There were a few days recently where winter temperatures let up and I was able to go out in the sun with fewer layers and coats. Sunny days like that really put you in the mind for spring. When the weather gets warmer, I trade in my hot morning cup of black tea for a refreshing cup of iced matcha green tea.
Matcha teas come in powdered form and can be used in milk for frothy lattes, in smoothies for a healthy boost, or whisked in a bowl for a traditional style. Raspberry matcha from Tea’s Me Company is pre-sweetened with cane sugar and real fruit flavors, and is the perfect matcha for desserts, lattes, and smoothies. Even with the included sugar, the tea is not too candy-like, and it stays true to form, truly tasting like fresh raspberries. There’s not much in the way of green, grassy matcha in this tea, the green tea stays in the background and lets the raspberry take the lead.
If you’re looking for a traditional matcha experience, this may be too sweet for you, but if you’re in the mood for something refreshing and berry-sweet, it will be a great tea to try. I drank this, shaken, with just iced water, but it could easily be made into a dessert with milk and raspberry syrup. Or this would add a sweet, fruity kick to a morning smoothie or shake. I’ve seen a lot of vanilla or chocolate flavored matchas, but raspberry is a bit harder to come by. It makes Raspberry Matcha from Tea’s Me Company a nice sunny-day treat!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: matcha green tea powder
Where to Buy: Tea’s Me
Description: Whether you want a boost of energy, refreshing drink or healthy cooking ingredient, Tea’s Me raspberry matcha is here for you. Matcha is one of the healthiest drinks on earth and now boasts an amazing taste. All of our Matcha is sourced from Japan, the birth place of Matcha 500 years ago. Great for cooking, lattes, smoothies and of course tea.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Tranquility from Beleave Teas
Tranquility from Beleave Teas isn’t normally something I would grab off the shelf first but there is something about this herbal tisane that spoke to me. After some rather long reflection and sipping I cam to the conclusion it was because of the vanilla dancing with both the peppermint and the spearmint that was what spoke to me the most.
The chamomile was plentiful in this tisane but the mint and vanilla helped smooth it out and calm it down nicely. The raspberry, papaya, and star anise played a subtle but appreciated part. I noticed the wild cherry bark more as an afterthought and aftertaste more than anything but it was something that lingered nicely as well.
Tranquility from Beleave Teas took me by surprise because I wasn’t expecting much from it but with everything that went into this herbal and the impression it left on me the more and more I appreciated it.
The first few sample sips I tried were as a hot cuppa but I kept wondering how it would be iced so I finished the rest of the batch cold and it was just as good if not better! It certainly pays to think (and sip) outside of your comfort zone and Tranquility from Beleave Teas was a great reminder of that!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal/Tisane
Where to Buy: Beleave Teas
Description:
This tea looks as lovely as it tastes with ingredients to calm even the most restless soul. Chamomile, rosehips, raspberry, papaya, peppermint, vanilla and star anise just to name a few.
- Origin: Small farmers from around the world.
- Ingredients: Chamomile flowers, rosehips, raspberry, papaya, peppermint, spearmint, strawberry leaf, vanilla, passion flower, red clover, star anise, and wild cherry bark.
- Caffeine Rating: None
- Steeping Instructions: Temperature 208 degrees, Steep 4-6 Minutes
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Wai Tisane from PONOinfusions
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal/Fruit Tisane
Where to Buy: PONOinfusions
Tea Description:
Wai will refresh you with a tranquil infusion of herbs & botanicals, inspired by breathtaking waterfalls, streams, and fresh water pools, all preciously vital to life in Hawai’i. Made from certified organic and fair trade ingredients and caffeine-free, Wai immerses you in a marriage of mint & berry. Wai means fresh water in Hawaiian—a precious resource in Hawai’i’s fragile ecosystems.
To learn more about efforts to conserve wai and the native plants & animals who call Hawai’i’s wai home, such as the endangered pinapinao (Hawaiian damselfly) and the uluhe fern featured on this package, please visit the Native Flora & Fauna section of our website.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
PONOinfusions is a company I only very recently discovered. So far, I love everything about them from their use of organic and fair trade certified ingredients to the incorporation of Hawaiian ingredients in their blends, creative themes to their teas, incorporation of Hawaiian culture and most importantly the strong emphasis on the fauna and flora in Hawaii which are endangered or at risk. On each tin you can see some of these species highlighted in the packaging, and a portion of their sales go to support working to sustain and preserve Hawaii’s natural resources and plant and wildlife.
As described on their site, ‘pono’ means ‘the right thing to do’ and my first impression here is that Alex and Andrea are certainly doing their best to do that for Hawaii! I am very excited to get my first taste of one of their blends.
