Tea Forte

A good go-to black bagged tea. I would say towards the beginning of the “strong strength” spectrum. I’m not sure about the floral notes comparison mentioned in the product description but it’s pretty tasty regardless!

I was really excited to try this tea, as I have a love for white teas that is unfulfilled much of the time. Tea Forte’s website says that this tea is supposed to have vanilla, coconut, and fruit flavours. To start with, I am already a bit apprehensive about the coconut, since the last Tea Forte tea that I tried with coconut ended up with the coconut taste and smell fading away quickly.
Upon opening the tea bag container, I could smell the vanilla a lot. The coconut was very prominent in the scent, though the underlying hints of fruit (mango especially) definitely came through.
The website recommends steeping 2-4 minutes, so I decided to go for a happy medium of 3 for this first steep, in a single Tea Forte Cafe Cup.
While the tea was steeping, I thought I would inspect the packaging. Inside the cardboard tea bag container, I found a lot of tea dust. The leaves in the pyramid bag had sadly looked a bit crushed and small. I also found a couple pieces of tan fuzz in the container, which was weird.
Mmm, the smell of this tea is a delicious medley of fruit and vanilla and…barely any coconut. The taste of this tea is very fruity, but not so much that it overpowers the white tea aspect. Vanilla tones float along and mingle wonderfully with the fruit, and comprise much of the aftertaste. In fact, the fruit flavour is reminiscent of a tropical trail mix of dried fruit. One can taste the coconut, but it is not prominent at all now.
Truly, it is a delicious tea. I’m not disappointed at all. The smell is sweeter than the taste. As my friend who tried this tea with me said, “You smell the flavours more than you taste the flavours.”
This tea would taste excellent iced. It is certainly something I would recommend, especially for lovers of fruity teas. On my personal enjoyment scale, I’m going to give it an 80/100. That fuzz was just really strange…

Not bad. I got these during a swap from another site. It is nice, solid, and smooth. The flavor is mild and not very intense. The bag it comes in is pretty; although, I’m not a huge fan of teabags. I didn’t use any sugar or milk as this tea didn’t need it at all. It wasn’t sweet though, but it wasn’t bitter at all either. Nice tea.

I began by preparing this tea (in my Tea Forte Cafe Cup), following the directions given on the Tea Forte (steep 3-5 minutes using just-boiled water).
When I first opened the cardboard package containing the pyramid-shaped tea bag, I was immediately struck by the very sweet vanilla smell. It was delectable. The website lists that this tea also contains coconut slivers, and, indeed, traces of coconut were certainly evident in the aroma.
After steeping for three minutes, I decided to remove the tea bag and test the flavour. Upon removing the lid, I noticed the colour was an unremarkable brownish-red of black tea. Then I smelled the tea. The scent of coconut had all but disappeared, and the aroma of vanilla had actually deepened and taken on more muted tones.
With the first sip, I was disappointed. The taste of the vanilla was barely there. I suspected this might have something to do with the length of steeping time, so I put the tea bag back in for another minute. (On a side note, something I really appreciate about the tea bag design is the stiff string, making it easy to move the tea bag around.)
This additional steep complete, I tried the tea again. This time, the vanilla was much more prominent, almost spicy. The liquid itself remained wonderfully smooth. The spiciness was actually a delightful treat, tingling a bit at the back of one’s throat as the tea is swallowed.
Sadly, the coconut that was originally smelled when the tea bag was first brought out is nowhere to be found. This could just be on account of the fact that my taste buds are not very familiar with the actual taste of coconut (which, in all fairness, I have only tasted on rare occasions). The vanilla, however, completely makes up for this lack of coconut, in my opinion. It is certainly one of the best vanilla loose leaf teas I have ever had (out of a total of perhaps three to five, as my vanilla tea explorations have not ranged very far).
I would not call the flavour itself rich, but it is certainly not mellow. This seems to be the sort of tea that could be drunk, cup after cup, all throughout one’s day. And, with the caffeine it contains, would be an excellent stimulant during long work hours.
To test the stamina of the tea, I decided to steep another cup, increasing the steep time by one minute (to bring it to 5 minutes total). The aroma is less intense than before, as was to be expected, but the vanilla smell is still deliciously pleasing. The taste is still quite good as well, albeit not as intense as the first cup. The spiciness is gone, but the smooth vanilla flavour remains.
Over all this was a very good tea. If I were to purchase it in large quantities, I think I would opt for buying the loose leaf in a canister, to allow me to vary the amount of tea used per steeping (and also allow me to more easily steep a large pot of it at once). On my personal enjoyment scale of 0-100, I rate Tea Forte’s Orchid Vanilla black tea a 75/100.
I just have one final question, that perhaps a fellow drinker, or even Tea Forte could answer… “Why orchid, and where is it?”

