Tea Forte

My mother and little sister got me a whole bunch of tea forte singe-serve loose tea packets for my birthday that was on Saturday. They are pretty cute :)

This one tastes very much like Harney and Sons “Hot Cinnamon Spice.” I can barely detect the orage. But that’s ok. I LOVE cinnamon tea, especially when its strong.

Oh yeah, Hi Guys!! lol – here I am writing a note as if I havent been away for so long. School has been stressful and time consuming. Ive been drinking lots of tea, but not taking any time for Steepster. Sorry!

I don’t own this tea, and I doubt I would have picked it up based on the name itself. I was in a store that sold Tea Forte teas exclusively, and I got a sample because who turns down a free sample of tea. I smelled it first, I think, but I can’t remember anything distinctive about it. When I tasted it, though, I was overwhelmed by an odd flavor that was almost medicinal, something vaguely similar to cough syrup. I thought that it might have been brewed too long, but I couldn’t pick up any flavor that tasted distinctly like tea. I think I could say it has a very strong rum flavor, but I’ve never tried anything rum raisin flavored. I had heard of some hot toddies made with tea, but you could probably get away with drinking this tea as a substitute. In any case, it tasted too much like alcohol for my taste.

This is a sample from Tea Forte in their ’Warming Joy" gift package.

They say the samples make a 10 oz. mug of tea, but I have made this (twice now) in an 8 oz. mug and just think the flavor seems weak. A chai should have hunks of spices in it and this really doesn’t, it tastes more like a cinnamon flavored rooibos. I tried adding some of my own ginger in it tonight, but it really needs about 5 more things before it’s a decent chai to my liking. Not recommended unless your version of chai is very light and dainty.

I haven’t been too impressed by anything I’ve tried from Tea Forte so far… bummer

Oh no, I forgot I had this in my cupboard. It’s a single pyramid sealed with only thin cardboard. It’s been there since March-ish of last year. I hope it’s not stale.

I love these little pyramid sachets. I know it’s a gimmic, but the little leaf at the end of a stem is pretty to me. It looks like it’s growing out of my teacup. As it steeps, the water darkens at a slower pace than what I’m used to. During that time, the leaves really expand, filling the sachet to the top. The scent of it brewing is nutty and buttery. It smells like Nutella, almost, but not as sweet.

The tea has a very warm, dessert-like aroma. However, the actual flavor doesn’t pack as much of a punch. It’s mild and tastes more like hazelnut than chocolate. There is a bit of chocolate in the finish and on the exhale, I guess. It’s not that I really mind, but I’m left wondering if this tea grew weak from being old, not because it wasn’t good in the first place. Hard to say.

EDIT: There’s coconut in this tea?

Pass The Stash TTB

This smells very tart, but also juicy and fruity. Most people on here hate the Hib, but I find that (heavily) sweetened and iced, I like it in some fruity blends, so I figured I’d give it a shot. Plus, sage in a “tea” sounds intriguing.

Op, yep, might have oversweetened just a tad xD. Theres a (sweet) tart front of sip, followed by lots of juicy berry, and towards the end of sip its more (sweet) tart and a bit of depth that probably would have been sage. All this sugar definitely killed my sweet tooth though, so thats a plus, lol.

I love David’s Cinnamon Heart but this is even better!!

This tisane came in the “Warming Joy” gift set by Tea Forte. I was a little confused at first because they are now calling this “Spiced Ginger Plum”, although it appears to be the same tea.

This was the one I was looking forward to the least due to the hibiscus in it. It definitely has a plummy smell but I would describe the flavor as a combination of tart and medicine. I really wish I liked hibby a bit more because it’s supposed to be so good for you; nevertheless I am not a fan and will be struggling to finish the cup.

This tea has a “bite” which I’m not sure is the hibiscus, cinnamon, ginger or a combination of the three. A bit of sweetener improved this, but I don’t know what I will do with the rest of these Sweet Ginger Plum samples that came in the set. Any hibiscus fans out there?

Wow, this is some seriously potent stuff!

I got a tin of this ginger/lemongrass blend to replace the one I finished off yesterday. This is very strong, lots of ginger and licorice and lemon flavor. I think you could use this to strip paint off your walls. I’m not necessarily thinking I will drink this for sheer enjoyment but it will be a good thing to have around in the winter to warm up and for immune boosting benefits. I think this would have been better without the licorice and more lemongrass in the blend. I can barely taste the spearmint here but the overall effect is… medicinal, unfortuanately

A smooth, good-tasting tea with hazelnut flavoring and chocolate overtones. I tend to brew it with a lot more tea than recommended for a much richer brew.

