Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Just.Organic.Tea
Tisane Description:
Our blend of spring fruits and flowers combine the first pink roses, vibrant magenta hibiscus, blue and white cornflowers, and a sprinkling of blueberries, in a base of pure organic green rooibos. Tastes great hot or iced. Naturally caffeine free.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about Just.Organic.Tea’s Kickstarter Fundraising Campaign here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve never really made any big secret of the fact that I’m not a big fan of hibiscus in tisane blends. If it’s steeped too long, hibiscus can brew to a thick, syrupy liquid. If there’s too much hibiscus in a blend, the result can be a very tart beverage and I don’t care for drinks that make me pucker. So, I wasn’t all that excited to see hibiscus in this blend.
But, I brewed it with care and hoped that there wouldn’t be too much hibiscus in it. Having really enjoyed Just.Organic.Tea.’s Orange Spice Black Tea and appreciating their skillful blending of that tea, I hoped that just as much skill was put into the blending of this Just a Taste of Spring blend.
This is alright.
There are things that I like about it, and there are things that I’d change about it if I could. For example, I like the green rooibos in this. It adds a fresh, light flavor to the cup and the natural sweetness of the rooibos softens the tarty notes of the hibiscus.
There is a bit more hibiscus in this than I’d like there to be (but let’s face it, I’d rather there be no hibiscus in it). But on the plus side, it doesn’t have a thick, syrupy texture (I only steeped it for 6 minutes, which is probably one factor to the lighter texture).
I love the juicy blueberry taste to this. Sweet and a little tart – and the hibiscus does emphasize this tartness a bit – I like the blueberry flavor. I find myself wishing I could taste more of the rose. As it is, the hibiscus seems to mask the sweet floral notes and I am missing those.
Overall, it’s not a bad blend. It’s not my favorite, and as I said, there are things that I’d change about it if I could. I liked it alright … didn’t love it. On the other hand, my youngest daughter loved it! She’s a blueberry lover, and she loved the tart, tingly flavor of this tisane.
If you’re able to, please consider contributing to Just.Organic.Tea’s Fundraising Campaign on Kickstarter. With your help, this new tea company can get up and running!
Bali Bamboo Leaf Tisane from Wise Owl Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Fruit/Herbal Tea
Where to Buy: Wise Owl Tea
Tea Description:
Our delicious Bamboo Leaf and nettle tea will leave you feeling refreshed, and conjure up images of the tropical island of Bali in the Indonesian archipelago. Long sugary beaches leading into hillsides terraced with Bamboo. The tall supple plants gently swaying in the coastal breeze. One sip and the Island of Bali is just around the corner This fabulous blend is a mild, sweet, green tea flavour.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
I haven’t had a lot of bamboo teas/tisanes during my time as a tea reviewer, and I’m finding myself a little surprised at just how much this Bali Bamboo Leaf Tisane from Wise Owl Tea tastes like green tea! It has that sweet, light, clean flavor of a pure green tea, although I’m finding this to be a wee bit sweeter. There is no bitterness here and no astringency.
The brewed liquid even LOOKS like a green tea, which had me zapping myself over to the website to check out the ingredients of this tisane again to make sure it wasn’t actually a green tea. Nope, this tisane contains only bamboo leaf and nettle. Of course, the addition of the nettle in this blend probably contributes to the “green tea” taste of it. Nettle tends to have a sweet, grassy taste – just like green tea.
This has a slight buttery tone to it, and that vegetative taste that falls somewhere in between freshly steamed veggies and sweet grass. It has a flavor that is reminding me of a Chinese Sencha, but it’s free of caffeine. It’s a pleasant cuppa and would make a great substitution for a green tea for someone who needs to refrain from consuming caffeine but still want to drink green tea. I don’t need to restrict my caffeine consumption and I’m still finding this lovely to drink. It is a tasty, refreshing beverage!
