Zhena's Gypsy Tea Teabag Rooibos and Honeybush Tea 'Pumpkin Spice'

Tea Information:
Tea: Pumpkin Spice
Type: Rooibos and Honeybush Tea
Packaging: Teabag
Company: Zhena's Gypsy Tea
Purchase: Here
Description: Our Harvest Herb Teas are bountiful blends of fresh, hand-harvested herbs, wildcrafted flowers, choicest fruits, leaves and spices, all USDA Certified Organic and Fair Trade Certified(TM). Each cup will delight the senses and will have you hearing leaves crunching underfoot and smelling the scent of wood smoke wafting the chill air. Amber moon on the horizon not included.

Embossed recyclable air tight tin containing 22 sachets of certified 100% fair trade and organic tea.
Ingredients: Enjoy a trip through the pumpkin patch with this naturally caffeine-free organic blend of superior South African Rooibos and Honey Bush, flavored with sweet Madagascar vanilla beans, finished with the tasty tingle of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove, this tea offers a warm soothing cup for crisp days and cool nights.

Steep Information:
Amount: 1 teabag
Water: 1 mug of boiling filtered water
Steep Time: a little over 5 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: Woody, pumpkin, cinnamon
Steeped Tea Smell: Pumpkin spice (but not pumpkin)
Flavor: Pumpkin spice not pump w/wood
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: After sweet wood
Liquor: Translucent Reddish orange brown

I had this tea at my mother's, sorry I forgot to get pictures of the tea itself!

It was enjoyable, but I was expecting pumpkin pie, not pumpkin spice (despite the name). A nice rooibos, but nothing unique.

Rating: 3/4 leaves


Leaf system:
1=Bleh! not again if it were free
2=Acceptable, if it were free or there were limited other tea options
3=I might purchase this tea from time to time, or select it while out
4=A staple in our cupboard from now on, I will purchase and keep purchasing

52Teas Loose Leaf Honeybush Tea 'Monkey Fart'

Tea Information:
Tea: Monkey Fart
Type: Honeybush Tea
Packaging: Loose Leaf
Company: 52Teas
Purchase: Here
Description: We've gone bananas for our inaugural blend! Real dried bananas and natural flavors.

Going a little bananas this week. Too many things to do, and not enough time to do them in, so I felt it was appropriate to offer our Monkey Fart Honeybush from MySweetHoneybush.com for this week’s Tea of the Week.

Caffeine-free African honeybush blended with real freeze-dried bananas and natural banana flavors. Go bananas with me!

With sincere apologies to my business partner, Stacia, who HATES monkeys (Really, how can you hate monkeys?)
Ingredients: Honeybush, dried bananas, natural flavors

Steep Information:
Amount: ~3 tsp
Water: 12oz ~160°F hot spigot water
Tool: kati loose tea system (my Review here.)
Steep Time: 8+ minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: laffy taffy banana
Steeped Tea Smell: honeybush
Flavor: banana runts
Body: Full
Aftertaste: sweet
Liquor: opaque dark brown

Post-Steep Additives: 1 packet white sugar

Resteep: weak, but drinkable, I left it in for so long I lost track of time!

I love banana laffy, I love banana runts, I LOVE this tea. I will be very sad when it is gone.

Sorry I do not have pictures of the brewed tea, it disappears from my cup very quickly!

Rating: 4/4 leaves


Leaf system:
1=Bleh! not again if it were free
2=Acceptable, if it were free or there were limited other tea options
3=I might purchase this tea from time to time, or select it while out
4=A staple in our cupboard from now on, I will purchase and keep purchasing

David's Tea Loose Leaf Rooibos and Honeybush Tea 'oh canada'

Tea Information:
Tea: oh canada
Type: Rooibos Tea, Honeybush Tea
Packaging: Loose Leaf
Company: David's Tea
Purchase: Here
Description: It’s all about the leaf. Looking for a taste of Canada? Try this red rooibos tea. It’s sweetened with (what else?) maple syrup and sprinkled with delicious maple leaf candies. Plus it’s 100% diplomatic (well, caffeine-free) and tastes great in both our official languages. With green rooibos, honeybush, caramel and toffee bits to shake things up. A truly authentic Canadian experience.

