All I can say about this tea is yum. The flavors of the different ingredients are blended perfectly. It was not too sweet and not too spicy. It gets even better once it has had a chance too cool a bit. The mint give it such a nice, clean aftertaste. Vanilla and mint are two of my favorite flavors and I never realized how well they complimented each other until this tea. This is one tea that will be a regular in my cupboard. I would definitely recommend this tea.

Looking at this blend, I truly feel like I have the world in my cup. Currants mingle prettily with cinnamon shavings, vibrant hibiscus petals and pieces of licorice root. Almost boozy-smelling, the fruit and spices are generously scented with a sweet and intoxicating aroma. Following the directions provided on the sample’s package, I used one tablespoon of tea for 8 ounces of water boiled to 212 degrees Fahrenheit and then steeped for 5 minutes. The results are a rich burgundy hue. The odour of the brewed tea is more delicate, reminiscent of stewed plums and cinnamon-flavoured deserts. Based on the potency of the smell of the dried blend, I was expecting something with a bit more oomph to it taste-wise. However the gentle hint of cinnamon and very natural plum flavour wins me over in the end. At the forefront is the hibiscus’ slight astringency, followed by the sweetness of the fruit taste and the final flourish of the licorice root. This inspired mixture produces a warming yet soothing blend. I would warn against pre-sweetening this tisane as it’s already quite sweet on it’s own. The website mentions that it can also be served iced or mulled. I can imagine that the mulled tea would taste quite superb, as the blend all ready has the deep, spicy quality found in mulled wine. A second infusion was rather bland, even after steeping for over 8 minutes.

This is a well crafted blend, using high quality, fair trade, organic ingredients. Although at 9$ for a 3.7 ounce tin it’s starting to get a little pricey, it’s a bit of affordable luxury that’s well worth it. If you need more reason to buy this product, Rishi has currently teamed up with the Clean Water Fund and will donate 25% of their profits from the sale of this tea to restore and protect America’s waters. All in all, it’s a winning combination!

One teaspoon, boiling water, and five minutes yield an opaque deep chocolate liquor. It smells weaker than I expected, more mint than anything else, but the other scents are there. The tea is incredibly well-balanced with the mint lingering on well passed everything else. Pu-erh was an excellent choice for a base tea after all.

The cinnamon is an especially brilliant touch, leading me to believe this would be excellent prepared like a chai, with milk and honey. For my second infusion, I let the tea steep for six minutes followed by the addition of milk and honey. The tea itself is somewhat less exciting than the first cup, though still definitely worth the second cup. I do especially enjoy this with the additions, which is rare for me since I usually prefer my teas plain.

I’m not in love with this blend, but I have a lot of respect for Rishi’s gusto. I haven’t seen (well, tasted) anything quite like this on the tea market. I doubt this will become a staple, but I may pick some up in the future for a change of pace. In the dead of winter, I like to have hearty, warming teas around, and sometimes I’m not in the mood for chai. This seems like a great alternative for the days I’m in the mood for something different.

From there, moving into the tea leaves add some intrigue and good faith. From the dark brown cut leaves of the cooked or shu Pu erh, there are pieces of cinnamon bark, dark brown nuggets of vanilla beans, green mint leaves and some pale straw or reed type licorice root bits. I would almost be happy to search through the tea leaves all day with a similar delight as saying the name since the aromas are heavenly. The layers of candied vanilla, fresh peppermint and cinnamon sweetly entice with a brightness perhaps true to the tea’s organic origins. Yet so sweet was the scent, the tea reminded me of Vanilla Mint Trident as it had a comparable candied quality to the vanilla extract or bourbon vanilla bean notes.

To continue the amusement, you need a full tablespoon to relish in the true fun of this tea. As I brewed the leaves with 212°C water for 5 minutes as Rishi suggests, it truly comes to life with the same delicious aromas topped with a lovely vanilla floral like gardenia or baby’s breath along with a perceptible richness from the Pu erh. But what is even more remarkable is the colour. So deep and so saturated, the tea brews up a dark sherry-like burgundy redolent of sweet richness. If red velvet chocolate cake were in a glass, I dare say this is what it would look like. It is hard to believe such depth could come from a tea.

