Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Tisane
Where to Buy: Amazon Trading
Ingredients:
Hibiscus, Chai, Rose Hip, Calendula Flowers, Lemongrass, Mango, Pineapple, Papaya, Cinnamon Bark, Cardamom, Cloves, Orange & flavors of Mango & Pineapple.
Learn more about Amazon Trading here.
Taster’s Review:
I didn’t have high hopes for this Sea Breeze Tisane from Eden Grove. When a tisane sports hibiscus as its primary ingredient, that doesn’t sound promising to me.
But this isn’t too bad. I brewed it for just 5 minutes in 195°F water. Usually when I brew a tisane with hibiscus, I keep the steep time to 5 or 6 minutes to keep the hibiscus from overpowering the cup. When hibiscus steeps too long, I find the resulting liquid to be too tart and too thick and syrupy. Fortunately, at five minutes, this tea does not taste too tart, nor is it too thick or syrupy.
I do taste the hibiscus, but I can taste other flavors too! I taste the cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. I like these spice notes. They offer a wonderful contrast to the sweet notes of the fruity notes. There are notes of mango, papaya, orange and pineapple! I taste notes of mango and pineapple mostly, but I can also taste hints of citrus as well as papaya.
I still find myself wishing the hibiscus wasn’t there, because the tartness of the hibiscus is still strong here, even with the short steep time. I like this alright, but, it hasn’t been my favorite tea that I’ve tasted thus far from Eden Grove.
Bilberry Chamomile Bliss from The Whistling Kettle
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: The Whistling Kettle
Tisane Description:
Our Dr. Oz inspired bilberry blend helps stem dinner cravings and relax the body. Wild bilberry balances blood sugar, resulting in reduced sweet craving. Organic chamomile and lavender soothes and relaxes. Rose hip gives this tea a vitamin C boost.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
Huzzah! I am so thrilled that there is NO hibiscus in this Bilberry Chamomile Bliss herbal tisane from The Whistling Kettle! All too often with a tisane such as this one, tea companies feel the need to add hibiscus to it. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not fond of hibiscus and it’s tartness or its tendency to create a thick, syrupy liquid when infused.
But that isn’t a worry with this blend, because there is NO hibiscus!
And this is actually quite enjoyable. It has a sweet, floral taste, and because there is no hibiscus, I can really taste that lovely apple-like note of the chamomile. I taste a gentle lavender note – and I do wish there was just a tad more lavender to this. Then again, I love lavender. But for those of you who are less fond of lavender than I, I think you’ll find that the amount of lavender here is on the light side.
The bilberry adds a delightful berry note that imparts that berry tart tingle in the aftertaste. The rose adds a really pleasant touch too – not too strong – just enough to add contrast to the floral notes of this cup. The tisane does not taste overly berry, nor does it taste overly chamomile, lavender or rose. It has a really nice balance of all the different flavors here.
I don’t taste much from the peppercorns. When I slurp the cup, allowing the liquid to be experienced throughout the palate, I notice hints of a peppery flavor … especially toward the finish. In the aftertaste, I notice a whisper of a peppery tingle on the tip of my tongue, but the peppery taste overall is really very subtle, so, if you’re one who tends to shy away from peppercorns in your teas and/or tisanes, you needn’t really worry much about their inclusion in this blend.
This is a really pleasant cup of tea. One that’s nice close to bedtime … it does help me relax as I sip it … be sure to deeply inhale the fragrance before you sip and enjoy the relaxing qualities of the aromatic lavender and chamomile, this enhances that sense of calm.
Ginger Sweet Peach Herbal Tisane from Tiesta Tea
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Fruit & Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Tiesta Tea
Tisane Description:
Take a break from the day and let yourself relax in the golden world of this delicious fruit blend. Smooth ginger and spicy peppercorns unite with soft peaches and mouth-watering honeydew to form a sweet and spicy flavor that just don’t stop.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
As I poured this Ginger Sweet Peach Herbal Tisane from Tiesta Tea into my teacup, I couldn’t help but be captivated by the aroma – it smells like fresh, juicy peaches! It reminds me of summer at my gramma’s house when I was young and the peach tree would yield its delicious fruit … the kitchen would smell so delicious as my gramma would slice up the peaches for peach pie (and of course, my favorite, warm peach sauce for Sunday morning waffles!)
I didn’t smell much of the ginger or the pepper as I poured the tisane … just peaches. But now that I sip it, I do taste the ginger and pepper … although the flavor is not an overwhelming presence in the cup. The ginger is gentle and relaxing, as the label on the pouch from Tiesta Tea promises. Tiesta Tea offers five different “types” of teas and tisanes: Energizer, Relaxer, Eternity, Immunity, and Slenderizer. This tisane is part of the Relaxer category … and it is gentle in flavor, and it is very relaxing to sip. It is also rather soothing, making it a nice choice for after meals.
I steeped this tisane for 7 minutes in almost boiling water (195°F), and this yielded a cup that started off rather muted, but, after sip number two, I began to pick up on the flavors. The peach is very nicely defined at this point, and I taste subtle hints of the melon.
I taste floral tones as well. I am surprised – but happily so – that I taste very little hibiscus here. Maybe a hint of tartness comes through here and there. And the hibiscus is noted in the texture of the tisane … it has a nice, smooth character. I think that if I had steeped this tisane longer, the texture might have gone from smooth to syrupy. By mid-cup, I start to notice the pleasant warming sensation from the ginger and the pepper. It is a mild warmth.
This tastes a lot like a thin warmed, peach nectar that has been infused with ginger and pepper, with just a splash of honeydew melon juice. It’s quite yummy! A really nice tisane from Tiesta Tea!