Tea Forte

I just got my new advent calendar and now I’m racing to finish off logging in last year’s! I snagged an herbal out of my box of teas to note about and didn’t really look at the ingredients. Steeped in just boiled water for about 5-6 minutes.
The first thing I taste is the hibiscus and then I get the sage. I only get a hint of the blueberry taste but there’s a strong fruit scent to the tea. It is very tart and drying. By the end of the mug, I decided I liked the sage but that was the only exciting quality. Otherwise, this one was rather boring and not one I’d be reaching for.

After reading the reviews on this one, I wasn’t sure I would enjoy it. I actually had been gifted a tea set from a tea friend that was made specifically for Tea Forte tea bags. There is a space for the little leaf to poke out of the top of the tea cup lid. The minute the hot water hit the tea bag I could smell the spices. I steeped for about 5 minutes and love the dark amber color of the tea.
My first few sips were very creamy. I attributed that to the buttered bread I had for breakfast while waiting for the tea but the creamy flavor lasted through the cup. The pepper is there and the other spices seemed to jump around from sip to sip- cloves, cinnamon, cardamom. Often with chai blends, I do add a splash of milk but I didn’t feel the need. It’s not the spiciest chai I’ve had but if this is representative of their blend, I would purchase it again.

I think this is the first tea out of the sampler that I’ve enjoyed. The chamomile is soothing with a warm citrus of the lemongrass and floral notes. I don’t sense the mint that other’s mention. This was a nice cup to have while relaxing this evening.

It definitely smells like Raspberry Ganache while steeping. It came out very bitter for me. I don’t think I oversteeped but I did get distracted by tossing a load of laundry in so it is possible. The raspberry is there and I get a “sense” of chocolate but also a chemical/artificial flavor kind of like coffee. This one was a cup that I didn’t finish.

Yet another disappointing tea from this sampler. Steeped for approximately 3 minutes and has a golden yellow hue. I don’t detect any strong fragrance but I do seem to be a little congested today. There is coconut flavor but I honestly feel like I’m just drinking warmed coconut water.

This was my morning tea sample. Its a nice deep dark color and smells earthy. must say I don’t care for this cup of tea. The bitterness and astringency is very off putting. I wish I could add a splash of milk but apparently my cereal eaters drank all the milk. I handed it off to the Coffee Drinker who said he enjoyed it until the last few sips and it was even too astringent for his palate.

Sipdown! Added some oat milk for creaminess. Woodsy rooibos, clove, cinnamon, and maybe a touch of cardamom. I see the ingredients don’t list clove, but maybe clove oil is part of the “natural flavor”? Not the greatest chai I’ve ever had but really hit the spot tonight.

I let smallest child pick out my tea this morning from the sample bin but fortunately they are so busy that they didn’t stick around to hear if I liked it or not. It reminds me of the instant hot cider packets that we get for camping for the kids. There is an astringency to this cup of tea. At the same time, I find it overly sweet with a strong cinnamon flavor. The orange reminds me of cooked oranges over a camp fire. I didn’t bother to finish the mug. This one is on the nope list.

I wondered what Belgian Mint would be like when I pulled it from my samples stash. I quickly figured out that it’s a chocolate blend. Makes sense now! The mint is the more prominent flavor with chocolate coming in second. It’s tasty as a tea. Still not sure I like chocolate in my tea but it was worth the try.

The benefit of drinking something blindly is you don’t know what you’re supposed to expect. Based on the name of the tea, I figured it would be a rooibos based tea and examining the pyramid, my assumption was confirmed. I guess there are supposed to be berries in this but I don’t see any in the pyramid. I only smell rooibos but the flavor is vanilla. There is a light berry taste as well. I find it to be a good balance and probably one of the better rooibos blends I’ve had. I’m reminded of a creamy hard candy I had in the 90’s, whose name is escaping me. I think they were put out by LifeSavers candies. Might have to Google that later.

