Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tea Forté
Product Description:
Naturally sweet cinnamon blended with the finest black tea creates a spicy-sweet balance that surprises and satisfies while cleansing the palate.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is a really yummy tea. This is very much like a cinnamon candy – you know, like Hot Tamales or Red Hots? – but, I think I’m actually liking this tea better than the cinnamon candy. Here, the cinnamon never achieves that super-spicy-hot cinnamon flavor that you get from the red hots, and instead, it focuses more on the sweeter side of the cinnamon.
The black tea is a good, solid black tea base, brisk but not overpowering. It is rich and smooth. There is also just a hint of cloves that peeks out from underneath the cinnamon.
But, really, this tea is all about the cinnamon. And it really delivers the cinnamon! I have tasted a lot of cinnamon teas out there, some were spicier than others, while some were sweeter … but Tea Forté has managed to capture a balance between the two dynamics … this is neither too sweet nor too spicy. I think that this is not just because of the cinnamon, but also because of the cloves. The cloves seem to bring out some of the sweeter tones of the cinnamon, while allowing it to maintain its warmth.
I think this tea is best served hot. It has a pleasant sweetness to it, so it doesn’t need additional sweetener, but a splash of milk is nice if you like milk with your tea. It is a very warming tea, so it is very appropriate that this tea is available as part of the Warming Joy collection fromTea Forté (which, incidentally, would make a wonderful gift for the tea lover on your holiday list!)
Harvest Apple Spice from Tea Forté
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Tea Forté
Product Description:
A naturally-caffeine free blend with the taste of crisp sweet apples and the luscious warming of spices, for a cup reminiscent of Mom’s apple pie.
Ingredients: rooibos, organic cinnamon, apple chunks, hibiscus, natural apple flavor, clove buds, natural cinnamon flavor, other natural flavors
Taster’s Review:
I’m ordinarily a little hesitant when it comes to rooibos blends based upon my past experience (now it is a few more years into the past than I care to admit to) with this herb. But, to be honest, over the past few years, I’ve tasted more rooibos blends that I’ve truly enjoyed than those that I haven’t. So, why hesitant? I don’t know… it seems to be more or less an automatic response.
This has to be one of the very best rooibos blends that I’ve tried. I can’t really taste much from the rooibos … what little I do taste is a slight woody/nutty character deep into the distant background. Mere hints, nothing too strong, and none of that funky taste I often associate with rooibos.
This tastes so strongly of apples! Like freshly picked apples that have been baked with autumnal spices and served warm. YUM! The thought of such a treat makes my mouth water … just like this tisane does.
The apple flavor is crisp and sweet with just a slight tartness to it, reminding me a bit of a Jonagold apple. It is certainly more sweet than tart, and as the tisane in my cup cools slightly I notice more of a apple-cider-y kind of taste and texture to it. It feels very smooth to the palate, and the spices are warm without being too spicy-hot. Pleasant notes of sweet cinnamon and warm clove.
There is also hibiscus in this blend – which is definitely not one of my favorite herbals – but, here, the only thing I really notice from the hibiscus is the reddish hue of the tisane and a slightly thicker consistency (contributing to the aforementioned cider-like texture). I don’t taste much of the signature tartness that hibiscus generally brings to the party, and that is certainly a good thing in my opinion.
I received this blend (and several others) as part of the Warming Joy Collection in the Petite Ribbon Box (as shown in the photo above). This would make a most welcome (and delicious!) gift for the tea lover on your gift-giving list, or perhaps a perfectly charming hostess gift for the holiday parties you might be attending.