Tea Trader Sour Cherry Moringa

Sour Cherry Moringa is a new tea at Tea Trader. It is a blend of rooibos, moringa leaves, and sour cherries. The flavour of the sour cherries is pleasantly tart, not overpowering. I think if they used regular cherries the resulting tea would be too sweet. The Moringa tree is native to the Himalayas and its various parts have been used in traditional culinary and medicinal applications. The moringa leaves add an herbaceous quality to the beverage and up the tanginess.

I really like this one. It's got a nice flavour, the traditional reddish rooibos colour, and a full bouquet. I don't comment on any purported health benefits of any tea ingredients and in a refreshing change of pace Tea Trader doesn't try to sell the moringa as anything magical. I respect that.

Highly recommended.

For more info follow the link: http://www.teatrader.com/

Tea Trader Star Ruby Rooibos

Tonight we're trying the Star Ruby Rooibos from Tea Trader. We just got back from our new Tai Chi class and a refreshing grapefruit and pomegranate flavoured rooibos sounded like just the trick.

The flavour is light and subtle. The citrus notes blend well with the sweeter pomegranate and the rooibos backs it all up.  I think I would've liked it a bit stronger but that could just be how much we put in the teapot tonight. Mrs. ISMOTU says "it tastes like what it's supposed to" which is actually a pretty good endorsement. Some flavoured teas just end up tasting like sweet and tea. This one is distinct and delicious.

Highly Recommended.

For more info follow the link: http://www.teatrader.com/

Tea Trader Oranjezicht Rooibos

Another rooibos we bought from Tea Trader is called Oranjezicht, named for an area in Cape Town, South Africa and unsurprisingly flavoured with orange.

Orange and rooibos are flavours that always go well together. This tea is simple but delicious. The orange aroma is full and inviting, it brews up a great colour, and unlike teas flavoured with bergamot doesn't get overpowering when left steeping. As always I find it more difficult to go on about a tea I really really like, it's just yummy. 'Nuff Said!

Mrs. ISMOTU and I both really enjoy Oranjezicht Rooibos from Tea Trader.

Highly Recommended.

For more info follow the link: http://www.teatrader.com/

Tea Trader Chocolate Coconut Rooibos

Hey a post about tea! Seems like forever since I've done one of these.  In the past these reviews have been almost exclusively about the teas we've bought at David's Tea because that was our best source for tea.  Now that the missus and I have relocated to a bigger urban centre we have a few more options. One of those is a great little tea shop called Tea Trader located in the Inglewood neighbourhood in Calgary, AB.

That brings us to today's "hot leaf juice" a Chocolate Coconut Rooibos. As mentioned frequent on this blog I don't like to have caffeine after midday so I regularly drink non-black or green teas which of course some pedants would say do not count as tea. But the way I see it if I bought it at the tea shop I can call it tea.

Anyway mini-semantics-rant aside. Chocolate Coconut Rooibos. Near as I can tell that's all there is to the ingredient list: rooibos, coconut flakes, with cocoa nubs and carob for the chocolate flavour.  This tea has the characteristic rooibos rusty red colour and a heady chocolatey aroma. The coconut flavour pairs well with the chocolate in perfect balance. This is a great sipper and would make a fine after dinner desert tea.

Tea Trader's Chocolate Coconut Rooibos is a delicious treat.

Highly Recommended.

David's Tea Nutty Granola Crunch Rooibos

Next up from our newest haul of tea Nutty Granola Crunch.  Will this be hippy dippy nonsense or will it make your tastebuds go nuts?

David's Tea Carrot Cupcake Rooibos

Part of the new autumn collection David's Tea Carrot Cupcake Rooibos is apparently the hot new flavour, much like the Pistachio Ice Cream tea from the spring collection it is nowhere to be found.  Unless you have a tenacious and brilliant wife like I do and she finds the last tin in the whole store right downtown where you'd think would sell out fastest. Does it live up to the hype? Let's find out.

