I’ve been listening to some Jimmy  Buffett lately, and I was inspired to start writing about a tisane I picked up at the World Tea Expo in June.  The herbal tea is from a company called Carol’s Special-Teas.  The tisane consists of Honeybush and almonds with nut & rum flavors.  Honeybush comes from South Africa and it’s very similar to Rooibos.  Honeybush is said to be somewhat sweeter than Rooibos.  The name comes from the honey-like scent of the flowers the plant produces.  Since there are so many dominant flavors in this blend, it’s hard to get a great feel for the flavor of honeybush.  In my opinion, it tastes exactly like a flavored Rooibos.  I’d like to do a straightup side-by-side taste test of Rooibos and Honeybush.  Either way, in this brew it’s pretty darn good.  This tisane has everything you want to make an enjoyable cup – scent, flavor, and presentation.  To me, this is a mood tea.  I won’t drink it daily, but a few cups a week would be perfect.  It’s an excellent late night tisane since it barely contains caffeine.  The almond/nutty flavor is very pronounced in this mix.  The honeybush creates a very dark infusion.  The rum flavoring gives it a bit of a bite.  There’s so much flavor that you really don’t need to add anything to the tea.  The honeybush adds texture to the water.  It’s very soothing on your throat.  Pirate’s Brew would be a good beverage when you start to get a scratchy throat.  As you can see from the picutre, the honeybush is processed very similar to most Rooibos selections you’d find at a tea store.  If you are in the mood for something without caffeine, major flavor, and you’re ready to sail the seven seas – the Pirate’s Brew is for you.

Visit Carol’s Special-Teas

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Carol’s Special-Teas was one of the many exhibitors at the World Tea Expo this year. However, they were able to standout with their MINI decked-out like a tea pot. Checkout the picture. They were also giving large samples of some of their popular teas away to attendees. I couldn’t resist trying the German Chocolate Cake flavored black tea. German Chocolate Cake is one of my all-time favorite desserts. I don’t eat it often, but when I do – yum! This is a great craving tea for those of you watching your calorie intake. Drink this tea in place of a sweet high-calorie snack, and you’ll feel much better about yourself – at least I do.

This German Chocolate Cake flavored black tea was very good. The scent is right on par with the real thing. You’ll be sure to do a double-take if you get the chance to smell this tea. The coconut, chocolate and caramel chips are enough to make your mouth water. The flavor of the tea is good, but it’s not as enjoyable as the scent – I guess I didn’t expect it to taste exactly like a piece of cake. If you add your own sweetener and milk (or milk substitute) to this tea, it really helps to improve the flavor. My only complaint about the tea is that I don’t know where the black tea was grown. I’m assuming it is a Ceylon tea, but it is not stated on the packaging or their website. This tea is very enjoyable, and it is great to have around for special occasions. I enjoyed it as a morning tea. The delicious scent really helped to get me moving in the early hours.

• Visit Carol’s Special-Teas

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