Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Naked Teas Galore
Tea Description:
This tea shares aromatic notes with merlot wine – chocolate, cherries, dried fruit and flowers. To taste, this blend is classic chocolate and cherries. Ceylon makes for a light black tea base – the backdrop for a fudge-y chocolate start and cherry on the finish. Add a splash of milk and a little sugar to mimic the whipped cream topping.
Learn more about this blend here.
Learn more about subscribing to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
When I read the name of this tea: Black Forest Tea Blend from Naked Teas Galore, I got excited. Black Forest to me means the cake – you know what I’m talking about, right? The dark chocolate cake that’s topped with a glazed cherry topping and whipped cream. YUM.
But then I read the ingredients. Carob? Ick. Why carob? Why not cacao shells? Such an amazing chocolate flavor can be extracted from cacao shells. I’m a chocoholic and I don’t like carob because carob DOES NOT taste like chocolate … at least not a good chocolate. It tastes like carob. It tastes like a poor man’s chocolate. It tastes like imitation chocolate. Ugh.
So, now my expectations are not all that high when it comes to this tea. I’ll still try it and hope for the best. Let’s see what happens.
OK … so this isn’t too bad. It’s actually kind of tasty. The chocolate flavor is a little weak (then again, this is a usual complaint of mine when it comes to chocolate teas, right?) The cherry flavors come through nicely. It’s not a super strong flavor, but, it’s enough to let you know it’s there.
The juniper berries offer a sharpness to the cup, again – not an overly strong flavor, but it does add some “focus” that I think this tea would lack if it wasn’t there. I am also enjoying the rose notes that I taste. Not something I’d normally expect in a Black Forest cake, but, I enjoyed it in the tea.
The black tea base is smooth and flavorful. There is a sort of creaminess to the cup that develops as the tea cools, and I find this particular aspect of the tea quite enjoyable. It is a medium-bodied black tea, so there’s not a lot of gusto to it, but, the flavors and tea meld well together to create a palate pleasing taste.
Overall, it’s not a bad tea. I taste cherry, I taste a creaminess, I taste black tea. I even taste a hint of something that could be chocolate if you don’t try to hone in on that particular note. It’s certainly not as terrible as I thought it might be given that it’s flavored with carob rather than chocolate; I was able to finish the cup without grumbling.
I do still wish that Naked Teas Galore chose to employ cacao shells or nibs rather than carob, but, this tastes alright. Not something I’d buy again, but I’d drink it again if it were offered to me.
White Cherry Tea Blend from Aromatica
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green & White
Where to Buy: Amoda Tea
Tea Description:
Don’t fear the strong cherry aroma, it steeps up nicely balanced with subtle
jasmine and rose floral notes. You’ll still taste the earthiness of the white & green teas before the last hit of cherry that lingers.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn how to subscribe to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
The dry leaf of this White Cherry Tea Blend from Aromatica is extremely aromatic. As the description above suggests, it has a very strong cherry fragrance … it almost smells a bit like cough medicine. Personally, I’m not one to be put off by that, because, I kind of like cherry flavored cough medicine. It’s better than unflavored cough medicine, anyway.
But, I don’t want my cherry flavored teas to taste like cough medicine. So, I remained hopeful that the description is right … and that the tea steeps with a balanced flavor. Fingers crossed!
Wow! This tastes very much like cherry! But it doesn’t taste like a medicinal cherry flavor … it tastes like a sweet, ripe Bing Cherry, bursting with flavor! Seriously, with my first sip, it was very much like I had just bitten into a juicy cherry. YUM!
The sips that follow allow the other flavors in the cup to develop on the palate. I notice hints of jasmine in the distance. I taste the lush, “green” taste of the green tea, as well as hints of earthiness and hay from the Pai Mu Tan. The rose starts to come through after my fourth or fifth sip.
This tea definitely tastes more like a green tea than a white tea, but there is a lightness to this too, the white tea has lightened the overall flavor of the cup. The white tea is not a strong flavor, but it certainly does its part to influence the overall flavor of the cup.
