Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: Nature’s Tea Leaf
Tea Description:
Fruit Fusion Green Tea is a harmonious fusion of Eastern and Western flavors. This tea has a tart, fresh aroma with a zesty and fruity flavor that cools and refreshes your body. Our Fruit Fusion Green Tea combines a quality Sencha green tea with genuine dried pieces of Rosehip, Hibiscus (a Chinese flower and natural source of many vitamins including C, A, and D), and orange peel. The Sencha tea leaves are loose, green tea leaves with a flat, smooth, and narrow body. When infused, the tea has a sweet and sour aroma. A refreshing drink that can be enjoyed hot or cold.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I had my doubts about this tea. After all, I’m not fond of hibiscus, and I have often let that be known here on this blog. It seems like it’s in nearly every tisane out there … why, oh why does it need to also be added to Camellia Sinensis? I mean, yeah, I get it … I know it’s loaded with vitamins and offers a realistic berry-like taste when it’s infused. But it also can be rather tart and when left to brew too long, it becomes syrupy. Fortunately, since it has been blended with a green tea here, that isn’t a problem, as I rarely brew my green teas for longer than 2 minutes. But the tartness. I’m doubtful, but I’ve got my fingers crossed. Here’s hoping!
OK, so this is pretty darned good! The hibiscus did not go all “hibiscus-y” on me and turn this into a syrupy, tarty tasting tea. I taste the lovely, sweet flavor of the Sencha, which is slightly creamy, almost buttery, and smooth. I taste the bright, vibrant flavor of the orange, and I do taste the hibiscus. It tastes tart and tangy, but, it doesn’t overwhelm it.
It’s got kind of a sweet-and-sour kind of thing going on, and I like the contrast. The sip starts off sweet, with a bright, citrus-y tone and sweet green tea taste. Toward mid-sip, the flavor shifts to a slightly tart taste, which develops and becomes more tart toward the tail and then carries through to the aftertaste.
It’s a very lively, enjoyable tea. Especially nice as it cools – would make a great iced tea!
Real Red Paradise Tea from Tea & Botanicals
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Tea & Botanicals
Tisane Description:
Red Tea is naturally caffeine-free red tea blended with colorful flower petals and tropical flavors. Red Tea has reputed health benefits, as it is antioxidant rich and also contains vitamins and minerals.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
Visually, this is a very pretty tisane. Amongst the needle-like reddish-brown rooibos leaves, there are beautiful petals of blue, red, and yellow. There is really very little aroma to the dry leaf, which is a little disappointing because with a name like “Real Red Paradise Tea,” I was kind of hoping for a beautiful, exotic fragrance. The brewed tea has a slightly stronger scent, smelling of a tropical fruit medley – not like any one fruit in particular, its more like a tropical fruit punch.
The flavor is surprisingly good. I say that because, with most rooibos blends I want a strong flavoring, because I don’t usually like to taste the flavor of oxidized rooibos. They are nutty, a little woody, and there is often this really funky sweetness that lingers into the aftertaste. It’s not really the most pleasant flavor.
But, somehow, this all works together very well. F0r starters, I don’t taste that funky sweetness nor do I taste a funky lingering aftertaste that I normally associate with red rooibos. I do taste the nutty tones, but somehow these typical rooibos flavors just work well with the flavors and more importantly with the level of flavoring that this tisane possesses. I taste sweet, nutty flavor, and unlike some other red rooibos blends I’ve tried in the past, this tastes very pleasant!
The tropical flavors are very light. I don’t know that I taste any one type of tropical fruit specifically. Every once in a while I think I taste pineapple, but, it tastes more like a harmony of fruit notes … and it’s a very delicate taste, like it’s off in the distance, just barely tempting the palate with sweet, fruity goodness.
And what I’m really enjoying most of all is how well these whispers of tropical fruit mingle with the floral notes … the rose is especially noticeable. The sweet notes from the rose together with the soft tropical fruit is really quite delightful.
Not a bad tisane, quite enjoyable. Nice for a quiet evening, when you just want to sit back and relax.
Cucumber Kiwi Honeybush from 52Teas
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tisane Description:
As cool as a cucumber and as crazy as a kiwi: I’d say that about sums up 52teas. With a twist of lime on the side. Here’s our caffeine-free African honeybush blended with freeze-dried kiwi and natural and organic flavors. A cool, caffeine-free treat. Well, cool if you make iced tea of it, I suppose.
Learn more about this honeybush blend here.
Taster’s Review:
The last time I checked, there were still quite a few pouches of this tea available. I’m really quite surprised by this … and maybe it’s just me, but, when I see a tea called “Cucumber Kiwi” … that’s something I MUST TRY! It’s one of those flavors you aren’t going to come across very often, and I love trying the unusual flavors.
