TeaFrog

I was feeling stressed this morning and needed a tea that would brighten my day (enter Chocolate and Creme). I have enough of this tea to last until my order arrives (however I am being careful not to delete my supply until my order arrives).
This is truly a favorite tea of mine.
Thanks TeaFrog for a wonderul tea.

This was a sample that I saved until I had time to sit and truly enjoy. I will guard in my tea vault what is left of this sample until I can ordr some of this tea. The flavor was wonderful and the aroma while steeping filled the kitchen. This is going to be a tea I will only drink on special days when I want a true treat.
Can Not Wait To Order SOme Of This Tea!

A very solid flavored rooibos – I’ve actually enjoyed several cups of this already from my TeaFrog sample, but hadn’t gotten around to logging it. The picture is quite accurate, and I like being able to see the little cubes of caramel in this (they don’t dissolve very easily, for better or worse – 2 or 3 steeps and some vigorous stirring will do it, but one simple steep will not). I have gotten more than one steep from this, but the first is by far the best. I’d consider buying it, but my decaf-creamy-sweet niche is currently being filled by Hazelnut Honeybush; maybe when that’s gone…

This is one of the samples that I ordered way back when it was on Steepster Select.

The bergamot here is pleasant, and is nicely complemented by the lemon peel and lemongrass. It really adds emphasis on the citrus flavor of the bergamot. The jasmine flowers do not contribute an immense amount of flavor to the cup, but there is a subtle whisper of jasmine to the taste.

Astringent but not bitter, somewhat dry though. The combination of the bergamot and lemon-y qualities makes for a different flavor than I’m accustomed to when it comes to Earl Grey. That’s not a bad thing… it just is different.

I’m a big spice lover, so I was a bit disappointed by the weakness of the cinnamon and clove flavors here; there was a lot of rooibos, a bit of cinnamon, and a little clove and orange. Others might call it well balanced, but for me it was weak. I liked the flavors! I just wanted more of them. I think I’ve been spoiled by Harney’s cinnamon spice, and another rooibos cinnamon tea I had from Light of Day :(

For reference, I used 1tsp in 8oz water; since the samples are generously sized, I’ll try using more leaf in my next cup and see if that’s better.

This is a nice,pleasant, and mild tisane. Subtle lemon flavor. Perfect for those who do not like Chamomile as it is very relaxing. Although this is loaded with medicinal herbs only the lemon taste comes thru. But the best part this really does make me sleepy…..

Definitely rich and malty, there’s a honey-sweetness that makes it just smooth enough to drink plain (if you’re braced for the tannin kick). It’s nicer with milk though, smooth and fruity.

Very good, smooth and a little malty and yes, fruity. Tasty plain, but strong enough with milk. I can’t think of a better Assam offhand – this is more interesting than Mighty Leaf’s EB, though they’re similar in drinkability. This is sweeter and less harsh than TeaFrog’s other Assam, I’d say. Still, doesn’t really compare to a good chinese black or blend for me.

This tea got me by the name and it sounded so delicious. The scent was near perfection both before and after brewing. I was a bit scared by the bright pink hibiscus hue to my tea and the tea was very tart plain. After adding a bit of honey, the tartness was toned down just enough and the tea was very fruity and creamy. I really enjoyed this one and my husband was crazy about it.

I still have a hard time rating Darjeelings, and preparing them for that matter. I have pretty good luck treating them as oolongs, using more leaf and less time; prepared that way I find them more drinkable and less bitter (than steeping them like black teas).

This one is really pretty though, the dry leaves are all multicolored – a black base, with lots of rusty brown and occasional golden and green bits. I’m definitely getting the fruit/spicy flavor that I think is muscatel, and this is smooth enough to drink plain. I do like this better than the two Darjeelings I’ve had from Adagio, but I’m not sure I’d pick it over a well-liked black or oolong :( The second steep was a little weak, so for a third I think I’ll leave it for 5 minutes and just add milk if it’s too bitter.

ETA: And, I really like that last steep with milk. It doesn’t taste like black tea, but it’s not too weird, either. Sweeter, creamy, makes a good afternoon pick-me-up.

1.25g, 3.5oz water, steeps 1:30, 2:30

Swiftly becoming my go-to evening tea – creamy, citrusy sweet with no additives.

yum yum yum… so happy my full Teafrog order arrived! This is so delicious, orange, and sweet. Tasty plain or delicious with milk and sugar.

