Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tisane Description:
On to the tea: it’s one of our awesome caffeine-free honeybush blends, a sweet refreshing blend of organic watermelon and mango flavors with real freeze-dried mango. This is pure, sweet nectar. I’m sure it’s good hot too, but as an iced tea it is a thing of true beauty, just pure refreshment.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
Yummy! This Mango Watermelon Honeybush Tisane from 52Teas is so yummy! I was pretty sure I’d like it, I mean, I love mango, I love watermelon … and I like honeybush … so I had every confidence that I’d enjoy this tisane.
The mango and the watermelon are really quite nicely suited for one another. I can taste both of these fruits, and they are sweet. The watermelon flavor here reminds me of the taste of watermelon candy, and the mango reminds me of the mango nectar that you can buy in the cans in the fruit juice aisle. It is juicy and refreshing!
And even though honeybush tends to be sweet (hence the name) it does seem to cut through some of the sweeter “candy-like” notes here, adding some earthiness and a nutty flavor to the cup, and creating a nice, round taste.
Overall, this is a winner – one that will be great iced and one that kids as well as adults can enjoy (and it’s naturally caffeine-free so you don’t have to worry about overstimulating the kids!)
Watermelon Mint Black Iced Tea from Republic of Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Republic of Tea
Product Description:
Perfect Picnic Tea – This iced tea captures the essence of summer with the natural, fresh sweetness of sun-ripened watermelon finished with a touch of cool peppermint. A smooth base of fine black tea rounds out this bold, bright, refresher.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Ahh! This Watermelon Mint Black Iced Tea from Republic of Tea is so refreshing!
While shopping at Chuck’s Produce Market the other day, I came across a display of new teas from Republic of Teas – all iced tea that have been prepackaged in large, quart-size unbleached tea pouches. Whenever I shop at Chuck’s (or Whole Foods or New Seasons), I always take a moment to peruse the tea aisle to see if there are any new teas that I haven’t yet tried. (Because you know me … I GOTTA try ’em all!)
There were several different flavors of these new iced teas from Republic of Tea, but the one that was the most appealing to me was this Watermelon Mint Black iced tea. Mmm! Watermelon? Mint? Yes please!
And this is really delightful. I cold-brewed the tea, tossing two of the large tea pouches in my glass 2-quart pitcher and filling it with freshly filtered water, securing the cap and stashing it in the fridge overnight. This morning, I had a pitcher full of cold-brewed, thirst-quenching refreshment.
The watermelon in this iced tea is really well-defined. Very often, with watermelon teas, sometimes the watermelon is a bit too demure for my liking. When I’m tasting a watermelon tea … I want watermelon! You know what I’m saying? Here, the watermelon comes through very nicely. I could even smell it when I opened the pitcher to remove the pouches. The watermelon DOES taste a little on the sweet side – tasting a bit more like watermelon Jolly Ranchers than something that’s more true to the fruit. But, I’m still finding it rather tasty, regardless (I guess because I happen to enjoy watermelon flavored Jolly Ranchers!)
And I’m also happy to report that while the peppermint is discernible, it is NOT an overwhelming flavor. The Republic of Tea did the mint just right in this blend. Because peppermint can sometimes be a rather aggressive herb when added to a tea blend, it is important to add it with caution and not go overboard! That was kept in mind with this blend … the mint is there, but it isn’t overpowering the other flavors. Instead, it is more of a cooling presence … a crisp note of mint that seems to cool the palate as I sip.
The black tea is a pleasant background flavor. It tastes like it is probably a Ceylon tea that is used in this blend, because it’s rather mild-tasting. Sort of even-tempered and not overly assertive. I can taste it, it’s there … but, sort of like the aforementioned mint, it’s not a strong presence in the cup.
This is an agreeable balance of flavors. Sweet, juicy watermelon, hints of mint, and a brisk black tea base. It is one of those teas that you could serve at the family picnic and everyone will enjoy it – even those who are fussy about what they eat and drink. It’s so enjoyable that I think I’m going to have to pick up another tin of the new Iced Tea Pouches the next time I’m shopping at Chuck’s!
Watermelon Lu An Gua Pian from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Lu An Gua Pian is one of the Ten Great Chinese Teas. Literally translated, “Liu An Melon Seed Tea” due to the shape of its leaves, this green tea yields a light yellow colored cup with delicate vegetal notes.
After trying some of this tea unaltered, I decided that a bit of subtle sweetness would compliment this mildly toasty green tea best, and how could I resist making a watermelon melon seed tea?
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Nice! I like!
