Tag: Herbal/Fruit Infusion

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DavidsTea’s Rhubarb Cream Soda

Rhubarb Cream Soda by DavidsTea
Fruit Infusion / Flavoured
$8.98 for 50g

First Impressions

I was a little bit confused when I first read the name Rhubarb Cream Soda because a rhubarb-flavoured cream soda is just not a thing that exists in my world. This was another of DavidsTea’s new releases that I first sniffed in store and got a small sample back to try out at home. The aroma of Rhubarb Cream Soda is mostly fruity – I can definitely make out the apple and mango, there’s also something that reminds me a little bit of coconut but I’m not sure what’s that from.

Rhubarb Cream Soda consists of: apple, rosehip shells, mango, pineapple, hibiscus, red currants, rhubarb, and natural flavouring. Perhaps the natural flavouring is where the coconut aroma is coming from?

Preparation

DavidsTea’s recommended steeping temperature is “near-boiling” for 4 to 7 minutes. I did an initial steep of Rhubarb Cream Soda for 5 minutes in 93°C (200°F) water.

First Taste

Rhubarb Cream Soda steeps to a very cheerful bright pink – I attribute the pink to the rosehips, hibiscus, red currants, and rhubarb. The aroma is sweet and fruity, I can still smell the apple and mango, but there’s also another depth of layer in the fragrance that reminds me of cream soda. There was quite a bit of an oil slick across the surface of this infusion when I poured it into my tea cup. I’m not sure which ingredient it’s from, I think some of the natural flavouring might have been in the form of oils and that’s why it’s there.

The taste of this fruit infusion is actually really surprising. It actually tastes like cream soda! I’m not sure which of the ingredients is the reason for this, but I’m not complaining. The rhubarb and hibiscus are both definitely present – there’s just a touch of tartness with this fruity infusion. There’s some natural sweetness from the fruit, and the (magical) cream soda flavour that is quite strong.

I would honestly recommend having Rhubarb Cream Soda mixed with some soda water to add some bubbly to make it more like a cream soda. I would also recommend having this one iced.

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Rhubarb Cream Soda and found that it was a no-go. The flavour just wasn’t there the second time around.

My Overall Impression

I liked DavidsTea’s Rhubarb Cream Soda. The flavour was pleasantly just like the name suggested, which is always a big bonus when it comes to fruit infusions. I really enjoyed the flavour of Rhubarb Cream Soda, and wish that it was something that resteeped a little bit better. Because this is a fruit-heavy tisane, I found that I didn’t get a lot in my bag because it’s a heavy/bulky blend – which means it makes for an expensive cup. I bought 28g of Rhubarb Cream Soda and probably used a quarter of the bag just for one cup. That said, Rhubarb Cream Soda is a fruit infusion that tastes like its name suggests, so it’s worth giving it a try!

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Wize Monkey’s Earl Grey

Earl Grey by Wize Monkey
Herbal Tisane / Flavoured
$10.49 for 35g (15 sachets)

Wize Monkey has provided me with Earl Grey for the purposes of providing an honest review.

First Impressions

I am not going to lie, I was a bit apprehensive about trying Wize Monkey’s Earl Grey. If you’ve been reading my reviews for a while (or following me on Instagram, where I share tea photos every day), you’ll know that I love Earl Grey. I love Earl Grey so much that I’ve published two recipes on One More Steep using that very tea because it’s one of my absolute favourites. There’s something relaxing about a good cup of Earl Grey, and seeing that it’s one of my favourites it made me nervous about trying this one – if only because I probably have absurdly high standards for a good Earl Grey (sorry, Wize Monkey).

With that in mind, I opened up the packaging on the Earl Grey sachets with enthusiasm (it is Earl Grey, after all!). The pyramid sachets emitted the very familiar aroma of bergamot oil. The citrus aroma overwhelms the coffee leaf base just enough that it makes me think it’s a regular Earl Grey. Wize Monkey’s Earl Grey consists of arabica leaves and bergamot oil.

Preparation

Wize Monkey recommends steeping Earl Grey in 95C (203F) water for as long as you’d like, since coffee leaf doesn’t get more bitter the longer you steep it – which is fantastic if you’re prone to steeping a cuppa, walking away and forgetting about it until it’s too late. My initial steep of Earl Grey was for 5 minutes.

