62 Tasting Notes
This sencha green tea flavoured with rose blossoms has a hint of vanilla as the main flavour that I detect. Not sure where the “sakura cherries” taste comes in. (If you want a truly cherry flavoured tea on a black tea base I recommend Tea Total Wild Cherry). In saying that, this tea is pleasant, light and good with a little sweetener. As long as you don’t steep for too long (3 min max) it does not become bitter. Good to have on hand for when you’ve run out of milk and crave a hot drink.
Flavors: Vanilla
What kind of kiss would this be, maybe a peck on the cheek? There’s also a hint of “pot pourri” in this tea, reminiscent of something I have tasted in Monk’s Blend. If you want a ginger flavoured tea maybe cut some slivers of fresh ginger root and add to your tea. That way it wouldn’t need the extra, unspecified ‘flavouring’. Not a lot of zing as you would expect from ginger. Overall, this tea is mild and drinkable but it’s not something I would stock up on.
This is mango flavoured green tea with sunflower blossoms. I specifically wanted to make this iced, but got a bit overzealous with steeping it I think. Used 2 slightly heaped tablespoons tea for 1 litre of water. Steeping time at least 15 mins, steeped twice with more water before chilling overnight. It’s probably my own fault that it had become bitter, wanting to get as much flavour out as possible.
Flavors: Bitter
Had this as iced tea, second time around. Wasn’t really sure how much to use but all in all added 1 heaped tablespoon to around a liter of water. I did this in two steeps, first steep was around 15 mins, poured brew into a glass bottle, then steeped same leaves again for some time until I felt I’d got as much of the flavour out as possible. Added to same bottle and topped up with water, placed in fridge till cold.
Conclusion – making your own iced tea is cheap and thirst quenching and beats store-bought (sugary or artificially flavoured) carbonated drinks. I will be making more! I can imagine though that the choice of tea plays a big part in how nice it is.
Obviously due to chilling time you’re gonna make this by the bottle, not per cup.
About the tea – Red African Fire, its an orange flavoured rooibos and I let it steep a long time, but prob should’ve used more tea for the volume of water. The colour was there, but it wasn’t orangy enough in flavour. I got a hint of the same medicinal compound that I recognise from my first ever rooibos – this didn’t bother me, but I’m sure now it’s from the rooibos.
Flavors: Orange, Rooibos
Preparation
A blend of Ceylon and Darjeeling, this ‘morning tea’ is good to drink any time. It’s pleasantly fragrant, luscious and quite drinkable. Only bought this since there’s no assam in it (which so often is in ‘breakfast tea’ and reminds me too much of my supermarket teabag days). I think it’s the Darjeeling in here that’s the interesting taste. It has some vegetal characteristics, amongst other things. Give me more I’d say. T leaf T’s website is currently out of stock on this (you can still buy samples), so I’d say I’m not the only one who likes it.
Only suggestion is maybe they can give it a more interesting name.
Had this with milk & sugar.
Very interesting blend to say the least. Complex scents and flavours; I detect floral, perfume, incense, bergamot, a whole mixture like someone’s gone crazy adding this and that to the blend. Reminiscent of potpourri in a way. Hard to decide whether I like it, or whether it’s just too weird.
Flavors: Floral, Perfume, Spicy
Bit of a nondescript vanilla rooibos. Hasn’t got the intense vanilla scent you sometimes get in flavoured looseleaf tea. I’ll admit I’ve never drank plain rooibos (only flavoured) so I don’t know if what I can predominantly taste is the rooibos or the ‘vanilla’. I would prefer t Leaf T’s red vanilla raspberry if I had to choose between the two. I have so many samples to get through, this one wasn’t a stand out for me.
