Hello tea friends!
Today I will be drinking Cocoa Rouge, a herbal blend from The Jasmine Pearl Tea Co. Two of the ingredients are organic (Cocoa nibs and Rooibos) so it’s a partially organic and mildly caffeinated blend. With the cold weather on the way I have the desire to drink hot chocolate, that is why this blend caught my attention. Cocoa with vanilla and chicory sounds like a warming and sweet blend.
Opening the sample packet I can smell toasted chicory with a sweet vanilla undertone. The Rooibos is also rather heavy in this blend, in appearance and smell.
Steeping Parameters: 13g of loose leaf tea in 600ml of boiling water for 3 minutes.
Once steeped the tea bares a very dark brown tea liquid with a sweet vanilla and Rooibos scent. Not as toasted or chicory like as the raw scent.
The first few sips reveal a sweet and creamy vanilla tone that balances the natural sweetness from the Rooibos. Behind that there are dark, toasty cocoa nib and chicory notes that quickly lightens in the after taste. A few more sips bring out some dryness in the after taste but the velvety vanilla makes up for that. It is a Rooibos heavy blend but it’s not the main flavour and a lot of it has been toned down, so while I can taste it it’s not too sweet or chemical like which it tends to be. If you’ve had Rooibos before you will know what I’m talking about. As it cools slightly I am getting a real hot chocolate vibe from it. It’s sweet and the cocoa is thicker, plus the vanilla makes it more chocolate like.
Overall it was a pleasant blend, though I admit guilt for underestimating it from the start. As soon as I saw it was a Rooibos blend I immediately thought it’s either going to be too Rooibos heavy (which I severely dislike) or too chicory heavy to block out the Rooibos taste. I was wrong on both accounts. I can taste the Rooibos but the vanilla keeps the sweetness creamy and the chicory and cocoa give it depth and flavour.. The ingredients work well together to give an imaginative hot chocolate tea. It goes to show that you can never judge a tea by it’s ingredients alone.
Until next time, Happy Steeping!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: The Jasmine Pearl Tea
Description:
Cacao nibs and hearty roasted chicory add lots of body to the rooibos base in this rich, satisfying blend. Vanilla extract helps give the mixture its warm flavor and adds depth to its enticing aroma. As a dessert blend, Cocoa Rouge can be drunk by itself, but the addition of milk and sweetener makes for an extra-delicious treat. Due to the cacao nibs, the blend does have some caffeine in it, so best to enjoy it well before bedtime.
Ingredients:
Cacao Nibs, Rooibos, Vanilla Beans, Carob, Chicory Root, Vanilla Extract.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Smarty Pants Herbal Tea from Indie Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Indie Tea
Tea Description:
An Intelligent Herbal Concoction of Ginkgo Biloba, Brahmi, Gotu Kola, Ginger, Peppermint, Hawthorn Berries, Passionflower Holy Basil and Lemon Verbena
Hocus Pocus…Where’s My Focus? Is It Here? Is It There? I Can’t Find It Anywhere. Perhaps If I Would Drink My Tea, I Might Become A Smarter Me.
Steeping Instructions: Measure 1.5 teaspoons of tea to 8 oz of water. Heat water to boiling 208 degrees, pour over the tea leaves, and steep tea leaves for five to six minutes.
Organic and Fair Trade Ingredients: Organic Ginkgo Biloba,Organic Hawthorn Berries, Organic Ginger, Organic Gotu Kola, Organic Brahmi, Organic Peppermint, Organic Passionflower, Organic Tulsi Holy Basil, Organic Lemon Verbena
.8 oz. Tube…$5.99 • 3 oz. Tin…$13.99 • 8 oz Bag…$29.00 • 1 lb Bag…$57.00
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve been a fan of Indie Tea in Las Vegas since the very first time I saw them! Not only because of their creative blends of tea bases and flavors but because of some of the secondary ingredients they use – herbs, for example, that you would normally find in regular teas and tisanes. Another reason I LOVE their company is the artsy-vibe they incorporate into their tea packaging, logos, labels, and website! They are CLEVER thru and thru – that is for sure!
When I first saw the tube of SMARTY PANTS – it made me smile! It said “Put on your thinking cap SMARTY PANTS” and as you can see above use quite the combination of ingredients in this herbal. I tend to not really reach for herbals teas but sometimes LIFE calls the shots for you, right! I’m glad I listened, in this case, this is a mighty fine herbal offering from Indie Tea!
I would agree that it is an intelligent blend! A hint of berry flattened by the Ginkgo and Basil, mostly but also the yin and the yang of the Ginger and Peppermint dance nicely to create their own flavor, too! The Lemon Verbena really brings everything together nicely in the end.
This isn’t overly herb or leafy tasting. The ginger and the peppermint are subtle and nicely done. I can’t think of a more well rounded mesh of flavors for this herbal. I don’t think I would change anything!
