Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
I love the buttery Chinese sencha we use to create most of our flavored green teas with, but occasionally I like to try starting with different base teas. This week, we’ve blended Chun Mee green tea with organic green cardamom pods, lemon peel, lemon myrtle, lemongrass, lemon balm and lemon verbena for a delicious lemony citrus treat with a nice cardamom kick. The aroma of this blend alone is at once soothing and invigorating. As a beverage, it seems to walk that line brilliantly. It’s amazing hot or iced. Be sure to get yours today. Like all of our weekly teas, this is a limited edition.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
As most of you are probably well aware, I’m a big fan of 52Teas. They are one of my very favorite companies, and I’ve probably done more reviews of their teas than any other company. Which makes sense since I get a minimum of 52 teas per year from them.
But, that’s not to say that I absolutely love every blend I’ve tried from them. There are times when I come across something that is sort of just alright from them, and there are times when I’m even a little disappointed. Although I don’t think I’ve actually had something that I just didn’t like from them. But more often than not, I really like what I try from them.
This tea, though, this tea qualifies as one of the best. And that’s a bit of a shocker for me, given that it seems a bit simple. Lemon and Cardamom. Chun Mee. Ho-hum? No. From the moment I opened the pouch I knew this was going to be an amazing tea. It smelled so deliciously lemony, but with a distinct cardamom note to it too.
In most of their green tea blends, 52Teas utilizes a Chinese Sencha tea, but, I think that the Chun Mee base here is a perfect choice. It has less of that buttery taste, and a bit more of an astringency to it, which seems to work very well with the flavors here. It stands up well to the strong lemon notes here, allowing the lemon to taste more… lemony. A buttery lemon would have given this a creamier taste, and while that might have been nice, I really like the clean crispness of this cup.
The lemon has a tartness to it, of course, but it isn’t a pucker-up type of tart. It has a sweetness that sort of balances that out a bit. And the cardamom is what really brings this all together. Cardamom has a bit of a citrus-y tone to it, which marries well with the blend, but, it also tastes just a little warm here. Not spicy, but, warm, like a gentle hug. And what I especially like is the way it all comes together. The astringency of the tea, together with the zesty flavor of the lemon, and the slight spice of the cardamom deliver an aftertaste that is just slightly peppery. Again, not spicy, but you know that sort of “tickle” that pepper sometimes imparts on the tongue? It is subtle, but it is enough to keep the palate interested.
A very refreshing, delicious blend! This is one I think anyone might enjoy, even those who don’t usually go for flavored blends. This has such an invigorating quality, and it’s AWESOME iced!