A nice dessert or after dinner tea. The brewed tea is a golden brown, honey color that is slightly cloudy. I steeped this tea in Tea Forte’s clear, double-walled Morehouse cup with lid, which really is a nice container to enjoy the color of the tea and to hold, giving off a really warm radiant heat that’s not too hot to handle. The smell of cocoa instantly rises and reminds me of the cocoa hulls mulch I occasionally spread in my garden; followed by the earthy truffle scent. The taste exactly mirrored the scents, cocoa followed by earthy truffle. I drank this tea with a cinnamon pastry and the sweetness of the dessert made the tea that much more enjoyable. I definitely recommend drinking this tea paired with sweets. Anything that pairs well with chocolate would hit the spot!

Delisshhhhh! very pear-y. I made about 19oz in a plastic on the go like nalgine and let it steep extra long but ive done it in a mug for the proper time and they were both great. One of my favorites

Steep Information:
Amount: 1 tea pyramid
Water: 6 ounces filtered
Steep Time: see notes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: Cinnamon, hibiscus, licorice
Steeped Tea Smell: Cinnamon, hibiscus, licorice
Flavor: Cinnamon, hibiscus, licorice
Body: Full
Aftertaste: tart licorice
Liquor: deep dark red

So first time I tried this I assumed I oversteeped, threw it out. Not sure how long it was.

Next time I went 5 minutes, still way too strong, let MilitaJim have it, he enjoyed it luckily.

Did one at 1:30 – still too strong for me! I have decided I do not like the combination of hibiscus (tart) and licorice. Probably the same reason I did not like the rishi blueberry red iced tea this morning.

I like bold flavors usually so I think it’s just the combination I do not like.

Made one cup hot and put in the refrigerator to try iced, will let you know how that goes.

Resteep: 5 minutes was dark pink color but no flavor.

images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/04/tea-forte-teabag-herbal-tea-flora.html

Steep Information:
Amount: 1 loose tea single steeps packet
Water: 12 ounces hot spigot water
Tool: kati loose tea system
Steep Time: a little over 3 minutes, well maybe more like 20 minutes?
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: peppermint, mango, licorice, sweet
Steeped Tea Smell: licorice, mint, ginger, hints of sweet
Flavor: bitter (not a surprise with how badly over steeped it is), minty, light ginger taste
Body: Medium/Full
Aftertaste: bitter and minty with hints of sweet
Liquor: translucent orange-brown

I blame Kristin and TeaEqualsBliss – because I saw them both review and decided to jump in the fray.

I blame Steepster for my oversteeping of tea, so much to read I forgot about the tea steeping under my nose! the 3 minutes became 20 since the application didn’t beep.

NOTE: The Tea Forte iPodTouch application will STOP when the screen saver kicks in and hence STOP counting and then doesn’t beep. I believe this is a failure of the iTouch itself to not be able to mutli-task and auto suspending everything when it locks up. To help with this issue in the future I changed my auto lock to 5 minutes instead of 1.

For all I butchered the preparation of this tea it is refreshing and nice. I don’t taste the mango though. The peppermint ginger is really interesting and fresh.

images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/04/tea-forte-loose-leaf-green-tea-green.html

This is my 3rd free loose tea sample (our of 3) from Tea Forte and I think it is my favorite of the 3 so far. It definitely tastes of mango and there is some minty coolness to it too. The smell is peachy. I do wish it were a little stronger as it is on the edge of being bland. It’s ok though.

Link to full review and pics:
http://parkcityvegan.blogspot.com/2010/04/tea-fortes-kati-loose-tea-system-and.html

Tea Forte sent me a few free samples (including this one) along with their Kati brewing system to review. The samples are designed to be the exact right size for the 12 oz brewing system. Just open the packet and dump the tea into the filter.

I think really nice. It tastes a lot like a Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime tea… but much much better. It’s minty. The minty flavor leaves a nice cooling feeling in the mouth. It also has chamomile and lemongrass flavors. I kind of wish I’d saved this one for my evening cup instead of mid-afternoon. It’s so nice and calming that I might just fall asleep while working!

As for the brewing system (http://www.teaforte.com/store/tea-accessories/other/kati-loose-tea-system/), it is a ceramic double-walled mug without a handle. It has a very fine mesh loose tea strainer and a brewing lid. I really like the Kati. It did not get overly warm for me as AmazonV’s did. That could be due to the difference in our brewing temp. Since I am at high altitude, my brewing temp is somewhere between 198-199. My mug just got nicely warm on the outside. Just warm enough to wrap my hands around and warm them (it’s snowing here and a bit cold).