White Sage and Wild Mint from Juniper Ridge
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Juniper Ridge
Tea Description:
White Sage has a rich, earthy, minty flavor that made it a favorite tea for many of the Native American tribes and early settlers of the Southwest. I like to sip this tea during the wet winters here in Northern California and let my mind drift off to the hot desert country where White Sage grows. So many backpacking trips over the years in that beautiful, sunbaked country—maybe I’ll just sit here in the shade of this Palo Verde tree and let some of the afternoon heat pass while I nod off to sleep with the smell of Wild Sage in the air . . . Now you can enjoy this classic Southwestern tea and dream your own daydreams of the big rock, White Sage desert country.
WILDCRAFTED FROM THE MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS OF THE WEST · 10% OF PROFITS DONATED TO DEFENDING WESTERN WILDERNESS
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I grow sage in my garden – tons of it, so I could easily say it is one of my favorite herbs. This tea has such a perfect aroma and I know they are using quality sage in this blend.
Normally I would not be that excited to try a bagged tea, but anything that says SAGE on it is something that peeks my interest! I had never heard of this tea company before but thanks to Anne, my SoroiTEA Sister, I was lucky to try this tea! Thank you Anne!
When I visted the Juniper Ridge website I was delighted to see they sell other items as well. I love essential oils, hand crafted soaps, colognes, and such, so I spent some time really pouring over their site. I love their devotion to wilderness see more info here.
For a bagged tea, this bag packs quite a punch! It has a lovely, delightful, sage flavor, and a minty, but not overpoweringly mint taste. Now keep in mind I do love mint, almost as much as sage, so its not like my taste buds are delicate to a mint flavor, this may be far more minty to you than it is to me, but what really speaks to me is that the mint, being somewhat of a strong flavor element, does not take away from the excellent sage in this tea.
There is also a nice spiciness to this tea as well but not like a chai, more like a black pepper note, and it also tastes like the sage may have been roasted a little.
This tea is quite relaxing. I mean really very soothing, centering, grounding, a perfect tea for meditation or before bedtime. There is something about drinking a tisane from nature, that is pure and unadulterated.
I love how this tisane makes me feel, warm, cozy, light hearted, relaxed, and happy.
An experience everyone should have.
Digest Tea from Byron Bay Tea Company
Tea Type: Herbal
Where To Buy:
Product Description:
A light, refreshing infusion featuring Peppermint, Lemonbalm and Fennel, which has been specially blended for enjoyment before, during or after any meal. Understated, minty and gentle on the stomach. Bon Appetit!
Ingredients: Peppermint* Chamomile* Fennel* Lemonbalm*
- Certified organic
Tasters Review:
I held off on trying this only because I wanted to save it for a day when and where it was really needed. A day where my stomach was grumbling and growling. Last week…I had one of those days! So – I figured it was time to put this tisane to the test!
The fennel is oh-so-slight and not over powering! Which is perfect because many teas with fennel in them that I have tried the fennel has been too forward. This fennel nicely done in this tea/tisane! The chamomile is also nicely done…I’m not overly fond of Chamomile usually…but this is just the right amount for me! And the Mint is great! This made my stomach stop growling and it was a pleasant surprise! I ended up enjoying this tisane quite a bit and I usually don’t get overly excited about herbals – but this was a goodie!
Cranberry Apple from Design a Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Design a Tea
Company Description:
Editor’s Note: This was a custom blend sample from Design a Tea. If you’d like to try it, you can order your own sample here… just select rooibos as your base, and the flavors of cranberry and apple, and tell ‘em the SororiTEA Sisters sent you! ~Liberteas
Taster’s Review:
Mmmmmm… this is a very tasty flavored rooibos tea. The apple and cranberry combination is traditionally very autumnal, but, this tea tastes fresh and lively – and one that I’d be happy to enjoy year round!
The flavor is sweet – I’m not getting a whole lot of tartness that I expected from the cranberry… there is a slight tangy note, but nothing that I’d call sour or even tart. Since I’m not a particular fan of a strong tartness or sour tasting teas – I’m quite enjoying the lack of it in this tisane.
The apple essence is smooth and sweet tasting. It actually tastes a bit like apple juice with a little something extra… not quite one of the cran-apple juice, but, more like an apple-cranberry juice, if you know what I mean.
Overall, this is a very tasty rooibos blend. It is not readily available on the Design a Tea website as a signature blend, however, if it is one that you’d like to try, you can order two free samples and you can choose this combination if you’d like… or get creative and concoct your own tea blend (simply pay $1.00 for shipping, and you’ll receive 2 samples of your choice and a $2.00 off coupon for your next order).
If you do decide to create your own blend – and I hope you do! – please stop by and leave me a comment and let me know what you’ve tried… I love to hear your tasty ideas!
