Winter Wonderland Rooibos by Simpson & Vail

Seller Description: "A wonderful blend of green rooibos with cacao and cinnamon and flavored with Bavarian chocolate, cinnamon and hazelnuts. When we sampled this in our store we heard "Best rooibos ever!", "A new favorite", "Great everyday tea". It brews to a golden cup with the delicious aroma and taste of cinnamon baked goodies (we were reminded of apple fritters). Smooth and warming, this blend has the more pronounced taste of cinnamon and hazelnuts, while the Bavarian chocolate is an underlying taste that rounds out the other flavors. Delicious in every season!"
Ingredients: Organic green rooibos, organic cacao nibs, organic cinnamon pieces, flavoring, white and blue cornflower petals.

Website: Winter Wonderland Rooibos by Simpson & Vail
Sample source: Provided

Teaware: 16oz glass infuser mug
Measured dry: 3 teaspoons
Water Temperature: 212º F
Steeping Time: 5 minutes
Additives: 3 teaspoons of raw sugar

When I first read over the notes about this tea, I thought I was in for a completely different experience. Nothing says "Nutella" to me like chocolate and hazelnut, but while this blend does have some slight cocoa notes, it hearkens more to the sweet breads of the season.

When I taste it, I'm transported back to Grandma's kitchen, enjoying warm stollen while Mom, my aunts, and grandma bustled around preparing Christmas dinner. Every year it was the same: A sweet bread with raisins topped with white icing, candied fruits, and nuts in pretty floral designs.

I can definitely see how some reviewers liken it to apple fritters (It's the closest I've gotten since I developed my apple allergy!) but it just seems like more to me. The nuttiness of the hazelnuts and the slight fruity elements combined with the flavor of that sweet, drippy icing just shout stollen to me... and makes it that much more special.

Now please excuse me while I go pull out Grandma's recipe and make some of my own!

Prominent Notes: Buttery flour with nutty and fruity elements
Aftertaste: Sugary icing with a slightly caramel, buttery element
Overall: A wonderful cup full of memories of the season

Mint Chocolate Chip Rooibos by The Persimmon Tree

Seller Description: "Our Mint Chocolate Chip tea is a naturally caffeine-free tea with an infusion of organic rooibos, vanilla, rich chocolate and invigorating mint. It's a refreshing beverage for any time of day, and makes a great accompaniment to (even an alternative to) dessert. Try Mint Chocolate Chip tea in a latte, or iced with a splash of cream and sugar. Simply delicious!"
Ingredients: Organic Rooibos, Mint, Vanilla, Cocoa Beans, Chocolate Pieces, Apple Pieces, Yogurt, Natural Flavors
Website: Mint Chocolate Chip by The Persimmon Tree Tea Company
Facebook: The Persimmon Tree 

Sample source: Provided

Teaware: 16oz glass infuser mug
Measured dry: 3 teaspoons
Water Temperature: 212º F
Steeping Time: 5 minutes
Additives: 3 teaspoons of raw sugar

This evening's tea is another tasty blend from the The Persimmon Tree tea company out of California. An organic rooibos blend, this tea fits right in with their extensive catalog of organic, fair-trade, and biodynamic teas. For that extra green touch, they also feature recycled products in their packaging and shipping.

I was feeling like a dessert tea tonight, because I'm trying to be better about sticking to my diet and there are a heck of a lot less points in a lovely warm cup of sweet tea than a an equally warm and nummy cookie!

Actually, it doesn't taste nearly as much like a cookie as it does mint chocolate ice cream. The rooibos base hangs out in the background while creamy mint rules the stage and tapers off into a chocolately finish.

Now, I did run afoul of my apple allergy with this tea, which, with as much as I enjoyed this blend, was a big disappointment. I wasn't expecting to find any apple in a mint chocolate tea, so when it wasn't mentioned in the description I didn't do my usual homework. It will mean a little extra Benadryl will help me get to sleep tonight, and that should stave off the worst of it. Well, it's my loss but my husband's gain. He's looking forward to having the rest of the tin all to himself!

Prominent Notes: Cream and mint, with slight rooibos hints
Aftertaste: Chocolate and mint
Overall: A tasty - and guilt free - dessert!

Rooibos Vanilla Chai by The Persimmon Tree Tea Company

Seller Description: "Our Vanilla Rooibos Chai tea features a delightful blend of masala chai spices, red rooibos and a hint of vanilla. Rooibos Vanilla Chai is naturally caffeine, making it a perfect any-time tea. Much like its caffeinated cousin Masala Chai, this tea tastes delicious with milk and sugar."
Ingredients: Organic Rooibos, Vanilla Flavoring, Ginger Pieces, Cinnamon Pieces, Cardamom, Clove, Orange Pieces
Website: Rooibos Vanilla Chai by The Persimmon Tree Tea Company
Facebook: The Persimmon Tree 

Sample source: Provided

Teaware: 16oz glass infuser mug
Measured dry: 3 teaspoons
Water Temperature: 212º F
Steeping Time: 4 minutes
Additives: 3 teaspoons of raw sugar

The Persimmon Tree is a tea company out of California that offers a wide variety of organic, fair-trade, and biodynamic teas. They also pride themselves on using recycled products in their packaging and shipping. Now, it can be difficult to get to know an online tea company, but The Persimmon Tree makes it a lot easier by offering a variety of $5 sampler packs, which I found irresistible. The company was kind enough to provide me with a cute little 3oz tin of today's tea, but just in case you were wondering, the Rooibos Vanilla Chai is also an option in their Rooibos sampler.

