I find that like many others, my green and white teas tend to be favored in the warmer months while my black teas are my go-to in the harsh Canadian winters. And yet here I am in the winter sipping on Lime Mojito, a sencha tea by Tickled Tea flavored with lime, lemon verbana, lemongrass, apples, stevia extract, and natural and artificial lime flavor.
Since this is inspired by a cold cocktail, I iced part of my sample while brewing the rest of the sample as a hot tea. I steeped both for 3 minutes in 185F water.
Starting with the hot tea, the first thing I notice is it has a nice lime flavor, albeit a subtle lime flavor. Right next to the lime flavor is the apple, which builds the more you drink. Simultaneously, the lime gives way to a more generic citrus vibe. The base tea and the stevia are non-distinctive, something I am happy about but others might wish they made more of a contribution. All in all, it is an alright tea but maybe more generically apple-citrus than lime mojito, at least brewed as a hot tea.
One thing that transfers from the hot tea to the cold is the softness of the tea. Hopefully people know what I am talking about because I don’t know how to describe it other than saying the mouthfeel is quite soft. Coupled with the soft mouthfeel is that gentle citrus flavor, almost more lemon than lime this time, and it is very smooth, almost creamy. The apple flavor is also noticeable through the iced tea.
Once again, it is an okay tea but certainly not what I would call a Lime Mojito. The cocktail has five ingredients – lime, mint, sugar, soda water, and rum. This tea has the citrus and it is sweet so I could even give it the sugar but this needs a stronger lime flavor and the mint and rum are lacking altogether. It was fun to try though!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Tickled Tea
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Green Lemonade from The Love Tea Company
I’m going to admit something to you…citrus teas scare me. When I see teas that feature lemon or berry in their name, I tend to skip over them in my shopping. So, when I got Green Lemonade as a tea to try in my current box, I was a little hesitant. It is honestly one of the last teas I tried – I wish it had been the first! For the Love of Tea has created a blend that has a fresh aroma and a hint of citrus. From the aroma alone, I was confident that this tea would not be one who overused citrus in its blending process. The large leaves presented in this blend allow for a variety of brewing methods from sachet to brewing directly in your tea pot.
Once brewed, this blend presents a classic green tea color and provides a light citrus flavor at the end which masks and diminishes the typical earth undertones of a green tea. Green tea is easy to burn through prolonged brew times, and this blend is no exception. You will need to watch it so that you do not over-steep it! Since green tea is so easy to burn, I often add citrus and a little sugar to the cup in order to minimize the strong earthy undertones that begin once over brewed. With the Green Lemonade blend from For the Love of Tea, I did not have to add anything and their addition of citrus was a refreshing mix to this light tea. This would be great for your mid-afternoon cuppa!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: The Love Tea Company
Description
This Brilliant Blend is a fan favorite. It combines the best of green tea with the best of a lemon, with lemon bits and wedges you’ll get the full “lemon-y” affect. Low in caffeine and easy on the pallet, it goes down like a smooth summer day (without the humidity). Brew a pot of this fine blend and serve hot or cold year ’round. It never hurts to add a fresh lemon slice to anything! Be sure to #sharethelove on this one.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Clouds and Mist from The Tea Spot. . .
How amazing would it be to sip tea while in a tea garden with a cool mist rolling in around the tea trees?
One can picture that vividly when sipping this tea.
This organic green has vegetal and some gassy flavors with hints of earth and an interesting touch of smoke. The wet leaves also retain this smokiness in aroma which I find somewhat interesting for a green.
The clear, yellow liquid has a smooth mouth feel and a wonderful grassy after taste. For those who are not fans of grassy flavors but would like to drink more green tea this is a good one to add to your cupboard.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: The Tea Spot
Description
Clouds and Mist organic green tea makes a lasting impression. Also known as ‘yunwu’, the subtle aroma that comes from its clear, golden yellow infusion is a compelling mixture of smoky, citrus and vegetal. Its earthy taste, reminiscent of sweet, roasted artichokes, is well-rounded, with a slight note of toasted pecans. Clouds and Mist is very structured in its flavor – assertive and smoky in forward body, and developing over time to a softly sweet, buttery finish – making it a perfect green tea for morning. The curly silver-speckled leaves are harvested in the spring from tender tea buds. Praised as ‘green gold’ for centuries, it is one of China’s traditional imperial tribute teas. Clouds and Mist takes its name from the seas of mystically shrouded peaks on which this prized green tea is grown, using USDA certified Organic farming methods. Brews well for three to four infusions.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Socklatinga Green Tea 2nd Flush, 2017 from Tea Swan. . .
I don’t recall if I have ever had a Green Assam from Socklatinga so I was thrilled to have it in front of me recently.
According to the Tea Swan website – Socklatinga Green Tea is a variant of whole leaf green-tea collected during the second flush of Assam and makes a cup of warm golden-green tea.
Tasting the charming fruity flavor of this tea was a pleasure but I also found it to be a bit grassy-green with a hint of helpful bitterness, too! What kind of fruity notes? Pear – possibly!
As I continued to sip on this tea I wanted to learn more about the tea estate, itself. A brief recap in my research found that the Sockieting Tea Estate produces 4,00,000 kgs of tea in a year and is a HACCP accredited estate. The property was procured from Andrew Yule & Co Ltd and spreads across 223 hectares of land.
This was a tasty tea. I would suggest it for those who enjoy a grassier-green with hints of pear-like-fruit hidden underneath.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Tea Swan
Description
Socklatinga Green Tea whole leaf green-tea collected during the second flush of Assam makes a cup of warm golden-green drink.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Green Tea with Pomegranate from Bigelow. . . . .
This is the tea I like to call “better than it has any right to be.”
I first had this blend at a brunch place with a sad, meager tray of tea bags. I chose the one I hadn’t tried that still had caffeine (this one).
“This is going to be trash,” I told my husband.
And then I sipped it.
I’m telling you, this is a pleasant surprise every time I have it!
It is surprisingly sturdy and juicy. I am usually kind of snide about bagged tea, but this one holds up. The green vegetal flavor is light, and the pomegranate pops. I turn to this blend fairly frequently when I just don’t have the energy to gravity-steep things. (Ugh, with the water, and the rinsing, and the measuring, you know? Sometimes you just want to put a bag in a mug and call it a day.)
When people want a cheap starter-tea that they can just grab at a supermarket, this is always the first one I recommend. Give it a whirl! It’s cheap, it’s everywhere, and it’s easy!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Bigelow
Description
Delicate green tea with the added touch of sweet pomegranate. If you love our green tea, we think you will really love our green tea with pomegranate…all the benefits of green tea with the added touch of sweet pomegranate.
