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Dessert by Deb’s Cherry Lemonade

Cherry Lemonade by Dessert by Deb
Green Tea / Flavoured
$16.00 for 75g

Cherry Lemonade is an exclusive blend for Dessert by Deb subscription subscribers and is available for purchase by subscribers only at this time.

First Impressions

Cherry Lemonade was a tea that showed up in my March/April subscription box from Dessert by Deb. I’ve reviewed a lot of her teas since the launch and I’ve been happily subscribing since the subscription box launched – it’s one box every two months (so 6 boxes in 12 months/1 year). Cherry Lemonade is a green tea blend and is part of the “The Tea Society Club”, which means that it is a subscriber exclusive. It’s a fun perk of being a member!

Cherry Lemonade comes in a sealed, resealable pouch with a colourful label. This is a really pretty blend. The aroma of the dry leaf is mostly lemongrass to me, I think that’s because lemongrass has such a strong fragrant compared to some of the other ingredients. Cherry Lemonade consists of organic: green tea, cherries, lemon peel, hibiscus, lemongrass, rosehips, palm sugar, and safflower.

Preparation

Dessert by Deb recommends steeping Cherry Lemonade in 200°F (93°C) water for 5 to 6 minutes. My initial steep was for 5 minutes.

First Taste

Cherry Lemonade steeps to a really pretty pink colour, which I credit to the hibiscus. The aroma of the tea is mostly that of lemongrass, with a hint of lemon. The taste is mostly lemongrass, with some lemon and cherry notes in the background. It’s not as sweet as I thought it might be, given the presence of palm sugar. I don’t really taste the green tea base, probably because the lemongrass is a strong ingredient.

A Second Cup?

I attempted resteeping Cherry Lemonade, but found that the resteep was mostly lemongrass in flavour so I wasn’t too keen on it.

My Overall Impression

I didn’t like Dessert by Deb’s Cherry Lemonade. I was hopeful for a lot of cherry and lemon flavours in this green tea blend, especially given the name. I think that the lemongrass was really heavy, which really detracted from the other ingredients. It’s quite a pretty blend, and I like the lemongrass. I would have liked it to have more lemon and cherry and perhaps even more hibiscus, to give it that tartness to amplify the idea of lemonade. If you’re a fan of lemongrass, you’ll probably like this one.

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Sun-Rype’s Black Tea Mango Peach

Black Tea Mango Peach by Sun-Rype
Black Tea / Flavoured
$1.69 for 1 can (355ml)

First Impressions

It’s time for yet another skinny can of a prepared iced tea product. From Sun-Rype, which is a Canadian company (Kelowna, British Columbia – to be exact!), this is a sparkling iced tea. White and orange, this flavour is Black Tea Mango Peach. Details about ingredients on the can itself, I can appreciate the minimalism design.

A simple pop can tab to open the can, the carbonated Black Tea Mango Peach is a lovely golden orange. It’s obviously carbonated, and has a great aroma to it. I can smell peaches and mangoes. Black Tea Mango Peach consist of carbonated filter water, cane sugar, real brewed black tea concentrate, citric acid, natural flavour and natural colour.

First Taste

I like the aroma of Black Tea Mango Peach. It has a pleasant taste – it lacks the heavy mineral flavour that some of the other Sun-Rype products had – strongly of peaches and mangoes, with a nice sweetness to it. It does have a hefty amount of carbonation to it, which does tickle the nose a bit. The fruity aroma is pleasant, and it’s a nice drink.

My Overall Impression

I liked Sun-Rype’s Black Tea Mango Peach. I greatly enjoyed the flavour of this canned sparkling iced tea. The peach and mango aroma and flavour was quite pleasant, and I liked the fact that the mineral flavour wasn’t as harsh compared to the other flavours I tried. I think this one is great over iced, or also mixed with some lemonade. I do wish that the pricing was a bit more friendly, but does give some inspiration for making some summer time iced teas at home.

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Adagio Teas’s Lemon Meringue Green

Lemon Meringue Green by Adagio Teas
Green Tea / Flavoured
$9.00USD for 3oz

Adagio Teas has provided me with Lemon Meringue Green for the purposes of writing an honest review.

First Impressions

Lemon Meringue Green comes in a familiar coloured pouch, courtesy of Adagio Teas. The sealed, resealable package has a nice little printed label on the front that lets me know the details of the tea. The leaf itself is quite fragrant – with some really strong lemon and orange notes, as well as some lingering vanilla notes in the background.

The tea leaves are quite pretty – it reminds me of a sencha in appearance, the leaves are flatten. Smelling Lemon Meringue Green outside of the pouch, it definitely reminds me of the aroma of a lemon pound cake. Hints of buttery deliciousness and quite inviting! Lemon Meringue Green consists of: green tea, apple pieces, orange peels, natural lemon flavour, marigold flowers, natural vanilla flavour, and natural creme flavour.

Preparation

Adagio Teas recommends steeping Lemon Meringue Green in 180°F (82°C) water for 2 to 3 minutes. I opted to do a steep in 175°F (79°C) water for 3 minutes to start off.

First Taste

Lemon Meringue Green steeps to a very pale greeny-yellow colour. It smells like lemon and vanilla, which is nice. The flavour of the tea wasn’t surprising as it mimics the fragrance of the dry leaf quite well. I can taste vanilla, something buttery, lemon, and sweetness. It basically reminds me of lemon pound cake from start to finish, which is quite nice. At the temperature of water I used with the steep time, there was zero astringency or bitterness in this green tea blend.

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Lemon Meringue Green once, adding an additional 30 seconds to the first resteep. I found that it was lacking in vanilla while the lemon/citrus notes stayed fairly consistent. Missing the vanilla meant that it didn’t quite remind me of lemon pound cake anymore.

My Overall Impression

I loved Adagio Teas’s Lemon Meringue Green. I appreciated how well the tea behaved from dry leaf to steeped tea, and how it stayed consistent in aroma to taste for the initial steep. The aroma of the dry leaf is so inviting, and I think this green tea blend would be a pleasant tea option for afternoon tea, and perhaps paired with dessert. The nature of it being citrus heavy makes me think that it would also be an excellent iced tea drink as well – if you’re concerned about over steeping the green tea base, you can always cold steep it.

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