Tea Reviews | It's All About The Leaf

Posts Tagged ‘African Tea’

Tonight, I need to relax so I’ve chosen two decaf teas from Tea Forte. 

Pulling out my specially made Tea Forte cup with it’s perfect little hole in the lid, getting set to try their African Solstice.  Love rooibos in the evening and this blend smells delicious.  I’ve failed with some other Tea Forte pyramid teas in the past because it just never seemed that there was enough room for the leaves to steep properly, this one I hope is going to be different.  I can’t see the rooibos clearing enough (through the pyramid) to tell what grade it is but I’m hoping the needles are long enough to not sneak through the mesh.  The dry tea smells only of rooibos, can’t smell any of the other ingredients.

Steeped it per their instructions, and now I am starting to smell the berries and the flowers in the pyramid sneaking through the hole in the teacup lid.  Taking the lid off and now I’m getting hit with a smell of vanilla and berries.  Brews up a nice dark red with a negligible amount of dust.  Tastes good but the flowers are a bit overpowering, still a soothing rooibos with a berry twist.  Well suited to the shape of the pyramid, dancing rooibos is such a sight.

You can purchase the African Solstice directly from the Tea Forte website.

When this tea arrived, I didn’t recognize the name and the only red tea that I’d tried was rooibos (I love rooibos). Seemed a curious name for an African ‘tea’ though hmm. Yes, this grasshopper has a lot to learn.

So I grabbed my brand new tea bowl and my Finum basket and opened the tea. I still had an image of rooibos in my mind so I was surprised to see the tightly curled, golden brown leaves. Steeped it for a few minutes and watch the water go from clear to a soft reddish color. The scent was familiar but I couldn’t place it, really sweet and malty, I was still thinking it must be a tisane.

Then I tasted it and the first sip was tangy, almost fruity, but smooth and malty. Got to the second steep right away and the taste seemed to have changed. It became even more complex with different tones, it was like drinking candied fruit. I still couldn’t place the tea and was stunned to find out that this is a black tea. So now I have no idea where the fruity taste came from because it’s a pure tea, not a blend nor a tisane. I want to say that it tasted like candy apples but it wasn’t a crisp apple tone, more of a soft plum taste.

This is a fabulous tea and I will need to stock up on it. And I’m really pleased to know that I still have a long learning adventure with teas. It’s always nice to be surprised – now I’m off to learn the Gong Fu process of tea preparation.

You can purchase the Bai Lin Gong Fu directly from the Canton Tea Co. website. Save 15% right now when you use the code LEAF at checkout! Save 15% right now when you use the code LEAF at checkout!