Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: MarketSpice
Tisane Description:
Tart yet minty. This tea is a blend of African RedBush, Cranberry and Peppermint flavoring. High in anti-oxidants and naturally caffeine free.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
This Cranberry-Mint African Redbush Tea from MarketSpice has a really interesting combination of flavors … and it’s not what I expected at all!
I expected to taste a strong minty taste, and maybe a hint of sour cranberry. And while the mint is indeed strong … that isn’t the first note I experience. I taste a warm, nutty flavor from the rooibos. It is a distinct rooibos flavor, but, at the same time it doesn’t taste like a typical rooibos. It doesn’t have that sour wood taste, or the sometimes funky sweetness that I often associate with rooibos. Instead … it is more of a taste that is sweet, almost honey-like (reminding me a bit of honeybush rather than rooibos!) and a warm, nutty flavor. Hints of wood but not a sour wood.
Then I notice the fruity notes of the cranberry. It is tangy and tart, but the sweetness from the rooibos curbs some of the tart flavor. I really like how cranberry and rooibos taste together. I don’t think I really realized it until I tried this tisane … but these two components work very well together.
Almost at the mid-way point of the sip, I notice the mint. It is cool and crisp … but it isn’t a strong, distinctly peppermint kind of note. The flavor of cranberry as well as the strong presence of the nutty tones of rooibos has managed to tone down the peppermint just a smidge, to give it a sweet, cooling effect without overwhelming the palate with minty taste.
The flavor is really surprisingly smooth. It almost reminds me of a latte … there is almost a creaminess to this cup (and no, I didn’t add milk!) It’s really very pleasant … a very surprising, delicious cup of rooibos! I’m really enjoying this.
Malawi White Peony from Butiki Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Butiki Teas
Tea Description:
Malawi White Peony originates from Thyolo, a southern town in the southeast African country of Malawi. This rare and truly unique white tea has gorgeous dried leaves that range in color from chocolate to mahogany to rainforest and has a delicate floral aroma. This smooth-bodied white tea starts with light vegetal notes and has mild sweet lime and rose notes that linger.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I know I’ve said this before, but it is something I don’t mind repeating: Butiki Teas is one of my favorite tea companies. This tea is an example of why … it is extraordinary! That is to say … this is not your ordinary White Peony tea!
It still has some of the qualities that I’d expect from a White Peony – it has a delicate nature, with hints of flower and vegetation. But the flavor is more intense than a typical White Peony, and there are lovely notes of citrus – bright, beautiful citrus! – which is something I don’t generally experience with a White Peony tea.
The overall cup is JUICY … it tastes sweet and mildly vegetative. After reading the description, I found myself searching for the rose note that is mentioned but I couldn’t find it … until I reached mid-cup! At that point, right as the sip comes to a finish, there it is: ROSE! It’s a very distinct rose note, too! Stunning!
I found this tea to be full of surprises: wonderful, delicious surprises! If you are a fan of white teas, this is one that you need to put on your MUST TRY list. And even if you aren’t a fan of white tea, I think you should try it … it is so different from other white teas!
Yorkshire Tea from Taylors of Harrogate
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black, Assam, African
Where to Buy: British Isles
Tea Description:
A proper tasting cuppa. Pure and simple.
Founded in 1886, Taylors of Harrogate is an independent family business, dedicated to the pleasures of good tea and coffee. The family business has been buying and blending fine teas for over a century.
In every cup of their tea you can taste the skill, creativity and craftsmanship of Taylors’ tea blenders. Taylors’ employees visit tea estates personally to select only the finest seasonal hand-plucked teas.
By investing in long-term partnerships and paying fair prices, Taylors is able to make a positive difference to the quality of the teas and the lives of the growers. The company is a member of the Ethical Tea Partnership and is committed to the ethical sourcing of tea.
Every year Taylors donates at least £100,000 (approx. $190,000) to environmental and community projects overseas. Since 1990 Taylors has planted over 3 million trees across the world with the charity Oxfam.
Taster’s Review:
This is quite simply the perfect English tea! 
