Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tea Gschwendner
Tea Description:
Mouth-watering pineapple and succulent apricot bloom into a sweet reminder of the Islands. Mahalo.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
So this was a blind tasting; meaning I didn’t look up anything about this tea prior to trying it. However, I definitely had major expectations for pineapple – even though I didn’t see anything but somewhat non-descript candied fruit pieces in the dry leaf whenever you hear “Hawaii” in a teas name pineapple is pretty well always the ‘go to’ assumption, am I right? Also, this was a cold brew because it definitely smelled very fruity and tropical and those are definitely the kind of flavours that lend themselves well to drinking cold.
Pineapple actually is the first flavour I taste; a very tropical, sweet pineapple without a lot of natural tang to it. I’m a pineapple fiend, so of course I’m craving much more pineapple flavor though the level it’s at is pretty good given it’s the more dominant flavor. It’s accompanied by a secondary fruit flavour but I’m struggling to identify it. It’s definitely not as distinct as the pineapple is. Mango maybe? The flavor of the base is about even to the flavour of the fruit. Overall this is a relatively juicy and very summery, but other wise not overly complex or nuanced. I think I’d appreciate a few more ingredients to add some more layers to the flavour. Dare I say it, coconut would probably go well or something floral like rose.
Also, since finishing I’ve looked up the ingredients and the secondary fruit flavor was apricot – looking back in hindsight I really don’t think that it tasted anything like apricot and I’m definitely sticking with my impression that the fruit notes were much more similar to a, perhaps over ripe, mango.
Apart from not being terribly spot on with the apricot flavouring, this is a pretty solid blend!
Jungle Ju Ju Guayusa from DAVIDsTEA
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Guayusa
Where to Buy: DAVIDsTEA
Tea Description:
Head for the Ju Ju Jungle, made with a guayusa herb and fruit blend that’ll make you feel like swinging from the vines and hanging from the trees. No wonder. Guayusa contains a combo of the natural stimulants also found in green tea and dark chocolate. People claim it protects you against snake bites, gives you courage, and helps you spiritually connect to nature. With its smooth flavour and natural buzz, we’ll just say it makes for a deliciously stimulating cup of tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Uh-oh.
So I picked up some of this a couple weeks ago ’cause I had sipped down Main Squeeze (also from DT), which has been a cupboard staple of mine for daily use a little over a year now, and I wanted to switch things up a little bit because drinking too much of the same thing can definitely get boring or begin to feel too routine. Well, I think I may have spent a year missing out because this was really, really good.
Overall I tend to prefer guayusa over mate; I like the wet, mossy, earthy flavour of guayusa a lot because it makes me think of petrichor so this tea already had that edge over Main Squeeze; dry it smells very fresh with a more raw, unrefined peach flavour. It’s not a soft, creamy peach: it’s peach fresh from the orchard with the skin and a bit of dirt. The papaya comes through in the scent as well, but it’s definitely not the focus despite the surplus of very large candied papaya pieces in the leaf.
And the taste was awesome; the guayusa was everything I could have asked it to be and the peach I got to experience in the dry smell translated perfectly into the taste. The papaya is stronger in the taste as well, and adds this lovely roundness to the flavour that highlights the peach, petrichor, and plush earthy notes as well as a tropical and exotic kind of vibe. And it tastes so fresh; it’s weird that it tastes both tropical and like it could’ve come fresh from a local orchard.
It’s sweet enough that I can’t ever see why you’d add anything to it but it’s still got a mellowness to it too. The mouthfeel was very full as well. I’m totally picturing myself drinking this on the walk to work and I think that’s an A+ idea. Really, I have zero complaints about this one other than my own idiocy for drinking it at 6PM and now being way too wide awake.
This could easily, and I predict will easily, make its way into my cupboard staples so long as it proves to provide a consistent brew. It’s not one of the fanciest/highest quality teas I own – but for every day drinking and that extra caffeine boost before going to work I think it’s perfect! Plus, it’s a totally fun summer kind of flavour!
Tropical Green Tea from Octavia Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Tea Description:
This tea is so much more than what “tropical” might conjure in your mind. There’s sweet tropical flavours for sure, but there’s also an amazing floral character that envelopes the entire tea, a fun citrus finish that blends well with the vegetal notes of the green tea. So hard to describe, you should probably just try it.
This tea is available from Amoda Tea.
Learn more about subscribing to Amoda Tea here.
Taster’s Review:
It seems to me that most tea companies out there that offer flavored tea selections offer a ‘tropical’ flavored tea. Some might offer a tropical flavored black tea, some might offer a tropical flavored white tea, and some might offer a tropical flavored green tea. But it seems to be a very popular flavor profile.
