Tag: Wize Monkey

Strawberry Hibiscus by Wize Monkey
Herbal Infusion / Flavoured
$10.49USD for 35g (15 sachets)

Wize Monkey has provided me with Strawberry Hibiscus for the purposes of providing an honest review.

First Impressions

Is it time for another Wize Monkey review? I think it might be! So this review is of Wize Monkey’s Strawberry Hibiscus. It came to me in sachet format, I can’t find this exact product on their product page at this time, but the rest of their sachet products are the same price/weight, so I’m extrapolating that to this flavour as well.

Strawberry Hibiscus honestly smells like its namesake. I can smell sweet strawberry and the floral tartness of the hibiscus. If you’ve ever tried a blend with hibiscus before, you know that it can have quite the tart flavour profile to it. As mentioned in a previous Wize Monkey review, despite being called a coffee leaf tea, it’s still technically a tisane because it doesn’t contain any part of the tea plant. That said, I still think it’s really neat that they’re utilizing part of the coffee plant that isn’t used in coffee production. Strawberry Hibiscus is made up of: arabica leaves, Egyptian hibiscus petals, and natural strawberry flavouring.

Preparation

Wize Monkey recommends steeping Strawberry Hibiscus in 95°C (203°F) water for as long as you’d like. My initial steep of Strawberry Hibiscus as for 5 minutes.

First Taste

Strawberry Hibiscus steeps to this amazing ruby red, it has such a deep colour to it. This tisane came to me in sachet format and I noticed that it wicked up the string from the sachet, adding a bit of pink colour to it. Strawberry Hibiscus has a very fruity aroma to it, and it still smells like its name. On first taste, the first thing I notice is the tartness from the hibiscus. It’s so tart that it made my mouth pucker, and I noticed the flavour of the strawberry a little bit later. There’s a touch of sweetness to the strawberry, but it’s overshadowed by the hibiscus in the flavour profile.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Strawberry Hibiscus and found that the colouring was not as deep, nor was the flavour as tart. It did definitely well as a second steep, which always surprises me when it comes to tisanes. I found it did lack some of that sweetness from the strawberry that I was looking for. I would say it’s good for one more steep.

My Overall Impression

I liked Wize Monkey’s Strawberry Hibiscus. I was really impressed by how much it smelled just like its namesake. I do wish that the hibiscus was better balanced against the strawberry, I think it was just a touch too tart for me. That said, I think a little bit of sweetener and perhaps a handful of ice cubes and it would have made an excellent iced tea (or even the addition of a bit of soda water to make it into an iced tea pop). It’s a very summery flavour combination, and would definitely recommend having this iced.

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Ginger Lemon by Wize Monkey
Herbal Infusion / Flavoured
$10.49USD for 35g (15 sachets)

Wize Monkey has provided me with Ginger Lemon for the purposes of providing an honest review.

First Impressions

I generally think of ginger and lemon going together when I’m sick because that’s what my mom used to put together for me (along with some honey – I can’t forget the honey!) so when I opened up the packaging on the sachets of Ginger Lemon, it brings me right back to being little & feeling poorly (sorry, Wize Monkey, it’s not your fault!). That said, this tisane has an amazing flavour – it smells exactly like you’d expect it to, very strongly of ginger and lemon.

Ginger Lemon consists of premium arabica leaves, ginger root, lemon peel, lemon myrtle, and natural lemon flavour. Unlike my earlier review this month of the Original coffee leaf tea from Wize Monkey, I can only smell the lemon and ginger and none of the tisane base.

Preparation

Wize Monkey recommends steeping Ginger Lemon in 95°C (203°F) water with no set time limit. If you recall my review of their Original, I steeped it for 8 minutes with no ill effects on the flavour. I opted to steep Ginger Lemon in 93°C (200°F) water for 5 minutes.

First Taste

Ginger Lemon steeps to a lovely golden red and has a great aroma to it. The ginger and lemon are very much in the forefront and it’s the only thing I can smell from this coffee leaf tisane. The aroma still makes me feel like I should be drinking this when I’m sick, but what’s a girl to do? The flavour has some of the warming properties from the ginger, and I can definitely taste the lemon. I don’t really get a lot of the tea base, which isn’t that surprising considering how strong of an ingredient ginger can be. I get a little bit of the grassy notes, but it is mostly overwhelmed by the lemon and ginger. The flavour of Ginger Lemon honestly reminds me so much of what my mom used to make for me when I was ill, it just needs a spoonful of honey to make it match up perfectly.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Ginger Lemon twice. I found for the first resteep that it was more ginger than lemon, and the grassy notes were a bit stronger in the first resteep. For the second resteep, it was lacking the ginger and the lemon and just wasn’t as tasty as the original I would say that Ginger Lemon is good for one more steep.

My Overall Impression

I loved Wize Monkey’s Ginger Lemon. There was just something really thought provoking of the flavours of the ginger and the lemon, and it probably has to do with the fact that I really enjoy the flavour combination. That said, it did make me feel like I should be sick or at least feeling a little bit under the weather while I was having it, so I might not be the best judge of things. However, it tasted good, smelled and tasted like I feel like it should have, so all in all, it made for a good cuppa.

Curious about the cup rating system? Click here to learn more.