My entire family is sleeping in this morning, even the dog and the sun is actually shining, so I get to enjoy my mug with the birds this morning. The tea steeped up to a darker color than I expected from a green tea. The fragrance is powerfully floral. I could actually smell the jasmine from the other side of the room as it steeped. No sweeteners added as usual and I managed to time it right and not steep too long. Unsurprisingly, the jasmine is prominent in each sip. There is a vegetal quality as well. I enjoyed this one but I would like it to be a little less jasmine forward. I’d definitely drink it again but not sure I would restock my cabinet.

I’m not sure that I could identify what a black currant tastes like. Fairly certain, I’ve only had currants dried in hot cross buns. This tea is pretty good though. It has a nice medium brown color when steeped. No strong fragrance detected. It is sweet and fruity and smooth. I may have to seek out more teas labeled as Black Currant.

The sachet does have stripes of yellow marigold in it and the leaf looks pretty sizable. A few of the other sachets I’ve had from this collection appeared finer ground. This one steeps up in a nice amber color and smells strongly of peaches. There is a good brulee burnt sugar flavor and I do detect peach in the sips as well. Love it when the flavors match their names! I had expected it to be a very sweet tea but don’t find it that way.

The infuser smells more minty than I anticipated. I steeped this for about 3 minutes and let it cool some as its a humid warm summer morning. There’s a nice pale color to the tea. I get more ginger and mint than mango and peach. It’s not a bad combo but just surprising. I do taste peach but no mango detected in my sips. I enjoyed it but not overly excited by it.

Because these Tea Forte teas came in a holiday sampler, I don’t have full information about them. I read the label and thought this would be a fruity, tropical tea. After having the mug, I did read reviews and went to the Tea Forte website to see more about the ingredients, it makes more sense now.

I grabbed this one at random from my jar of random teas to sample. My first few sips were pretty tasty. Definitely could taste the amaretto and apricot initially. I found the amaretto to be stronger than the apricot. There wasn’t much of a scent to the tea though. Overall, I found this to be rather lackluster.

Grabbed a bag of this from a TTB. This blend was a little harsh and unremarkable. Fine with milk and sugar, but I wouldn’t choose it again. Their packaging is unnecessarily bulky so I was happy to get this one out of my stash.

A strong scent to this one! I walked back into our kitchen and immediately smelled mulled cider. I enjoyed this one. A solid apple flavor, sweetness, and a touch of clove and cinnamon.

This is exactly what I wanted this afternoon. I had been repeatedly disappointed by the Tea Forte advent calendar so far but finally I got to a sample that hit me right at the right moment.
The pear is dominant with a touch of ginger behind it. It’s light and smooth. I could drink this all summer. It could definitely make a nice iced tea. I would get this again if in the shops.

I was up VERY late last night doing some top secret (from my kid) volunteer work and was woken up very early. I thought a mug of Earl Grey would be helpful. This may end up being a multiple mug day.
This is a very bergamonty Earl Grey. Too much so taste wise but it has a lovely fragrance. I find it feels very syrupy and acidic at the same time. I think I’ll stick to other Earl Grey blends.

Maycember has been a terribly busy month. I’ve not had a chance to play on line or quietly sip tea. This weekend we have a reprieve from the insanity that is end of school season. I managed to be out of bed before most of my household and get a quiet moment with a mug of Tea Forte’s Cherry Blossom.

I’ve never tasted a cherry blossom. It’s rare that I actually eat flowers. Where I live, there are few cherry trees and I understand that this year’s cherry crop was harmed by the deep freeze we had in January. Visiting Washington D.C. for their Cherry Blossom bloom is on my travel list.

It has a very slight tartness of cherry but I mostly get a light floral green tea. I enjoyed it but not sure the name fits the product. I feel that it’s a nice green tea- light and mellow.

This one is pretty good. The mint is strong enough that my sinuses are a little happier as the trees are trying to kill me with their pollen. The citrus comes through almost as if I had added lemon to the mint tea. There is a grassy flavor to the tea as well. It is not a favorite but it is something I would take again.

I enjoyed this one quite a bit. It was just sweet enough for me without any add ins. The strawberry definitely stood out.