Dipping into the seductive depths of the brew, brings immediate comfort. The vanilla, cinnamon and mint each take a turn on the tongue from the full bodied and inexplicably smooth brew. Nicely round, a subtle but delectable chocolate like earthy character that sings of forbidden luxuries plays underneath the soothing joys of the vanilla, cinnamon and mint to enchant each point of the palate in its structure. There’s no dryness, no bitterness and the cinnamon and mint hum into a medium finish that leaves pure contentment.

But of course, one could never be truly content with just one cup. That one tablespoon continues to soothe through 4-5 steepings depending on one’s tastes. Even the fifth steeping of the leaves has a light vanilla aroma with a minty perkiness in the cup yet I think I would stop before this considering the addictive intensity of earlier brews. Upon re-brewing, the colour gradually loses its red tones, yet still with substance as the Pu-erh rises adding weightiness with very neutral flavours. Some further nutty or toasty or bolder character from the Pu-erh may have driven home the decadence the tea’s flavours allude to. While the interplay of cinnamon, mint and cake-like vanilla notes is lush and full, the background or middle tastes of the tea are quite mild. Plus, I also found it especially worthwhile to give the tea leaves a shake before divvying out a serving to ensure all the scrumptious components are equally represented. And with each sweet cup, so easily enjoyed without any milk or sugar, I can imagine this tea would be a beautiful pairing to fresh fruit desserts for the contrast or more intuitively, could stand up nicely to simple chocolate deserts like mousse.
Perhaps from its colour,richness and playfulness, this tea seems fit for evenings but especially suited for nights of sordid pampering or indulgence. Regardless of when one has it, it will definitely have you saying, ooh la la!

Tea Forté describes this herbal tea as a bold and flavourful ruby red blend of hibiscus, cinnamon and licorice. There is a delicately spicy scent to the tea bag. Following the suggested instructions from the site, I steeped the tisane for 5 minutes in 8 ounces of boiling water. The result is a deep cherry red liquor, as promised. The smell of cinnamon and licorice emerge, faintly wafting from the cup. Tasting the tea, all three flavours are distinct but well blended. The hibiscus is quite tart striking a nice balance with the spiciness of the cinnamon. The licorice adds a pleasant, lingering sweetness to the mix that makes the addition of sugar unnecessary. Although not fruit based, I suspect that lovers of fruity herbal teas would enjoy this tisane. It has the tartness and the sweetness of all the best berries of summer. This is indeed a robust herbal tea! I can imagine this would make a fantastic iced tea as well. I tried reusing the tea bag for a second infusion with mediocre results. Although still drinkable, the tea was pretty watery tasting. Unfortunately this product is quite pricey at 1$ per infuser, but it is available in a more reasonably priced loose leaf version. Overall this is a very warming blend, three strong flavours blending together to make a delicious herbal tea with lots of oomph to it!

Admittedly, Assam is not my favorite tea base. I tend to find that the astringency that often accompanies it crosses over into area that I consider to be aggressive. I do like their malty characteristics and even some of their beer-like flavor profiles. However, I am not one that stocks an Assam as a plain black in my personal tea stash. That said, with this being a wine-infused tea an Assam base might make sense. Red wine is dry; Assam is rather dry.

The aroma coming from my sample smells mostly like cinnamon with a touch of red wine for good measure. Red Leaf Tea lists the ingredients in this as Assam black tea, licorice root with cinnamon and cabernet flavoring. I prepared my cup using water brought to a full boil and allowed to cool for a bit and infused for approximately 3.5 min. The resulting cup is quite unique and delicious. As predicted, the Assam base marries nicely with a tea that is wine infused. It is malty and dry, but not aggressively astringent. The Assam provides a rich, full-bodied backdrop for the flavor profile. The flavor profile has nuances of red wine, cinnamon and even notes of a dark semi-sweet chocolate. I would pick the cinnamon as being the most dominate of those flavors, but it does not overpower the blend. The red wine is most noticeable in the aftertaste. I did find that the longer that I drank the tea, the more wine-like it tasted to me.

Overall, I found this blend to be very sophisticated and well-done. I liked that the Assam brought the malt that I love and was dry like Red Wine. I would warn that if you are looking for a tea blend that really tastes like someone spiked your tea with wine, then you might find yourself disappointed. It is more wine-like and provides nuances of wine that make for an interesting cup of tea. This one is definitely worth consideration if you are intrigued by a red wine infused black tea. Thumbs up!