I added this sample on a whim to my Teafrog order, mostly because of how highly they recommend it. Boy, am I glad I did! I’m not even a big fan of orange flavored things, but this is really delicious. It’s not tart-citrusy, but like a very sweet orange and cream flavor. The bright red color (yes, it is very…. vibrant) is deceptive, because the flavor is quite mellow. But strong! I got two good steeps out of this, which I consider impressive for a flavored rooibos. The second was weaker, and more orangey than creamy, but still good.

The high rating I’m giving here reflects the high-quality natural flavoring as much as my personal enjoyment – I was very impressed at that second drinkable steep – though I do plan to buy a tin now.

I would recommend this to anyone who doesn’t outright hate rooibos – the rooibos is still there, but not the primary flavor (much less so than in, say, Teafrog’s Fireside). A small warning, though: if you get a sample of this, the flavor is strong enough to escape the sample bag and contaminate other samples a bit during shipping, so… don’t get any other samples that would be ruined by a hint of orange ;)

Very tasty rooibos, not much vanilla. Still, I enjoyed it.

Another finished sample!!
I’m a bit sad that I’m now out of this tea, this is the best pot of it by far!! Delicious! I let it cool a bit more before drinking it and that allowed the pineapple to become the shining star of the show. I wish I had done this all the other times I had this tea.

I’m sharing a pot of this with my husband who I think likes it more than I do since he is a big coconut fan. I really like that this tea doesn’t taste woody, it is great to have a tasty caffeine-free option so that I can sleep at night.

This one smells less woody than other rooibos blends I have tried and smells pretty tropical. After brewing the color is extremely dark, almost similar to a black tea rather than rooibos. The scent is much the same as the dry tea and tastes very fruity, mainly of coconut but also has a sweetness that reminds me of pineapple. The tea is fairly creamy even without added cream or milk. I really like this one, but I don’t think I would reach for this very often as coconut isn’t my favorite flavor in tea.

I pulled this out of the back of the cupboard where many of the forgotten samples lie. I let this steep for at least 20 minutes and it came out amazing! In the past, I had trouble getting much of the caramel flavor from this tea – the rooibos overpowered everything. However, this time, the only thing I am getting is sweet, rich, slightly thick caramel excellence. A great way to spend an evening!

Well, this is just the day for finishing up samples!
I did it, Steepsterites! I controlled myself and waited until the cup cooled enough for the caramel goodness to emerge. I love it! Caramel in a cup, absolutely great.

This tea is pretty good, but frustrating. The cream flavor takes center stage while the tea is still pretty hot, but the caramel begins to peak out as the tea cools. The issue is, I seem to always forget this and drink most, if not all, of the cup feeling sad that I don’t taste any caramel….

I was craving some more of the Jasmine Pearls, but since it was late I exercised control and picked this caffeine-free tea. This had a pretty typical rooibos scent with an underlying sweetness that hinted at the caramel. After brewing, the tea smells a bit sweeter and tastes a bit like caramel. I’m really getting more of the cream flavor than caramel, but as it cools the caramel is starting to come out more. I like this one. It isn’t my favorite rooibos but it is certainly nice. I feel another caramel tea day coming on!

Hmm, the scent of this dry rooibos is legit. And by legit, I mean it legitimately smells like vanilla. Not fake vanilla like is used in various desserts, but real vanilla. Adding three teaspoons of this tea and steeping it in two cups of water for six minutes, I was left being tantalized by the aromas of vanilla wafting from my teapot as I waited. The tea smells sweet, but not in a fake sweetener way. It is more like the sweetness that comes from plants like mint or various fruits. The liquor is clear, yet a very dark red-brown.

My first cup smells warm. And not just from the hot tea. It just has a warm, and soft, aroma about it. It softly caresses the senses and lingers in the nose. Eagerly, I take my first sip and am immediately surprised by how sweet it tastes. The sweetness is very passive, but it is definitely there, and a quite pleasant surprise. This tea’s mouthfeel is thick and smooth. The flavour of vanilla is, of course, at the forefront. The rooibos, sadly, seems to have taken a backseat in this brew, as it does not show its head much, except in the aftertaste.

The flavours do not change much throughout the rest of the pot. I very much enjoyed drinking this tea. It is good, it is unique, and it is well worth a taste or two. I give it a 77/100 on my personal enjoyment scale.