David's Tea Raspberry Cream Pie Rooibos

David's Tea Raspberry Cream Pie Rooibos contains a flavour notoriously difficult to mimic: raspberries.  Luckily they actually seem to include real raspberry in the mix and not just the raspberry flavouring options out there. There are a few options for getting things to taste like raspberries and without going into a huge amount of detail on the chemistry some of those options just taste and smell awful to me. Will Raspberry Cream Pie Rooibos suffer this fate? Read on brave audience!

David's Tea Buchu Superfruit Rooibos

Another new one from David's Tea that is based around a "superfruit" this time a "detox remedy" from South Africa. Other ingredients include black current, blackberry leaves, goji berry, strawberry, blueberry, açai, stevia, and natural açai and raspberry flavouring.  I find the smell of this tea very unappealing. I think it's mostly the esters used for the natural flavours, I like raspberries but not usually raspberry flavouring.

This tea is almost a checklist of trendy exotic ingredients, açai, goji, buchu, even blueberries are considered fancy now. Of the new teas we bought this was the one I was probably the least interested in which may have biased me a little bit but Mrs. ISMOTU didn't love this one either.

It's tart mostly with a hint of sweetness to prevent it from being considered sour. I wouldn't say it's bad but definitely not for me.
Not Recommended.

For more info follow the link: https://www.davidstea.com/ca_en/buchu-superfruit-organic-3

Luckily a disappointing tea did not impede my enjoyment of the latest episode of "Legends of Tomorrow" which despite having a terrible name has quickly become my new favourite of the current stable of DC Comics TV series we're lucky enough to be able to watch.  This episode's trek to the Cold War got us a look into the Eighties without repeating the funkalicious vibe from the team's inaugural trip to the Seventies. Plus we got to see some characters and callbacks to John Ostrander's run on "Fury of Firestorm" which is always a good thing in my books. I'll have to write either a Firestorm-centric post one of these days or an examination of my favourite comics written by Mr. Ostrander. Or maybe I should just do both.

David's Tea Jessie's Tea Rooibos

Another old favourite I'm surprised I haven't reviewed yet. Jessie's Tea is seemingly inspired by this song: 

But that's not why I like it. The blend of coconut and lavender is delicious backed up by honeybush and cornflower. Normally I don't care that much for the taste of honeybush but in this tea it's subtle enough that I don't mind it. Both me and Mrs. ISMOTU enjoy this tea immensely and recently restocked our supply. I always find I have less to say about the teas I really love but this one is great.

Highly Recommended.

For more info follow the link: https://www.davidstea.com/ca_en/jessie-s-tea

David's Tea Poached Pear Rooibos

A brand new tea to review, not just something in the back of my cupboard that I haven't tasted in a while. I don't know why but "Poached Pear" sounds extremely British to me. Whatevs. This is a delicious blend of green rooibos, apple, cinnamon, pear, and natural pear and cinnamon flavouring. Why added flavouring when you've got the real deal? Probably so they become the dominant tastes. The like the green rooibos, it's a softer, smoother flavour compared to regular "red" rooibos. This tea claims to capture "all the flavour and aroma of sweet, refreshing bosc pear at its peak." And honestly I'd say it does a pretty good job of that. This tea has a great bouquet and a light flavour that still satisfies.
Highly Recommended.

For more info follow the link: https://www.davidstea.com/ca_en/poached-pear

David's Tea Orange Blossom Rooibos

Orange Blossom Rooibos flavours the tea with currants, orange peel, orange blossoms, vanilla, marigold, and safflower.  The gentle flavour is wonderfully smooth. It's not as strong or bitter as Earl Grey and the hint of vanilla adds a creaminess to the mix. Tonight it's paired well with discount Belgian chocolate biscuits and the latest episode of Agent Carter. She's still kicking butt and wearing amazing dresses whilst doing so. The comic book science was out in full force and Howard Stark stole some scenes.
Highly Recommended.

