Category: Review

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Dessert by Deb’s Tiramisu Trifle

Tiramisu Trifle by Dessert by Deb
Rooibos / Flavoured
$6.00 for 25g

Tiramisu Trifle was part of my subscription box from Dessert by Deb and is part of the Cake & Celebration Collection.

First Impressions

Tiramisu Trifle came as a packet of tea in my box from Dessert by Deb, it came in a shiny gold and clear pouch that’s resealable. The first thing that I see are the espresso beans that do make me a bit apprehensive. If you’ve been following for a while, you may know that I don’t like the smell or taste of coffee – and that also does translate into not liking tiramisu (yes, I’ve tried it before; no, I did not like it).

That said, the dry rooibos blend smells exactly like tiramisu – which is both impressive and scary at the same time. It basically smells like dessert, and I think a lot of people will really enjoy it – especially coffee fans. Tiramisu Trifle consists of organic: rooibos, vanilla, espresso beans, maple, coconut, toasted coconut, cacao nibs, and cocoa powder.

Preparation

Because this was a sample packet, there were no steeping instructions but that was easily remedied by heading on over to the Dessert by Deb website. Dessert by Deb recommends steeping Tiramisu Trifle in 212°F (100°F) water for 4 to 6 minutes. I used the recommended water temperature and steeped for 5 minutes.

First Taste

Tiramisu Trifle steeps to a lovely golden brown colour. There is a slight oil slick over the top, the oils are likely from the espresso and coconut as well. It has a very strong coffee aroma from it and I get a lot of vanilla notes that really make the whole thing smell like tiramisu. The flavour is interesting – there’s definitely the taste of coffee (which I find to be bitter), with the vanilla notes, and sweetness. I don’t get a lot of the coconut, but I think the espresso is just a strong ingredient to be going up against. It has some nice chocolate notes to it, so I think it’s a really well done representation of the tiramisu dessert.

A Second Cup?

I did attempt to resteep Tiramisu Trifle and found that the rooibos base was more obvious and I got a mix of the medicinal notes from rooibos and the coffee flavour from the espresso. As a fan of neither, I didn’t enjoy this. If you’re a fan of either, I’d recommend resteeping it.

My Overall Impression

I didn’t like Dessert by Deb’s Tiramisu Trifle. As someone who’s not a fan of coffee or rooibos, I feel like this was destined to happen. That said, I found that the aroma of the dry leaf to be incredibly spot on in comparison to the tiramisu dessert. The aroma from the steeped tisane is also that of tiramisu, and honestly it does taste really spot on as a liquid tiramisu. I think any fan of tiramisu or coffee would be really happy with the blend – it’s just not for me.

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DavidsTea’s Dragonfruit Aloe

Dragonfruit Aloe by DavidsTea
Fruit Infusion / Flavoured
$8.98 for 50g

First Impressions

Dragonfruit Aloe is a fruit infusion (or tisane – the word used to describe a “tea” that doesn’t contain any trace of true tea leaves) that found its way into my online shopping cart when I was making a purchase – and I’m not remotely upset about it. I’m always looking for another nice caffeine-free and fruity iced tea (yes, I know, not the correct word) option to have on hand to keep around in summer. It’s just nice to have a variety on hand, so I wanted to give Dragonfruit Aloe a try. I really like the dragonfruit fruit – it has a really pleasant floral sweetness to it, and when you get a good one, it has a nice crispness to it.

Dragonfruit Aloe came in a larger-sized silver pouch – both sealed and resealable. And I’m liking the bright yellow label – I’m a sucker for a sunshine yellow. In contrast to the Mango Matcha review I shared last week, the new label design works well with the yellow that DavidsTea uses for their labels because the teal really pops. Dragonfruit Aloe has a beautiful aroma to it – very fruity and floral with great hints of coconut. Dragonfruit Aloe consists of: apple, candied pineapple, hibiscus blossoms, coconut chips, dragonfruit, candied aloe vera, natural berry flavouring and raspberries.

Preparation

DavidsTea recommends steeping Dragonfruit Aloe in 95°C (200°F) water for 5+ minutes. I opted to do an initial steep in the recommended steeping temperature for 7 minutes.

First Taste

Dragonfruit Aloe steeps to a lovely peachy-pink colour that reminds me a lot of a commerically produced pink lemonade. The aroma is fruity and floral. There’s a good amount of sweetness in this tisane, but it’s not overly sweet – which makes it nice. I actually did not enjoy this hot at all, so I topped up my glass with some ice cubes and found that it greatly improved once it was cooled down.

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Dragonfruit Aloe, but found that the flavour just wasn’t there. I recommend Dragonfruit Aloe for just one steep.

My Overall Impression

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I both loved and thought that Dragonfruit Aloe was just okay. I wasn’t particularly found of Dragonfruit Aloe when I drank it hot, but I loved it iced. I do think it’s a potential contender to make it into my regular at-home iced tea menu and really enjoy that it wasn’t too sweet (let’s face it, we’re all having tea a little bit more often at home!). I definitely think it’s best served iced, and think that it would be excellent with a splash of lemonade or topped with some sparkling water for just a bit of bubbly action.

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Dessert by Deb’s Lavender Coconut Macaron

Lavender Coconut Macaron by Dessert by Deb
Green Tea / Flavoured
$16.00 for 75g

Lavender Coconut Macaron is an exclusive blend for Dessert by Deb subscription subscribers and is available for purchase by subscribers only at this time.

First Impressions

Lavender Coconut Macaron came in a sealed, resealable pink pouch with a very familiar colourful label on the front. This is Tea Society Club exclusive, which is a great little perk of being a subscriber to the Dessert by Deb subscription box (which basically means I get a present to myself from myself every two months with some cool tea blends).

Lavender Coconut Macaron consists of all organic: green tea, lavender, coconut, toasted coconut, and palm sugar. The aroma is really strongly lavender with a hint of toasted coconut in the background. Lavender is such a strong and forward ingredient, and I really like it – it’s one of my favourite starring blend ingredients. This is definitely a floral-forward green tea blend so if you’re not a fan of floral or lavender in particular, it’s probably not the blend for you. For me, I love lavender, so I’m pretty happy with the delicate aromas, the feminine and delicate feel to the blend with the lavender heavy mix.

Preparation

Dessert by Deb recommends steeping Lavender Coconut Macaron in 200°F (93°C) water for 4 to 6 minutes. I opted to follow the water temperature recommendation and did an initial steep for 5 minutes.

First Taste

Lavender Coconut Macaron steeps to a pale yellow colour. It’s very lavender forward in the aroma from the steeped tea. The flavour is first and foremost lavender – very floral notes, and it has a nice sweetness to it, with the toasted coconut as an undertone. I don’t really taste the green tea base, and I think that has a lot to do with the fact that the lavender and coconut being so strong.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Lavender Coconut Macaron twice, adding an additional 30 seconds for each subsequent steep. I found that the flavour wasn’t as floral as I enjoyed in the initial steep, so I preferred the initial steep the best.

My Overall Impression

I liked Dessert by Deb’s Lavender Coconut Macaron. I really enjoyed just how strong the lavender is, how forward such a delicate feeling flower is in this green tea blend. While I couldn’t taste the green tea base very well, I found that the toasted coconut did really well against the lavender and it really just makes for a lovely cup of tea. It’d be a great addition to an afternoon tea line-up just for the delicate floral notes, and I think it’d be great iced with a splash of lemonade to really amp it up and make it into a great summer iced tea.

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