Good Life Tea, Angel Falls Mist

Good Life Tea Description:
Rising from an internationally sourced collection; the extraordinary blend of flavors in our Angel Falls Mist tea is not for the faint of flavor. Rather, it will delight even the most dubious lover of rich flavor collections. Think you're the man who's tried it all? The woman who's love of tapestric fruity profiles could never be satisfied? The connoisseur who knows just what the day has in store when he's confronted with a tea with more than six point sources of flavor in its collection? Think again. Angel Falls Mist describes such complexity in an herbal tisane, you'll hardly be done with your first hot cup before you're ready to ice a batch.
That's how versatile this blend is. Iced, hot: it's ready to surprise you. Can you imagine the accent that this tea would have if it could speak? Hailing from Canada, the U.S., Thailand, and Spain; its ingredients bring variety to a cohesive point: it's fruity, reflective collection.

Sample provided by Good Life Tea

My Review:
This is the last of the three samples I received from Good Life Tea for review. This is listed as a Tisane Fruit Tea on the Good Life Tea website. The ingredients as far as I can tell are dried apple, hibiscus petals, rosehip pieces, strawberry pieces, dried orange, calendula petals, and natural flavors.

I have to be honest, as soon as I opened the sample and caught the scent of the leaf, I knew I would not like this one. I can pick out the hibiscus right away. I just don't like it. Sorry Good Life Tea. I'll do my best to proceed. It also has an aroma of fruit, but not really what is listed. Yeah, maybe I pick out a hint of strawberry but to me it is more like a raspberry/blueberry blend or black currant.

I used my cup with infuser basket. I added all the sample and 8 oz of boiling water. I put the lid on the cup and let it steep for 6 minutes.

The result is a purplish tinted cup. I actually like the looks of it. It reminds me of juice or even wine. My picture appears out of focus. The reality is the lens fogged over on all my shots and this is the best I could do. It is very gray outside and I had to use the lightbox. That made for a bright setting and a hot and humid one as well.

On to the taste. You recall how I said earlier, I knew I wouldn't like this one? Well, I haven't changed my mind. It is kind of tart from the hibiscus. The apple, I think, is the other main flavor I am detecting. I can't single out the orange or strawberry and to be truthful, I don't want to try. I just don't like these type drinks.

That said, my wife who cannot have caffeine, loved this one. She likes the superberry type tisanes. This fit right in that category for her. She slammed down the first cup and had me steep another. She iced that one and insisted I try it. It is cold and watered down from the ice but it still does not taste good to me. She disagrees. So there you have it. Based on the list of ingredients you will know which side of the fence you want to stand.

If you enjoy fruit tisanes, you can find Angel Falls Mist here.

Good Life Tea, Belgian Chocolate - Rooibos Tea

Sample Bag and Leaf

Good Life Tea Description:
A supple, vitamin-rich, fat-free Rooibos base meets a cacao infusion and the results are as tantalizing as the blend of South African and Belgian implies. Calendula and other natural flavors add to the unique, brassy, rich flavor collection as a whole. Cederberg is known for the lingering, incomparable flavor of its Rooibos leaves. This “red bush” is known to South Africans as a relaxant, antioxidant, and provider of a flush, melty flavor. In this case, the always-blendable Rooibos plays off of the coal-ish, insular pleasures of cacao to form what is often described as a “truffle” note.
A medium-flavored "red tea", Belgian Chocolate is a quirky treat, especially for those who have already discovered the pleasures of Rooibos. Perfect as a luxury tea (and perennial gift favorite), Belgian Chocolate is a tea to be savored. Which makes it such a pleasant surprise that it's lineup of health benefits includes an impressively-broad vitamin scale.

Sample provided by Good Life Tea

My Review:

Sample Label

The last few weeks have been very hectic. I've been with my wife as she has had one medical exam after another. More than a few thousand dollars later the conclusion is acid reflux. Thankful it wasn't more serious, but honestly, couldn't they have tried treating it first and then do tests if it didn't ease up? We are also having a porch built on our home. Finding time to drink tea hasn't been easy.

It's 90 F today and feels like 100, but that isn't going to stop me from enjoying a cup of rooibos. This one has cocao in it. Opening the sample packet this smells insanely chocolate.

