Hello to my wonderful tea friends! It is finally March and we are starting to see a bit of a reprieve from the crazy cold winter we had. This month is actually pretty special to me because, well, I turn 40 in just a few weeks. I’m really not all that wrapped up in age, it just seems like this year is going to be a pretty big year for my family. I’m turning 40 and my kiddo is becoming a freshman at high school. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve asked him to stop growing (he is taller than me). Sigh. . . .But at least I have a fun tea to chat about from my monthly subscription plan with Farmhouse Teas (aka St. Fiacres Farm).
This month it was like my friends at FarmHouse Teas just knew what I would like because it is like they flavored up a genmaicha just for me. . . .Tropical Genmaicha Green Tea is this month’s blend. I’m a sucker for a solid genmaicha and couldn’t wait to see what FarmHouse Teas had come up with.
This genmaicha flavored blend is a bit different than other flavored genmaichas I’ve had in the past. Most of the flavored genmaichas I’ve had in the past were dessert like or sweet sugary. I was excited to check out a tropical genmaicha.
Brewed up with freshly prepped water at 180F and allowed to steep for well, a bit- I sort of got distracted with a work project and forgot I had tea brewing. I am happy to report though that this blend tastes fabulous, even though the steep was a bit longer than it really should have been, especially since there is hibiscus in the blend.
This blend is delicious and a perfect tea to drink today to enjoy this warm spell hitting our Midwestern area. The tea is a bit tart but that is more than likely my fault due to the oversteep. Beyond that, the tea is fresh with all of the beloved roasted toasted flavors that only a genmaicha can deliver with fresh pops of berries and a sweetness that I’m not entirely sure where it is coming from. There is stevia in this blend but the sweetness doesn’t taste like stevia. I’m wondering if the sweetness isn’t coming from the large peach pieces in the blend.
All in all, a pretty unique take on a flavored genmaicha. As I look at the ingredients, I’m thinking this blend would be an amazing cold brew- hibiscus, lemongrass, coconut flakes, goji berries, peach pieces, and stevia. I’m a bit worried how the stevia will be in a cold brew but hopefully there is just a smidge added so it won’t be identifiable. (Not in the stevia fan club)
Each and every month I so look forward to my FarmHouse Teas package. Last month I wasn’t crazy about the blend, but the blend was completely out of the box and I appreciate the effort (plus the tea was coated in cocoa powder and I’m not a huge chocolate fan). Highly recommend their monthly tea service if you are in the market for a hand blended unique blended tea each and every month. I know I’ve been a subscriber for a while now and I don’t see myself cancelling anytime soon. Especially if they keep making blends like this one.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: FarmhouseTeas
Description
This blend is part of the month subscription plan. Click below to hear more about FarmHouse Teas plan.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Love In The Afternoon from Kipers Lil Tea Shop. . .
Well, I should have taken the name of this tea a bit more literally! I saw on the website that they have many movie themed blends, but I didn’t realize just how accurately they try to blend the tea to match the name!
I will list the ingredients of this tea for you here, as it is not available at present on their website. This blend contains green tea, peppermint leaf, spearmint leaf, calendula, cinnamon, and catuaba bark. All of these ingredients were familiar to me save one – the last one. Naturally I did a google search to find out more about this ingredient. Oh me oh my! It is widely used as an aphrodisiac, a treatment for low libido in males, and for neuralgia, including neuralgia following shingles. (Good to know should I ever meet up with that malady.)
So, literally this tea is trying to enhance your “Love In The Afternoon.” All righty then!
Since I will only be drinking one to two cups of this tea, I do not expect to have any medical reports for you, but I can report on the taste of the tea!
The dominant aroma was spearmint, which suits me because I prefer it to peppermint which is actually listed before spearmint on the package.
As for the taste…the mint is actually a little more muted than I would like. The green base was not terribly distinctive, the mint flavor was milder than a Moroccan mint, for instance, and I couldn’t taste the cinnamon at all. I have no idea what catuaba bark tastes like but either it or the green base was lending a light metallic aftertaste.
It wasn’t bad but it isn’t something I would seek out unless I was looking for the herbal benefits rather than just taste. If you love mint tea and want something that isn’t screaming in your face level mint, it might be a good tea for you!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Kipers Lil Tea Shop
Description
This blend is not listed on the website but click below for teas that are!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Strawberry Apple Green from Teavana. . . .
After getting swallowed whole by Starbucks, I thought Teavana would disappear off the face of the earth. Starbucks would stick it into its maw and digest it utterly.
But I was wrong! Starbucks turned the company from a high-ish-end tea company into a pre-brewed in-store product.