One thing I didn’t like about this particular sample with the brewing system is the amount of leaves that got through the filter. I think other types of tea will work in it very well, but the herbal left cruft. I am a big hater of tea cruft and will usually use a paper filter for teas that are very fine. Since the system is designed for newbies to the loose tea scene, I think this will be a concern for them too. I can’t wait to try my rooibos tea in this cup because I think the strainer is fine enough to catch the rooibos.

Update – all the fine leaves settled to the bottom of the cup after a few minutes so the cruft wasn’t so bothersome after all.

Link to full review and pics:
http://parkcityvegan.blogspot.com/2010/04/tea-fortes-kati-loose-tea-system-and.html

I tried the loose tea version of this. It is a very smooth green tea, the mango taste is very subtle. The peppermint in the tea lingers on the tongue for awhile.

Steep Information:
Amount: 1 teabag
Water: filtered, boiling, 6 ounces
Steep Time: a little over 3 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: peppermint gum
Steeped Tea Smell: peppermint gum
Flavor: peppermint gum, no lemon
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: mint
Liquor: light translucent brown

Refreshing, probably better iced with sugar. This is more a soothing cup for afternoons than a before bed steep, like I am doing now. Mint is too peppy for pre-sleep drinking.

Although this is enjoyable, it’s not unique or special. I am not getting the promised lemon which might have turned this from a generic minty tea to something a little more special.

images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/04/tea-forte-teabag-herbal-tea-citrus-mint.html

Steep Information:
Amount: 1 loose tea single steeps packet
Water: Hot spigot water, 12 oz
Tool: kati loose tea system
Steep Time: a little over 6 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: Very strong bergamot, citrus scent with a hint of floral
Steeped Tea Smell: Black tea, hint of bergamot and citrus
Flavor: Citrus, bergamot, followed by black tea
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: Very astringent and slightly bitter after taste
Liquor: deep dark reddish-brown

Leaves expanded impressively.

Too much bergamot, and I am coming to believe Assam teas are not my cup of tea.

The kati mug is an excellent temperature on the hands when using hot spigot water, as opposed to being a bit too hot to handle when I used my electric kettle at home. Again, this is an excellent loose tea brewer for work, or beginners.

I think this little pre-measured packet is a great first step for converting bagged tea drinkers to loose.

Post-Steep Additives: +2 sugar a bit better, sweeter. It could have used milk as well.

images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/04/tea-forte-loose-leaf-black-tea-earl.html

This one is ok…probably won’t re-order tho.
SIPDOWN!!!!

The sample I am drinking at the moment isn’t as good as the last one I tried several months ago. BUMMER. Knocking off a few points…

http://www.teaforte.com/store/gourmet-tea/black-tea/earl-grey/
I’m currently drinking Tea Forte’s LOOSE LEAF Earl Grey! YES, LOOSE LEAF.

I was first introduced to Tea Forte Teas last year when my mother saw their cute lil bags in the shape of a triangle and stood perfectly in your cup with their trademark ‘leaf’ sticking out of the top. She ended up buying me a gift set of 6 samples and I liked some and others were too tarty for me but was SO EXCITED to try them regardless.

Yesterday when I received my KATI via UPS there were three samples in it…one of the samples was their EARL GREY LOOSE LEAF. Yup! They have LOOSE LEAF, too!

Of course I am drinking this in my New KATI from Tea Forte!!!
http://www.teaforte.com/store/tea-accessories/other/kati-loose-tea-system/
Which I reviewed yesterday in more detail and will be testing a bit more and posting my personal tea blog which is located here…
http://teaequalsbliss.blogspot.com/
Later this week…

Anyhow…here is the review on their Loose Leaf Earl Grey…
I can smell your typical black tea, bergamot – but not too bergamot or fake bergamot smell which is a definite PLUS…since lately I have experienced some loose leaf teas that are mostly fake bergamot flavoring and it seems to linger for HOURS whether it be for scent or after taste…but like I said…this one is a happy medium with the bergamot. The actual black tea is very bold! This is a nice surprise…I wasn’t sure about the strength of the black tea taste based on the original scent of the tea…and then there is a hint of floral and a hint of something else that I am not sure I have smelled before in other Earl Grey’s. WHAT IS THAT hint of mysteriousness!? OH! It’s…almost a hint of rice scent!? It’s barely there but that is sort of what it smells like to me…freshly cooked rice…of course this isn’t a focus or a flavor that is even listed in the ingredients but I just thought I would mention that it is something that I picked up on…and I LIKE IT.

This Earl Grey doesn’t seem to have an aftertaste that bothers me either and that’s WONDERFUL!!! I think it’s one of the bolder teas – if not the boldest tea – I have tried so far – to date – from Tea Forte.

