Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Mighty Leaf
Tisane Description:
Our Ginger Twist herbal tea is a harmonious mix of lemongrass, tropical fruits, and mint fueled with a touch of ginger and ginseng. A lush and magical herb and fruited infusion, Ginger Twist herbal tea helps promote calm, focus and good health.
Learn more about this tisane here.
I received a sample of this tea in my November Love with Food Box.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve tried a few teas from Mighty Leaf, but I can’t recall ever trying this Ginger Twist Herbal Tisane from this company, so I was happy to receive a sampling of it in my November Love with Food Box. I would have been happier if it was actually tea and not a tisane, of course. However, this is pretty good, even if it is a tisane.
Right off the bat, I can think of one thing that earns this tisane bonus points and that is: NO hibiscus! Yay! It does have ginseng, and ginseng isn’t a favorite herb of mine, but I’d prefer ginseng over hibiscus in most cases, so long as there are other ingredients to offset the rather earthy taste of the ginseng.
And this tisane is plentiful in the ingredients department: ginger, lemongrass, mint, and some tasty fruit notes. The lemongrass adds a light, citrus-y taste to the cup that is a little bit tangy but not overly tart. The mint offers a crisp, cool note to the cup, sort of like the cooling effect of opening a freezer door on a hot afternoon. Just that quick wisp of a cooling sensation.
The fruit has a tropical taste to it, although I find myself having trouble pinpointing exactly what I’m tasting. It has an almost papaya-ish and mango-ish type of flavor going on. It’s sweet and brings a compelling contrast to the peppery notes of the ginger, which adds a zesty zing to the cup, but the heat of the ginger is toned down a bit thanks to the sweetness of the fruit flavor, and the cooling note of the mint and the smooth, buttery notes of the lemongrass.
I can taste some of the ginseng in this too, and it adds a sort of herbaceous medicinal quality to the cup that I would rather not be there, but, overall, it isn’t the strongest flavor that I taste, so I am appreciative of that.
An enjoyable cup – this is a tisane I’d like to have on hand when I’m feeling under the weather because it would be ideal with a dollop of honey to help soothe sore throat and an upset tummy.
Wuyishan Black Tea from Steepster
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Steepster Select
Tea Description:
A rare and innovative black tea from Fujian, China. Sweet and smooth with notes of caramel and sour cherry. Unlike traditional black tea, our Wuyishan Black is made from oolong varietals. This unorthodox method imbues our Wuyishan with complex fruit aromatics and a deep flavor that reveals itself through multiple infusions.
Read other Steepster thoughts on this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Wuyishan Black Tea from Steepster is AWESOME! Of the five teas that were featured in December’s Steepster Select box, this one is definitely my favorite. I love the smoky tones to this, as well as the caramel-y undertone and the hints of fruit in the background.
I steeped this tea twice. The first infusion was rich and full-flavored. It tasted and felt smooth as it washed over the palate. A nicely round tea. The second infusion was also delightful. I found the second infusion to be less astringent, but the flavors of the tea were all intact. The second cup was more flavorful, smoother and even more delicious than the first – so it’s definitely worth the effort to resteep this tea!
I found that slurping this tea was important to aerate the tea before it hit the palate. While slurping may not sound really “polite” depending upon whose company you are keeping, it definitely improves a tea experience by allowing all the flavors in the drink to be enjoyed.
The sip begins with a smoky tone. I like the way the smoke comes through in this tea – it is smoky but not overly so. Then I notice notes of fruit that are both sweet and sour, and I like the way these notes contrast with the smokiness. The aforementioned caramel-y undertones are there from start to finish, but, I notice them less at the start and as the sip progresses, the caramel flavors develop.
A very rich and satisfying tea – this is a tea that I’d recommend to any tea connoisseur, or even a tea novice for that matter! This is a tea that everyone should try!
This tea was wonderful and made the first Steepster Select box worthwhile – and I enjoyed the other four teas too! But this one is the standout for me. It’s especially nice when served with a dark chocolate bar. (Then again, what isn’t better when served with chocolate?)
Have you signed up for Steepster Select yet? If not, you really should!
Nantou Four Seasons Oolong Tea from In Pursuit of Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: In Pursuit of Tea
Tea Description:
This tea is made from a cultivar that can be harvested year-round- Si Ji Chun, which means four seasons like spring. It’s grown in Ming Jian Township in mountainous Nantou County, Taiwan. The mature leaves are lightly oxidized and rolled into ball shapes; as they open through multiple infusions, a sweet flavor and lush, orchidlike aroma is released.
Read other Steepster thoughts on this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The aroma of the dry leaf of this Nantou Four Seasons Oolong Tea from In Pursuit of Tea is sweet with notes of flower and distant hints of vegetation.
I prepared this tea the same way I would approach most Oolong teas: in my gaiwan, using short steeps following a quick rinse (15 seconds). I combined the first two infusions for the first cup, and the third and fourth infusions were combined for the second cup, and so on. I managed to get eight delicious infusions this way (four cups). I probably could have gotten more, but, I was satisfied after my four cups of this tea. More than satisfied because this is a seriously delicious Oolong!