But on to the tea itself! Today's blend has all the wonderful spices you'd usually associate with an eye-opening, caffeine-packed cup of black tea. By substituting a red rooibos base in lieu of the black, this becomes a caffeine-free drink that you can enjoy whenever you feel like it. As someone who tends to bounce from the walls with too much caffeine after noon, I can sincerely appreciate that!

Rooibos can often leave me with a caramel aftertaste, but this blend has managed to avoid that. The base slips into the background and lets the cardamon, clove and vanilla take center stage with the ginger and cinnamon off to the side singing the chorus. The effect is nicely balanced, with no one element standing out too strongly and causing dissonance.

As it cools, the vanilla stands out further and gives it a lovely creaminess. It becomes less and less noticeable that I used water instead of milk while preparing it. Now, "chai" itself is a bit of a misnomer, as it actually means "tea" in several languages and not the specific blend of spices that we tend to associate with it. Actually, if I'm getting into semantics, this isn't even tea, technically. There's only one actual tea plant: the camellia sinensis. How it's treated determines the kind of tea (i.e. black, green, oolong, etc.) that it will steep.

But for a not-quite-chai and a not-quite-tea, it's quite yummy!

Prominent Notes: Cardamon, clove, and vanilla
Aftertaste: Light hints of cinnamon and lighter still of ginger
Overall: A harmonious chai blend for any time of day

As a final note, The Persimmon Tree has asked me to give you their coupon code TEABLOG for 20% off at their online store: www.persimmontreetea.com. Enjoy!

Organic Candy Cane by Simpson & Vail

This evening's tea is a cheerful yet soothing peppermint, as we move on to the Organic Candy Cane Rooibos Herbal Tisane by Simpson & Vail.

Seller Description: "It's fabulous hot or iced (so yes you can enjoy it in the summer too!) and with no added sugar, this calorie free blend is sure to please. The aroma of the dry leaf is amazing - a definite mood booster - with its euphoric aroma of minty sweetness. When brewed, this herbal blend has a taste that is tingly, refreshing, and harkens me back to my childhood - or rather just last December….. The taste lingers delicately and deliciously on the tongue. A cup of this tea brings joy to our day and we hope it does the same for you!"
Ingredients: Organic green Rooibos, natural candy cane flavor, organic stevia, and red and white organic cornflower petals.
Website: Organic Candy Cane Rooibos Herbal Tisane by Simpson & Vail

Sample source: Provided

Teaware: 16oz glass infuser mug
Measured dry: 2-1/4 teaspoons
Water Temperature: 212º F
Steeping Time: 5 minutes
Additives: 3 teaspoons of raw sugar

Most of the holiday teas I've encountered this season have been caffeinated, so I was delighted to discover this cheerful peppermint herbal - all the better to sip during a long evening of grading!

After I opened the sample envelope, my senses cleared and I could close my eyes and imagine stepping into a candy cane forest. The herbal and rooibos elements are beautifully blended, and the rooibos (which can overcome some blends) had been perfectly balanced and restrained. It supports the flavors gorgeously but stays behind the curtain.

Mei-Mei timing the steep
from atop the tea chest.

I can't believe it, but it really is like licking a candy cane! Each sip brings a wave of peppermint, which quickly settles back and lets a creamy cool minty calm, which just lasts and lasts, slide in its wake. My tongue is still tingling even a full minute after my last drink. I can pick out very, very slight hints of the cornflower, but like the rooibos it is more of a stagehand, helping backstage to bring the experience to life. Now, My husband loves peppermint teas, but we rarely keep them on hand because so many of them can be overwhelming, and I hadn't found one that I could just sit back and enjoy... until now.

Prominent Notes: Peppermint with very slight hints of cornflower

Aftertaste: Creamy, lasting minty freshness
Overall: I love it!

Gingerbread by DAVIDsTEA

Seller Description: "For the past four years, all we wanted for Christmas was a gingerbread tea. Every winter, we’ve pestered David for a spicy-sweet, festive tea. But he just couldn’t find the perfect blend…until now. And with its warm, comforting aromas of ginger, cinnamon and molasses, this rich rooibos tea totally worth the wait."
Ingredients: Rooibos, green rooibos, honeybush, cinnamon, currants, crystalized ginger, pineapple, safflower petals, natural and artificial flavouring.
Website: Gingerbread by DAVIDsTEA

Sample source: Purchased

Teaware: Abalone China cup, Japan, Shy Flowers pattern
Measured dry: 1-1/4 teaspoons
Water Temperature: 212º F
Steeping Time: 5 minutes
Additives: 2 teaspoons of raw sugar

This was my first sniff of DAVIDsTEA's holiday lineup, and when I opened the tin I was hit not with the lovely bite of ginger but instead with the somewhat bizarre flavor of the molasses bourbon pecan pie I made a couple Thanksgivings ago.

The pie has not been repeated since (hint: if you make a pie with alcohol, it's better if you actually like it!), so you can understand why I was a little hesitant to steep this up at first. It helped that I found a cute little cup at the local second-hand shop and needed an excuse to take pretty pictures of it!

The rooibos and honeybush are definitely the most dominant flavors in this tea, followed by the molasses, and leaving the hint of gingerbready goodness to take up the rear.

There is an incredible sweetness to this cup, and if I hadn't been looking for the specific flavor profile I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more. I'm also not wild about all the small particles shifting around in the bottom of the cup. I'm a big texture girl (ask me some time about trying native foods in Alaska!), and I really hate to go for a sip and end up chewing.

Prominent Notes: Rooibos and Honeybush

Aftertaste: Molasses and gingerbread
Overall: While I'm not blown away it's still a nice way to wind down after a busy day.