So I must have been asleep at the wheel that day that I requested this sample because I really don’t care for blends that are heavy on the hibiscus. Zhena lists the ingredients in this as Organic, Fair Trade Green Tea, Organic Hibiscus, Organic Apple Pieces, Organic Rosehip, Organic Orange Peel, Organic Licorice Root, Organic Compliant Peach Flavor, Organic Compliant Sparkling Wine Flavor, Organic Lemon Peel and Organic Freeze Dried Raspberries. These days, it is really rare for me to request blends that list hibiscus as the first or second ingredient. It is just too tart for me—at least as a hot drink. Even as a cold drink with a healthy dose of sugar, the hibiscus can’t be too loud or I won’t like it.

I prepared this using boiling water and infused the tea sachet for 4-5 min. I also added a healthy dose of rock cane sugar to the brew to try to cut the tartness a bit. This cup brewed up very dark red—beautiful really. As a hot drink, this cup was totally undrinkable to me. It just tasted intensely like hibiscus/rosehips and was very tart. I really could taste nothing else in the flavor profile. Since I already know that I tend to enjoy most of the fruit tisanes (though this is a green tea blend) much better iced, I decided to ice this. As a cold beverage, this is at least drinkable. There are, in fact, fruity notes of peach and raspberry. However, even iced this remains very, very tart—and that is with a rather healthy dose of sugar. Zhena markets this is as a Tropical Green Tea, which I personally find to be a bit misleading as there is not a drop of green tea to be tasted in this cup. I also could taste nothing of anything that would qualify as a hint of champagne.

I probably should apologize to Zhena for requesting this sample as I don’t think that my reviewing this particular tea is doing it any justice. I don’t care much for it hot or cold because of the total hibiscus domination. It you like fruity hibiscus flavored blends, then you will probably love this. This one might be a good choice for those that like hibiscus, but maybe not green tea as the flavor of the green tea is completely masked. Unfortunately, I personally didn’t care much for it. If you like hibiscus, then I would take my review with a grain of salt.

You know, I really want to love Pu-erh. I have found a scarce few Pu-erh blends that I have liked let alone loved. That earthy, sweet barnyard-ish taste kinda puts me off a bit. However, due to all of the wonderful digestive properties in Pu-erh, I continue my search. When a company that I know and trust like Rishi comes out with a new Pu-erh blend, then I have to try it. As a side note, my current favorite Pu-erh blend to date is Rishi’s Ginger Pu-erh. Good stuff—and not just for Pu-erh.

Rishi lists the ingredients in this blend as Organic Fair Trade Certified™ Yunnan Pu-erh tea, organic vanilla, organic peppermint, organic cinnamon and organic Licorice Root. I infused this with water that had been brought to a full boil for close to 6 min as per Rishi’s instructions. The aroma coming from cup does, in fact, have that sort of odd sweet smell that I associate with Pu-erh. This brews up to a very dark brown liquid. While I braced myself to possibly be grossed out as I took my first sip, I was greeted by a surprisingly delicious cuppa! The flavor profile is largely dominated by peppermint, and if you’ve ever had Rishi’s peppermint, then you know that it is very fresh and delicious. It is accompanied by a mellow vanilla undertone and a bit of cinnamon on the finish. The licorice root creates a nice base for the other flavors and keeps the sweetness of the Pu-erh at bay a bit. Somehow this flavor profile marries surprisingly well with the Pu-erh used. This is possibly because much of the Pu-erh flavor is masked by the strong peppermint and licorice root. However, somehow the rich body of the Pu-erh, and even a touch of some underlying sweetness, just works in this blend. Per Rishi’s recommendation, I did go ahead and add a bit of rock cane sugar and a splash of vanilla soy. This was also good, but I think I actually preferred this sans any dairy but with a touch of sweetener.

