Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush & Rooibos
Where to Buy: Trail Lodge Tea
Tisane Description:
This is one of Trail Lodge Tea’s own blends.Tart cherries and slivered almonds are combined with a combination of rooibos and honeybush. Caffeine free. Ingredients: Fair Trade Certified TM organic rooibos, and honeybush, and dried cherries, sliced almonds, and organic natural flavor.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
This Cherry and Almond Rooibos from Trail Lodge Tea is really delicious! I’m loving this!
I’ve had a lot of flavored rooibos blends … and some I like better than others. One thing I’ve noticed is that almond flavor works very well with rooibos, I suspect this has something to do with the fact that rooibos has a natural nutty flavor to it, and when paired with almond flavoring … the sweet, nutty flavor really shines through nicely.
And when you add cherry flavor … this cuppa becomes sensational! I love the flavor of almond and cherry together … and the base of rooibos and honeybush works so well with these flavors. The end result is a cup of naturally caffeine free tisane that tastes sweet and nutty with just enough contrasting tart flavor from the cherry to keep the taste buds happy.
What I’m liking best about this is that the flavor of rooibos is not a strong, obvious flavor. I taste the nutty notes from the rooibos, but not that weird sweetness from the rooibos. I taste the warm honey notes from the honeybush, but not that sour wood note that sometimes comes with rooibos. This is just a warm, wonderful cup of yumminess!
A delightful tisane … great for any time of the day.
Peach Melba Tisane from Trail Lodge Tea
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush & Rooibos
Where to Buy: Trail Lodge Tea
Tisane Description:
This is a Trail Lodge Exclusive tea. The inspiration for this herbal tisane came from eating a peach melba sundae, and just like the desert, this tisane is a refreshing treat. The sweet taste of fresh peaches combines perfectly with the tartness of raspberries. It’s as if summer has been captured in a cup of tea. This tisane is great hot or iced. Ingredients: organic rooibos, organic honeybush, organic apple bits, organic raspberry bits, organic marigold, and natural flavor.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
This Peach Melba Tisane from Trail Lodge Tea is yummy! I can’t say that I’ve ever had a “Peach Melba Sundae” but, I’m really enjoying this tisane. The flavor of peach is sweet and contrasts really nicely with the tart and tangy flavor of raspberry.
The combination of organic rooibos and honeybush provides a really pleasant background for the flavors of peach and raspberry … a background that is a little bit nutty and sweet with a touch of honey. It is really smooth and that smoothness makes the delivery of the flavors more sweet than tart, and I like that. It really makes this taste like a dessert in a teacup.
I taste hints of creaminess too, and this also helps with the aforementioned smooth delivery. The tart tingles on the tongue in the aftertaste … just like I’d experience if I ate a fresh, ripe raspberry. I really like this tisane a lot – I love that it’s organic, I love the freshness of the flavor (It tastes like fresh peaches and raspberries!) and I love the creamy, nutty taste that weaves its way through the sip. And because this is naturally caffeine-free, it’s a delicious dessert tea that I can enjoy any time of day without worry.
Having tried a few different teas form Trail Lodge Tea, I can say that I am really impressed with this company. Their teas and tisanes have all been very enjoyable so far, and since they sent me several new ones recently, I’ll be sharing some more from them with you very soon!
Eggnog Tea from Trail Lodge Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green & White Tea
Where to Buy: Trail Lodge Tea
Tea Description:
This is our own holiday creation; green and white tea combined with the flavors of eggnog. The combination of China Green and white tea brews up to a light and sweet liquid that combines perfectly with the flavor of eggnog. Real pieces of vanilla beans and nutmeg turns it into a truly guilt free decadent treat. Be sure to get some for gifts and to sip while you decorate the tree and listen to holiday music. Ingredients: Fair Trade Certified TM Organic China Green Tea, Fair Trade CertifiedTM Organic Pai Mu Tan, and Organic Vanilla, Organic Nutmeg, and Organic Natural Flavoring
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Wow! This tea is quite fragrant! As it was brewing in my Breville One-Touch tea maker in the kitchen, I could smell the distinct aroma of eggnog while watching television in the living room! It smells deliciously creamy and custard-like, and the scent of nutmeg filled the house … yum!
Admittedly, I don’t drink a lot of eggnog, as I find it to be a bit much. I like it, yes, but, after a few sips, I find myself wishing I hadn’t poured myself a whole glass, do you know what I mean? It gets so cloyingly sweet and overwhelmingly creamy way too fast for me.
But, I don’t have that problem with this cup of tea. Sure, it tastes rich and creamy and very eggnog-like, but, what I’m not experiencing with this cup of Eggnog Tea from Trail Lodge Tea that I usually experience with real eggnog is that palate-crushing, smothering sensation of creamy overload.