The tisane I’m trying today (and not all of the teas in their line are tisanes) is called “Wai” which means fresh water, and the feature fauna and flora on their package’s design are the Hawaiian damselfly and uluhe fern. As I taste this for the first time, I’m definitely keeping the intended ‘theme’ in mind and will be seeing how the flavour compares to it.
My first impression of the taste is that it’s very familiar in a really comforting way. Breaking down the flavours I can see why; a lot of the ingredients are ones I like a great deal individually and they’re working very well combined. The body of the flavour of comprised mostly of the mint in the blend. I know this uses both peppermint and spearmint, but the spearmint is definitely more of a dominant/concentrated flavour than the peppermint is. Layered under that is the raspberry. It’s not raspberry in a really obvious way; but a gentle, subtle soft hint of raspberry that provides contrast from the mint. The nettle leaf is a little earthy and unrefined, it seems to roll in and out of sips as a flavour that I’m noticing. Finally there’s a floral aspect that finishes the sip. It reminds me of a mild jasmine though as far as I’m aware there isn’t actually any jasmine or floral ingredients in the blend.
While none of these ingredients individually make me think of fresh water there’s something about the way they interact with each other that’s very calming and tranquil and reminds me of seafoam, and skinny dipping with friends in the middle of July as the sunsets. Additionally, I remember reading a poem not too long ago that compared the ocean to a womb, first and foremost giving life and that’s the kind of feeling I get from drinking this tea. I want warm waves to wash over and cradle me.
Overall, I really like the overall taste of this tisane but more importantly I love the way it makes me feel. I haven’t been this excited about a newly discovered company in a really long time, and I’m excited to hopefully try more of their blends (in particular I’m hoping I get to try Nahele) and I very, very much recommend checking out their website! Definitely a cool company, and I think they deserve a little more attention.
Electric Lemonade Yerba Mate from DAVIDsTEA
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Yerba Mate
Where to Buy: DAVIDsTEA
Tea Description:
Looking for an iced tea with a little extra zip? Plug in to this super-charged citrus supernova and prepare for a major buzz. With the bold, tangy flavours of lemon, currants and berries, it’s tart, fruity and anything but shy. And with an added boost from a big hit of yerba mate, it’s guaranteed to leave you feeling energized, uplifted and ready for anything. Looks like your childhood lemonade stand just got a grown-up twist. (MK Kosher).
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is DAVIDsTEA’s ‘Tea of The Month’ so the last time I was in store picking up some samples I decided this would pick this one up too. Lemon and Yerba Mate is not an uncommon pairing, but the additional strawberry and raspberry used in this blend are a bit interesting and more unique. And I can’t lie; the interesting name sold me too. Seriously tea companies take note; an interesting name draws me in almost as much (sometimes more) as interesting ingredients.
Because of the “Lemonade” in the name I figured this was obviously intended to be consumed cold so I drank it iced without any additives. When I took my first few sips I was definitely anticipating some tartness, but this was actually quite sweet and smooth. More than anything else I really tasted the strawberry with the raspberry, lemon, and some apple notes as background support. The earthy green mate was relatively masked, but peaked out in the end of the sip and aftertaste as the berry flavour faded out and just the lemon and yerba remained.
This is really refreshing overall, and a perfect tea for summer! It definitely gives off a “Pink Lemonade”/Berry Lemonade vibe which I believe is what DT was going for, so I’m pretty impressed. Worth a try if you like the ingredients; and if Yerba isn’t your think I wouldn’t worry too much – it’s well covered.
Revel Berry Yerba Mate from Guayaki
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Yerba Mate
Where to Buy: Guayaki
Tea Description:
Revel Berry has a delicious raspberry and blackberry flavor. It’s easy drinking and clean tasting, and not too sweet.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
For those who don’t know, I work in a grocery store. It’s not uncommon for us to start carrying different, less common drinks but it is uncommon for them to be tea-related so when we picked up some of this brand’s flavors of iced/canned Yerba Mate I got really excited! I knew I’d seen at least one of this brand’s products reviewed on Steepster so I took the plunge and a bought a can of each flavor to try out.
I don’t know what I expected when I tried this one, maybe a little more yerba mate flavour? But this threw me off a little bit; it definitely tastes distinctly of raspberry and even has a tinge of sharper tartness however I can’t taste anything specifically blackberry flavoured. If anything, I almost want to say there’s more of a blueberry flavor present. Regardless, this does seem pretty watered down and I’m missing any distinctly earthy notes from the yerba mate – which is kind of the best part of mate other than the caffeine. I absolutely appreciate that this is not overly sweet though!
I don’t know if I’d personally buy this one again because I know I enjoy a stronger Yerba Mate flavour but I do look forward to trying the other two flavours I picked up and I’m all for the idea of this if it gets a more “mainstream” consumer experiencing Yerba Mate – which I know it’s been doing at work since some my coworkers have taken to drinking this during break instead of other popular and more “conventional” energy drinks. Plus, the convenience of it being canned it always a plus.