I found this blend to be, simply put, extremely well done and delicious. I am hoping that Rishi does a nice Holiday sale because if they do, then some of this will be joining my personal tea stash. Ok, I think this one will be joining my tea stash regardless. I do still also love their Ginger Pu-erh and, while these are totally different flavor profiles, I can’t help but wonder if adding a pinch of that ginger to this wouldn’t be good?? I don’t think Rishi has a truly bad product in their offerings, but if you are looking for some additional selections that I have tried and loved from Rishi, then I might suggest their Earl Grey Supreme, Maghreb Mint, Citron Green Iced Tea, Tropical Crimson Iced Tea and Genmaicha. Overall, this gets a huge thumbs up from me and it holds the top spot for Pu-erh blends that I have tried to date!

Harmony is a curious blend of cardamom, coriander, fennel, ginger, licorice and rose petals. I placed one teaspoon of this mix in a small plastic bag and smashed the daylights out of it with three hits of a wooden mallet. The aroma was powerful and made me smile. This is the only tea ever to remind me of sausage. I blame this on my Italian grandfather who used to make his own sausage several times a year; usually around the holidays. I can still remember the strong smell of fennel filing my grandmother’s dinning room and replacing the odors of homemade tomato sauce, peculiar meats and other Sicilian delicacies.

I experimented with tisane for a few weeks and found that the best beverage was the result of one teaspoon of tea steeped in eight ounces of water for four minutes.

The liquor has a golden color that tastes mostly of fennel and the body of the tea increases as it cools. Allow the tea cool a bit for increased enjoyment. What I like most about Harmony is its ability to taste slightly different with each sip. It will attack distinct regions of your mouth throughout the drinking experience.

This is a pleasant and interesting drink, but don’t forget your hammer. The tea is much lest stimulating without it.

Unlike most of the other offerings that I have tried from Zhena’s Gypsy Tea, this one comes in a silken tea sachet rather than their typical paper tea bag/sachet. I will tell you that I think that this silken sachet is superior to the paper one for two reasons. First, it looks as though the leaf included in this silk sachet is much larger than anything that I’ve seen in the paper ones (and I have cut them open with a pair of scissors before). Second, I think the silk sachet has more room for the leaves and other ingredients to expand. I would love it if Zhena would eventually transition all of their blends over to these tea sachets. This blend gets bonus points as it is one Zhena’s Pink Tea For Women’s Health line and a portion of the proceeds look to go to Breast Cancer Research.

Zhena lists the ingredients in this as Top-Tier Sencha Green Tea, South African Rooibos, Roasted Chicory Root, Licorice Root, Carob, Flavors, Natural Flavors, and a Superfood Blend of Freeze-dried Raspberries and Dark Cacao Shells. This one definitely sounds intriguing. I prepared this using water that was brought to steaming with bubbles formed on the bottom of the pot and beginning to rise to the top, but cut short of boiling. I added a pinch of rock cane sugar to the concoction while I allowed my tea sachet to infuse for about 3 min. I am not a fan of the aroma of this nor the flavor profile at hotter temperatures—it smelled a little swampy to me. Enough so that I actually made a second preparation at a lower temperature to make sure that I hadn’t somehow oversteeped it. However, by the time that I finished making the second cup, the first one had cooled and I found the flavor profile far more enjoyable though I don’t know that I am still a huge fan of this one. The flavor profile is an unusual marriage of berries, green tea, cacao and rooibos. There are also some chicory notes in here, but they are much subdued. I think the Sencha green tea was maybe not the best choice to use with the other flavors in this blend. Everything else seems to really get along nicely, but the Sencha adds sort of an odd vegetal element. This might be one of those times that my somewhat fickle relationship Sencha shows. The redeeming quality of this blend is the cacao aftertaste that kinda lingers in your mouth for a moment after swallowing. It is this quality that compelled me to keep sipping and finish my cup. The richness of the berry and cacao is nicely done and those two flavors complement each other very well. I think this this blend would work with a rooibos only base or even with the addition of a black tea, but the Sencha base is just kinda off to me.

While I didn’t love this blend, there are a number of reviews on Zhena’s website that indicate that there is a population that feels to the contrary. I do feel that the green tea used in this blend is it’s Achilles Heel. This blend is definitely unique, but it is not one that I would seek out for purchase even amongst ‘bagged’ tea offerings. However, if this sounds intriguing to you, then you might read Kari’s review and some of the ones on Zhena’s website and give it a shot.