In addition to the rooibos and cacoa, there are also thin petals in the mix. The description above mentions calendula, I Googled it and discovered calendula is also called pot marigold. I don't think the petals add a lot to the scent or flavor but it does add interest and color.

I used my mug with an infuser basket. The basket as it turns out is not quite fine enough mesh for the tiniest of rooibos pieces but it did hold back most of it. I used boiling water and steeped for about 4 minutes.

Dark Chocolaty Goodness

The brew is dark and resembles coffee. The wet leaf aroma is strong of rooibos. The mug scent is chocolate.

I first tried this with no additives. It starts out rooibos flavored but without the usual harsh ending to the sip. About midway into the sip it switches to light chocolate. It has an almost minty feel. The taste is thinner than I expected based on the strong scents. It has a mineral element that reminds me of spring water.

Next I added sweetener to it. I haven't been using much Splenda lately but hey, this is chocolate. To me that implies sweet indulgence. So into the mug goes a packet of Splenda. My wife would say I just ruined it. I have to disagree.

The flavor pops out of the cup now. I mean it is the same, just bigger. In one sip the flavor bounces back and forth between rooibos and chocolate and swirling in minty fresh notes as it does. As I get closer to the bottom of the cup, I notice the color is a beautiful deep orange burgundy.

I can count on one hand the rooibos teas I have tried and actually would enjoy sipping again. This is one of them. It is a very pleasant chocolate treat without the guilt.

You can find Belgian Chocolate - Rooibos Tea here.

Good Life Tea, Cream Of Earl Grey

Empty Sample Bag

Good Life Tea Description:
A twist on the English classic with the addition of "creamy" vanilla.  There is no cream in this tea, but you certainly can add it. Totally delicious.

Sample provided by Good Life Tea.

My Review:
Good Life Tea offered to send 3 samples to 14 people one Steepster who would agree to review their teas. Hey, that's what I do. Looking over their website I found this on the About Us page:

All our web orders will include 3 free samples of tea.  We want you to experience a new tea with every order.  If you are ordering up to 8 ounces of tea only, we can keep your shipping costs low by using US Postal Service 1st Class shipping. Please allow up to 7 days transit time. This option is a low $2.89.

The samples arrived in an envelope with each in its own resealable clear plastic bag. The top of the bag is folded over and fastened to the back with a small label with clear brewing instructions. Once opened the pleasant smell of vanilla and bergamot drift out of the bag.

Dry Leaf

Removing the leaf it shows some signs of abuse by the postal system. Bubble wrap mailers would have prevented this and I feel confident actual orders are better packaged. The uncrushed portion of the sample appears to be orthodox machine processed leaf. This is typical of most flavored black teas. It also has blue safflower petals which are always pretty in a blend.

I prepared this in my Bodum press. I used the entire sample steeped in boiling water for 4 minutes. The recommended steep time is 3 to 7 minutes. I couldn't bring myself to go the full 7 minutes for fear of stomach burn. At 4 minutes, the result is an orange liquor with a pleasant Creamy Earl Grey fragrance.

A Mug Of Cream Of Earl Grey

The sip is quite smooth. It is slightly drying. I am so used to my normal Earl Grey of choice that has a strong bite. This one does not. The black tea base is present and pleasant enough but remains a bit in the background. There is a fair balance of vanilla to bergamot. I can easily taste both and neither overpowers the other.

At this point I added some sweetener. This really brightened the flavors without making them more intense. It also brought out a floral/fruity kind of spicy note that reminded me first of cinnamon, and then Orange Creamsicle.

The more I sip, the more the black tea is present in the aftertaste. It remains a smooth pleasant taste. I do notice the insides of my cheeks are tingling which along with the dryness indicates astringency. That said, it seems like normal to low levels for an Earl Grey to me.

Final thoughts: I like that this doesn't overwhelm me with vanilla. I enjoy how smooth it tastes. I personally would like to see the bergamot be a bit more assertive but I understand a lot of people feel just the opposite about bergamot. For me, the lower bergamot is offset in this one by the Orange Creamsicle taste that appeared once I added sweetener.

You can find Cream of Earl Grey here.