Tea Forte

The last time I purchased a cherry-flavored green tea, it was called “Sakura Cherry Blossom,” or something to that effect, so the possibility that it might be artificially flavored never even crossed my mind. An artificially flavored JAPANESE tea? was basically my ignorant assumption. It turned out that, despite the use of “Sakura” in the name, the tea had been sourced from other parts and the flavoring was indeed artificial. The big bag sits in my pantry to this day.

Why am I such a stickler for natural flavoring? Well, because aside from vanillin, which is a natural component of vanilla, the other “artificial flavors” used in food stuffs and beverages could literally be n’importe quoi. All bets are off, people. Remember melamine in cat food and toothpaste? Like I was saying.

Fortunately, no such problem with this cherry-flavored green tea blend from Tea Forte: Cherry Marzipan. The name makes it sound as though it’s going to be some sort of über-decadent dessert tea. Far from it, in fact. The cherry flavoring is quite marked on this somewhat bitter but clean green tea. For me, the marzipan facet has more to do with the aroma. I’m not tasting the almond so much as smelling it.

Notwithstanding the decadent-sounding name, this is a fairly clean green Japanese-style tea laced with cherry. It’s pretty good, but the slight bitterness leads me to believe that the instructions given on the filter bag envelope were wrong. “Near boil” is probably too hot for this brew, and I’ll keep the steep to the lower end of the 3-5 minute range next time…

I would never have guessed that this is a rooibos blend. All the better, I suppose.

If I keep drinking these “skin radiance” teas, I should have the most radiant skin around. Or wait: don’t I already, since I drink green and white tea all the time? Isn’t the biggest contributor to skin radiance just plain water? No one can reasonably deny that I am well hydrated.

Coconut always cheers me up, so I decided to have a glass of Tea Forte Lychee Coconut. (The lychee is pretty much MIA for me in this blend.) The water I used today was a little bit too hot, and the slight roughness of the resultant brew reminds me of overheated green tea. I had thought that white tea was less temperature sensitive, but for my remaining steeps of this tea, I’ll be sure to keep the temperature far below boiling…

I suspect that the Lychee Coconut loose tea is much better than the filter bags. One day, I’ll have to see!

This tea by Tea Forte—Lychee Coconut—is pretty good for a filter bag. There is a marked coconut flavor, and the overall experience is a positive one. It could not really hold its own against a competitor as formidable as Harney & Sons Green Tea with Thai Flowers, but for a “functional” tea, intended to provide the imbiber with “radiant skin”, Lychee Coconut is better than expected. Certainly better than most functional teas I’ve tried…

Despite my skepticism about the somewhat gimmicky “radiant skin” claims for this Lychee Coconut flavored white tea by Tea Forte, and despite the fact that this brand has been endorsed by Oprah, I decided to try it because it was on sale.

Glad that I took the plunge, as the flavor is a pleasant surprise and the aroma even better. The coconut is dominant, and I am not even sure that I smell much lychee here, although it’s also true that lychee is somewhat elusive, olfactorily speaking. In perfume, lychee often just smells like generic “fruitiness”. Here it’s not really making the brew sweet and it also does not mask the coconut. Left to my own devices, I’d call this a coconut white tea.

It is becoming increasingly clear that flavored white teas work for me. I’ll definitely be enjoying my remaining fifteen filter bags of Lychee Coconut. My understanding is that white tea has more caffeine than even black tea, so I’d better have a second cup of something less stimulating if I want to get any sleep tonight.

Thanks to CelebriTEA for sending me a few samples of this!

Spicy comes through loud and clear, and something… soapy? I’m confused. Heat from pepper, spice from cardamom and cinnamon, and something.. weird. It doesn’t taste like soap, it just has the mouthfeel. I have no idea what this is, or why I’m feeling it. I like the heat though, it’s making my eyes water and there’s a tiny bite that I quite enjoy. Still, this weird mouthfeel is getting to me, and there’s zero vanilla in here.

Sipdown

I received this as a birthday gift last year, as part of a bigger kit of other samples. This was one of my favourites of the other kinds.

At first sniff: Blueberries, smells yummy. Takes over your room/kitchen.

At first steep: Brews up a dark purple red. The blueberry comes out and I taste the hibiscus as well (probably what’s making it so tart.) I don’t get much of the sage, but that’s okay. Sage requires a light hand and so can be quite off-putting if you over use this spice. I like this tea, but probably won’t buy it again.

Sipdown!! (203)

Thank you JennyFur for this blend. Although tbh, I won’t be missing it now that it is gone. The vegetal base is just too prominent for my liking. The cherry and marzipan flavors are nice but left to compete with the overpowering base.

So yesterday was about sipdowns but today I am trying some teas I have gotten from swaps within the past month or so that I have yet to try. That also seems to have translated into a fair bit of green tea today.

Anyways, up next in my swap tasting is Cherry Marzipan, sent to me by JennyFur. The smell of the brewed cup is pretty spot on to the name. Alas, the taste is not quite as accurate. I am getting some bitterness from the base combined with an almost medicinal cherry. It is a strange combination of sweet and bitter. Thank you JennyFur for sharing but it seems as though me and TeaForte teas are really not that compatible. I am glad I got to try it though.

ETA: After the tea cooling a bit, the cherry has taken on more of a hard candied flavor and their is a slight marzipan taste however it is still coupled with the bitterness of the green base.