This Watermelon Lu An Gua Pian is one of 52Teas recently released “VIT” teas – which means “Very Important Tea.” The VIT teas are teas that are released in addition to the usual tea of the week. The VIT’s are usually very limited edition – when they’re gone, they’re GONE! And well, this one is gone … so I’m glad I grabbed one while they were available, because this is yummy!
The overall flavor is delicate. The “melon seed” green tea is mellow and sweet and nutty, and it melds beautifully with the subtle watermelon notes. The watermelon isn’t overdone here – and I’m finding myself glad about that as watermelon is generally … on the subtle side. I think a stronger watermelon taste would result in a candy-like flavor and while I don’t mind watermelon flavored candy … I don’t know that I’d necessarily describe it as an authentic kind of watermelon taste either … but it’s somewhere in between. Not quite so artificial that it’s candy-esque, and not so true to the fruit that I’d swear I was biting into a slice of watermelon. It’s somewhere in between and I’m happy with that.
I also love the flavor of the green tea – it’s pleasantly sweet and delicate! It is soft in taste and texture. There are very subtle savory notes that hit about mid-sip … no, not bitterness … more like a soft, roasted note that accentuates the nutty flavor. There is no bitterness whatsoever to this tea, and only the slightest hint of astringency. Those that tend to shy from astringent teas should not have a problem with astringency here, because it’s barely noticeable.
As part of an “experiment,” after taking my first few sips, I decided to see what would happen if I added just a teensy pinch of salt to the cup. I usually lightly sprinkle watermelon slices with salt (it brings out that yummy flavor!) and I was curious to see how this tea would respond to the salt addition… and you know what: it’s awesome! Just a teensy pinch – it doesn’t make the cup taste salty at all – but it does help punch up the flavor of both the tea and the watermelon just a bit.
Really delicious – a great summertime treat!
Watermelon Kiwi Flavored Green Tea from Culinary Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Culinary Teas
Tea Description:
Our Watermelon Kiwi Green tea has a Sencha tea base, which adds sweetness to wonderful flavor of watermelon and kiwi.
Made with all natural flavorings.
Taster’s Review:
Well, the name of this tea captured my attention immediately: Watermelon Kiwi Flavored Green Tea from Culinary Teas … um … yeah that sounds yummy!
And it tastes yummy too. The watermelon flavor is sweet … almost candy-like. On Steepster, this tea is compared to watermelon Jolly Ranchers which is one of my favorite candies from my childhood. Admittedly, one of the main reasons why I loved it is that my step-mother disliked the smell of it, but, my desire to irritate that woman aside, I also quite enjoyed the flavor of Watermelon Sticks from Jolly Rancher (do they even sell the sticks anymore? I only find them in the small “tootsie roll” size now.)
And this tea brings back those tasty memories for me. I also taste the notes of kiwi and I like the way the two flavors meld together. This is a sweet, juicy, fruity tasting tea … but I like that the flavor of the green tea is also present. It keeps it from tasting too much like a fruit juice drink. The green tea has a lightly vegetal taste with just a hint of earthiness, and this is a nice contrast to the sweeter fruit notes.
I couldn’t find this tea on the Culinary Teas website … I hope that means that the tea is temporarily sold out and not that it’s been discontinued, because this tea would make a delightful summertime tea – it is fabulous iced! In fact, after taking my first few sips of the hot cup of tea, I decided to allow the rest to cool. It was alright hot, but iced, it is a stunner!
Watermelon Black Tea from Compass Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Compass Teas
Tea Description:
Enjoy this Watermelon flavored black tea hot or iced.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I was excited to try this Watermelon Black Tea from Compass Teas. I mean … watermelon? YUM!
My first sip was a little disappointing, because all I really tasted was black tea. I didn’t taste anything that remotely resembled watermelon. But, I decided to give it a chance … and I let the piping hot cup of tea cool for a couple of minutes (about three minutes) and hooray! Here comes the watermelon!
The black tea base is the strongest flavor of this cup, and really, that’s the way it should be. It is a bold black tea with a fair amount of astringency. It’s slightly bitter (but only slightly) but I suspect that if I had brewed it another half a minute it would have been more than slightly bitter.
The watermelon shines through nicely. It tastes sweet and authentic. It starts out as a gentle flavor (especially if you take your first sip while the tea is VERY hot!) and as I continue to sip the flavor intensifies. I also notice that the slight bitterness that I noticed at the start is beginning to wane a little bit too, perhaps this is because of the sweetness of the watermelon offsetting the slight bitter bite. It is a really nice contrast – the invigorating black tea and the sweet, luscious flavor of watermelon.
Not a bad watermelon tea … I suspect this one would make a really amazing iced tea when summer arrives.