And these tropical flavored teas may be a little different from one another. They might have any flavor combination of coconut, pineapple, mango, papaya, banana or passion fruit – or other ‘tropical’ fruit. The name ‘tropical’ leaves the door open very wide for interpretation.
But even though the base might be different and the fruit combination different, it seems to me that most of the tropical flavored teas that I’ve tried in the past (and I’ve sampled quite a few in my years as a tea reviewer!) … well, most of them blend together into a very abstract sort of painting that represents the many different tropical fruit flavored teas that I’ve tasted. Not many of them really stand out as a memorable tropical fruit flavored tea, not many of them really step forward in my memory as one that is uniquely different from the crowd.
Until now.
This. This Tropical Green tea from Octavia is deliciously different. Uniquely different. Memorably different!
It’s the grapefruit! The grapefruit adds a really lovely note to this tea that is quite unlike any other tropical fruit flavored tea that I can remember.
The passion fruit and mango are two sweet fruit flavors and they are beautifully contrasted by the tart and slightly bitter notes of grapefruit. The grapefruit adds a bright element to the cup that really perks up the flavors and keeps the tea from tasting like your average, every day tropical tea offering that you’ll find from other tea companies.
Not to say that those tropical teas are not tasty – I enjoyed most of what I tried. But this one is on another level. And the grapefruit has made all the difference.
I don’t taste much of a floral note from the rose, but that’s alright. The rose can be there just to beautify the blend and make it visually interesting. I’m alright with that. Because the grapefruit makes this tea a delightful tasting tea that it doesn’t need anything else. There is a tantalizing sweetness from the passion fruit and mango and there is appealing contrast from the grapefruit. Perfection!
I’ve enjoyed the other teas that I’ve tried from January’s box from Amoda, but this tea elevated the box from really good to GREAT! Have you subscribed to Amoda yet? If not, why not? What are you waiting for?
Green Pineapple Tea from The Persimmon Tree
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where To Buy: The Persimmon Tree
Tea Description:
Enjoy our tasty low-caffeine Green Pineapple tea any time of day. This sweet and refreshing tea mixes organic green loose-leaf tea leaves with tropical flavors of pineapple, mango and papaya. Pour over ice, add a splash of fresh pineapple juice and crushed mint for a deliciously unique summer beverage.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The first thing that I want to say about this Green Pineapple Tea from The Persimmon Tree is that it’s a very forgiving tea! I brewed this tea in my Kati Tumbler and after I poured in the hot water (180°F), I forgot to set the timer! Normally, I’d steep this for 2 minutes, but I’m quite sure that it brewed longer than that, probably closer to 3 1/2 to 4 minutes! But as I sip this tea, I am detecting no bitterness. It’s sweet and fruity and delicious!
I had expected some bitterness from an oversteeped green tea, but, I’m not getting any. There is a slight astringency to the cup, but even then, I’m experiencing less astringency than I expected from it.
What I am experiencing is a fresh, vibrant tea with delightful tropical fruit notes. The green tea is sweet and vegetal. The vegetal note is somewhere between a grassy taste and steamed spinach. There is a light creaminess to it too. Somewhat buttery.
The pineapple offers a sweet-tart flavor and it is complemented with a little more tropical flair with notes of mango and papaya. It’s a pleasant medley of tropical fruit that sends your taste buds on an exotic getaway!
When served warm, I find this to be very relaxing and soothing. And it’s especially tasty iced.
Tropical Sorbet Black Tea from Tea of Life
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Tea Description:
Black tea with natural banana, pineapple, passion fruit & mango flavors.
Learn more about Tea of Life and Amazon Teas here.
Taster’s Review:
This is one of the tastier teas that I’ve received from Tea of Life. I’ve enjoyed a few of their teas and there were some that I didn’t really care for but this one moves its way right toward the top of the list. It’s got a good flavor: a background of brisk black tea with a pleasant tropical fruit note. As summer has come to an end and fall has just begun, this tea takes my taste buds on a summer-y holiday to the tropics.
I like that I can taste each of the fruit flavors: I taste notes of banana and mango, hints of pineapple-y sweetness and a touch of passion fruit, but these flavors do not overpower the black tea base. The black tea tastes smooth and I’m tasting more of the sweeter notes of the black tea emerge thanks to the sweetness of the fruit notes. It’s a very harmonious taste.
It’s sweet but not too sweet and the fruity flavors are not overwhelming. There is no doubt that what I’m drinking is tea that has been flavored with fruit rather than fruit flavors rather than fruit flavors with a little bit of black tea mixed in. This is tea first!
It’s a tasty cuppa served hot but I like this one best when it cools because the fruity notes give it a very refreshing taste that is more “iced tea” to me. An enjoyable tea from Tea of Life.