Tea Description:
Leaf Type: Coffee Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
Coffee leaf tea has more antioxidants than green tea and has very little caffeine. It has a smooth flavour without bitterness or dry aftertaste like regular teas.
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Taster’s Review:
I was both intrigued and nervous about this product. I have mentioned more than once the issues that I’ve experienced with coffee. I used to drink a cup of coffee every morning and by 11 am, I was feeling quite nauseous. So, I worried that since this product comes from the same plant as the beans that caused that late morning yucky sick feeling, I was a little concerned as this tea brewed that what I was steeping was a cup of nausea.
But I decided to be brave and try it. And keep my fingers crossed that I wouldn’t be feeling horrid a few hours later.
The sample that I was sent from Wize Monkey came in a DIY loose leaf teabag so I decided to go ahead and steep it using the teabag. I put the teabag into a teacup and heated freshly filtered water to 195°F which is my “go-to” temperature for “herbal” teas and since this is not technically a tea leaf, I thought, eh … I’ll see what happens at 195°F. I steeped leaves for 4 minutes.
The aroma is … different. I’m trying to come up with a comparable scent so you can get an idea of what I’m smelling. It smells earthy, similar to the earthiness you’d detect if you had brewed a cup of guayusa or yerba mate. It smells kind of grassy. Like a mossy, damp earth with notes of dried hay.
The flavor is a little reminiscent of guayusa, only a little more herbaceous. Guayusa tastes a little more like coffee to me only not as bitter as a cup of joe. This on the other hand does have some a touch of bitterness to it, at least in the earliest sips. I find that as I continue to sip, the bitter tone sort of dissipates, and I find that I enjoy it the more I drink it.
It has a definite herb-y sort of flavor that reminds me a bit of bay leaf. There is a light honey note to it too, and I like that this honey note develops as I continue to sip. Again … the more I drink this, the more I like it.
This product as been compared to black tea in flavor, but, I am not getting that. It has a similar texture as a black tea but not so much the flavor. I find that there is a certain invigorating quality to it even though the caffeine content is supposed to be about the same as decaffeinated coffee.
It’s a tasty ‘tea’. Different from anything that I’ve tasted, but it is vaguely reminiscent of guayusa. I enjoyed my sample of this coffee leaf tea and I’d definitely be interested in some blends using coffee leaf. Right off the top of my head, I think that this would taste good with cacao shells (a chocolate-y experience!) or with peppermint. Or perhaps a combination of both. And with the honey-like flavors, I think it would also taste awesome as the base of a masala spice blend – coffee leaf chai!
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