Tea Reviews | It's All About The Leaf

Posts Tagged ‘Petals’

Pineapple bits, dried coconut and rose petals are dispersed throughout this rooibos blend. The dry smell is tropical without the woodsy smell that some rooibos teas exhibit.

5 minute infusion and the rose petals have unfurled. This particular blend is very drinkable with a sweetness that masks the rooibos. As I sip this tea, I can detect an almost orange flavor profile. Nice choice for late night tea sipping since rooibos is naturally caffeine free.

You can purchase the Tahiti Cream directly from the TeaFrog website.

I have tried a lot of Rooibos tea. I have had a lot of Fruit Tisanes. Over time, they can tend to blur together into a single impression. For Rooibos teas, there is almost always a sweetness, no matter the flavouring. For Fruit Tisanes, tangy. So when we received a sample of Cranberry Crush from East Pacific Tea Company, I was anticipating that this was going to be just another flavoured Rooibos.

In cas you had not guessed, this tea is a combination of Rooibos, Cranberries, Orange Peel and Hibiscus. When you look at this tea, you can see all of these ingredients mixed together. If I had not dug into the tea, and read the ingredients, I never would actually have noticed the Rooibos. There seems to be a very small ratio of it in this tea, leaning it more towards a supporting role in a Fruit Tisane, rather than the dominant role in a Rooibos mix.

The smell of the tea is strongly orange, with an undertone of Cranberries. With Cranberries, Orange and Hibiscus, I expected the tang that you get from a Fruit tea, but I was unsure of how the Rooibos was going to show up in this.

As it turns out, I need not have been afraid. This tea brings the best of a Rooibos, with an underlying supporting sweetness, and the best of a Fruit Tisane, with a tart fruity cranberry flavour. The Cranberry is most definitely the star in here, but the orange does not back down either. The Hibiscus plays a background role, which is just fine with me, as it is not my favorite addition to a blend.

Hot, I like this tea, but cold, I can see a whole new window of opportunity arise. I know even without making a cold version, that this tea will shine as an iced tea. Typically I make an “Arnold Palmer” iced tea, blending 50/50 with lemonade, but this one I think I will have to try as-is.

Overall, this is a great tea for someone that is not a Rooibos lover, but also may be tired of the typical Fruit tea. I enjoyed this offering from the East Pacific Tea Company, and I am looking forward to digging into some of their other samples!

You can purchase the Cranberry Crush directly from the East Pacific Tea Co website.

Dry smell reminds me of the ginger white pear tea. Cute lil’ rose buds are in this tea. Flowery teas are not to my liking, so I will see how this tasting goes.

A 2 minute infusion yields a pale infusion, the first sip is good…I can taste the coconut and the vanilla and the ratio is just right for both ingredients. The vanilla is a natural taste, not fake like so many vanilla flavored teas.

Another home run for Tea Frog and another tea goes on my shopping list.

You can purchase the Jasmine Green Tea directly from the TeaFrog website.

Holy giant rose-buds Batman!

That’s the first thing I see when I opened the tin – these large, well-formed rose buds that haven’t lost their colour or their scent – proving that they’re relatively fresh. They’re so big that at first the tea seems to be all roses – but that’s mostly because the other components are so much finer – green rooibos, curled little tea leaves, and small fruit bits. The tea does smell like roses, but it’s roses with something rich, fruity, and tropical-ish mixed in with it – a very appealing scent in my opinion, I could just sit here sniffing the tin.

The rose isn’t over-powering in the tea, though I think it’s very much the star of the show. I’ve never had plain green rooibos, so I’m not quite sure what it’s supposed to taste like as opposed to red rooibos, but I can tell you that I’m not getting any of the woody-earthy flavour that I usually associate with rooibos teas. What I can taste is that exotic, sweet flavour from the mango pieces and a tiny bit of a citrus zing. Despite the white silver needles and the jasmine pearl this tea is supposedly decaffeinated, though it doesn’t have that thin, watery taste characteristic of many decaf blends. Of course, apart from a few hints here and there of jasmine (mostly hidden by the rose) I’m not really tasting much actual tea at all! So it’s more like a herbal infusion, which is fine by me, I need a better selection of ‘nighttime’ teas in my cupboard.

It’s an interesting mix and maybe it’s the rose, but drinking it makes me a feel a bit girly – in a good way. I don’t think I’ve ever some across a blend with a flavour combination like this, and it’s perhaps a little ‘busy’ but it’s great for someone like me who enjoys a bit of variety now and then.

I gave this a Steepster rating of 81/100

You can purchase the Xaouen directly from the 52teas website.

Jasmine has been scenting and flavoring tea for almost as long as tea has been grown in China. The aromatic qualities of the jasmine bloom and the aromatic qualities of the tea plant are one of nature’s perfect matches.

As you may be able to guess, I’m very fond of jasmine pearls – it’s my favorite way to have jasmine in tea. And I’ve had jasmine pearls that were amazing, and some that were downright icky. The jasmine pearls from Golden Moon tea were at neither extreme – but much closer to awesome than icky. They’ve got a lovely, balanced aroma, and a good flavor.

The package directions say to brew for 2-4 minutes at water slightly below boiling. My first infusion I tried at approximately 170 degrees for 2 minutes. The aroma of the liquor was fairly light, and the flavor was very delicate. But it was a little too delicate for me. So I tried the next at 185 for 4 minutes. And it was just about where I wanted it, a good balance of the jasmine and green tea, both flavorful and perfumed. I was also able to get a third steep out of the leaves without much loss of flavor.

The problem I have with this tea is that while balanced and nice, it’s lacking a “wow” factor. I wouldn’t tell anyone not to have this tea; it’s a good tea. But I wouldn’t send anyone specifically looking for it.

You can purchase the Jasmine Pearls directly from the Golden Moon Tea website.