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90
drank Raspberry Vanilla by Yumchaa
1353 tasting notes

I’m having BRAVE TEA!!! courtesy of Cteresa who sent me an envelope of goodies. Well, actually it’s a rooibos rather than a tea-tea, and that’s why it’s brave. Me and rooibos, we have a troubled past, to be honest. On the other hand raspberry and vanilla? How can that not be lovely?

So, as this was the only sample in the envelope that had me a bit doubtful and as I was in an adventurous brave frame of mind, I decided to start with this one right off the bat, because otherwise the fear of rooibos would make me postpone it for ages and ages and ages. I must admit, I have been sent a few samples in my time that I’m still too afraid to try.

So we’re having this one now. The boyfriend was actually very excited that I was making a rooibos, as he really likes them. (And still rarely asks for one when I ask him about preference, for some reason. I think he deliberately goes for things that we can both have, and that’s not always the purpose of my question) Anyway, he was excited and wanted a cup too. Luckily for him, I had already decided that it would be a sharing one.

Now comes the challenge of keeping a neutral mind and not let my misgivings colour the experience too much.

The aroma is incredibly sweet and fruity and extremely raspberry-y! I’m surprised at how very fruity and juicy this actually smells. I’m not even getting a whole lot of rooibos-y aroma from it unless I put my nose so close to the surface that I’m dipping the tip in it. It’s just all raspberry and only just a hint of that rooibos-y woodenness that is the larger part of my rooibos problem. As for the vanilla, at first I thought I couldn’t find it, but the more I sniff at this, the more I realise that it is there, and it’s every bit as strong as the raspberry, but because the raspberry is a naturally sharper aroma, the vanilla ends up rather camuflaged. Once you know it’s there, there’s no trouble in picking it out.

This smells like a raspberry flavoured sweet. Or an ice cream, one of the more luxurious brands.

Gosh.

Oh my gosh.

Steepsterites, gosh!

Am I really drinking rooibos, or am I in fact biting a berry?

All this time, I’ve completely written off rooibos because I don’t like it plain, but now it turns out that flavoured it might be totally acceptable. Probably just has to be a fairly strong flavouring. Rooibos plain, I find I might as well be chewing a pencil dipped in hot water.

Anyway, yes, this is surprisingly good!

It’s very intensely flavoured and taking the first sip of this was one hundred percent raspberry. Not raspberry flavour, mind you. No, it was actually like eating a real raspberry! I can’t recall every having come across anything fruit flavoured, not just teas and the like, anything fruit flavoured and have it taste so unbelievably close to the real thing.

Again, I’m getting very little actual rooibos flavour here. There is a hint of something sort of wooden in the background, but it’s very faint and under control and therefore not unpleasant at all. I suspect it’s probably the vanilla aspect here that might be doing that. I don’t really get a lot of vanilla in the flavour, but I could definitely imagine a good thick vanilla flavour as being one that could counter the wooden flavour of plain rooibos.

Wow, this is amazing. I went into this one expecting it to be tolerable at best and probably somewhere in the range of the yellow face on the scale, and now look where we ended up instead! I suspect that Cteresa actually knows me better than I think she does. Perhaps even better than I know myself!

cteresa

LOL, loved reading your opinion and so glad you liked it – it was a recent discovery of mine, i think i went through almost all of Yumchaa´s blends before hitting this one and I just adore it.

Yumchaa is pretty great at rooibos blends.

And it is not raspberry flavor only, there are plenty of dried raspberries in there – though maybe the sample did not get any!

cteresa

and yeah, I think vanilla and rooibos goes along very very well, it´s a classic always. Though I also think good rooibos is much more pleasant than a lot of the well, budget rooibos used in a lot of mixes (sometimes not budget mixes).

nomadinjeopardy

I’ve been thinking of placing a Yumchaa order for a couple I really enjoyed, and considered this one but am also scared of most rooibos blends at this point. Maybe I’ll have to give it a shot, because raspberry-vanilla sounds so lovely!

ssajami

…the redemption of the rooibos – happy to hear it :)
and i, rooibos-lover that i am, now have to seriously check out Yumchaa teas, because raspberry-vanilla really does sound lovely.

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96
drank Raspberry Vanilla by Yumchaa
362 tasting notes

Sometimes, no strike that, almost always simple is best. It has taken me ages to try this, it sounded so simple, raspberry and vanilla (with rose petals) rooibos. Nothing really new or different. But oh my, is this awesome. Awesome indeed. Smells like raspberry, very intense, but just kicked subtly into more awesomeness by the vanilla and rose. I was in love at the first sniff, the taste is as awesome as the smell and this is probably going to be a full fledged long term love affair. Love this.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 30 sec
LaFleurBleue

Totally agree with “almost always simple is best”; it certainly requires high quality ingredients. But your comment following Angrboda’s review that there are plenty of dried rapsberries in there sold it to me…

cteresa

It is lovely indeed – but I think Yumchaa is very very good at blending rooibos mixes.

