So this was in Amoda’s box for January 2013, and I already have a huge bag of it, unopened. Why? Because few of Naked Teas Galore’s offerings have wowed me, and so I had actually planned to sell the bag before cracking it open. This sample was an excellent opportunity to try it out… even though really, I should try everything I’ve purchased! :$
There are a lot of rose petals in this tea, which is what initially turned me off. Having said that, the ingredient listing is fantastic, so I thought I’d try it just to see. Out of the bag it smells strongly of cherry, and a chemical one at that. Aie…
It smells more like black forest cake brewed however, and I’m VERY pleasantly surprised with the taste. Hot, there’s a stronger floral quality to it, and cold it’s more of a cherry cake. With a tiny bit of pure Stevia, this is really quite delicious!
Preparation
People who liked this
Comments
You and your Stevia! Every time I read the name in your tasting notes my tongue shrivels up a little! :) I do wish I could enjoy that sweetener.
I’m nervous about the floral notes on this one, and wondering if I pick out the rose petals, if that will help.
Are you allergic Dustin? If not, I strongly suggest trying pure stevia, which is super-concentrated; I use less than 1/16th of a teaspoon per cup. I also (and hate saying this) suggest non-organic stevia, because the extraction process for organic makes stevia, to me, really bitter. It’s the additives in stevia that make it taste ‘off’, or unlike a normal sweetener. Use it as-is and sparingly, and you’ll think it’s sugar.
Amariel, I hate roses in my tea, and I loved this. The 50g bag of this specific tea that I have has sat for about a month now because of my same fear. Sometimes, it just works.
You know, Amoda didn’t list rose petals in the ingredients. I’m getting to the point where I want to box these companies metaphorical ears.
Most recently I tried the Trader Joe’s stevia. Maybe I have been adding too much, but I seem to remember trying it in canned drinks and not liking the taste then either. I’ll try it again and see if adding only a little changes anything.
Most stevia on the market, including items with stevia already in them, have extra additives to make them equal sugar 1:1. Trader Joe’s is cut with lactose of all things, and I found it ridiculously bitter and unpalatable. This is what I use (again, less than 1/16th of a teaspoon per cup of tea to match 1 tsp of most other sweeteners), and one bag will last me about a year: http://www.nuts.com/cookingbaking/powders/stevia.html The brand of stevia as well as what’s added makes all the difference, I’ve found.. I’ve tried at least eight different brands now.
OMG I know, right? It was listed on the 50g package I bought, and the only way I knew it was in it. Mind you, I could see the petals in the Amoda box, but still. If I had an allergy to them…
I get headaches from rose…so it is an issue.
Oh. Well if I have a reaction to a tea ingredient, picking it out makes zero difference – I still have a reaction. The oils, flavors and smells are already imbued in the tea. I’m avoiding the green in this month’s Amoda box completely and just passing it along for the same reasons, personally.
For me it is the smell. If I can’t smell it, it is ok, but if I can…I need to keep some Tylenol Migraine nearby. I might make it in the morning and if I can’t deal with it, I’ll dump it and get a tea at Starbucks.
Thanks for the link, I might give that a go. Eight different brands?! Wow, you really searched for the perfect Stevia!
You and your Stevia! Every time I read the name in your tasting notes my tongue shrivels up a little! :) I do wish I could enjoy that sweetener.
I’m nervous about the floral notes on this one, and wondering if I pick out the rose petals, if that will help.
Are you allergic Dustin? If not, I strongly suggest trying pure stevia, which is super-concentrated; I use less than 1/16th of a teaspoon per cup. I also (and hate saying this) suggest non-organic stevia, because the extraction process for organic makes stevia, to me, really bitter. It’s the additives in stevia that make it taste ‘off’, or unlike a normal sweetener. Use it as-is and sparingly, and you’ll think it’s sugar.
Amariel, I hate roses in my tea, and I loved this. The 50g bag of this specific tea that I have has sat for about a month now because of my same fear. Sometimes, it just works.
You know, Amoda didn’t list rose petals in the ingredients. I’m getting to the point where I want to box these companies metaphorical ears.
Most recently I tried the Trader Joe’s stevia. Maybe I have been adding too much, but I seem to remember trying it in canned drinks and not liking the taste then either. I’ll try it again and see if adding only a little changes anything.
Most stevia on the market, including items with stevia already in them, have extra additives to make them equal sugar 1:1. Trader Joe’s is cut with lactose of all things, and I found it ridiculously bitter and unpalatable. This is what I use (again, less than 1/16th of a teaspoon per cup of tea to match 1 tsp of most other sweeteners), and one bag will last me about a year: http://www.nuts.com/cookingbaking/powders/stevia.html The brand of stevia as well as what’s added makes all the difference, I’ve found.. I’ve tried at least eight different brands now.
OMG I know, right? It was listed on the 50g package I bought, and the only way I knew it was in it. Mind you, I could see the petals in the Amoda box, but still. If I had an allergy to them…
I get headaches from rose…so it is an issue.
Oh. Well if I have a reaction to a tea ingredient, picking it out makes zero difference – I still have a reaction. The oils, flavors and smells are already imbued in the tea. I’m avoiding the green in this month’s Amoda box completely and just passing it along for the same reasons, personally.
For me it is the smell. If I can’t smell it, it is ok, but if I can…I need to keep some Tylenol Migraine nearby. I might make it in the morning and if I can’t deal with it, I’ll dump it and get a tea at Starbucks.
Thanks for the link, I might give that a go. Eight different brands?! Wow, you really searched for the perfect Stevia!