Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Yerba Maté
Where to Buy: Indie Tea
Product Description:
O.K….So You’re A Little Different. That’s Cool. We Understand. As Long As You Don’t Run Butt Naked Through The Produce Aisle Of The Local Grocery On A Regular Basis.
4.65 oz. Organic and Fair Trade Ingredients: Organic Roasted Yerba Maté, Organic Star Anise, Organic Pink Peppercorns, Organic Cloves, Organic Cocoa Nibs, Organic Lemon Peel, Organic Lemon Grass, Organic Coriander Seed, Organic Fennel, Organic Cumin Seed. 4.65 oz
Taster’s Review:
This tea represents the first that I’ve tried from this company, and I’m very happy with it. There is a lot going on with this blend, a lot of different flavors. For that reason, even though it is a chai blend, I chose to serve it not-latte, because I really wanted to experience the different flavors in the cup and I thought that the milk would mask some of the taste.
The first thing that I noticed with this blend is the beautiful dry leaf! It looks like it should be sitting in a bowl as a decoration! Huge, whole pieces of star anise and other whole spices really make this blend visually appealing.
With all these flavors swilling around in the cup, each sip becomes an adventure! Like Forest Gump said “You never know what you’re gonna get.” There are interesting hints of citrus and licorice throughout the sip, with warm notes of cloves and a little bit of smoky heat from the cumin.
There is a solid base of earthiness to the cup, and it seems to really ground the flavors and give them a good foundation on which to build. I like that there isn’t TOO much of any one characteristic here: it isn’t too earthy, it isn’t too spicy, it isn’t too sweet, it isn’t too sharp, it isn’t too smoky. The tisane offers hints of each of these qualities, but none of them are so strong that they overwhelm the cup. There is a nice synergy going on with this tea!
If I were to offer one complaint, I guess it would be that I would like for more of the chocolate-y tones to present themselves. It’s a minor thing, really, because I love this tisane just as it is, however, being the chocoholic that I am, when I see cocoa nibs as one of the ingredients, I get all chocolate-happy, and as lovely a tea as this is, it is not a chocolate tea.
The website suggests a brewing time of 4 – 5 minutes, but because it is a Yerba Maté blend, it won’t get bitter if you allow it to steep for a longer period of time. I think it’s actually a good idea to let it steep for at least 6 minutes (if not longer) because you’ll get the most out of the many spices that are in this blend.
This is an exciting blend – and one I’d recommend to anyone who wants to go a little out of their comfort zone and take a walk on the wild side … get Out of Your Gourd!