Steep Information:
Amount: ~ 1.5 tsp
Water: 8 ounces hot water spigot
Tool: make your own paper teabag
Steep Time: a little over 5 minutes (using Steep.It)
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: maple! sweet maple sugar, wood
Steeped Tea Smell: sweet maple, wood
Flavor: wood, sweet, warm
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: maple
Liquor: light translucent orange red

I won this in JonTea's first mini contest!
What is the wildest name of tea you’ve ever heard of?
My Answer: Dragon Balls

Post-Steep Additives: 1 packet sugar
brings out the maple more

It's yummy and sweet and soothing. I loved the little maple leaf candies. I'm not bowled over by it though.

Rating: 3/4 leaves


Leaf system:
1=Bleh! not again if it were free
2=Acceptable, if it were free or there were limited other tea options
3=I might purchase this tea from time to time, or select it while out
4=A staple in our cupboard from now on, I will purchase and keep purchasing

Samovar Loose Leaf Honeybush Tea 'Honeybush'

Tea Information:
Tea: Honeybush
Type: Honeybush Tea
Packaging: Loose Leaf
Company: Samovar
Purchase: Here
Description:
Origin: South Africa
Flavor Profile: This cousin of Rooibos is named “Honeybush” for good reason – it’s incredibly honey-sweet and with deliciously smooth woody notes.
Tea Story: A cousin of the more famous Rooibos, Honeybush is quickly gaining recognition as a mineral-abundant, antioxidant-rich, caffeine-free tisane with an addictive flavor.

It is made of the leaves of a flowering legume shrub that only grows in select regions of South Africa. The leaves are selectively harvested, cut into manageable pieces, bruised with rollers and then oxidized in the sun. Afterward, the dried leaves are sifted according to size.

Our grade is the largest, making it ideal for loose-leaf brewing. Its dry aroma is intensely sweet, with notes of cedar, orange blossom honey, candied orange peel and dried raspberries. It brews into a deep, reddish amber, like the color of dark brown leather, and has a brewed aroma of lots of honey and cedar with hints of raspberry and tannins.

The taste is almost absurdly smooth, with outdoorsy notes of cedar shavings, wildflowers and gravel, and a sweet-citrus-tannin flavor akin to mulled Russian Tea. The aftertaste is sweet, mellow and abiding.
Ingredients: Organic Honeybush

Steep Information:
Amount: 2 tsp
Water: 8 ounces filtered boiling water
Tool: Adagio IngenuiTEA 16 oz
Steep Time: a little over 5 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: honey, wood
Steeped Tea Smell: sweet wood
Flavor: smooth, sweet
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: woody
Liquor: dark orange brown

I got a small sample pack from Samovar since everyone always sounds so pleased with their teas. I also could not recall having a plain honeybush and wanted to try it unflavored.

It is not something amazing, but I can see how it acts as a wonderful base for so many flavored teas.

There was a fine dust sludge in the bottom of my teacup when I was nearly done.

Resteep: 7+ minutes, lighter translucent orange-brown color, light taste, weak

I am disappointed in the resteep.

Rating: 2/4 leaves


Leaf system:
1=Bleh! not again if it were free
2=Acceptable, if it were free or there were limited other tea options
3=I might purchase this tea from time to time, or select it while out
4=A staple in our cupboard from now on, I will purchase and keep purchasing

52Teas Loose Leaf Honeybush Tea 'Pineapple Upside-Down Cake'

Tea Information:
Tea: Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Type: Honeybush Tea
Packaging: Loose Leaf
Company: 52Teas
Purchase: Here
Description: Caffeine-free African Honeybush blended with dried pineapples, freeze-dried cherries ans natural brown sugar, cake, pineapple and marachino cherry flavors.
Ingredients: Honybush, dried pineapple, freeze dried cherries and natural flavors.

Steep Information:
Amount: ~3 rounded tsp
Water: ~500ml filtered 212°
Tool: Breville One-Touch Tea Maker BTM800XL (Herbal, Strong)
Steep Time: 5 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: Maraschino cherry, sweet pineapple hints, buttery pound cake hints
Steeped Tea Smell: butter pound cake, pineapple, maraschino cherry
Flavor: sweet
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: sweet, maybe pineapple
Liquor: dark translucent brown, hint of orange

It it more cake than pineapple and cherry...they are mere hints, delicious but not as sweet as I was expecting.

Post-Steep Additives: German rock sugar
Bring out hints of pineapple and cherry

Resteep: 10 min, 212° just as YUMMY

Rating: 3/4 leaves


Leaf system:
1=Bleh! not again if it were free
2=Acceptable, if it were free or there were limited other tea options
3=I might purchase this tea from time to time, or select it while out
4=A staple in our cupboard from now on, I will purchase and keep purchasing