Fusion Teas

Backlog:

It took me a while to really start appreciating this tea. The first couple of sips, I was just sort of “meh” about it, but, as the tea cooled, I found myself liking it more and more. This tea is one that should be served ICED because it really shines as an iced tea.

Here is my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/02/04/peach-blossom-from-fusion-teas-2/

Sipdown! Although I cheated and sent the last of this to Boxermama so am only drinking a half cup.

I didn’t like this the first time I tried it, and sadly, I still don’t. Green mate, blech. And I’m not keen on the citrus here, even though I adore actual citrus fruit, and limes in particular.

Yeah, sadly, I really do not like this one. Glad the rest went to a willing home.

Thank you to Fusion Tea Room for the absolutely HUGE box of samples I received a couple days ago! Wow, I cannot believe the generosity of the tea companies I’ve been dealing with lately. And the customer service has been spectacular with all of them :D

Onto the review. The dry tea definitely has a limey smell. Exciting; I love lime. I’m not getting any pistachio smell, but then again… do pistachios even really have a smell? I know what they taste like, but…. Anyways, I’m also smelling a bit of what’s making me think of a medicinal smell. I don’t know if it’s the mate or green rooibos; I don’t have an awful lot of experience with either. Let’s see how it is steeped.

Forgot to log notes on steeping aromas again. Oops. I also did steep this one too long, and should try a shorter infusion next time.

Hmm, I’m getting almost a bit of a medicinal taste. Or that’s how it’s coming off to me. I blame the green rooibos. I can definitely taste the lime, which is lovely, but I’m not catching the pistachio. Hrm. This tastes familiar, and not in a good way, unfortunately. It reminds me of a tea from DavidsTea that I wasn’t fond of. Oh – in a way it’s reminding me of Honeybee. That’s probably the mate? I’m getting a sweetness at the end of the sip that also reminds me of Honeybee.

I’m not sure that this is a tea for me. I’m pretty new to mates, and have only tried a couple, so I’m not sure if I like them yet. Or perhaps I like the roasted mates (since I quite enjoyed 52teas Malted ChocoMate). Either way, I think I need to try this one with a shorter infusion to see if I can taste the pistachio and reduce a bit of this medicinal taste. So no rating yet.

Tea #23 from the ‘Here’s Hoping’ teabox.

Backlogging.

I had to try this tea just because of the name. I figured I would not be a fan since it’s rooibos based, but it was actually pretty good. Lots of spices mixed in with the carrot, walnut and raisins. Very tasty. I love the sweetness (which I assume is from the maple brittle) because it was just the right amount of sweet for the tea. Not too much, but no need to add sugar. Every now and then the rooibos flavor was stronger than I would have liked, but all in all a great herbal blend!

Tea #19 from the ‘Here’s Hoping’ teabox.

Ooh, this is a good one. This was my first time trying mate, and I loved it. It also gave me the chance to realize that I like green rooibos but not red. The mate and green rooibos blended together give an earthy flavor that I really enjoy. On top of that base flavor is a bright, citrusy lime note that makes me oh so happy. Really, whoever blended this did an incredible job. I am a fan. I did not taste the pistachio, but that didn’t bother me since what I did taste was so good.

After I finished my first cup I went back and resteeped the leaves. I learned two things 1) this blend resteeps very well, and 2) my caffeine tolerance is quickly reached when drinking mate. My face started to feel all tingly which I did not take as a good sign. I’ll have to remember that in the future.

Additional notes: Sipdown! I still appreciate this one from a package Azzrian sent me a while ago. What happened to Azzrian? I haven’t seen any tasting notes from her in a while. Anyway, this one was still delicious. Somehow very buttery for some reason! I have no idea how this one was black, oolong and green because all of the leaves looked the same. I really should be drinking more Fusion teas… they are always so good.

I wanted to try this one when I saw it on Fusionteas.com and Azzrian was kind enough to supply a sample (probably without knowing I wanted to try it!) thank you! I’ve never had a black/ oolong/ green hybrid before (I guess you could call it a fusion). To me, the blend looks like mostly black tea, unless the oolong is super dark. There are also some jasmine flowers. This has a fragrance the same as the flavor: a nice juicy peach. I really like this blend and the idea of everything that is blended in it. Peach, jasmine, oolong, black tea. I’d really like to try more oolong/black blends. Fusion is always amazing! I really want to try the blends they came up with a few months ago… very inventive!

This is really nice. I’m not always as excited about green Earl Grey teas as I am about black Earl Grey … bergamot just seems to pair better with the black tea, in my opinion. However, it works really nicely in this blend.

It doesn’t brew up pink, though, it brews up a clear amber green color, but, that’s OK, I didn’t really expect it to be pink… It is a beautiful dry leaf though, with all the little rose buds in it.

As someone who adores Earl Grey, I found myself looking at the ingredients and wondering why anyone would put rhubarb in an Earl Grey, but it really seems to work here… it gives the cup an almost strawberry-ish taste, which may seem weird, but, it’s working for me. I taste enough of the bergamot to keep the Earl Grey lover in me happy, and the green tea is soft and buttery. A very enjoyable cup.