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47
drank Red Christmas by Yumchaa
362 tasting notes

It´s not you, cup of tea, it´s me. Seriously, you smell awesome and the ingredients read like a great idea. But I got a perhaps irrational dislike to aniseed (or liquorice, or anything of its family) and dear tea, it´s not going to work between us at all.

(nice rooibos base though)

Preparation
Boiling 8 min or more
nomadinjeopardy

Yep, anise/liquorice can really ruin a cup if you don’t like it. It’s usually all I can taste!

Ninavampi

Love the review! I get the relationship issue completely! And, if you are like me, anise/liquorice and I will never get along.

cteresa

yeah, not a aniseed/liquorice lover, or even friend here, so it´s not my cup – I think it is the first, and so far only Yumchaa blend which has not worked for me.

Hallieod

I’d been comparing this one to Chilli Chilli Bang Bang, which is unfair to almost any spicy rooibos, but noticed that it contained aniseed just last night. I share your feelings about it in teas, though I like liquorice itself just fine. Will try another cup to see if it’s strong enough to have been the problem!

cteresa

It just might be your cup of tea – the aniseed, liquorice thing is really personal (though maybe more of a hate thing in southern Europe. salmiakki, eurgh)

Hallieod

Oh, it’s not bad but I don’t like it all that much either. I realised I have exactly the same top two dislikes in teas as you – hibiscus and aniseed, and want to reassure you that I did NOT just copy you! Long-standing tastes but just starting to get serious about why I like or dislike a particular blend/flavour of tea.

cteresa

Don´t worry, great minds think alike (and we so agree on so much else!). Though I think a certain dislike for hibiscus is almost inevitable in almost tea lovers sooner or later :p

Hallieod

:) It does seem a very unnatural like to me too!

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66
drank Red Christmas by Yumchaa
67 tasting notes

It was alright, not my favourite christmas tea, I swear I could aniseed in it and I really never liked aniseed in anything, it smells good,, just doesn’t taste the same!!!

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 5 min, 30 sec

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90
drank Caramel Sweetheart by Yumchaa
67 tasting notes

I absolutely love this tea, it’s not too much caramel that it puts me off, I recently had a caramel tea and the smell was too sweet it gave me a headache so I was I was put off caramel teas for a while.. then I saw this being sold around Brick Lane and I didn’t even realise that they sold yumchaa there!! Anyway, this tea was the first one I tried from them,, and I’m impressed!! The texture is so amazing, there are chocolate hearts in this and they all melt with the caramel pieces, it’s amazing, not too sweet but perfect.. I need a dash of milk with this and it’s delicious!! I’m going to buy more haha.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec

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72
drank Regent's Park by Yumchaa
111 tasting notes

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72
drank Regent's Park by Yumchaa
111 tasting notes

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94

Damn it, yumchaa, there you go and make another blend which is going to became a staple and I will need to keep in stock when finished, no matter what. Please please please do not discontinue this, it just might have medicinal magical sinus clearing properties (I can not prove it, to New England Journal of Medicine standards, but it does feel that way!).

And well, this is it, the spicy rooibos mix I had been looking for all along. It´s got a definite hint of chilli-hotness (there is no proper word in english for it, piquancy maybe? this just might score, even if quite low, on the scoville scale). There is some cinnamon, and there is something from the red peppercorns, definetely there. And some nice rooibos underneath, though if you do not like rooibos I am pretty sure it is subtle enough to be ignored if you want to ignore it. And there is more stuff there, all very nicely balanced, and making something just right. Another huge favorite.

Ah, just a note, this is surely a winter drink kind of stuff.

Preparation
Boiling 7 min, 30 sec

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94

I have been looking for a good spicy-chai rooibos for a while. This is perhaps my 4th attempt at finding a good one, and maybe just maybe, this is the one. The ones I had previously were all wrong, but this is interesting, none of the flavours really overpowers the other and there is a fiery hotness (piquancy?) of chilli there which works, and better than i expected to. I really loved my first cup of this.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 45 sec

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93
drank Ginseng Guardian by Yumchaa
362 tasting notes

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93
drank Ginseng Guardian by Yumchaa
362 tasting notes

I think I will probably not like ginseng on its own. And I am pretty sure this is very ginseng-y. My first try of this I was really uncertain. It´s its own thing. it´s ginsengy, very. But then it is blended so well with things I love that I do love it, and somehow they have that magic where this tea just leaves you with this wonderful well-feeling.