Today, I tried the unsweetened Strawberry Apple Green Tea because I was in a hurry and, franky, lazy. (Making iced tea is pretty easy.)
I was also intrigued by the promise of “a mosaic of lush fruit flavor and lively lemongrass” “for a cool, crisp taste.” This tea’s ingredients are green tea, apples, rose hips, licorice, hibiscus, lemongrass, “natural flavors” (????), and citric acid. It contains zero calories.
Unfortunately, the flavor tasted like zero calories, too. It was a little bit sparse. I wanted to love it, but the other flavors fell behind the apple, which wasn’t holding forth very well, either. The result was a watered-down apple juice sort of experience. It was a “mehhhh” moment.
As I was talking about the tea to a coworker, another jumped in. He’d tried a different Teavana one (a black tea) and said it was also disappointing.
Feel free to try these while you’re out and let us know if you have a different experience!
Or, if you want iced tea, please keep in mind that it is, in fact, really easy to make your own.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Teavana
Description
This bright blend combines refreshing green tea with a mosaic of lush fruit flavor and lively lemongrass—all without any added sugar for a cool, crisp taste.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Jasmine Spring Blossom from Qi Aerista
I have been all about floral teas lately and thought it was time for me to check out Qi Aerista’s take on a jasmine green tea. Qi Aerista recently released a tea brewer and also started offering teas as well. After having some pretty delicious floral teas, I was ready to give this blend a go.
Brewed with water prepped at 185 and allowed to brew for about 3 minutes- this tea instantly set the mood with a HUGE burst of floral aromas. And when I say huge, I mean the floral tones are almost overwhelming but I’m one that really digs a floral tea so I tallied forth.
Sat down and enjoyed this tea cuppa after cuppa this afternoon. I wouldn’t say that there was anything that really stood out as amazing on this jasmine spring blossom, but the tea is really good. A solid version of a jasmine green tea for sure. The floral notes are extremely strong and sometimes border on intense but I enjoy that in a tea and would love to brew this tea up as a cold brew for the summer. I bet that is where this tea would shine since you really only get pops of the green tea base here or there.
To give this tea a bit of jazz, I did end up throwing in a bit of butterfly pea flowers and I really enjoyed how the green tea, jasmine, and butterfly pea flower played against each other. Butterfly pea flower has a unique flavor and I really enjoyed how the flavor lent itself to give the jasmine tea a bit of pop.
Just goes to show that even if a tea isn’t something amazing, with just a little of this and a little of that, you can create a marvelous gem!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Qi Aerista
Description
Naturally floral and refreshingly soothing, this Jasmine green tea came from Fuding City of Fujian Province, China. Young leaves and buds were picked in April 2017 and immediately processed into the base green tea.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Farmer’s Market Strawberry from Farmhouse Teas. . . .
Farmhouse Teas aka St Fiacre’s Farm Teas are among some of my favorites. These teas are hand crafted and created with such love that you can literally taste the care in each sip. I have been a fan of their teas for some time and belong to their monthly tea club.
Last month I received a sample of Farmer’s Market Strawberry along with my other goodies. So far I have devoured the majority of the teas I’ve received from the Farmhouse Teas lineup and I couldn’t wait to try this one.
Brewed up my water at 180 and allowed the tea to steep for about three minutes. The moment this tea started brewing you can smell the strawberries and a few of the other inclusions. This tea blend consists of sencha green tea, strawberry leaf, rosehips, hibiscus, licorice root, lemon peel, rose petals and strawberries. The look of this tea is just stunning and I was hoping the tea would taste as amazing as it looks.
Unfortunately for me, I think this tea has a bit more licorice root than I care for. The rest of the tea is simply divine- green tea, strawberry, hibiscus, rose petals, etc but there is this bite that I keep getting and I have a feeling it is coming from the licorice root. Normally licorice root doesn’t bother me too much but I think in this instant since the other flavors are delicate and tart, the licorice root is just shining.
If the licorice root wasn’t so dominant, this tea would be out of this world amazing. The sweet and tart flavors play very well and provide this happy brew that just leaves you smiling. I’m wondering if the licorice root was replaced with marshmallow root if I would like the blend more.
Regardless, I’m super happy I was able to try this blend and hope to try more Farmhouse Teas soon. I’m eagerly awaiting my March package of tea goodies!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Farmhouse Teas
Description
Welcome to our FarmHouse Teas line! Earthy Sencha Green Tea paired with Oregon Strawberries straight from the local farmer’s market! This is the tastiest way to enjoy Oregon strawberries year around. This tea offers light strawberry notes followed by a hint of citrus. Great brewed hot but perfect for summer time iced tea brewing as well.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!