Day 2 of the Fancy Food Show 2010 in San Francisco was on Tuesday for me. It was raining way too hard on Monday. This time, I attended the show with fellow food blogger, Bonnie of Chrysanthemum, and we had a blast. And this is the 2nd post on the Fancy Food Show 2010.

Republic of Tea Unsweet Tea

One of my favorite tea booths is the Republic of Tea. Not only do they always have a wide assortment of teas to sample, but you have a choice of sampling the tea hot or cold. Their newest line is the Hibiscus Superflower Tea, harvested from South Africa.

Republic of Tea Hibiscus Tea

The Republic of Tea hibiscus tea is not only sweet, rich and bold in flavor but is also rich in Vitamin C and minerals. It’s perfect hot or iced cold. Flavors include Blueberry Hibiscus, Vanilla Apple Hibiscus, Key Lime Hibiscus, and Pineapple Lychee Hisbiscus (my favorite).

Republic of Tea White Teas and Be Well Teas

The Republic of Tea also has a wonder line of delicately flavored white teas (try the persimmon white tea) and a line of Be Well red teas. The Be Well teas are made with rooibos tea, which is high in antioxidants and caffeine-free. Get Gorgeous is good for your skin. Get Lost Tea is for weight loss. Get Relief Tea is for digestion. Get Charged Tea is for energy.

Honest Tea Kombucha

My favorite brand of iced tea is Honest Tea. Their tag line is “just a tad sweet”, which it honestly is. I love things that are not too sweet these days since I can’t handle too much sugar.

Honest Tea specializes in lightly sweetened, organic teas that are high in antioxidants. Some of my favorite flavors are Pomegranate Red Tea with Goji Berry and Mango Acai White Tea.

Honest Tea has expanded into carrying healthy kombucha teas. I first reviewed Synergy kombucha tea in March 2007. Kombucha tea is made from fermenting the kombucha mushroom. It has many health benefits including supporting the immune system, improving digestion, and detoxifying the liver. Honest Tea’s kombucha tea is flavored after the fermenting process and has less of a vinegar flavor than other brands.

Zhena’s Gypsy Tea

Zhena’s Gypsy Tea was the first booth we visited in the Natural and Organic aisle. I met Zhena at the Fancy Food Show 2009. This year she was noticeably missing from her booth. It turns out she’s having a baby. So congrats to Zhena! New tea flavors I noticed – Black Forestberry Green Tea, Kiwi Peach Green Tea, and Tropical Garden Green Tea.

Omniherb Tea Class

Surprisingly, Omniherb Tea Class from Korea was my favorite tea at the show. Their light herb tea made of tangerine peel, Danggui herb, and cinnamon, tasted like a snickerdoodle cookie! One of the main ingredients, Danggui, is traditionally used in Chinese medicine to regulate a woman’s monthly cycle. I make Danggui soup every month and can attest that it works in preventing menstrual cramps for those who have cold hands and feet.

Unfortunately, this tea is not yet available in the US because they have to pass the FDA. They did give me a box to take home, but they gave me the wrong flavor! It’s rather confusing actually. The pink box pictured above left is the one that tastes more like tangerine. The orange box, picture above right, is the one that tastes more like cinnamon. I would think pink means cinnamon and orange means tangerine.

Silence Tea

Silence Tea is an all natural iced tea that promotes relaxation, inspired by Chakra philosophy. To prove it, there was a person performing yoga poses at the booth. But the person left the booth before I could take a picture. So you’ll have to use your imagination.

I tasted this lightly flavored tea. 10 minutes later while walking around the food show, I felt totally relaxed and slightly dulled out. I literally wanted to go to sleep. This tea definitely works… maybe a little too well.

Arette Organic Tea Oil

Cooking oil made from tea? Yes, you read that right. We all know the benefits of tea. It promotes cardiovascular health, boost the immune system, and maintains healthy cholesterol levels. This tea oil is cold pressed from the seeds of the Camellia Oleifera, a cousin of the tea plant, Camellia Sinesis. The Arette tea oil is light and sweet in flavor.

See my review of previous year’s teas at the Fancy Food Show 2009 and Fancy Food Show 2007.

They have come out with a new flavor, Cardamom Tea, which is quickly becoming my favorite. It has more of a creamy cardamom flavor and isnt’ as spicy as the  original Spice Tea Masala.

There are different sizes now too. The original chai latte is in a 7.75 ounce box but Xpress Chai offers a 5 ounce box now.

