Winter Salo

This is like the name says ‘just peppermint.’

I find that it leaves me with a very ‘toothpaste’ aftertaste that I can’t get over, and that sort of aftertaste is usually associated with spearmint but is unavoidable with this tissane.

I have tried it warm and iced and would recommend having it hot rather than serving it as an iced tea or mixing it with other tissanes/ teas because the “toothpaste” aftertaste becomes very pronounced when iced and will overwhelm whatever else you pair it with.

I’ve tried it with T2’s Strawberry Sensation and found that it completely voided the sweet berry taste and left you with a very strong mint aftertaste. However when had hot it is quite invigorating.

This is a deliciously sweet tissane that accompanies food very well especially savoy to add a bit of sweetness to your palette. When had warm it is intensely sweet and quite overpowering – it will definitely make you want to have something savoury or plain to balance out the taste. Some will find this sweetness too much or sickly sweet so be careful with how much you use. When had iced the tang of the apple is balanced very nicely with the sweetness of the cinnamon, proving it really is a delightful combination of the two. If you want to temper the sweetness than having it iced is a great way to achieve that affect.

I highly recommend pairing this with T2’s Strawberries & Cream for a really delicious iced tea – makes for a nice special occasion iced tea to have at birthdays and Christmas. Be warned though it can be very addictive!

This is my first rooibos and as a huge vanilla fan I thought this would be a good place to start. I was looking forward to a caffeine-free vanilla tea to have at night and was told it was similar to black vanilla tea.

Having not tried other rooibos teas I am unsure if this is an indication of the range or simply reflective of this one tea.

I did not enjoy the tea – I found it tasted like weak, bitter black tea with a very slight vanilla scent, not taste. To have something that was both weak and bitter at the same time was quite odd and the fact that I couldn’t taste the vanilla certainly didn’t help matters. There was no vanilla after-taste at all rather I was left with a very bitter taste in my mouth.

I would not recommend this tea as it stands and would suggest if you’re interested in trying it to get a sample of it first to see if the taste suits your palate.

This Chai is flooded with cloves and as a result the remaining spices and tea itself are drowned out. It tastes more like an undefined assault of cloves and generic spice than a black tea that has been mixed with different spices. It could do with less cloves and more cinnamon and ginger.

I have made this with milk and honey and also tried it with vanilla soy milk and honey (by warming the milk on the stove and having half milk half boiling water) I would recommend the vanilla soy milk and honey as it seems to allow more of the spices to shine through.

After trying this several times it has left me wanting to mix my own Chai as the proportions of spices really do seem off.

I would recommend this to coffee drinkers wanting to ease off the coffee and have a go at tea as it certainly doesn’t taste like ‘tea’ and can be made nice and milky.

This is the best remedy to sleeplessness I have tried so far and I have tried many most remedies even herbal leave you with restless and disturbed sleep and a feeling of a hangover the next morning.

But this is very effective at slowing down thinking – allowing for a feeling of restfulness and I’ve found sleep generally follows about 1 – 1 1/2 hours later.

I also find this tea very effective at giving you a short burst of feeling full which can be useful if you get an attack of the munchies before tea-time or just before going to bed. But it is a very short burst and so wouldn’t recommend as a main reason to drink this.

The lemonbalm provides a minty after-taste and the initial taste is an undefined sweet warmth. I highly recommend trying this herbal tea.

FYI: T2 says not to be taken remedially on the box.

Confusing, that’s Liquorice Legs for you.

It is a calming tea, and could settle even the most upset stomach, but after it’s done that it will leave you with a very, very, sweet after-taste – which is of course the liquorice.

When had hot it is a nice after – lunch tea, perhaps after an over indulgence to help get rid of any bloaty feelings. Wouldn’t recommend eating anything with it as it is a very strong tea.

Turkish Apple is a refreshing tang drink, sweet whilst still giving off a crisp tartness, it makes a truly delicious iced tea in the heat of summer as the tang satisfies even the most hard earned thirst. Warm it is sweetly tart and very nice.

It is really best used as an accompanier to other teas or tissanes – T2’s Just Rose rose buds heighten the tartness and make the flavours really stand out from the sweetness – very very nice iced. When added to strawberries and cream it balances out the sweetness to give a refreshingly crisp after-taste.

Truly an ‘essential’ tissane to any collection.