A lovely tea! Full review on http://sororiteasisters.com/ on the 3rd of January but here are my snippits:

The mouthfeel is slightly full, a tad but creamy, and heavy enough that I feel one could ice this nicely.

The peach flavor in this tea is not over done, although personally I can never get enough peach, but it is nice, subdued, and well mannered. I do get just a touch of the flavoring as being somewhat artificial like, but not so much so that it turns me off.

It creates a soft balance between a fruity tea, a floral tea, and a tea that whispers in your ear gently, yet is strong enough to stand it’s ground. Just like the Heroine in one of my favorite books. This may just have to be in my tea rotation to drink while reading outdoors this spring!

I LOVE that this has a blended base of Black, Green, AND Oolong Teas!

It ‘brews up’ to a yellowish-orange color.

I can taste the peach and floral notes and they are lovely. More Peach than floral. I can taste the Jasmine-Green over the Oolong and the Oolong over the black. It’s a bit creamy, as well, I find that surprising but delightful!

I really like this! YUM!

Sending some to SIL

Nice!

I really like this. The flavor is less “wine-like” (although I did use that term when describing it in my full-length review of this that will publish later this month), and more wine-inspired … although I do get a fermented grape-y kind of taste in this too. The astringency at the tail of this tea seems to play to this.

The black tea is a full-flavored tea, strong but not what I’d call bold … it holds its own. The best part of this tea is the sweet, peachy flavors and the touch of strawberry, I like this combination of flavors.

A really good tea.

You know that cliche ‘a little dab will do ya’? Well…in this case…‘a little sprinkle WON’T Screw ya!’ LOL – It’s true folks! Fusion ONLY USED a sprinkle of Hibiscus! A completely acceptable amount for this flavored Green Tea and I LOVE that about it! It’s tangy raspberry and sprinkle of hibiscus work well together. The green tea base is sweet and fairly creamy. The lemon flavor is exquisite as well! YUM! Yup! A goodie HOT or COLD!

I have to confess. I did not think I would like this tea. However, I do like it!
It is heavy on the bergamot and a bit perfume-y but that flavor quickly dissipates into a sweet, fruity, and somewhat creamy yummness!
Full review to come on http://sororiteasisters.com/

WOW! This smells amazing!
It’s like sweet-juicy green tea with various citrus but more importantly rhubarb and cream as well as rose! YUMMO!!!

The flavor isn’t overly Earl Grey like your typical EG/Black but it has a scrumptious flavor! I’m totally LOVING the Rhubarb – it’s juicy, sweet, and creamy! The rose is a nicely-done partner. The green tea is sweet, juicy, creamy – nothing bitter or grassy! The citrus is a cross between lemon and orange. I’m totally loving the overall flavor and tastes here but if you are looking for your stereotypical EG – this is very different. Regardless – I’m totally digging this!

Oh!!!!! Aren’t YOU a Sassy one!

I’m totally LOVING the aroma on this one! LOVE LOVE LOVE!

I also LOVE that this blend has Black, Oolong, and Rooibos as the blended base – I’m super excited! It has Figs and Apple, yes, but it also has spices such as cloves and anise, too!

AND…Kentucky Bourbon? Awwww-yeah!

This infuses to an orange-brown color that is really attractive!

These flavors are flavors that keep on giving! Much like an ‘adult beverage’ followed up with sassy spices, fresh fruit, along with woodsy notes, and a nice smooth finish to round it off! This is a creative blend that I really like!

I received this in a swap in the summer and I transferred it the a T-Sac and forgot all about it in my cubby at work. Then yesterday I woked up at 3:30am and couldn’t get back to sleep. . . at ALL! So when I dragged myself out of bed after tossing and turning at 5:30am to slowly get ready for the longest most annoying day in my twenty-something years of life. I knew once I got to work that I need to dig it out. At that point I didn’t even remember what it was called I just remembered I had a mate tea in my cubby. So I brewed it up after I looked at the leaves hoping that would give me a clue. It smelled fabulous and immediately I was like “this smells like mocha and mint!”
Then it had a toasty taste to it and I racked my brain before remembering that one was called Roasted Mocha Mint!
It was incredible and I wanted to savour it but my coworker spilled it. :( Now I know I need to order from Fusion Teas!

I copied this directly from my blog. :)

I recently asked Fusion Tea if I could try some samples of their tea to review on my blog and Steepster because I wanted to try their teas out before I bought them. They generously sent me 4 of their sample size pouches (each has 10 cups of tea in it) of teas in flavors I asked for.

I had the privilege of trying their Roasted Pumpkin Mate – which they told me they waited to ship until a fresh batch had been roasted. I can usually tell just by smelling a tea how well I will like the taste of it. When I opened the pouch, there was an aroma of pumpkin, nuts, and cinnamon. It smelled heavenly.