My first sip, I noticed a creaminess and a slight floral tone. Then I began to notice more complexity to the cup. The creaminess was somewhere between a buttery taste and texture and a sweet cream taste. Very smooth and very yummy. The floral tones are soft in this first cup. By mid-cup, I started to pick up on faint fruit-like notes. I also noticed some of the vegetal tones in the distant background. Toward the end of this cup, I picked up on a note that I can only think to describe as vanilla-esque! This, together with the sweet cream/buttery notes is quite delectable … decadent even!
Subsequent infusions began to “unlock” the floral tones just a bit more. The creaminess began to wane by the third cup, which was still creamy, but much less so than the first two cups. While I noticed some vegetative notes throughout the time I spent with this tea, they were always quite distant. For those who tend to shy away from the greener Oolong teas because they don’t care for the vegetal tones of these types of Oolong, I think this Nantou Four Seasons would be a good one for you to try.
In the third cup, I started to pick up on more of a nutty tone. The fruit-like notes never really came forward enough for me to be able to discern what kind of fruit I was tasting … it remained “fruit-like” but indistinct.
This is an excellent Four Seasons Oolong – one of the nicest that I’ve tried. And I don’t think I would have had this experience if it wasn’t for Steepster Select! It’s a great way to explore the world of tea. And if you’d like to try what December had to offer, I am currently selling my second sample packages of the December Steepster Select. You can check out the listing here.
Karigane #22 from Tea Wing
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Tea Wing
Tea Description:
A blend of stems and leaves which are shaded 20 days prior to harvest. This kabuse is naturally sweet and bright with a beautiful aroma. The shaded leaves are a deep green and the steeped liquor yield has an almost “chewy” mouthfeel. Lots of flavor.
Read other Steepster thoughts on this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Karigane #22 from Tea Wing represents the third of the five teas that I’m tasting from the inaugural Steepster Select box. (Well, it’s the first after a year plus hiatus, anyway!)
The aroma of the dry leaf is grassy, evocative of freshly cut grass. I noticed a lot of stems and finely cut leaves, looking as though both have been finely shredded, reminding me of a Japanese Sencha. The brewed tea smells very vegetative … and tastes vegetative too.
The flavor tastes of sweet grass and lightly buttered vegetables. It is a strong vegetal taste, so if you’re one who tends to shy away from green teas with that strong leafy taste, this tea might not be the one for you. Me, I like it. It has a very clean and pure kind of flavor, and it’s pleasantly invigorating.
As the tea cools slightly, I am picking up on some creamy notes, and I find that these creamy notes develop as I continue to sip. Maybe slightly buttery, but also … tasting of sweet cream.
The finish is agreeably sweet, and it’s a sweetness that reminds me of agave nectar! At first I thought that maybe, somehow … I had added some agave nectar to the cup, but, since there isn’t any agave nectar in the house at the moment, I don’t know how that would have happened.
A very enjoyable cup of tea with a thick, brothy mouthfeel that complements the vegetal, creamy taste of the tea. Another WIN from Steepster Select! If you haven’t yet signed up for it, why not? You should get yourself here and sign up as soon as possible! You’ll be happy you did!
Golden Yunnan Black Tea from In Pursuit of Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: In Pursuit of Tea
Tea Description:
This hand harvested black tea is meticulously crafted from a white tea varietal and pile fermented for 45 days. Truly a labor of love and one of the finest examples of hand-made tea available.
Read other Steepster thoughts on this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is the second tea from my Steepster Select tea that I decided to try: Golden Yunnan Black Tea from In Pursuit of Tea. I was very excited to see this company featured in this month’s box (with not just one but TWO teas!) because I can’t recall ever having tried teas from them. I love it when I’m introduced to new-to-me tea companies!
And this tea is fantastic. The dry leaf is gorgeous with curly leaves of chocolate brown that are tipped in gold. Beautiful! There isn’t a strong aroma to the dry leaf, but the brewed tea smells rich and sweet, with notes of earth, leather and tobacco.
The flavor is complex with earthy notes. I taste notes of tobacco, malt and honey. I find that the tobacco is particularly noticeable if I slurp to aerate the sip, and the drying sensation toward the tail of the sip seems to enhance the tobacco notes. There is an undertone of caramel and a hint of cacao to this cup as well.
A very masculine cuppa. Toward mid-cup, I start to pick up on notes of leather in the distance. There is an interesting balance between these savory notes of leather and tobacco and the sweetness of honey, malt, and cacao.
The second infusion is even better than the first! I don’t say that often about a black tea … in fact, I don’t often take a black tea for a second infusion because it isn’t often that I find one that holds up in the second infusion, but this tea definitely does.
The flavor of the second infusion is sweeter than the first, with the tobacco notes less prevalent. The earthy tones have softened here, making way for the delicious honeyed caramel notes and rich malty notes of this tea.
A remarkable Golden Yunnan! I did not find this tea on the In Pursuit of Tea website under Black Teas; however, it does appear that this tea may be available through this samples listing. This is a must try for Yunnan enthusiasts out there, and really, anyone who appreciates high quality tea!