For me this is Strawberries & Cream stoic cousin, it’s far less sweet than Strawberries & Cream and to me tastes less of strawberries and more of a generic berry. It is a lovely brew both hot and iced but it isn’t that sweet and certainly isn’t overpowering, I found it a little disappointing and wouldn’t buy again but if you like the taste of berries and want something light and more tart than sweet than this is for you.

Have tried the tea bag version of this and to me it is a very bitter tasting tea – it isn’t anything special just straight up English Breakfast and is quite strong. If you like straight up traditional black tea than this is for you, if however if you want a little tweak or something weaker than I would avoid this one.

This tea is divine and makes such a beautiful afternoon tea and is perfectly paired with gingerbread for a sugar and spice combination. To get the full taste of vanilla and caramel I recommend letting infuse only as long as it takes for the water to turn caramel that way you avoid any bitterness. Be careful on this front as it is quite easy for the bitterness of this tea to completely overpower the beautiful sweetness.

I have it without milk and it tastes quite light allowing for enjoyment of an accompanying afternoon treat.

The caffeine component seems quite strong and I wouldn’t recommend having this late at night or even after dinner if you’re affected by caffeine. Sometimes I pine for this heavenly brew that I forget and have it after dinner as a treat and then I have a lot of difficulty getting to sleep, in the afternoon though seems the perfect time.

On the T2 vanilla front I would say this is sweeter than Melbourne Breakfast and also sweeter than Toasty Nougat (the delightful fruit tissane that is a nice substitute for this after dinner time), but only when infused for a very short period of time to avoid any bitterness.

I tasted this in store and bought a big tin because I having tasted T2’s Turkish Apple and Strawberries & Cream in store and using the small orange boxes up almost instantly I thought best to buy big and enjoy and not have to go back for more – such a mistake. Loved it in store and absolutely cannot stand it at home – I made it as per the store’s directions which are usually spot on but it came out like thick citrus flavored syrup – I tried watering it down but even with a drop in the cup and covered in water and ice it still was completely overpowering and the tang rather than being refreshing is sickly sweet (and I have a sweet tooth!). I went back to the store and tried to see if I followed the directions wrong – I hadn’t but they suggested using less and infusing for a shorter period – unfortunately same result.

The other day I was in T2 and they had an ice tea of this mixed with Turkish Cherry to try which I did and it was more palatable. I think the cherry somehow balanced out the tartness as opposed to Turkish Apple which I tried with it and that seemed to highlight the ‘tang’ quality.

I would only recommend this to people who really, really, really love citrus flavours and want a tissane that is full flavoured and sweet on its own. I personally love orange and lemon in most things but find this tea is just too overpowering for me. I have tried it hot and again did not like it although it did seem less intense hot, iced seems to highlight the ‘tang’ of the tea. Would definitely recommend adding Turkish Cherry if you’re making this iced.

Looking for vanilla & caffeine but don’t want a sweet drink for breakfast, look no further, Melbourne Breakfast manages to smell and taste like vanilla without being overpowering or too sweet. It really is the perfect breakfast tea because you can have savoury (say Vegemite toast) or sweet (cranberry toast) or anything in between – eggs and bacon, cornflakes, everything goes with this tea. I find it’s best when left to infuse for about a minute. I don’t like anything added to it because as is makes for a satisfyingly decadent light drop.

I tried this after loving T2’s Crème Brulee – Melbourne Breakfast is far less sweet than this and therefore more suited to first thing in the morning, it’s also not as strong a black tea and is able to be infused for longer without turning bitter.

It really does feel like having a sip of Melbourne – it’s decadent, refined and perfect as is. (Perhaps I’m a little bias being from Melbourne :) ).

Strawberries and Cream is a sweet tasting fruit tissane. It tastes of strawberry (there really is no cream taste to it) and by itself is not overpowering or sickly sweet, instead it has a light almost refreshing taste. It is closer to a soda drink than a herbal tea as it has no lingering after taste.

It makes a desert in itself if had warm, but is really best enjoyed icey-cold – it is satisfying, healthy and deliciously refreshing. If making as an ice-tea you should leave to infuse for a minimum of 30 minutes preferably overnight in fridge. It is well complemented by T2 Turkish Apple (dissolve in boiling water) with strawberries and cream to infuse, this is a really lovely ice-tea.