Tea Reviews | It's All About The Leaf

Posts Tagged ‘Orange Peel’

Teafrog has brought a lot of really unique blends to the table so I shouldn’t be surprised by this one. But still, Mango and yogurt? Hmm…

It’s a curious mix, can definitely smell the yogurt – reminds me of the yogurt covered raisins that always leave me with a twinge of ‘guilty pleasure’ after I eat them. Can smell all of the different fruits in this blend but the mango is definitely the most bold. Curious too is the fact that I have all the ingredients in my cupboard (except the yogurt) and it never occurred to me to blend them. Thinking this would make a fantastic snack, straight out of the bag.

Steeped it for five minutes and it’s a beautiful shade of mango (is mango a color, can someone check their Crayolas?). It’s an orangey peach color, if that helps. Oh, and it’s delicious, really tangy and tart at the same time. Must be the yogurt giving me the tart side of it, apple in the blend is helping it too. This is really good and I will need to order some more. It’s a fun tisane that holds it’s own but I’d imagine it would also be fantastic to add to other teas as well. I’ve got some Silver Needle that could use a little zest….

Oh and just so you know, it does make for a satisfying nibble, straight out of the bag.

You can purchase the Mango And Yogurt directly from the TeaFrog website.

I was extremely curious to try Wild Orange Pu-erh, when I saw the photo of dried tea leaves stuffed in an orange on the Chicago Tea Garden website. The vendor generously sells samples for $3 (including shipping); so I could not resist a purchase. And, I was surprised when I opened the sample package to see a tea leaf stuffed miniature orange, similar to the photo. According to the vendor, the tea-oranges were obtained in China and then aged in U.S. pu-erh caves for over 5 years. As expected, the orange peel was showing its age with a withered, dried look. If you are looking for a novelty gift for the tea-lover in your life, this is definitely one option.

As I measured out the tea, unlike some lower quality pu-erhs, no fishy flavors were noted. Following the vendor’s detailed instructions (which were printed on handy cards), I steeped the tea briefly for 30 seconds and added a piece of dried orange peel. I was surprised by the resulting brew, which was not a brown liquor typically seen for pu-erhs; instead, the tea brews to a pale orange color. The flavor has a very slight earthy flavor but certainly not as potent as a typical pu’erh. The taste can be described as smooth, light, and mellow. The subtle citrus note in the background is not tart and is surprisingly sweet, so this tea does not require sugar to balance any tartness from the citrus. Although this tea is mild, it can hold up to multiple infusions. To bring out the earthy pu’erh flavors, I experimented with longer steeping times (up to 4 minutes). The resulting brew was more typical of standard pu’erhs but then the lightness of the orange flavor was not as noticeable.

As this is a light and fragrant brew, I highly recommend this tea for pu-erh beginners. Also, why not check out Chicago Tea Garden’s website? With $3 samples, it is affordable to sample their other offerings.

You can purchase the Wild Orange Pu-erh directly from the Chicago Tea Garden website.

Had to order a sample of this tisane because the name and the ingredients intrigued me. Teafrog description: “A delightfully refreshing non-caffeinated tea with and aroma both sweet and subtle. A subtle fruity taste leads to a nutty finish in this unique flavored blend”.

Now their description is accurate but this tea is so much more than that. It truly is ‘love’ flavored, like holding hands and dancing in the rain (thanks for that moment, Vittorio). Yes, I’m a romantic but hear me out. This blend let me escape for a few minutes just like you do when you get a hug. Not the kind of hug you give your aunt to thank her for the amazing socks she got you for your birthday, the kind of hug that you get from your partner when you’re having a ‘meh’ day. When there are no words spoken, no ‘tell me why you feel ‘meh”, just a look then that hug. (Yes, I know that ‘meh’ isn’t in the Oxford dictionary – yet – but it’s more descriptive to me than ‘blah’). Anyway the tea, the love, the soft flowery scent, the warmth of the rooibos, it truly is an experience.

I know you may be thinking that’s it’s impossible to have instant (seven minutes brewing – close to instant) love in a bag (just add water) but I promise you that, if you just close your eyes while you sip and think about that hug, you will feel it.

You can purchase the Rooibos Love directly from the TeaFrog website.

This rooibos blend from Tea Frog Tea is well named – I LOVE this tea!! According to Tea Frog: “Our most popular Rooibos blend, the Love blend is an aromatic delight that you will not be able to resist! This tea is so good, we sample it at every show, and sell out at every show! The scent and flavor are simply to die for!”. The ingredients are listed as Rooibos, Safflower, Sunflower, Calendula Flower, Roses, Cornflower and Orange Peel.

The loose tea is a striking combination of colors; red rooibos leaf and rose petals, pieces of orange peel and sunny yellow calendula flowers, contrasting with vivid cornflower blue. Even before brewing the aroma is heavenly – the familiar sweetness of rooibos with strong orange notes, and although it isn’t listed as an ingredient there is a hint of vanilla.

Following Tea Frog’s guidelines of 1 teaspoon per cup and steeping for 5 minutes resulted in a rich rooibos red (how’s that for alliteration?) cup of tea losing none of its delicious aroma in the process. The taste didn’t disappoint and the combination of flavors is just right – sweet but not sugary sweet with a refreshing taste of citrus. I was able to get a second brewing with a milder but still pleasant flavor.

I haven’t tried yet, but I’m sure that this blend would lend itself to an excellent iced tea – mixed 50/50 with either lemonade or orange juice and float some fresh flower petals on the surface for presentation – yummy!! With the weather getting cooler I’m more inclined to drink my tea hot but as soon as winter is over and the summer returns I will definitely give it a try.

You can purchase TeaFrog Love Flavoured Rooibos directly from their website.

“Luscious, succulent raspberries highlight this ruby red hibiscus flower infusion. Pleasantly tart and extraordinarily sweet.”

Well, that about says it all! Tea Forte has become one of my favorite go-to tea companies for robust tasting teas. So far, they have not disappointed on any of the teas I have tried, and this one is no exception.

The second I put the unique (and quite neat!) pyramid shaped tea bag into the water, a bloom of red spread throughout the water, so deeply red I had to check myself for cuts! Then the scent hit me, and I knew without a shadow of a doubt that this was a raspberry tea I was about to indulge in.

Forget the ingredients list, this is purely raspberry, through and through. A tangy, mildly sweet taste of raspberries straight off the vine filled my mouth at the first sip, and lingered long after I licked every drop out of the cup! If you are not a raspberry fan, then this is not for you, as there is no doubt this is all raspberry, and nothing but the raspberry!

There is not much more to say, other than, again, Tea Forte delivers. I do have to say, that it is a little high in the price range for the bagged tea, so go loose if you are going to purchase it directly from Tea Forte. For my money, this is one I would actually consider stocking the cupboard with, as I can imagine that as an iced tea, it would be just as good as it is a hot tea, and a perfect refreshing drink for a hot summers day.

You can purchase Tea Forte Raspberry Nectar directly from their website.