To my delight, Influenster included samples of Red Rose Simply Indulgent Teas in the J’adore Vox Box that I received. I had actually been checking out this tea brand, the day before I knew I’d be getting it in a Vox Box. How did I find out about them? Browsing Instagram, of course!
I had come across some figurines on Instagram, and learned that they came in Red Rose Tea. They only come in the 100ct Black Tea boxes, though, but you can send in UPC codes to get them anyway. They have some really cute little nautical figurines right now.
Anyway, their Simply Indulgent line of teas has loads of flavors that I’d love to try. Anyone willing to send me more samples for reviews?
I was sent three of the Crème Caramel and one of the Lemon Chiffon complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes. The Lemon Chiffon one is decaffeinated, while the Crème Caramel one is regular.
Ingredients
The ingredients weren't listed on the packets that I received, and I couldn't find them on the Red Rose Tea site. So, I did a little research and found the ingredient lists on Amazon.
Crème Caramel Ingredients: black tea, natural crème caramel flavor, natural caramel flavor
Lemon Chiffon Ingredients: decaffeinated black tea, natural lemon chiffon flavor, lemon peel
Hurray for these teas being 100% natural, but the ingredient lists still leave me wondering what all is in them. Natural flavoring is kind of vague, in my opinion. Since they have a sweet aftertaste, I wonder if there’s licorice in them… (No, not like the candy. Licorice is actually just a sweet plant. The flavoring you’re probably thinking of comes either from anise or fruits.)
Smell / Taste
Crème Caramel – After getting this tea bag out of the packet, I was SO excited to try this tea! If you’ve ever had homemade Thai Ice Tea, it smells so much like it. I wasn’t picking up much of the caramel smell, but it was more present once the hot water hit the tea bag. I think I had myself a little too built up on the idea of it being exactly like Thai Ice Tea, because I was slightly disappointed. However, keep in mind that Thai Ice Tea does have a decent amount of actual cream in it. The taste was still fairly creamy, and left the sweet aftertaste of cream on my tongue. It was a little tricky trying to detect the caramel, as it was pretty light. This was without honey or any other type of sweetener.
I took the other two packets over to my mother’s house, so we could have a cup together. She also enjoyed the smell of it, and was very impressed with it, after the first sip. I have to say, with some honey added in, I was definitely more impressed. The honey helped bring out more of the caramel flavor that I was looking for. And, we both agreed that, had I never had Thai Ice Tea before, I would probably be addicted to this tea. And, so, the hunt was on to find a box of this.
FYI Red Rose Tea has a store locator on their site. If you’re like me, and they don’t actually sell in your state, you can order online and still get $2 off. I’m not sure how long it lasts, but the coupon code is: 313038
Lemon Chiffon – This smell surprisingly similar to the Crème Caramel tea bag, with a very slight hint of lemon. Like the Crème Caramel, though, the lemon scent came through more during steeping. It has the same sort of sweet, creamy aftertaste that lingers, and a nice lemony zing to it. I really like this one, but I’m not sure I’m too happy about it being decaffeinated. There is some controversy as to whether or not decaffeinated products, like tea and coffee, are safe for your health. So, although I really like this one, I’m not sure I’m comfortable with getting it again.
Opinion
Both flavors are wonderful, and are accurate to their names. Despite their lovely flavors, I do have to pick on them a bit. I’d really like to see the Lemon Chiffon in a regular version, in addition to the decaffeinated version. And, the fact that the ingredient lists are a little vague does bug me a little. At least it does say that the ingredients are 100% natural. However, natural doesn’t necessarily mean organic. They do have some teas that are specifically labeled as organic, though.
And….. I really wish this brand would be available for purchase in my state! Please? Pretty please?
FTC Statement: The Red Rose Teas were provided to me free of charge by Influenster for testing purposes. No compensation has been accepted for this post, and no affiliate links have been used. Affiliate links are present, however, in my sidebars. This has not affected the opinions within this post, and complies with FTC standards.
No comments:
Post a Comment