Cocktail Infusions from Tea Forte

Let's be honest. Receiving free samples is one of the best parts of blogging about tea. I have been sent some fabulous teas and some great books...and chocolate. Every once in awhile, though, a sample arrives that seems a little extra special.

I recently received a box of Tea Forte's Cocktail Infusions. I have had very good experiences with many of Tea Forte's products in the past so I was looking forward to seeing what they had done in this arena. (You can see some past posts here, here, and here.)

Cocktail Infusers maintain Tea Forte's trademark silken pyramid form. They have the same beautiful packaging as their other tea products. There are three flavors offered - Lavender Citrus, Lemongrass Mint, and Silkroad Chai. The Lemongrass is a tisane, while the Lavender and Chai contain tea. You can purchase single flavor boxes (8 infusers) or a variety pack (3 each of the Lavender and Lemongrass and 2 Chai.) These infusers are designed to infuse directly in your alcohol of choice.

Before I jump into my review, note that I did these samplings over several weeks. I wouldn't want anyone to think that I did these all in one day! I tried a range of cocktails and mocktails to see how these products held up.

The Lavender Citrus contains white tea, lavender, lemon balm, grapefruit, bergamot, and violet. The recipe book includes several alternatives - a Cosmo de Provence, a Lavender Pear martini, a Lavender Lime Rickey, and 2 mocktail options. The recipes I tried were really lovely. The grapefruit flavor really came through nicely and the infusion added beautiful color to the drinks as well.

The Lemongrass Mint contains lemongrass, lemon myrtle and spearmint. The drink options offered were a Bali Breeze (rum), a Lemongrass Gin & Tonic, and a Wild Mint Mojito. Dynamite. The only problem with these is that I made several of my friends angry that they weren't involved with the tasting process. Luckily, my sister-in-law just sent me a box of these as a birthday gift. So, I think a mojito party might be in order.

The Silkroad Chai contains black tea, cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom. The drinks presented were a Peach Chai Crush (vodka and peach nectar), Chai White Russian, Bombay Chai Rum & Tonic, and a Chai Cooler mocktail. I think the Chai White Russian was my favorite of all of the Cocktail Infusions I tried. The flavor was excellent, with a sweetness balanced with a spicy warmth. It was definitely boozy, but really nice. My husband gave this one a thumbs up too.

My two suggestions for Tea Forte would be: a) clearly list the ingredients on the website so people will know what they are getting (ingredients are on the box, however) * and b) give recommended infusion times. When you're making something for the first time, it is hard to know what it SHOULD taste like. Some guidelines would make this easier.
* CORRECTION: The ingredients ARE listed on the website. When you view the page for the specific infuser type, there is a tab that says, "Details." If you click that, the ingredients are there.

Tea Forte has developed a very interesting product here. Yes, you can certainly make tea drinks without a dedicated product like this. (Remember my previous post about Chris Cason and his tea cocktails.) However, these Cocktail Infusions are an easy way to begin experimenting with tea drinks and the recipes are great. These infusers are fun to play around with and they would (and did!) make a great gift.