So far, I’ve been very impressed with the tisanes that I’ve tried from Wise Owl Tea. I’m hoping to try more from them in the future!
Organic Ginger Calendula Rooibos Tea from Spicely Organics
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Spicely Organics
Tisane Description:
Free of caffeine, but full of energizing ingredients! This tea is perfect for fine-tuning and focusing the senses, while also supporting healthy circulation. This tea is tangy, sweet, and a little spicy — the synergistic effect of this blend is perfect any time of day. INGREDIENTS: Organic Rooibos, Organic Ginger, Organic Calendula Petals
Learn more about this tisane here.
Learn more about the Spicely Organics Monthly Tea Membership here.
Taster’s Review:
I didn’t have big expectations from this Organic Ginger Calendula Rooibos Tea from Spicely Organics, to tell you the truth. It didn’t seem like all that exciting of a blend. It’s rooibos, ginger and calendula.
But, I’m finding myself enchanted by the ginger in this blend. It’s got a really zesty flavor. It’s spicy but not fiery hot, and I like the way it contrasts with the honey-sweet, woodsy/nutty flavors of the rooibos. It’s a very comforting taste: warm and cozy and something I’d like to curl up to on a chilly evening. It’s also quite soothing to the throat, so I brewed some of this for my youngest daughter who is getting over a cold, and it helped her feel better.
Calendula is essentially marigold petals, and they really add very little to the taste and texture of a tea or tisane. I’m of the opinion that the main reason that tea companies use calendula in their blends is to add some color, and I think that some companies use too much calendula in their blends, and if I were to offer any real complaint about this tisane, that would be it: there is a lot of calendula in this blend, maybe too much calendula.
That said, because calendula doesn’t add a lot of flavor or taste to the cup, I really didn’t mind the calendula in this blend. And I am really enjoying the combination of ginger and rooibos together … a lot more than I thought I would!
A simple blend, but it’s very enjoyable, and one I’d be happy to drink again.
Blue Lady Black Tea from Zest Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Zest Tea
Tea Description:
Our Blue Lady Black blends a sultry South Indian black tea base with an aromatic mix of orange, lemon, passion fruit, and hibiscus. A peppering of vivid blue cornflower petals and bits of orange peel make for a visual spectacle. Blue lady will excite all of your senses. No wonder this is a favorite among hot and chilled tea drinkers.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about Zest High-Octane Tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I thought that this Blue Lady Black Tea from Zest Tea was the ideal tea to review on tax day. We got to get those taxes done and in the mail, right? Actually, I finished my taxes in the first week of February, but, I know that there are those who don’t get them done and April 15th always seems to be crunch day, right? So, this one’s for you!
Zest Teas are “High-Octane” teas, that is to say that there is more caffeine in this cup of tea than in the average cup of flavored black tea. The goal, according to the makers of Zest Tea, was to create a high quality cup of tea that had the caffeine of a cup of coffee.
My one concern was this: I can’t drink coffee. Coffee makes me sick. I used to drink coffee every morning until I realized that the reason I was feeling sick around 11 am was that the coffee I was drinking every morning was making me feel that way. Was this “High-Octane” Zest Tea going to have the same effect on me? I kept my fingers crossed that it wouldn’t.
This tea is VERY aromatic. When I opened the pouch, I was greeted with a very fruity “punch” of fragrance: I could smell citrus notes of orange and lemon and I could smell the passion fruit. And despite the images that the “High-Octane” evoked in my head, it doesn’t smell of gasoline. Not one bit. It smells like a fruit flavored black tea. I like that smell.
It tastes great! The fruit notes of citrus and passion fruit are strong, but I also taste the Nilgiri black tea base. It has a pleasing flavor: rich and smooth, no bitterness, and it has lovely notes of malt.
I like the way the notes of malt play with the notes of lemon and orange. I also appreciate the balance that has been achieved in this blend: I taste the strong fruit notes but there is a full-flavored black tea base to fill in the background. There is also an agreeable balance of tart and sweet here. It is neither too sweet nor too tart.