About the medicinal properties, I do not know for sure. But it feels possible, a real feel-good tea and this is going on my staples rebuy-before-it´s-out list.

PS – not canonical for green tea, but I am brewing it really hot, and drinking it as hot as I can manage and really loving it that way.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 15 sec

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89
drank Blueberry Hill by Yumchaa
362 tasting notes

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89
drank Blueberry Hill by Yumchaa
362 tasting notes

Serving this to non-tea drinkers (who loved it), I was reminded again just how awesome this is. Which it is. Keep blending it and keep it on stock, please Yumchaa.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 30 sec

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89
drank Blueberry Hill by Yumchaa
362 tasting notes

This has its own vocal fanbase. I have been meaning to try it for almost two years, but it has been sold out or unavailable at the place I was (or to be fair, I think on one occasion I skipped it in favour of a few others, though I did not know it had such a following). And finally it is back on stock and available for mail order.

Alk that and somehow, amazingly it was not a disappointed. It is lovely, a blueberry-rhubarb-cream-peony petals mix where I think I can spot all the flavours (apart from peony, whose presence I am not actually denying. For all I know, it might be there, but I do not know what peony petals are supposed to smell or taste like. The only peonies I ever sniffed had not much scent) and all flavours meld perfectly. This is the more focused real tea, older brother version of Berry Berry Nice. (Berry Berry Nice is my favourite ever non-tea tea). I love it.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 45 sec

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79
drank Mango Sunrise by Yumchaa
658 tasting notes

This tea is very pleasant, has a tasty sencha base, and has made me some nice iced tea. But, it’s loosing its scent and flavour. Yikes! I need to repackage it badly but am out of empty tins.

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89
drank Notting Hill by Yumchaa
658 tasting notes

I really love this tea. I’m not sure, exactly, why but it has a nice crisp base and the apricot-strawberry combo is so different and delicious. I’m now almost out of it and really don’t need a reason to order more tea, but this is so hard to resist.

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89
drank Notting Hill by Yumchaa
658 tasting notes

Mm, so refreshing and juicy cold-brewed!

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89
drank Notting Hill by Yumchaa
658 tasting notes

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89
drank Notting Hill by Yumchaa
658 tasting notes

When examining my Yumchaa purchase options, this one really struck me with how delicious it smelled and how lovely it looked. While in London I was staying in Notting Hill, so it was a good enough excuse to pick this up. I finally got around to trying it this morning thanks to a pre-set Breville before work.

I was a little worried as when I opened the bag it wasn’t as fragrant as I remember. But, it is very flavourful! The black base brewed up very dark and while it was nice and full it was quite mild. No bitterness, little astringency. Again I’m happy with Yumchaa’s tea bases. The apricot and strawberry were there loud and clear. Sweet but tart, and the flavours tasted very natural as if I’d squeezed an apricot and a few berries into the cup.

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67
drank Ginseng Guardian by Yumchaa
82 tasting notes

Nicely sweet and very herbal— not sure what exactly to rank it on because it’s my first ginseng. Ahh well, it was a good start?

Preparation
3 min, 30 sec

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87

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87

Yum. As I drink this one more the herbally weirdness becomes less noticeable and the creamy, citrusy, actually nice ginseng taste comes through. I have been reaching for this one lately while studying (attempting 3 Greek comedies in one night last night).

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87

So, three days ago I re-committed to low-carb, grain and processed foods-free eating. My blood sugar and my physical self are loving it. However, my head is going through serious carb withdrawal after a winter and spring of lazy eating. I’ve been foggy and groggy for two days straight. I’m trying to use tea as a distraction until the “low carb flu” passes, and hoped this might help my mental clarity in the mean time.

It hasn’t. I don’t think anything will. But it is tasty and makes me feel healthy! This one actually grows on me the more I drink it.

cteresa

I ordered a pack of it! Though it is taking its time to arrive.

nomadinjeopardy

Did it arrive successfully? What other blends did you try? I’m thinking of placing an order with them soon. I really love the simple quality of all the teas I tried.

cteresa

Sorry, have not logged in for a long time. I liked this very much – but am not drinking much tea this summer. I also got their famous Blueberry Hill which had been out of stock for ages and really liked it – a creamy thing with blueberry and vanilla and something else and it all mixes really well; it reminded me of their rooibos Berry Berry Nice (which i adore). And I tried their chai which was nice but not a must.

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87

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