Gianna said

Question about bold-flavored rose tea

Hi,
My online search for a good rose tea that really smells like roses has led me to this community.

Here’s how it started: my TAZO rose tea has been discontinued, and I tried to find something that has even a more prominent flavor/scent of roses.

Here’s what I’ve tried so far:
Tulsi Sweet Rose Tea: okay, but not really rosy

Nature’s Tea Leaf Black Tea with Rosebuds: doesn’t smell like roses at all

The Tea Spot Rosebuds & Petals—sorry, no roses

Teavana Strawberry Rose Champagne—this is more about fruit than rose.

I saw there are a lot of reviews of rose fragrances, but I find it difficult to get a sample of each single one mentioned here.

I am hoping I’ll get recommendations for a tea that truly represents the scent of a rose. The scent can be delicate, but it should be distinct. I prefer an herbal or caffeine-free tea, but I am willing to get another kind, too.

28 Replies
Lala said

I would suggest rose black by Harney and Sons, or rose dian hong by teavivre. Both are available in sample sizes. Or blending your own. Get your favorite black tea and find some rose buds or rose petals you can mix in.

K S said

The Teavivre rose is a lightly flavored but very balanced tea. A much more in your face rose is Golden Moon’s rose tea. Nina’s has a wonderfully rose flavored tea.

SimplyJenW said

I second Harney & Sons Rose Scented tea. It is “in your face” rose tea. For a lighter rose tea that is a great value, try Rose Congou from Upton Tea.

teaofmind said

Hi Gianna, my name is Amy Elizabeth and I am starting a new organic tea company called Tea Of Mind. I should be fully functional by Jan. 10th at the latest as I am still working on the Web design. I started the company from a long love of tea, and I handcraft my blends from all organic loose leaf teas. Each tea has a 25 cent per bag donation to a national organization that will help raise money for a cause. I have been in the corporate world for years and was diagnosed with a kidney disorder 4 years ago, and I have been more driven to help in the community especially since that time. I am going to be helping four different organizations with the sales of my teas; The National Kidney Foundation (black teas), The Lupus Foundation of America (green teas), The Diabetes Foundation of America (herbal blends), and a non-profit organization called Flashes Of Hope which helps children with cancer (my coffe/tea blends support this). I have two offerings with rose that I am launching initially, one is called French Seduction which has a lush amount of rose essence and rose petals in it balanced beautifully with French Vanilla. The other is my Rose Brew, which is my full flavored rose tea blended with hand roasted (by me) coffee beans and then crushed and blended with the tea. It is amazing with cream. The other rose teas I have set for a delayed launch are my Candied Rose which is my black rose tea blended with a black licorice tea, and the other one is called Geisha’s Bouquet, which is a green jasmine tea blended with roses. They are all organic and the real deal when it comes to aroma and flavor. I do not use artificial fragrances or flavorings or colourings in ANY of my teas. Please watch for my online store as I hope to have it up and running by next week. This has been quite a project and I am so excited to help sell a quality micro-batched, hand crafted organic product that will help such important organizations and touch the lives of their families. Please look for my website at www.teaofmind.com or send me an email that I linked up to steepster at [email protected]. THANK YOU, Amy Elizabeth

teaofmind said

Gianna, you can find my company page on Facebook which is fully functional now. Just look up Tea Of Mind.

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Hi Gianna, we have several rose teas that I think you will enjoy! For caffeine free teas, I would recommend these teas:

Rooibos Rose http://www.mahamosa.com/teabar/en/herbal-tea/rooibos/rooibos-rose.html
Sweet Dreams Herbal Blend (this has rose and bergamot) http://www.mahamosa.com/teabar/en/herbal-tea/rooibos/sweet-dreams-herbal-blend.html

For a strong rose tea with caffeine, I would suggest:
Rose Oolong http://www.mahamosa.com/teabar/en/oolong-tea/flavored-scented-blended/rose-oolong.html

If you have any questions or need any suggestions, just let us know!

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yyz said

Gianna, If you have a well stocked Oriental supermarket you can usually find bags of rosebuds that can be used for tea. I do this some time usually 8-12 buds in a cup of water. Usually it is in the tea aisle around where they have TCM teas or other herbals, but sometimes it is in the spice section near the dried Ginseng.

As far as Rose teas, Big Active has a really authentic tasting rose white which tastes like tea roses to me. You can find it at eastern European grocery stores.

PureAroma rose black is nice and you can buy 10g at a time. I have heard nice things about Tao tea leafs as well.

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Gianna said

Thank you so much for the quick responses! I’m taking notes and will definitely order new samples.

I did purchase rosebuds from a couple of local places, and while they smelled great and natural in the bag, once steeped, there was no flavor at all. There is a local café that has the most wonderful rose tea. I’ve asked them for the supplier, and they say it is a “special one” just for them from India. I guess they want me to keep going there….

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ifjuly said

My favorite rose tea is Butiki Champagne and Rose Cream—soooo full of huge gorgeous roses, very fresh smelling not musty, yum. Tao Tea Leaf’s Rose is good too (they have a Cherry Rose Sencha that’s nice as well, and they offer affordable samples), and Steepsters sure do love Harney’s Rose Scented (I’m assuming they have sample sizes). American Tea Room’s Victoria is nice too (they do samples as well). Golden Moon has one as well, and IIRC you can order a small sample for .99.

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Dinosara said

I looooove rose teas, and have tried quite a few.

If you want the rosiest that you can get, you have to go with Harney’s Rose Scented (it’s a black tea). It is wonderful. And as you have experienced, you can’t really blend your own rose tea. A really rosy tea has rose oil and/or extract applied to the leaves, not just rose buds included.

As for herbal blends with rose, well, I’ll let you know if I ever find any. I’ve tried many and the rose never comes through. I don’t know what it is about rose in herbals!

Gianna said

Thank you, Dinosara! With your comment about the rose oil, you’ve articulated what I was beginning to suspect. I’m very curios to try Harney’s Rose Scented now.

keychange said

Seconding everything said here! rose scented is lovely.

SimplyJenW said

Yes….agree about the Harney Rose Scented all the way.

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Dustin said

Nina’s has a black tea with rose and apple, which I really enjoyed. Not sure if you are open to flavor combos, but it is Marie Antoinette.

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moraiwe said

The most immersive, but balanced experience, I’ve had with rose teas was American Tea Room’s La Vie en Rose. It’s quite good.

ifjuly said

ooh, thanks for the tip—oughta try that sometime.

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Gianna said

Thanks again to all who responded! I have several samples on the way. Harney’s is definitely among them.

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Skysamurai said

For rose scented tea my two favorites are:

http://steepster.com/teas/whittard-of-chelsea/38678-chelsea-garden-blend
It’s like you are sitting and having tea with the queen in a rose garden. That is what I feel like every time I drink it.

The one in second place is
http://steepster.com/teas/island-rose/4186-organic-ceylon-rose
This tea is also good but the rose flavor to me was a lil bit more overpowering thus making it my second choice.
(Also this company makes really good tea. I’ve only had one from that that I haven’t liked (Green Lime). The rest are awesome.)

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