This tea smells good. All I taste is rooibos with a slight aftertaste of berries. All together pretty bland.

This is the second tea I decided to give another go. One of the advantages of being up before the sun is having extra time for the kettle to cool so the water for my white tea is at the correct temperature. I think I rushed this the first time around.

So, after letting the kettle come to a boil and then cool for 25 minutes I steeped the tea, and even while it was steeping I knew I would like it more this time. There was a nice strong coconut scent and a very floral note that smelled fantastic. [Note to self: Try other lychee teas!!] The tea in my cup was darker than I expected (Maybe I under leafed and/or steeped last time?) but the taste was sweet and fruity with the coconut flavor most present at the end of the sip. Nice! Very summer-y, and a tea I can see being fantastic iced.

Thanks VariaTEA for this sample. I’m glad I gave it another try. Bumped up my rating to reflect my current thoughts.

This is not a tea for me. I have to admit that I have never tasted lychee in any way that I’m aware of, but I’m believing it is the super sweet note in the tea. There is a touch of coconut, but unfortunately it does taste a bit fake. Also, there is a bitter taste at the end of the sip that really threw me off.

Thanks, VariaTEA, for the chance to try this tea!

Got this Tea Forte sampler as a gift. Slowly drinking through it. First taste is pear, then ginger. There is a nice ginger pear aftertaste to it. I would drink this again.

I have this as a loose leaf. Slightly better than bags, but not the greatest of quality. It’s a strong Earl Grey but I think at this point I’ve had so much I need to take a break. Resteeps well once.

Wow. You can really smell the coconut right off from the moment you open the packet. The coconut actually gives a rather creamy flavour that goes well with the spices making it chai. As it cools, the toasted quality comes out more.
I was somewhat surprised that the directions didn’t mention milk and sugar, as this is specifically entitled as a latte, but decided to make it and try it without anyway. I don’t regret it, but I do wonder what it would be like when doctored up as I normally would with chai, or made with hot milk rather than the water that the packet directs, as well.

This came my way from BrewTEAlly Sweet’s stash reduction sale. I see Tea Forte in the stores pretty regularly but have never bought/tried any of it.
This is a decent fruity black tea. Crisp, clean, bright and fruity – the type that I think would make a really good iced tea.
Really happy to have tried it, but I don’t think I’ll be rushing out to buy all the blends – might rethink that in the summer, but for right now – just happy to have tried it. Thank you.

For a very brief moment I taste sweet lychee unfortunately that is immediately replaced by a bitter flavor from the white tea making for a not too pleasant cup. Thank you JennyFur for sharing but this is a miss for me

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Thank you Kat_Maria for sharing this with me. I have actually had this tea before and though I find it enjoyable to have every now and again, it is not my favorite tea. Sipping on it now, I find the amaretto aspect is prominent while the apricot fades to the background as a fruity sweetness. It is nice, and I am happy to have had another cup but I think I would be okay if I don’t see another for a while as there are so many other teas I would reach for first.

JennyFur sent me a sample of this and it is delicious! Apricot and amaretto are pretty spot on making for a sweet nighttime treat. Thank you JennyFur for sharing with me!

Sipdown!

Thank you MissB for sharing this tea with me. It is definitely a nice nighttime treat. Though I am not getting the different chai spices, I am tasting cinnamon. Lots and lots of cinnamon. This is like candy cinnamon hearts although not quiet as “hot” which is a shame because I think I would prefer that to the sweetness. Nonetheless, it is a pleasant caffeine free option for a cold night. Thanks again MissB for all your generosity!

MissB sent this to me and though I am very glad I got to try it, I am also glad there was only one cup worth to try. This tea is just not for me. I am finding I really do not like the hibiscus in this blend as it is cutting through the other flavors and denying me the sweetness promised. Also, I can’t find the ginger in this cup at all. Thank you MissB for the sample, if not for you I may have bought some and been very disappointed.

Sipdown #32

No matter how hard I try, my cupboard always seems to be at 180 teas. *Sigh. Well, all I can do is carry on! This tea is juicy and delicious! It has very little ginger. The aroma is candied pears, but the flavor is more natural pear with a touch of lemon. I think if it had a tiny bit more ginger, it would be much improved.

The ginger is coming out more at the end of the sip now that I’m halfway through the cup. But the predominant flavor is juicy, sweet pear. Like those Dole cups of diced pears in natural juices. No sugar added. ;) I can understand how this won an award. The flavors are delicately balanced. This is super yummy!

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I had this a little while back and wasn’t a huge fan so when I received a sample from jump62359 I decided to cold brew it and see if I liked it better that way. The result? A mulled apple cider type drink. Good, not great but I am still very appreciative of the share. Thank you jump62359!!! Now to watch Spiderman :)

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Another tea finished in an effort to rein in my cupboard before some Black Friday orders arrive. This came to me by way of JennyFur and though it is pleasant enough, I doubt I will miss it too much when it is gone. It tastes as though someone took an apple, one that was neither particularly sweet nor tart, and sprinkled some sweet cinnamon on top. Not a bad flavor at all but not something I would reach for often. Nonetheless, I am very happy to have tried this cup and am quite thankful that JennyFur was willing to share it with me. Thank you JennyFur!!