The floral tones are subdued but offer a nice contrast to the sweet cherry flavor. The cherry offers a sweet overtone, but there are hints of tartness to the cup as well. The coconut is not a prominent flavor to this cup, but there is a gentle creaminess that I attribute to the coconut. I like this hint of creaminess … it adds just the right touch to the drink.
Overall, this tea blend really IS well balanced. Sweet? Sure. But there is so much more to it than just sweet cherry flavor. It is that complexity that makes this tea well worth trying.
Cherry Cordial Black Tea from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Product Information:
Ingredients: Premium black teas, organic cacao nibs, freeze-dried cherries, natural flavors.
This tea is available as part of the Box of Chocolates sampler.
Taster’s Review:
There was a time when chocolate covered cherries were my favorite confection. I used to actually crave them! It’s been a while since that time, and I’ve discovered new favorites. However, as I sip this tea, I find myself with that old craving!
This tea tastes very reminiscent of a really good cherry cordial. I can taste hints of the sweet liqueur center – creamy and just a little sweet, with just a hint of brandy. The chocolate tastes exquisitely rich: dark, delicious chocolate! YUM!
The cherry tastes sweet and just a little tangy. As I continue to sip, I notice the tartness of the cherry develops a bit, but it doesn’t really become sour. I like the way the cherry flavor develops here, because with the typical chocolate covered cherry, the flavor becomes too cloying before the flavors of the cherry have much chance to develop.
This is like a chocolate covered cherry – reinvented!
And what makes this even better than the confection is the black tea! The black tea base works really well with this blend, it tastes bold and even a little malty, and I’m not getting much bitterness from the cup. It is a very well-rounded cup of tea.
Even though I’ve only tried two of the six new teas in the Box of Chocolates sampler, this one is my favorite of the two I’ve tried. It’s not only reignited my love for cherry cordials, but, refined it … I don’t think I could settle for an ordinary cherry cordial after trying this amazing tea!
Cherry Fiesta Tea from Sands of Thyme
Tea Type: Rooibos
Where To Buy: Sands of Thyme
Product Description:
Ingredients: rooibos, cherries, flavor, cinnamon, orange peels, ginger bits, cinnamon sticks, candied pineapple bits (pineapple, sugar), candied papaya bits (papaya, sugar), candied mango bits (mango, sugar), cardamom, star-anise, cloves, vanilla bits, rose petals
Tasters Review:
You know when you go to Folk Art Fairs and you smell dried fruits and spices in potpourri…that’s what this smells like! This is very nice and very home-E.
The ingredients go well with the Rooibos here. I can first taste the cherries and cinnamon/stick as well as a hint of vanilla and sugar. I can also pick up on subtle hints of pineapple, mango, and anise. The after taste is sugary-fruity-sweet.
This is tasty! There is a lot going on here but it’s a fun and interesting cuppa!
My Cheap Hubby Tea from The White August Tea Company
Tea Type: Black Tea
Where To Buy: The White August Tea Company
Product Description:
Is your man too cheap to buy you roses and chocolates? Don’t be mad, enjoy all your favorites in this delicious black tea with dark chocolate, sweet creamy cherries, rose petals and Schizandra berries. This Tea comes in a stylish tin and includes T-sacs, so you can enjoy your Tea on the Go. 50g Tin.
Tasters Review:
Chocolate Covered Cherries.
Need I say more?
I probably should considering this is a tea REVIEW site. I should probably elaborate, huh?
The aroma of this one is out of this world! Chocolate Covered Cherries to a TEA (pardon the pun.)
The Black Tea strength was comparable to a medium strength black. The Dark Chocolate flavor was genius but not too much to handle…it blended very well with the other flavors! The Cherry was NOT bitter or tart but juicy and really made you think you were consuming a chocolate covered cherry! The Schiandra berry flavor was more noticeable as the tea cooled or if you were to have it iced. And the creaminess chimed in on the aftertaste more than anything else.
This is a FAB Flavored Black Tea! Tea-riffic!