Painted Paradise Tea from Whispering Pines Tea Company

by liberteas

paintedparadise

Tisane Information:

Leaf Type:  Yerba Maté

Where to Buy:  Whispering Pines Tea Company

Tisane Description:

A wonderful and highly energizing blend of Yerba Mate, Safflower, and citrus hints to enjoy hot or cold. This very unique blend is the perfect thing to keep you going!

Learn more about this tisane here.

Taster’s Review:

Nice!

I am really enjoying the combination of the slightly smoky, slightly earthy taste of the Yerba Maté together with the citrus notes in this Painted Paradise Tea from Whispering Pines Tea Company.

Yerba Maté is not always a flavor that I favor, because it can sometimes come off as too earthy for my taste.  But in this blend, there seems to be a pleasing balance between earthy notes and the sweet citrus tones.  The citrus notes really brighten up the cup and keep the earthiness in check.

It is a little bit sweet, tangy, earthy, vegetative and even just a wee bit smoky.  It’s a well-rounded cup, and it’s very invigorating!  I love the citrus tones to this … just the kind of tisane you want to sip when you want to start the morning off right!  It has a nice sweetness to it – no additions needed – and it tastes great hot or iced too.

liberteas

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see. Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog! Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!

This post was posted in Yerba Maté

Yerba Maté from Teapigs

by liberteas

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Yerba Maté

Where to Buy:  Teapigs

Product Description:

We’re not going to lie to you – no one it seems is indifferent to this tea. You’ll either love it or hate it. Yerba Mate (pronounced yerba mah-tey) is native to South America, where it is drunk as a natural stimulant to increase focus and alertness while helping with detoxing and weight loss. And it does all this, allegedly, without any side effects. So one for our celebrity customers then. (We’re also working on a Mate Vanilla, so that mate haters can get the health benefits without enduring the taste.)

Taster’s Review:

I don’t know that I necessarily love Yerba Maté, but I certainly don’t hate it.  I enjoy a cup of Maté every once in a while.  I don’t know if that makes me indifferent, or something else?

Anyway, I am enjoying this Maté quite a bit.  It has a pleasant, rustic taste to it.  While it does possess the earthy, vegetative taste that I typically get from Yerba Maté, I am not finding this particular Maté to be overwhelmingly earthy or vegetative. It is a robust cup, but it doesn’t have any bitter taste to it (the key is to pull the kettle just before it reaches a full boil, use “almost boiling” water rather than boiling).

Another thing that I really like about Maté is that it is an amazing stimulant.  It is more stimulating than most teas, but it doesn’t affect me with the ill side effects that I get from coffee.  I get the alertness I would normally get from a cup of coffee, but without the nervous jitters or the sick feeling afterward.  In a sense, it is the best of both worlds in one teacup!

liberteas

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see. Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog! Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!

This post was posted in Yerba Maté

Roasted Yerba Maté from Jennifer’s Tea Garden

by liberteas

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Yerba Maté

Where to Buy:  Jennifer’s Tea Garden

Product Description:

Roasting gives this Yerba Mate a toasty-nutty, full bodied flavor to energize your day without the unpleasant side effects coffee can bring. This legendary South American beverage has been known and enjoyed for centuries for its many health benefits and is sure to become a modern favorite.

Taster’s Review:

I still recall the first couple of times that I tried Yerba Maté.  It wasn’t pleasant.  Since that time, however, I have had quite a few delicious Yerba Maté experiences and it has changed my opinion of Yerba Maté significantly.  I not only tolerate it, but I actually enjoy Yerba Maté now!

And this Roasted Yerba Maté from Jennifer’s Tea Garden is delicious.  It has a beautiful toasted flavor that gives it an almost caramel-y undertone of sweetness.  It is rich and earthy, with a hint of vegetative taste.  I find that the roasted Yerba Maté tends to be a little less vegetal than a green Yerba Maté will be.  Instead the roasting process gives it a sweeter tone – and that is true of this Roasted Yerba Maté.  And while some Yerba Maté can come off as a little bitter, I am really not getting any bitterness from this cup.

What I am getting is a very vibrant beverage that is re-energizing me with every sip!  This is one tisane that you don’t want to drink too late in the day because it might just keep you awake at night.  This stuff is powerfully caffeinated!

I recommend brewing Yerba Mate at a temperature just below the boiling point.  I used to recommend brewing it in boiling water, but have since found that a slightly lower temperature seems to curb some of those bitter notes I mentioned previously.  Perhaps that is why I am not experiencing bitterness with this tisane.  I also like my Yerba Maté with a little honey as it helps to accentuate the naturally occurring sweetness of the Maté.

When brewed properly, this Roasted Yerba Maté makes for a delicious, invigorating cup!  Enjoy!

liberteas

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see. Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog! Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!

This post was posted in Yerba Maté