This tea is visually interesting. The leaves between 1/16 and 1/8 inch long with the blue slivers of cornflower petals blended in is actually quite pretty. This tea brews a nice yellow-orange liquor.

The aroma from the dried leaves is of a smoother variety than that of a typical Earl Grey. It’s almost as if this blend had already been softened with milk and sugar.

Earl Grey de la Creme’s flavor is smooth but strong. You can taste the softness from the vanilla and the sweetness from the cornflower petals. Of, course the bergamot oil is ever present throughout as is custom with any Earl Grey.

Lightly bold and flavorfully striking I recommend this blend from Special Teas for fans of any Earl Grey. The vanilla and cornflower petals really add something to this classic favorite.

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It’s pretty odd an idea to put jelly beans in a tea. At least to me. But this blend pulls it off. Blended with what looks like cherry chunks, hibiscus and other fruit pieces, this blend smells mighty sweet and looks very red with an occasional colored jelly bean adding to a vibrant visual mixture.

The liquor brews up a deep vibrant blood red. It’s really quite attractive. Add the fruity scent and you’ve got a nice hot party punch on your hands.

Speaking of fruit punch, that’s exactly what this blend tastes like. Given the relative penchant for fruity teas to sometimes come out sour, this blend really does “punch” well. Though I’m not sure that was the intent here.

Jello Bello does dry the palate a bit, but not a whole lot. If it were any less the dryness wouldn’t be noticeable at all. The sour flavor from the cherries hangs around through the finish while the sweetness fades.

Not overly bold on the palate this tea comes out actually quite soft. I’d recommend it for fans of fruity teas, fruit punch and anyone who likes to try new teas. Othodox tea fans aren’t likely to like this one though, and may not want to give it a go.

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This herbal infusion or “tisane” comes in a tea bag, so I can’t really describe it’s leaf appearance. It would be nice if Zhena’s offered at least some of their more popular options in loose form.

Visually, this tea brews a pinkish-red liquor. The weak aroma combines sweet and tart to create an inviting feeling in the nose.

This flavorful tea has some pucker though. With both Acai, orange peel and Hibiscus you’ll get plenty of dryness on your palate. And that’s exactly what I got. But add in the rooibos and the lemongrass and you have a conflict of sweetness and tart that’s hard to grab the subtleties of.

This is not my cuppa tea. I like to be able to see the leaves, and to indulge in the nuanced flavors which come out when you brew a tea.

I can recommend this infusion for fans of acai, fruit teas, tart drinks and flavored teas. If you’re more of an orthodox purist, you won’d be drinking Zhena’s Gypsy Tea anyway, but I do encourage you to step out of your box of orthodoxy and try something new now and then which you wouldn’t normally partake of. Someetimes, you win. Sometimes you lose. This brew is lost on me.

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When it comes to the relaxing calming teas ni the world, there are a great many which make this claim. I find myself relaxed by quite a few teas. But Serenity from Tavalon Tea takes the cake.

Visually this tea appears to be made up of chamomile, rooibos and lemongrass. Though Tavalon claims vanilla beans and peppermint I don’t visually see these components present.

The aroma from the dried leaves is light. Here, you can tell the mint is present, and the chamomile is a strong part of this blent. Subtler notes from the lemongrass and a smoothness from the vanilla and rooibos is only hinted at.

Once brewed, the aroma changes to rely heavily on the chamomile and peppermint, but there’s a spiciness present I’m unsure of the source for. This tea creates a dark golden liquor equally pleasing to the eye as the tea is to the palate.

Something about the combination of peppermint with the lemongrass must be giving this tea some spice because it’s clearly present. The flavor is smooth, with some very light astringent bite in the finish. Instantly relaxing you can feel the chamomile and vanilla flavors coating your mouth while the peppermint tingles just the very tip of your tongue.

Not strikingly bolds, but certainly containing some bite, I can recommend this tea to fans of peppermint and/or chamomile tisane blends, anyone who enjoys lemongrass and those who enjoy a nice vanilla rooibos.

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Rocky Road is one of those ice creams I find over the top sugar-wise. I prefer simpler flavors like vanilla, cookie dough, red bean or green tea. But on occasion I’ll venture out and try something new.

Rocky road combines chocolate ice cream with marshmallows and nuts. The texture differences combine for a very sweet treat for your tongue. But it does make me wonder how good a tea based on this idea could be.

Frank over at 52teas is renown for his adventurous flavor ideas. I’ve found many of his teas/tisanes to be exciting crowd pleasers even if those into more “pure” teas wouldn’t like them.

This Rocky Road Black Tea which Frank put together combines a hearty Keemun Chinese black tea with chocolate chips, cacao nibs, almonds and those tiny marshmallows you find in Swiss Miss hot chocolate mix to bring us an exciting dessert flavor fans of this ice cream (or chocolate) can enjoy.

The dry leaf aroma is overwhelming with chocolate sweetness. Hints of marshmallow and a more bitter cocoa are present. The liquor brews a dark amber gold and appears a bit cloudy with infused sediment. Once brewed the aroma becomes more subtle. More bitter chocolate with light sweetness becomes the transformation here.

Puckery and astringent, this brew dries the tongue the way a dark bitter chocolate might. It’s sweetness mostly left behind in the aroma, your “Rocky Road” ends up having more hints at chocolate and marshmallow than providing a hearty milk chocolate flavor.

I would recommend this blended tisane for fans of rocky road ice cream, dark chocolate lovers and anyone who likes those tiny little marshmallows in their hot cocoa.

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