Now…as for the findings on this BLACK loose leaf in the KATI – since I did a GREEN yesterday – this is still perfect for Black Tea as well…as you know I have already drank several Black and Black Flavored Teas so far today and ALL of them have worked REALLY well in my KATI.

http://www.teaforte.com/store/tea-accessories/other/kati-loose-tea-system/

This link will tell you more about the KATI…which I have become more and more fond of and protective of in my office. I have non-tea drinkers EYE BALLING it! LOL

They are just jealous!
:)

By getting this KATI it just might encourage me to get into more accessory hunting (purchasing)…YAY!

Steep Information:
Amount: 1 teabag
Water: 6 ounces filtered, boiling
Steep Time: a little over 5 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: chamomile, perhaps a hint of mint if i kept sniffing at it
Steeped Tea Smell: chamomile, perhaps a hint of mint and lemon if i kept sniffing at it
Flavor: chamomile, lemon, mint
Body: Full
Aftertaste: mint and licorice
Liquor: varies! Bobbie’s cup as honey golden yellow-brown and mine was rose!

April 13 I started on a quest to find out what happened to the Chamomile Tisane for my brother-in-law, as he found he liked it while staying at a Hilton.

I found Chamomile Tisane is included in their boxed sets, and can be found online in little boxes, but you can’t get large amounts.

I said I would order some of the Chamomile Citron for him to compare against and see if it was close enough or the same, and I would drink most of the tea (hey any excuse to get tea right?).

April 14 I ordered and emailed support, they got back to me very promptly.

“Thank you for contacting Tea Forte. The Citron is a newer blend from the Tisane. It has the same chamomile but has a bolder taste, with a slight citrus flavor. I hope that it will not disappoint.”

Googling around it appears the Chamomile Tisane was “Tea Forte’s calming chamomile tisane with a delicate fruit finale. Chamomile flowers, orange peel and vanilla steep a gentle brew for relaxation after a long day.”

So the orange and vanilla were swapped for lemon and mint.

I believe he found the tea acceptable but not as good as the original blend. Sadness, as this was the first tea he really enjoyed. I do think that orange vanilla sounds luscious.

Usually I do not include both cups when i prepare multiple cups of tea, but in this case both turned out totally different colors! Quite odd.

Images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/05/tea-forte-teabag-herbal-tea-chamomile.html

Steep Information:
Amount: 1 loose tea single steeps! just rip open the packet and dump into the strainer
Water: fill to line with boiling water
Tool: Kati
Steep Time: a little over 5 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: lemongrass, floral, mint
Steeped Tea Smell: mint, lemongrass, floral
Flavor: sweet, lemongrass, mint
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: tingly, minty, lemongrass
Liquor: translucent reddish-yellow

The tea was a nice zippy herbal tea to sip on. You had better like lemongrass and mint as they are the predominant flavors here.

Now here is my thoughts on the Kati system’s goal – introducing bagged / pyramid tea drinkers to loose tea with minimal fuss – I think it does a great job.

I was able, with only boiling water and a timer (a clock would do) to make loose leaf tea. It’s simple – place strainer in cup, dump in packet of pre-measured leaf, add hot water to fill line, wait the designate (on the packet) number of minutes, set strainer on lid and enjoy.

My number one and only complaint is I think a handle would improve the cup. It now is 3 for 3 on being too hot to pickup after steeping herbal teas for 5 minutes with boiling kettle water.

Resteep: just as strong and tasty

>> Here is my kati loose tea system review from a loose tea drinker perspective.
http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/04/kati-review.html

>>Images of the Chamomile Citron loose tea single steeps™
http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/04/tea-forte-loose-leaf-herbal-tea.html

I think I used more leaf this time and steeped it for longer. I’m definitely getting more grass and OOLONG this time. I’m not really sure that I’ve ever gotten a “buttery” taste from oolong, so I’m not sure what it meant by that. It’s smooth, though. While it’s OOLONG, it doesn’t kick you in the teeth with it. It just sort of wraps you up in a blanket of OOLONG.

It’s good for an oolong, but I’m not much of a fan (I prefer fruit). It’s not you, it’s me! I’m sorry!

Angrboda and I were discussing oolongs this morning, so I decided to try this one. I obtained a sample of it in a (non-Steepster) tea swap.

I don’t have a lot of experience with oolongs (especially non-flavored oolongs, since my favorites have been Teavana’s jasmine and Lupicia’s mango), but this one is okay. It’s not overwhelmingly oolong, but it’s more delicate and smooth.

I’m sort of glad I bought this for the tin and the teabags ;)

Like the others, I struggled with this tasting. I’ve always enjoyed other Chocolate Mint blends so I had high hopes for this. I enjoyed all the individual flavors but it wasn’t what I expected. With Belgian in the title, I thought that it would taste like dark chocolate rather than the frosty malt taste. I like that it was caffeine free. I’ve always enjoyed the presentation of the Tea Forte pyramid bags in a shallow cup so it was a nice experience. Although I would probably pass on this as a loose tea.