But there is another reason for my surprise, too. I mean, this is a honeybush blend from 52Teas, and I have not found a tea company that offers better flavored honeybush blends than 52Teas. Some of their other blends may be iffy, but, most (if not all) of the honeybush blends have been stellar. One only need try a blend like Coconut Cheesecake Honeybush or Chocolate Malt Honeybush to know what I’m talking about here.
And while this one might not be quite as good as the Chocolate Malt or Coconut Cheesecake, it is REALLY good. The flavor is sweet and fruity, but there is just a hint of tartness in there too to keep it from being too cloying.
It has a very intriguing balance of flavors, it’s one of those teas that keeps me sipping just to try to nail down what I’m tasting. One sip, I’ll notice the kiwi as the strongest flavor … the next, I’ll taste a strong burst of citrus-y flavor. In the next sip, I’ll notice the cool taste of cucumber. It all comes together in such a pleasing way and I really like that.
Lemon Karkade from Shanti Tea
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Shanti Tea
Tisane Description:
Origin: Egypt
Certification: Organic
Ingredients: Lemongrass, Hibiscus
Naturally Caffeine-Free Herbal Tea
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
“Yikes! Hibiscus!” That’s exactly what I exclaimed as I measured out this tisane into my Breville One-Touch. My history with hibiscus has been well documented here, and I don’t need to rehash it, so I’ll simply summarize by saying hibiscus isn’t my favorite herb. It’s too tart and when brewed too long, it produces an icky, syrupy liquid. Yeah, I know it’s good for you. Lots of vitamin C, and all that.
So, I am trying not to judge this tisane too harshly before I even try it. Who knows, I may like it. Stranger things have happened!
OK… so it’s not bad. Not bad at all. I am not about to proclaim it the best tisane I’ve ever tried because it isn’t, but, considering this is a blend of two ingredients, and one of them is hibiscus, I think it’s quite alright.
The hibiscus lends a sort of berry-ish kind of flavor to it, it is tart, but, because I steeped this for only six minutes, I’m not dealing with an overwhelming amount of tartness here. The lemongrass does it’s bit to soften the hibiscus somewhat and to provide a hint of buttery creaminess to the cup, as well as a citrus-y taste to complement the berry-like taste of the hibiscus.
I prefer this hot, because as it cools, the hibiscus starts to get a bit too tarty for my taste buds. I find it to be quite soothing to the throat. My throat has been put through the ringer lately because of my allergies (I have them all year round!), and I find this to be quite nice to sip and help relax the itchiness in my throat. I imagine this would be best served with a dollop of honey, but, I am drinking it straight and it’s not bad that way either.
Overall, it’s pretty tasty. It isn’t my favorite offering from Shanti Tea, but I can see how this might appeal to someone who likes hibiscus but wants a slightly lighter hibiscus drink. Not something I’d want to drink every evening, but it isn’t something I’d turn away if it were offered, either. Pleasant … not bad … but I’ve had better, certainly.
Good Morning Sunshine from Butiki Teas
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Guayusa
Where to Buy: Butiki Teas
Tisane Description:
Feel like a zombie in the morning? Then we highly recommend our refreshing Good Morning Sunshine guayusa. The lemon aroma and high caffeine content awaken the spirit. This guayusa has a zesty lemon flavor that is sweet, tart, and creamy.
Learn more about this Guayusa blend here.
Taster’s Review:
OK, I am LOVING this!
I generally do feel a bit zombie-ish in the morning. Morning is absolutely my least favorite part of the day. I’ll never be accused of being a morning person. In fact, I’ve pretty much structured my day so that I can sleep through morning! I’m much more productive late at night, so I stay up late enough so that I can wake up around 11 or so (sometimes later), and not feel guilty about sleeping the morning away … and still be rid of that bothersome morning thing. I still have to get up – briefly – in the morning, just to make sure that my soon-to-be-teen daughter gets up and gets on her way to school. But as soon as she’s out the door, I’m headed back to bed!
But there are sometimes when I have to get up early and stay up. Some things won’t wait until later, and on those days, if I don’t want to look like a dead girl walking, I need something energizing to wake me up. I can’t drink coffee, and really, with as wonderful as tea is, I don’t want to drink coffee! But sometimes, I need the caffeine of coffee. Fortunately, I’ve discovered Guayusa! It offers that same caffeine burst of energy that coffee does, but without the sick feeling I get after I drink coffee. Guayusa even tastes a little bit like coffee – only its smoother and not bitter like coffee can be. This really is the best of both worlds.
I love the combination of flavors that Butiki chose for this Good Morning Sunshine Guayusa blend. It is pleasantly citrus-y, providing the sunny flavor of lemon without the acidic flavor of it. It’s a little bit tart, but not overly so. There is a creamy element to the blend too, which curbs much of the tartness, making for a sweet, brightly flavored cup of morning goodness, with just enough tartness to keep it lively.
On the days that I have to wake up early (or early for me, anyway), this is the kind of tisane I want waiting for me. It energizes me and helps me to shake that sleepy feeling. After a cup of this, I feel like I can face whatever the day brings!