First Taste

Earl Grey steeps to a golden orange that is quite similar to most of rest of the Wize Monkey tisanes that I’ve already tried (and reviewed). The aroma that comes up from the steeped tisane is that of the bergamot oil, so we’re already off to a good start. The flavour of this coffee leaf tea is both familiar yet… not. I can definitely taste the bergamot oil, it’s something that I can smell from the tea and taste as I sip it. The nuttiness from the coffee leaf tea is very much present, and I thought it’d make me a bit sad that it’s not a cup of black tea, but it doesn’t. It adds a certain something to this version of Earl Grey, but it lacks the pep that I’ve come to expect from previous Earl Grey experiences. I think the coffee leaf tea makes for a different type of Earl Grey experience, but still presents itself well as a black tea alternative.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Earl Grey twice. I found the first resteep to be fairly similar to the initial steep, while the second resteep was lacking some of the bergamot oil that I was hoping to find. I would say that Earl Grey is good for one more steep.

My Overall Impression

I liked Wize Monkey’s Earl Grey. I’m probably overly critical because I love Earl Grey tea so much, but I really did enjoy this coffee leaf version of Earl Grey. The bergamot oil played a good role in presenting itself as an Earl Grey, while the coffee leaf made for a lighter version of Earl Grey. I’m really used to Earl Grey made with a black tea base, so with that punch of flavour and caffeine. I found that the coffee leaf made for a milder base, which lacked that pow of caffeine, but still held its own. I think if you’re looking for a milder version of Earl Grey, Wize Monkey’s would be a great choice. It retains the trademark qualities of an Earl Grey but holds itself up with the coffee leaf base well.

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DavidsTea’s Moringa Mermaid

Moringa Mermaid by DavidsTea
Fruit Infusion / Flavoured
$8.98 for 50g

First Impressions

My first exposure to Moringa Mermaid was in-store as it was one of the teas that was being sampled that day. This fruit-based tisanes smells amazing – it has a great melon aroma to it, and you can very clearly the apple (!), and melon, and carrots. If you’ve never heard of moringa before, don’t fret because I had to look it up as well. Moringa is a tree that’s native to India, it goes by so many names, and the leaves and seed pods are the edible parts that are frequently used.

Moringa is surprisingly nutrient-rich s it has a lot of vitamin B, C, A, K, and protein (among other things). I found a lot of varying information online about medicinal purposes of moringa, but nothing concrete from a reputable, peer-reviewed source. I did find some sites talking about use of moringa in high doses (although none of the pages really specified what was considered a ‘high dose’) to induce a miscarriage or used as birth control – and then there were other websites stating that moringa was often used to increase nutrient intake during pregnancy for healthier babies and mothers. Long story short, the internet is full of confusing and conflicting information – so if you’re pregnant or looking to get pregnant, I would avoid moringa (better safe than sorry!) before talking to your health care provider about it (e.g. physician, nurse practitioner, pharmacist).

Moringa Mermaid consists of melon pieces, apple, carrots, pineapple, moringa, blackberry leaves, rose petals, and natural flavouring.

Preparation

DavidsTea recommends steeping Moringa Mermaid in “near-boiling water” for 4 to 7 minutes. DavidsTea has updated their website to remove the temperature ranges (something that I do not like!), so I steeped Moringa Mermaid at 93°C (200°F) and I opted to do an initial steep at 5 minutes.

First Taste

Moringa Mermaid steep to a bright yellow and has a very fragrant melon aroma. I mostly smell honeydew from this blend, and perhaps some of the pineapple. The rest of the ingredients kind of linger in the background. The taste of this fruit infusion are mainly that of the honeydew, with some apple and pineapple in the background. Moringa Mermaid isn’t as sweet as I thought it was going to be, especially considering the fact that there’s so many fruit ingredients in it.

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Moringa Mermaid and found that the flavour was very watered down compared to the initial steep.

My Overall Impression

I thought that DavidsTea’s Moringa Mermaid was just okay. I actually quite enjoyed the initial steep of Moringa Mermaid, but found it kind of annoying that I couldn’t taste most of the ingredients in the blend. I think it’d make for a great summer iced tea, and I think if you like honeydew, you might want to try this one. I do, however, wish that there was better information out there about moringa or that DavidsTea had a section on their website about the risks and benefits to ingesting some of the herbal ingredients that they include in their blends. I also wish they would put the temperature information back on their website (it doesn’t matter as much for an herbal or fruit infusion, but it does for green and white teas).

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