Trying to log from memory, when I had this tea about a year or two ago.
Nothing remarkable, but not unpleasant.
Reminded me of….bread. In a good but kind of weird way. Definitely something I’d have at breakfast.

This tea is definitely better chilled! The peach notes are perfect—both in aroma and taste. The slight sweetness is also just right…not cloyingly sweet.

This was part of a sampler pack of Noir teas by Tea Forte. The aroma of this was very subtle but a true scent, not fake like some orange teas. The flavor was definitely a different kind of orange…the difference between blood orange and navel oranges is distinct. The black tea is dominant in this blend.

Today is a rainy Halloween in California. I’ve already seen some trick or treaters floating around downtown. Adorable. So when I got back home from being out in the rain, I needed a nice, warm cup of tea. I had this sample sent to me by another Steepsterite who I can’t remember, but thank you!

Anyway, as soon as I opened up this package, the cinnamon and sage scents hit me like a brick. My first thought was that it smelled like a Christmas candle. Actually, I would love to have this as a holiday candle. After steeping it up at a low 175 F, I can confirm that it does taste exactly how it smells and how it is described: cinnamon & sage. I think the cinnamon was more prominent when the tea was piping hot and the sage slowly came out as the tea cooled a bit. Normally, it wouldn’t be my pick of flavors for a tea, but in this almost wintry weather, it’s actually quite nice to cozy up with. I’m drinking this while watching Parenthood on Netflix, so it’s turning out to be a nice, cozy afternoon all around.

Pass the Stash TTB #5

Looking for a non-caffeinated tea in the box tonight so I won’t lie awake until 4:30 AM like I did last night. Whoops.

I love blueberries so I’m always up for trying blueberry flavored anything. Unfortunately, I’m really not getting any blueberry notes from this tea. It’s very tart and I’m not enjoying this at all. I added a bunch of sugar and that didn’t even help.

I am so glad I got this on sale.

Holy artificial flavoring…that fake honey flavor is intense. And it pales in comparison to the scent. Iced, it isn’t undrinkable, but I would not recommend it given how much better is out there. For real – just add real honey if you want honey flavor in your tea. I won’t make that mistake again.

The caramel flavor for this tea was way too subtle…to the point of blandness.

The caramel flavor was way too subtle, to the point of blandness.

The flavor and scent of peach is subtle. It’s not a tea I would drink regularly. I enjoyed the flavor more once the tea had cooled so I imagine it would taste good iced.

Has a subtle black cherry flavor…not a dominant flavor, but nicely balanced. The aroma is not overly powerful and you actually have to get quite close to the mug in order to get the scent.

The smell, like the flavor, is very subtle and unassuming. I have found this to be one of the more underwhelming teas from the tea forte sampler. The lemon is so muted that it’s challenging to taste, and typically lemon flavors are right up front. It certainly isn’t a tart tea, but the taste is slightly above the neutrality of water.

This has a slight tinge of cough syrup no matter what I do. May try to mix it with others once some shipments come through.

A mingling of two scents greeted me when I opened the Oasis canister: clean and grassy green tea, and… lemon? Yes, lemon flavoring may be listed as the final ingredient, but it permeates more than the floral notes do. I wouldn’t describe it as overpowering, but for someone who’s not a huge lemon fan it wasn’t a welcome surprise. The leaves of Oasis are appealing to look at, though. The blend is like a miniature flower garden, a bed of dark green with lots of yellow (marigold) and bits of blue (cornflower) and rose.

When brewed as instructed and without sweetener, Oasis produces a beautiful golden-yellow brew with a hint of green. The green tea, floral, and citrus scents balanced out, giving the drink an earthy yet sweet aroma. It’s such a harmony that any worries I’d had about a lemon-dominated tea dissipated with the steam – and so I took my first sip.

Balance continues to be the key as you taste Oasis. The green tea undertones allow the other flavors, particularly rose and lemon, to poke through, so you get a little bit of everything that Tea Forté promises. Altogether the tea is light, mellow, and smooth, with a subtle sweetness and a tangy, slightly acidic finish. It reminds me of summertime, of sitting on the back porch just after the grass has been cut and relishing the bright colors of blooming flowers. Not tropical by any means, but it still offered the “oasis” state of mind I was seeking, only in a different way.

Oasis is a delicate tea, so be careful when brewing. It can grow bitter if the water’s too hot or if you let it steep too long. Keep it to the recommended 2- to 3-minute timeframe to get the flowery, soothing cup that Tea Forté intended.

Read the full review here: http://bibliophilesreverie.com/2014/06/18/tea-forte-oasis-green-tea/