Buy Xpress Chai at Amazon.

Ajmera Xpress Chai Instant Pre-mix Chai, 10-Count 7.75 Ounce Boxes (Pack of 3)

Rooibos (pronounced “roy-bus”) is an African red tea that is naturally caffeine free, full of antioxidants, and low in tannin. I’ve been trying to recreate it but I haven’t been successful. From what I could tell, they steep a bag of Tazo Vanilla Rooibos tea in hot water, add steamed milk and classic Torani syrup. In the Tazo Vanilla Rooibos tea bag is a blend of  rooibos tea, vanilla, sweet blackberry leaves, apples and peaches.

This caffeine free drink is great for pregnant women too… and I have a lot of friends now who are pregnant. For people who don’t drink coffee or want a caffeine free drink, try the Vanilla Rooibos Tea

Ineeka Organic Tea is whole leaf tea with a conscience. When you buy their organic tea, you are supporting their family in the Himalayas!

The story of Ineeka:

“Ineeka was started about 5 years ago by Shashank and Sumita Goel. Shashank grew up on the farms in India. The farms have been around since about 1861. Shashank’s family worked on them and in the 1980’s his father took ownership of the farms.

After coming to the United States to study Engineering at the University of Michigan, Shashank decided he wanted to get back in to the tea business and start his own line of distribution. His lovely wife Sumita joined him in Chicago to get her graduates degree at the Art Institute of Chicago. After she finished school Ineeka was born.

Shashank invented the brew tache to bridge the gad between tea connoisseurs and those that are just looking for a great cup of tea which is steeped properly. Sumita designed all of the packaging.The story stood on it’s own. The farms are a little piece of paradise. Ineeka got all of it’s organic and biodynamic certifications. The farms were fair trade certified, although they go far above and beyond. Ineeka was also able to be the first and only tea company in the United States which is completely vertically integrated.”

I had the chance to sample a variety of their flavors – Himalayan Black, Himalayan Green, Ma-Chai, Green Limon, Chamomile, and Mint. My favorite, surprisingly, is the Himalayan Black which has a rich, rounded, smoky flavor, almost like Darjeeling tea. I also enjoyed the Green Limon, green tea flavored with lemongrass. It has a hint of lime flavor delicately infused with green tea. The Ma-Chai is a great chai tea with saffron and rose petals and tastes great without milk or sugar. The Himalayan Green is a high quality green tea, so rich and bold, it’ll wake you up in the morning.

Ineeka Tea is so immaculately packaged that it makes it very gift worthy. You feel like you’re giving yourself a gift every time you drink their tea! The Ineeka tin is airtight yet recyclable because it is aluminum. You can also choose to re-use the tin for storing other teas. The tea bag or “brew tache”  expands and has handles to grab the sides of your cup for proper steeping. It’s quite a unique tea bag that stands out from other teas.

Buy it at the YummySF Store or on Amazon.com:

Ineeka Ma-Chai Tea – chai tea with saffron and rose petals and tastes great without milk or sugar

Ineeka Green Limon Tea – green tea flavored with lemongrass

Ineeka Mint Tea

Ineeka Chamomile Tea

Ineeka Himalayan Green Tea – high quality green tea, so rich and bold, it’ll wake you up in the morning

Ineeka Himalayan Black Tea – rich, rounded, smoky flavor, almost like Darjeeling tea

Ineeka Darjeeling Tea

I wrote about Ajmera Innovations’ Xpress Chai from the Fancy Food Show earlier. I was able to get a box of Xpress Chai from the CEO, Jay Ajmera. Thanks, Jay!

Xpress Chai is creamy with a hint of spices and sweetness. Definitely addictive. Why? Because it’s soooo simple to make! Each box of Xpress Chai comes with 10 individual serving packets of powdered chai. Just add hot water and stir. I tend to drink Xpress Chai more than the other chais that I have at home because it’s easy and delicious. It’s perfect for the office since all you need to make a steaming cup of chai is hot water!

Xpress Chai is also all natural and contains no transfats, unlike other instant chai brands like David Rio. You’ll crave it every morning just like I do.

Where to buy:

Ajmera Xpress Chai Instant Pre-mix Chai, 10-Count 7.75 Ounce Boxes (Pack of 3) Free shipping on orders over $25!

FYI: The 3 pack is more worth it to buy since it comes with free shipping on orders over $25. With the single pack, you’ll have to pay $4.99 shipping.