The hibiscus in this blend adds a little bit of body to the cup and a hint of tart flavor that complements the citrus notes. Not a lot of hibiscus flavor, just enough tart and tangy taste to contrast with the sweeter notes of the fruit.
There are no weird/funky flavors associated with the extra dose of caffeine in the tea. Not that I thought there would be, but for those of you who might have thought: “What will that “High-Octane” thing do to the flavor?” I’m here to tell you that I don’t notice anything off with the flavor at all. This tastes like tea. It doesn’t taste different or off or funky in any way. It just tastes like a tasty tea with lovely notes of citrus and passion fruit.
So far, I really like what I’ve tasted from this tea. I’ll come back in a couple of hours to let you know if I felt any ill after-effects from the caffeine.
OK … so a few hours have lapsed since I finished the cup of tea, and here’s what I noticed:
- More energy: Yep. I could feel the extra burst of caffeine. But it didn’t feel like the jolt you’d get from a cup of coffee. It was stronger than the usual energy flow that I’d get from the usual cup of tea, though. A bit more like the unbridled jolt from coffee, but, I didn’t feel jittery or … well, I didn’t feel like I had just consumed a cup of coffee. But there is definitely an elevated level of invigorated energy from this tea.
- No ill effects: I didn’t feel that icky feeling that I would feel after I drank a cup of coffee in the morning. Big bonus points for that.
- No “crash”: After drinking coffee and experiencing that jolt, a few hours later, I usually feel the crash. I feel a lack of energy, like I need another cup of coffee to get me going again. Now, the lack of crash could be from the fact that I drink tea throughout the day, but, my tea drinking today has been limited to this one cup of tea from Zest Tea and then a couple of glasses of cold-brewed black iced tea. I don’t know the level of caffeine from the iced tea, but, I will say that I don’t usually feel “energized” after I drink iced tea. I feel refreshed and I feel my thirst has been quenched, but I don’t feel the burst of caffeinated energy from iced tea.
OK, so there you have it. I like this stuff … it’s a great way to get your act together in the morning on those days that you really need to get it together. And it tastes great too. This tea has it going on.
Rooibos Chocolate Vanilla from Tea for Life
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Learn more about Tea of Life and Amazon Teas here.
Tisane Description:
South African Red Bush or Rooibos Tea is a pure and natural herbal blend. Freshly harvested and finely chopped rooibos goes through a process of oxidation with the aid of the oxygen from the atmosphere and subsequently dried int he sun to produce a deep mahogany red cup of which is one of the most popular and healthy herbal drinks today.
“Tea of Life” is proud to introduce five New Naturally Caffeine Free Rooibos Teas combined with Dark Chocolate with delicious natural fruit and mint flavors for your enjoyment – all day and into the evening.
Taster’s Review:
These dark chocolate rooibos blends from Tea of Life are really good. The chocolate is rich and dark and there’s a good amount of chocolate flavor to the blend. I’m really enjoying this Rooibos Chocolate Vanilla blend – LOTS of chocolate flavor with a sweet, creamy vanilla undertone.
I taste hints of honeyed, nutty sweetness from the rooibos, but, I like that the flavor of the rooibos isn’t as pronounced as the dark chocolate notes and the notes of vanilla. Normally, I want the flavor of the “tea” to be the star of the cup, but, since this is rooibos and I’m not particularly a big rooibos fan, I like that I am only getting a little bit of the flavor of the rooibos.
Plus, we’re talking chocolate here, and when it comes to chocolate, more chocolate is always better. I really can’t think of any instance when that isn’t true. And this has a strong chocolate presence. The sweet notes of vanilla give this cup an almost “milk chocolate-y” sort of taste, and I like the way the two – chocolate and vanilla – meld together in this cup.
A really tasty cup.