Howdy!
Today I will be drinking the wonderfully named Minty Fennec, a Moroccan mint and green tea blend.
Mint is a wonderful herb and it happens to be one of my favourites. I guarantee if I have a stomach ache or feel generally run down a mint tea is what I run to first. My second preference would be a green tea as it can help with energy levels. A combination of the two sounds right up my street!
Opening the pouch with a fennec cute face on the front I am met with a fresh, strong and absolutely beautiful spearmint scent. It was so defined I could easily pick the type of mint, and as luck would have it spearmint is my favourite. It’s very sweet and fresh, it’s so refreshing. Even my nose tingles to the minty power of this blend.
In appearance the leaves are rolled up in traditional gunpowder green style and they form a good sized ball. It looks good, size and colour is pleasing to show a decent quality. Low quality tends to be tiny pieces ie broken leaf and the colour is very dark green. These however are a medium/large size and contain a dark green and a lighter grassy green which contrasts and bares a shine.
Steeping parameters: 1 tsp. 75c water. 3 minutes.
Once steeped the resulting tea is yellow and bares a sweet and very refreshing, pure spearmint scent. I use tons of spearmint essential oil and it reminds me exactly of that in terms of strength and purity. It wouldn’t surprise me to learn that’s how the tea is scented for this blend.
The first few sips revealed a sweet and mildly refreshing spearmint flavour that coats my mouth and lightens into a dry, grassy but creamy after taste. The spearmint is not as strong as the scent but you can taste it easily, a nice balance actually as too much spearmint can be bitter.
My only complaint is that after I gulped the rest of my tea (it was gone before you could blink as I couldn’t stop myself) it did leave a dryness in my mouth. Not powdery but still rather dominant, probably from the tea. And that’s a personal issue, dryness doesn’t bother some people. Either way of the three Totem Tea blends I have tried (Very Berry Bear and Cinnamon Squirrel) the Minty Fennec is by far my favourite.
In terms of a mint tea it’s delightful. Minty flavour and creamy/buttery tones with little astringency or bitterness. It actually does appear to be the best of both worlds in the balance of green tea and mint.
I’ve dithered on enough, needless to say it’s definitely worth a try if your a fellow mint tea lover.
Thank you very much Totem Tea. It was an absolute pleasure reviewing your teas.
Happy steeping friends!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Totem Tea
Description
Start your own Morrocan ritual with this refreshing organic green tea. Savour the moment when water meets the fragant spearmint and releases the magic into the air. This is your special time in the shade of the palm tree; don’t rush it.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Cinnamon Squirrel/Totem Tea
Hi Tea Friends! Today I will be reviewing Cinnamon Squirrel from Totem Tea which is an apple and cinnamon Rooibos blend. This particular sample is bagged though it is also available as loose leaf. Let’s just take a moment and mention the packaging, how adorable! It’s an orange smiley squirrel face that makes me smile with the cuteness overload. The teabags are pyramid shaped biodegradable bags.
Totem Tea guarantee that all of their teas are: • Certified Organic • Whole Leaf • Ethically Sourced • Vegan Friendly • Free from artificial flavourings • All packaging is eco friendly
A little more on that packaging, what does eco friendly mean these days? Well Totem Tea state that the cellophane bags, pyramid bags and the pouches are all biodegradable. Plus as always the paper labels can be recycled and are actually made from recycled paper. Not only that but all orders are packed in recycled materials such as cardboard boxes and paper packing materials.
Now that is what you call eco friendly! How fantastic!
Back to the tea. Opening the bag (which we now know is biodegradable) I can smell a strong yet sweet cinnamon, Rooibos and fruit blend that bursts with sweetness. It was actually the strongest of the three samples I received l, or at least the first one that caught my attention. I couldn’t tell it was apple fruit wise but it clicked once I read the ingredients.
Ingredients: Rooibos, apple, mango pieces, cinnamon sticks, fennel, clove, liquorice root and natural flavouring.
One bag in my tea cup will steep for 9 minutes thanks to the steeping information on the back of the cute squirrel face.
Once steeped the resulting orange tea bares a sweet Rooibos scent that is somewhat thick with a hint of cinnamon. Less sweet and fruity than the raw form. The first sip reveals a delicate Rooibos flavour that thickens in the after taste, leaving a well of creamy apple and just a hint of cinnamon.
The Rooibos is dominant of the flavours but it’s clean tasting and not too powerful, though there is some dryness in the after taste. It’s also got a refreshing feel which is possibly the clove and licorice root coming into play.
It’s a pleasant blend that is rather inoffensive, and in personal taste I find this a drinkable Rooibos blend for someone that tends to dislike it. Rooibos has always been hit or miss with no in between for me but perhaps the organic nature and flavour of this blend makes it more likeable due to its soft nature.
I can only ponder, but for now I will admit this was a nice blend that I know will happily be added to my tea cupboard. Look out for two more Totem Tea reviews coming very soon!
Until then, happy steeping!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Totem Tea
Description
This naturally caffeine-free rooibos has been blended with real pieces of apple and cinnamon sticks. Just like a scrumpious home-made baked apple pie…in a cup!
12 biodegradable pyramids, freshly hand prepared for optimal scent and taste.