For more info follow the link: https://www.davidstea.com/ca_en/orange-blossom

David's Tea Oh Canada! Rooibos

Sitting down to watch the first episode of season two of Agent Carter (with a great opening sequence reminding us why this show is awesome), enjoying a hot cup of Oh Canada! Pure typical Canadiana means that the Oh Canada! rooibos must be flavoured with maple.  It's got red and green rooibos blended with tons of sweetness from honeybush, caramel, toffee, candy maple leaves, and other flavouring. This is one of the sweetest teas I've had from David's Tea and as such I sample it somewhat sparingly. The maple flavour is sure to warm your glowing hearts as you stand on guard for the true north strong and free. There I got all the O Canada lyric references out in a single sentence. Seriously though, Oh Canada! rooibos is a sweet treat that brings the heat and is a lovely accompaniment to after dinner dessert.
Recommended.

For more info follow the link: https://www.davidstea.com/ca_en/oh-canada-2

David's Tea Pure Vanilla Rooibos

Rooibos is a favourite in our house. I like it because there's no caffeine and my wife just enjoys it all together.  The Pure Vanilla Rooibos is a simple blend of rooibos, vanilla beans, and marigold and it certainly lives up to its name. The vanilla scent is soft and subtle and the flavour compliments the rooibos nicely.  I'm enjoying a nice hot cup while watching some of my favourite Christmas episodes of various TV shows, and it's the perfect accessory to cuddle up on the couch with Mrs. ISMOTU and laugh at Robot Santa's antics on Futurama.

Simple, classic, delicious. Pure Vanilla Rooibos from David's Tea is a winner.
Recommended.

For more info follow the link:https://www.davidstea.com/ca_en/pure-vanilla

David's Tea Sugar Plum Forest Rooibos

After a disappointing cup of apple cider with no trace of cinnamon I decided to balance that out with something I knew would hit the spot.  Sugar Plum Forest is a warm spicy blend perfect for chasing the chill from your bones.  This rooibos tea contains apple, hibiscus, ginger, cinnamon, plum, cardamon, star anise, and a few others.  The spices blend well and the flavour is not overpowering.

It's the hibiscus that has likely allowed this tea to survive in the cupboard so long as it is a flavour my wife doesn't care for. Oh well, more for me!  I won't get all whimsical and say that this tea gives me visions straight out of the Nutcracker but it is pretty tasty and I like it.

For more info follow the link: https://www.davidstea.com/ca_en/250g-web-promo-110

David's Tea Super Ginger Rooibos

I'm feeling a little under the weather today so it's time to bust out the Super Ginger while watching the season premiere of "The Flash." This is a rooibos tea but what you really taste are the ginger and peppercorn.  This is my go-to beverage when I'm sick now, but it's delicious anytime. As long as you like ginger. I do find that ginger tea helps to settle my stomach.

I've been enjoying the Flash series since I am a huge fan of the character. This season has me pretty excited because as much as I love the Flash I love the Justice Society even more so the promise of Jay Garrick has me giddy.  The change in the Atom Smasher character from hero to villain didn't bother me that much, and Iris seems to be written better than she was last season.

Super ginger is a spicy, flavourful tea that I really like but might not be for everyone.

For more info follow the link: https://www.davidstea.com/ca_en/super-ginger-2

David's Tea Banana Split Rooibos

Tonight I sipped a cup of Banana Split Rooibos from David's Tea. My wife and I both enjoy tea a lot and we first got hooked on David's Tea because of their free shipping on orders over $50. At the time we were living in an isolated community and ordering online was the only way to really get anything beyond the basics.

Anyway, back to the tea: the Banana Split Rooibos tastes much as you'd expect from the name. It's got dried banana slices which mix well with the flavour of rooibos. There are hints of chocolate and coconut and the whole package works quite well together. I find it sweet enough for its namesake but not too sweet either.

All in all an enjoyable beverage to pair with a relaxing evening watching some classic Doctor Who (which may be fodder for another post). I really enjoy this tea and now I'm going to fill my cup once more. Cheers!

Follow the link for more info: https://www.davidstea.com/ca_en/banana-split