To cut through that creaminess, many eggnog drinkers add a shot of rum or other liquor to the custard-like beverage, but as I’ve mentioned several times on this blog, I’m not much of a drinker, so I don’t think that kind of addition would serve me well.
Instead, I’m finding the way to cut through the sweet, creamy decadence of eggnog is with a combination of white and green teas! They give this cup a lightness and a fresh taste that I don’t find in a glass of real Eggnog, and I like that difference very much. I like that I can enjoy a sweet, creamy eggnog-like treat, but without feeling weighed down or on the sugar high that real eggnog can take you.
THIS is my kind of eggnog!
Banana Cream Pie from Trail Lodge Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Trail Lodge Tea
Tea Description:
When you drink this tea, it is like indulging in a slice of banana cream pie without the guilt. It makes a wonderful iced tea and be sure to check out the recipe page to see how to make a tropical milk tea with this product. Ingredients: Organic Black Tea, Organic Coconut Flakes, Organic Allspice, Organic Vanilla Beans, Organic Banana, and Organic Compliant and Organic Flavorings.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I like bananas. I don’t love them, although … there are some things that are “banana” that I do love. Like banana ice pops, banana cupcakes and banana flavored teas. I also like banana cream pie, although it’s not my favorite kind of pie (Lemon Meringue is my favorite). So I was really excited to try this Banana Cream Pie tea from Trail Lodge Tea!
The dry leaf smells very little like bananas. In fact, if I had blindly took a sniff of this tea, trying to ascertain the flavor it would be, I would not have guessed Banana Cream Pie! I smell a sweet – almost perfume-y sweet – aroma, and it does not smell like bananas.
But the flavor is absolutely BANANAS! I taste the creamy, sweet taste of bananas and vanilla cream custard. The hint of coconut adds to the creaminess of the cup while imparting a delightful, complementary flavor (I love the combination of bananas and coconut!)
With the first few sips, I didn’t actually taste much in the way of a baked pastry or pie crust kind of taste … although now that I’ve had a few sips, I start to notice the pie crust flavor a bit more, and this taste is nicely accentuated by notes of allspice. It tastes like a good, home baked pie that’s been liquified and added to black tea!
The black tea flavor is not overwhelmed here, either. It is a fairly mild-tasting black tea, smooth and not bitter, this tea is robust enough to handle the strong creamy flavors going on without being overpowered, but not so bold that it offsets the flavor balance that has been achieved here. I love that I can taste each element of a Banana (and Coconut) Cream Pie, and I still taste tea too. And I love that every ingredient in this flavored tea blend is Organic!
This one is definitely a winner in my book!
Pumpkin Pie from Trail Lodge Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Trail Lodge Tea
Tea Description:
This tea is the perfect treat for the holidays. It starts with a blend of black teas that is full bodied, rich, and smooth. Then it is blended with the flavors of pumpkin pie. Add milk for a delicious latte.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
It seems that pumpkin pie flavored teas are becoming more and more popular. As little as just a couple of years ago, you’d be hard pressed to find more than a handful of pumpkin pie teas, but now, it seems like just about every tea company out there has a version of a pumpkin pie tea or tisane. Some are better than others, of course, with some tasting very true to pumpkin pie flavor while others tasting more like they’re comprised of little more than pumpkin pie spice and a tea base, with no real pumpkin taste to them.
This is one of the better pumpkin pie teas that I’ve tried. I knew it from the moment I opened the package and the smell of pumpkin pie filled the kitchen! If you happened to walk in to the kitchen as this tea was brewing, you’d swear I was baking a pie!
Taste-wise, I think what sets this one apart for me at least is the black tea base. It is a good, solid black tea base that is full-flavored, but not so heavy that it interferes with the flavoring. It is rich and satisfying, but there is a certain appealing lightness to it as well that keeps the palate from feeling overwhelmed with black tea, preventing it from tasting the pumpkin pie flavor.
The pumpkin flavor is a little lighter than I would like it to be, at least, while served straight. I find that this tea is better served as a latte, because pumpkin pie is a creamy pie, and I find that the creaminess of the latte allows the pumpkin to come through in just the right way.
The addition of milk also helps to smooth out the spices. I find that this is a deliciously well-spiced tea, but, the cloves are just a wee bit sharp. With the splash of milk, the cloves are softened up, making it much smoother, creamier and delicious.
Overall, a very enjoyable pumpkin pie flavored tea – one I’d be proud to serve to holiday guests! I find it is tasty served straight up, but even better when turned into a latte! YUM!