I brewed the tea as specified on the label and added a small amount of maple syrup to sweeten. The flavor is wonderful. It’s unintrusive, light, delicate and perfect for a morning cup of tea. I usually like strong tea, so drinking something so light and enjoying it was quite a surprise. I do think I’ll probably brew it with a bit more tea in the future to get it a little bit stronger. There was a light tea flavor with nutty notes and the maple syrup paired with it well.

One thing I noticed when checking out the ingredients list is that mostly everything the tea is made with is natural and many of the ingredients are quite beneficial. The few ingredients that weren’t natural (i.e. caramel bits and candied peanuts) weren’t harmful or chemical. The downside (for me) is that because I eat a Primal diet, the buckwheat in the ingredients along with the caramel bits and candied peanuts don’t fit within my diet very well. Thankfully, it’s such a small amount that it wouldn’t hurt for me to drink a cup of tea with it in it.

Be sure to check out my blog again for a review of the other three teas. And check out www.fusionteas.com for more of their flavors. They have a wide variety of flavors in multiple sizes and their 10 cup sample pack is only 3 dollars!

Quick note: I did request these samples from Fusion Teas and in return promised a review. Fusion Teas did not ask me to give a favorable opinion of their tea and all of my opinions are my own.

Liberteas Thanks for this!
It’s a really great premium EG, indeed!

I really like the black tea base, here, it’s splendid!
The bergamot is a bit on the lighter side but I am ok with that. It seems to flow nicer than most EG’s perhaps because of this fact.

There is a hint of a crusty-bread after taste to this, too, and I REALLY like that about it! YUMMO!

Wow! I’m liking this!

The dry leaf is gorgeous. The tightly wound, deep green leaves (they appear to be a Tie Kuan Yin) are blended with tiny, beautiful, red, perfectly formed rosebuds. So beautiful … I almost didn’t want to brew it! But, even a tea as beautiful as this isn’t going to stop me from submerging it in hot water! It IS beautiful, yes, but, I want tea!

The flavor is really nice – very floral, as the rose is pretty evenly matched with the flavor of the Oolong. The lemon and the ginger are very subtle background notes … so much so that they are almost overwhelmed by the rose, but, I like that they are accent flavors. Kind of like a drop or two of lemon juice squeezed into the cup.

A really tasty, relaxing tea, I’m enjoying this very much.

additional notes: Sipping this classic now. I was organizing teas today (so many rainy days!), though I amazingly pretty much know where they all are. I love going through the teas, thinking of how delicious they are and remembering the Steepsterers who sent them over (I either organize them by tea shop or Steepsterers who sent them.) I have a new Russell Stover’s chocolate box (sans chocolate) that I’ll be throwing the almost-finished tea packages in for quick grabbing, sipping and sipdowns. :D I just calculated that if I have three types of tea a day most days, that is over 1,000 teas a year. Yum. I’m always wishing all the best for you Steepsterers!

I’ve been on a tea spree. I wanted to try Fusion’s other chai teas because I really loved the chai aspect in their Caramel Chai Pu-erh. They sent me a sample of this with my order. This blend looks like a spicy everything-but-the-kitchen-sink. They add extra ingredients to their blend, that other chais might not usually have, like anise. I don’t think I’ve had a rooibos chai before. It seems like rooibos would make a good base for a chai, and really lends itself to other flavors. But here, it seems like it takes away some space in the blend for more spices. The spicier the better for me! The steep color was an orange rather than a red. Also, I’ve noticed the pepper flavor in any tea really only shows itself when the tea water was JUST boiled. I love this, but I would love to see a full chai blend from Fusion. Their spice mix is so great, it would be a nice standalone.

Additional notes: This might be in contention for my favorite chai blend! And this is DEFINTIELY my favorite CTC black tea. It doesn’t get overly astringent after three minutes. It tastes like raisins too. I just wish there was some more tulsi (basil) flavor.

I had to try more of Fusion’s chai teas since I tried their Caramel Chai Pu-erh and the aspect I loved most about it was the chai spices. They have a few chai blends: mate, rooibos, etc. Fusion sent me this one to try with my order. I love basil so I had to try this one! I guess I assumed that tulsi was more like a basil ( I’ve had another tulsi tea in the past and it was definitely basil) but I don’t find much basil flavor here. It is blended with a black tea and spices, so it might be hidden. But if you’re just looking at it as a chai, this stuff is GOOD. I don’t usually add milk to chai, but this one would taste great with it, since the flavors are so strong. The steep color is a nice deep brown. The black tea is like little pieces or chunks that look like little pebbles, rather than a “leaf”. The balance between the black tea and the spices is excellent. I’ll have to try it again to see if I find more basil in it. I steeped for 4 or 5 minutes instead of the recommended 3, and I’ll try to steep even less than that next time. But if this is just rated as a chai tea, this is amazing. I’d say it is the Fusion tea that I’ve tried with the most flavor!

Additional notes: Sipping this one again and I’m noticing much more rooibos this time. I wish this blend had more yerba mate in it. And more PUMPKIN. My favorite tea from Della Terra is Grandma’s Pumpkin Pie because they put pumpkin pie filling pieces in the blend and that is just genius. But at least Fusion adds pumpkin pieces to their pumpkin blend and not just the spices.