Tag: Herbal/Fruit Infusion

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Tealish’s Maple Cream

Maple Cream by Tealish
Herbal Infusion / Flavoured
$9.50 for 50g

Tealish’s Maple Cream came to me as part of The Sugared Teacup’s October themed subscription box.

First Impressions

I was intrigued when I unboxed my October box from The Sugared Teacup and found Maple Cream – mostly because of the name, it sounds like a chocolate I’ve had from a certain local chocolate company (yum). I found the tasting notes on the back of the packaging were fairly accurate. The first thing I noticed when I opened the resealable bag was the fact that it smells like maple syrup and walnuts. I didn’t notice any apple fragrance, despite it being the first in the ingredients list.

The ingredients in Maple Cream are: apple, orange, rosehip, walnut, safflower, sunflower, calendula, maple sugar, and natural flavours. The aroma of maple syrup is pretty distinctive, and with the name like Maple Cream I’m glad it really comes through.

Preparation

Tealish recommends steeping Maple Cream in boiling water (100°C/212°F) for 3 to 5 minutes. My initial steep of Maple Cream was for 5 minutes.

First Taste

Maple Cream steeps to a lovely yellow colour, which I think can be attributed to the safflower, walnut, orange and possibly the apple. The aroma of the steeped herbal tisane smells of sweetness, maple syrup, and a little bit of the walnut. The flavour of the tisane matches the aroma of the steeped tisane really well. I can taste maple syrup, there’s a good amount of sweetness in it, and there’s a bit of nuttiness in the undertones that are quite pleasant. I don’t really get a lot of fruity flavours (there is apple and orange in the blend), but I trust that both add to the sweetness.

A Second Cup?

I did attempt to resteep Maple Cream, but found that the flavour just wasn’t there. I would say that Maple Cream is good for just one steep.

My Overall Impression

I  liked Tealish’s Maple Cream. I found that the flavour really made me think of autumn and fall, which makes it a great seasonal option for those who want a caffeine-free beverage. I think it would be a great tisane to mix with a hot apple cider, to have that nutty flavour of the walnut with a boost of apple flavour and sweetness.

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DavidsTea’s Sunny C

Sunny C by DavidsTea
Fruit Infusion / Flavoured
$8.98 for 50g

First Impressions

I picked up a little pouch of Sunny C at one of my local DavidsTea retail locations (yes, I am still very much aware of how lucky I am to have several locations within driving distance to me!). I first smelled this one in store and was intrigued because the aroma of Sunny C reminds me of Tang. If you’re not familiar with Tang, it’s an orange drink mix that smells sweet and chock full of artificial orange flavouring and colour. Sunny C is marketed as an “immune booster bursting with orange, carrot & a sunny dose of Vitamin C”.

If you’re not into drinking your vitamins, vitamin C is also found in many foods – including citrus fruit, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and strawberries. Vitamin C is also important in preventing scurvy and lengthening the duration of the common cold – although there isn’t a lot of evidence to support vitamin C in preventing the common cold. Either way, vitamin C is important.

There are some huge dried fruit pieces in this fruit infusion blend that DavidsTea has put together. Sunny C consists of: apple, carrots, pineapple, orange, hibiscus, lemon peel, pink peppercorns, safflowers, ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and natural flavouring. For something that smells incredibly like Tang, which is the most fake-smelling orange drink  item that I can think of, I’m surprised that orange is the fourth ingredient in the blend and not somewhere higher up.

Preparation

DavidsTea recommends steeping Sunny C in 95°C (200°F) water for 5+ minutes. My initial steep of Sunny C was for 7 minutes.

First Taste

Sunny C steeps to a dark reddish pink – a colour that I primarily attribute to the presence of hibiscus flowers and possibly also the safflowers as well. It still smells like Tang, but not as sweet as the dry leaf smells like. The flavour is surprisingly not as sweet as I expected it to be – and doesn’t taste as artificial as I remember Tang to be. Sunny C has a nice citrus flavour, which a pleasant acidic mouthpucker that I am attributing to all the acidic ingredients in the blend. It is a very pleasant fruity infusion that is very pleasant hot – I think it would also make for a nice iced tea as well, given the blend of ingredients, but it’s November and I really don’t want to make iced tea right now.

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Sunny C once, but honestly the flavour was just not there and I would recommend only having one steep with this fruit infusion.

My Overall Impression

I liked DavidsTea’s Sunny C. For a fruity blend, it has a pleasant flavour and smells like a drink that I drank far too often when I was at my neighbour’s house after school when I was waiting for my parents to get home. If your main purpose in drinking it is consume some vitamin C, it isn’t that bad – as per the DavidsTea product page for Sunny C, this fruit infusion contains 15% of the daily recommended intake of vitamin C per cup. That said, there are less expensive ways to get in your daily vitamin C (for instance, an average orange can contain approximately 88% of your daily recommended vitamin C intake), but it is fairly tasty.

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DavidsTea’s Cold 911

Cold 911 by DavidsTea
Herbal Infusion / Flavoured
$8.98 for 50g

First Impressions

Cold 911 is one of those teas that always seems to be available as a sample choice when checking out online. For those new to DavidsTea, they offer samples on checkout and you can opt to get 3 that they pick or to select it yourself. Since they offered the DIY option, I usually pick out teas that I haven’t tried before and Cold 911 – you just never know when you might need a sicky-time tea on hand! I’ve had this herbal infusion multiple times over the years (usually in the autumn and winter months when I feel a cold coming on).

Cold 911 smells like mint, orange, and eucalyptus – it smells very much like an herbal cough drop of some sort, thanks to the eucalyptus. Cold 911 contains organic: peppermint, apple, juniper berries, with natural eucalyptus and orange flavouring.

Preparation

DavidsTea recommends steeping Cold 911 in 95°C (200°F) water for 5+ minutes. My initial steep of Cold 911 was for 8 minutes.

First Taste

Cold 911 steeps to an orangey brown colour, not the most appealing by any standards. The aroma is mostly minty, which is quite nice. The taste of the herbal infusion is a blend of eucalyptus and mint – with the mint winning out in strength. There’s a light sweetness that I would probably attribute to the apples. There’s a lovely cooling sensation when I drink this that is quite pleasant, and would probably be very soothing when someone isn’t feeling that great.

A Second Cup?

I’ve attempted to resteep Cold 911 before in the past and it doesn’t do very well, with it tasting primarily like mint.

My Overall Impression

I liked DavidsTea’s Cold 911. I really do welcome this herbal infusion into my mug when I’m feeling a bit under the weather because it does make me feel better. I do wish that the eucalyptus and orange was actually physically present as opposed to flavouring because then it might resteep at least once better. It does have a nice cooling sensation that does help a lot with a sore throat though, so I do have to give it props for that.

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