Secret Garden Tea Blend from Kaleisia Tea

secretgarden

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black, Green & White Teas

Where to Buy:  Kaleisia Tea

Tea Description:

The most popular blend of all times. This blend consist of white peony white tea, sencha green tea, darjeeling black tea, gunpowder green tea, dragonwell green tea, jasmine pearl green tea, mango, pineaple, papaya, orange peels, strawberry, red currants, sour cherry bits, and apricot bits. A very well rounded fruity tea that is sure to please anyone.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review: 

This Secret Garden Tea Blend from Kaleisia Tea has a little bit of EVERYTHING in it!  White tea, green tea, black tea … fruit bits … and a whole lot of flavor!

Since this blend seems to be primarily green tea, I went with a lower brew temperature (185°F) and steeped the tea for 2 1/2 minutes in my Breville One- Touch.  And the results are tasty!

Fruit flavor hits the palate first, although … it is more like a “medley” of fruit flavors rather than one specific fruit note.  Kind of like a bite of ambrosia salad where you taste several fruit notes all at once and it’s difficult to pin-point exactly which fruit you’re tasting.  It’s a very refreshing fruit taste though!

As far as tea flavor goes, green tea is what I taste most.  That sweet, sort of leafy/grassy note that is very fresh and crisp.  It’s a nice contrast with the sweet and sour fruit notes that tantalize the palate at the start of the sip. There is a sweet, creaminess to the tea notes as well, is that the white tea or the buttery notes from the Sencha?  I can’t be sure, but, I like the way it comes together with the fruit notes.  I don’t taste a whole lot of white tea here, nor do I notice much from the Darjeeling black tea, although I can’t say that this blend would taste the same without those tea leaves being a part of this blend.

As I continue to sip, I realize that I’m tasting mostly a “tropical” sort of taste:  notes of pineapple, mango, and papaya, with a strawberry background note.  I taste the sweetness of the apricot too.  The sour tones of the currant and the cherry come through near the finish, but these are not very strong flavors. The fruit notes, overall, are more “melded” together as a unified flavor … like some kind of “ultra-fruit” but, if I aerate the sip by slurping, I can pick out individual fruit notes.

I like that this blend is more sweet than it is sour, because I’m not a huge fan of the sour taste as I’ve said many times.  While this does seem to be a rather “busy” blend … I find it enjoyable.  I like it better iced than hot, so, I’ll be brewing more of this later for my iced tea pitcher and enjoy it all day long tomorrow!

Tulsi Signature Blend from Davidson’s Organics

Tisane Information:

Leaf Type:  Tulsi

Where to Buy:  Davidson’s Organics

Tisane Description:

Davidson`s Signature Blend blends three varieties of Tulsi (Krishna, Rama and Vana) with Peppermint (mild stimulating properties, aids digestion & calms an upset stomach)*, Pepper (mild stimulant & digestive aid)*, Ginger (helps with motion sickness & nausea)* and Cinnamon (recommended for balancing blood sugar levels).

Learn more about this tisane here.

Taster’s Review:

Nice!

I love the combination of flavors here … a quick glance of the ingredients, and one might think of this as a chai-like tisane, but, it really isn’t.  The flavors of pepper, ginger and cinnamon are very calm – not at all spicy.

Everything in this blend is nicely balanced.  It has a minty overtone, but the peppermint (as well as the natural minty notes of the tulsi) does not overpower the cup.  Peppermint can sometimes be an aggressive herb, but here, it seems to even out the also sometimes aggressive flavors of cinnamon, ginger, and pepper.  Everything seems to work together to create a gentle, even flavor that is actually quite soothing.

I love that I taste everything here but it is all in a smooth and calm way.  Bravo to Davidson’s Organics for creating a Signature Blend that allows the beauty of tulsi to come through.

Signature Positiv-A-Tea Blend from Positiv-A-Tea

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Herbal

Where to Buy:  Positiv-A-Tea

Product Description:

100% Organic
Hand-Blended
USDA Approved
Naturally Decaffeinated

Ingredients:
Hibiscus, Lemon Balm, Rose Petals,
Orange Peel, Cinnamon, Lavender

Taster’s Review:

I was a little confused when I read the packaging – the list of ingredients on the card that came with this sample of tea doesn’t include cinnamon, but I was certain it was in there.  I could smell it and taste it.  I was a little worried that somehow my olfactory nerve and taste buds were off.  After visiting the website I see that there is, indeed, cinnamon in the blend.

So at least my nose and tongue aren’t so off after all.  But I still worried that this tisane would be very hibiscus-y since it was the first ingredient listed.  But really, the hibiscus isn’t very dominant here.  It adds some much needed body (without it, I think this would be a dismally thin cuppa) and color, as well as just a hint of flavor that enhances the citrus-y tones of the cup.

That being said, as this tisane cools the hibiscus flavor does start to become more aggressive – so if you like the taste of hibiscus, drink this iced.  If you’re not a fan of hibiscus, I suggest drinking it hot!

The primary flavors of this cup are the citrus-y tones (most notably, orange) and the cinnamon, and it makes for a very nice, warmly spiced orange-y tisane.  I can taste the rose and the lavender also, but, these are not particularly strong in this cup.  The lemon balm adds just a hint of lemon-y flavor, but without lemon-y pucker.  It is a very charming balance of tastes.

A beautiful herbal blend that is just as good for you as it is delicious to drink!  Cheers!