A very dear friend of mine, from the UK, sent me a huge box of this tea awhile back and I was surprised when I discovered it was not just some regular ol bland black tea! Imagine my shock and horror that a bagged tea could be so rich, malty, and delicious!
This tea also does come in loose leaf so I provided links to both, but if you look around the site a little you will find you can get it in different quantities as well. My b
ox has 160 bags and on those days when I just can’t seem to navigate my tea stash, let alone, proper brewing, I grab a bag of Taylors and Harrogate Yorkshire and all is right with the world!
This tea is rich, complex enough, and has just the right amount of malty flavor to kick me into high gear in the mornings. It has a rich full mouthfeel and the tea itself is quite robust! Yet, it is not bitter whatsoever and the astringency that exists within the cup is the right kind of astringency that should be there in a fine black tea!
Of course being a good bold tea it can take well to cream, milk, sweeteners, anything you may want to add to it.
Now I did link one of many places to purchase this tea, however it can be found in many places both online and in stores. I have seen it in many of my local markets, as well as at our local British Shop.
If you are looking for the perfect English style tea to sever for a tea party, a cream tea, high tea, ANY kind of “tea” situation or celebration, get some of this. Its just as they say, “A proper tasting cuppa. Pure and simple.”
Vanilla African Redbush Tea from MarketSpice
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: MarketSpice
Tisane Description:
The addition of Vanilla flavoring and Chamomile to our standard African RedBush provides a rich and satisfying cup of tea. Add honey for that extra zing. High in anti-oxidants and naturally caffeine free.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
This is a really nice vanilla flavored rooibos blend. Normally, chamomile is not my favorite thing, but, I like the addition of chamomile here. It adds just enough of something different to the cup to keep it interesting.
The aroma of the dry leaf is quite distinctive. It smells of tobacco – like the pipe tobacco that my step-mother would buy for my dad as she attempted to encourage him to smoke a pipe. She liked the smell of pipe smoke. I am not particularly fond of the smell of the smoke, but I liked the smell of tobacco (is it called “raw” tobacco when it’s not smoked and still in the package?)
But I’ll be honest, it throws me off a bit when I smell that fragrance in a tea. I find the smell of pipe tobacco pleasant but it doesn’t smell like something I want to consume, you know what I mean? But, once it started brewing, the aroma became much more like rich vanilla and less like tobacco.
The flavor is very pleasant. It has a smooth, creamy vanilla taste with a hint of nutty rooibos in the background. The woody tones of the rooibos come out as well, and I like the way they meld with the vanilla notes. The chamomile is very light, but I can taste that hint of apple-like flavor from the chamomile.
Overall, it’s a very enjoyable tea. I especially enjoy it later in the evening while watching TV, it’s got such a relaxing quality to it. Very nice!
Vanilla Bean Honeybush from California Tea House
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: California Tea House
Tisane Description:
Honeybush is made from the Cyclopia sessiliflora plant from the mountains of the South African Cape. It is very similar to Rooibos in taste and health aspects, yet it is naturally a little more sweet. We took the highest grade Honeybush and blended in vanilla bean pieces and marigold petals to create our naturally caffeine-free Vanilla Bean Honeybush.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
This tisane brings back memories! Back when I flavored and blended teas, I had a delicious organic vanilla honeybush, and this tastes quite a bit like that one did. The naturally sweet, nutty flavor of the honeybush seems to marry very well with the creamy tones of vanilla. The result is a sweet, smooth cup that is delicious any time of day.
While I am enjoying this (and it is good hot or iced!) I think it would be even better with a bit more vanilla flavor. As it is, it has a pleasing vanilla note, but, I think that a little more vanilla would help to tone down the slightly sour wood note that I taste toward mid-sip. It isn’t what I’d call “off-putting” but, I think it would taste better without it. In addition, I think that the additional vanilla flavor would give it a little more body, and I’m finding this cup to be a wee bit on the thin side.
Overall, though, this is enjoyable. Makes a sweet, cozy cup to enjoy later in the evening when you might want something a little on the sweet side, this can help curb those cravings. A nice, relaxing cup.