cinnamon, and a little clove and orange. Others might call it well balanced, but for me it was weak. I liked the flavors! I just wanted more of them. I think I’ve been spoiled by Harney’s cinnamon spice, and another rooibos cinnamon tea I had from Light of Day :(

For reference, I used 1tsp in 8oz water; since the samples are generously sized, I’ll try using more leaf in my next cup and see if that’s better.

This is a nice,pleasant, and mild tisane. Subtle lemon flavor. Perfect for those who do not like Chamomile as it is very relaxing. Although this is loaded with medicinal herbs only the lemon taste comes thru. But the best part this really does make me sleepy…..

Definitely rich and malty, there’s a honey-sweetness that makes it just smooth enough to drink plain (if you’re braced for the tannin kick). It’s nicer with milk though, smooth and fruity.

Very good, smooth and a little malty and yes, fruity. Tasty plain, but strong enough with milk. I can’t think of a better Assam offhand – this is more interesting than Mighty Leaf’s EB, though they’re similar in drinkability. This is sweeter and less harsh than TeaFrog’s other Assam, I’d say. Still, doesn’t really compare to a good chinese black or blend for me.

This tea got me by the name and it sounded so delicious. The scent was near perfection both before and after brewing. I was a bit scared by the bright pink hibiscus hue to my tea and the tea was very tart plain. After adding a bit of honey, the tartness was toned down just enough and the tea was very fruity and creamy. I really enjoyed this one and my husband was crazy about it.

I still have a hard time rating Darjeelings, and preparing them for that matter. I have pretty good luck treating them as oolongs, using more leaf and less time; prepared that way I find them more drinkable and less bitter (than steeping them like black teas).

This one is really pretty though, the dry leaves are all multicolored – a black base, with lots of rusty brown and occasional golden and green bits. I’m definitely getting the fruit/spicy flavor that I think is muscatel, and this is smooth enough to drink plain. I do like this better than the two Darjeelings I’ve had from Adagio, but I’m not sure I’d pick it over a well-liked black or oolong :( The second steep was a little weak, so for a third I think I’ll leave it for 5 minutes and just add milk if it’s too bitter.

ETA: And, I really like that last steep with milk. It doesn’t taste like black tea, but it’s not too weird, either. Sweeter, creamy, makes a good afternoon pick-me-up.

1.25g, 3.5oz water, steeps 1:30, 2:30

Swiftly becoming my go-to evening tea – creamy, citrusy sweet with no additives.

yum yum yum… so happy my full Teafrog order arrived! This is so delicious, orange, and sweet. Tasty plain or delicious with milk and sugar.

I added this sample on a whim to my Teafrog order, mostly because of how highly they recommend it. Boy, am I glad I did! I’m not even a big fan of orange flavored things, but this is really delicious. It’s not tart-citrusy, but like a very sweet orange and cream flavor. The bright red color (yes, it is very…. vibrant) is deceptive, because the flavor is quite mellow. But strong! I got two good steeps out of this, which I consider impressive for a flavored rooibos. The second was weaker, and more orangey than creamy, but still good.

The high rating I’m giving here reflects the high-quality natural flavoring as much as my personal enjoyment – I was very impressed at that second drinkable steep – though I do plan to buy a tin now.

I would recommend this to anyone who doesn’t outright hate rooibos – the rooibos is still there, but not the primary flavor (much less so than in, say, Teafrog’s Fireside). A small warning, though: if you get a sample of this, the flavor is strong enough to escape the sample bag and contaminate other samples a bit during shipping, so… don’t get any other samples that would be ruined by a hint of orange ;)

Very tasty rooibos, not much vanilla. Still, I enjoyed it.

Another finished sample!!
I’m a bit sad that I’m now out of this tea, this is the best pot of it by far!! Delicious! I let it cool a bit more before drinking it and that allowed the pineapple to become the shining star of the show. I wish I had done this all the other times I had this tea.

I’m sharing a pot of this with my husband who I think likes it more than I do since he is a big coconut fan. I really like that this tea doesn’t taste woody, it is great to have a tasty caffeine-free option so that I can sleep at night.

This one smells less woody than other rooibos blends I have tried and smells pretty tropical. After brewing the color is extremely dark, almost similar to a black tea rather than rooibos. The scent is much the same as the dry tea and tastes very fruity, mainly of coconut but also has a sweetness that reminds me of pineapple. The tea is fairly creamy even without added cream or milk. I really like this one, but I don’t think I would reach for this very often as coconut isn’t my favorite flavor in tea.

I pulled this out of the back of the cupboard where many of the forgotten samples lie. I let this steep for at least 20 minutes and it came out amazing! In the past, I had trouble getting much of the caramel flavor from this tea – the rooibos overpowered everything. However, this time, the only thing I am getting is sweet, rich, slightly thick caramel excellence. A great way to spend an evening!