Mountain Bliss Green Tea from Balcony Tea is our featured tea of the moment and also a Vegan MoFo tie-in for the day! Today’s Vegan MoFo Daily Prompt is “How To Make Friends” and/or “What’s Your Go-To Meal”. I would say that Mountain Bliss Green Tea from Balcony Tea is one of those go-to teas to share with friends! Here at SororiTea Sisters we have tea friends from all over the world and celebrate each country and region for their teas, ingredients, culture, and/or LOVE for tea and tisanes!
What’s REALLY interesting with Mountain Bliss Green Tea from Balcony Tea are the ingredients it contains. Not only does this have a green tea base Balcony has blended it with Greek Mountain Tea – as well as – Juniper Berries, Wild Thyme, Apple Pieces, Olive Leaves, and Calendula Petals. Therefore, this tea is – your guessed it – VEGAN.
I really LOVE that Mountain Bliss Green Tea from Balcony Tea is a Mediterranean Inspired Teas and those are the teas that Balcony specializes in! All of the ingredients are extremely fresh and flavorful! The Chinese Green Tea is delicate and light. It’s NOT heavily floral or vegetal but still has a nice flavor. The Greek Mountain Tea is gently herbal. The Juniper Berry gives it a slight pine aroma and flavor. The Thyme contributes to the wildness and herbal notes for sure. The apple pieces and flavor kick it up a notch but don’t make it overly fruity…it’s ‘just enough’. The olive leaves and Calendula petals are more visual that anything but overall makes this a remarkable cuppa!
Mountain Bliss Green Tea from Balcony Tea offers wonderful notes of herbal, vegetal, fruit, sweet, and pine. The ingredient and flavor ratio works out perfectly. It all meshes well and not one ingredient over-powers the others. A lot of thought and love went into this cup and I think it would WOW friends and family. It would be a great tea to share with old (and new) friends, too!
Oh! I should also mention that Mountain Bliss Green Tea from Balcony Tea was noted “Great Taste 2015” by the World Tea Expo!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Balcony Teas
Description
This blend is inspired by flavours and aromas that bring back childhood memories of walks through Mediterranean valleys. An invigorating blend of green tea, sweet apple and mountain herbs.
Ingredients:
Chinese Green tea – Delicate and light. Greek Mountain Tea– The best-kept Mediterranean secret. Juniper Berries – For a light pine aroma. Wild Thyme – Our thyme is wild-harvested in the Mediterranean to ensure its intense aroma and taste. Apple Pieces & Flavour – Fruity goodness. Olive Leaves – A Mediterranean treasure used in traditional Mediterranean medicine. Calendula petals – A beautiful splash of sunshine yellow.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
A Field in Innsbruck Black from August Uncommon
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: August Uncommon
Tea Description:
As the Austrian Alps warm they offer a multitude of aromas and colors. The woods come alive with light flickering through branches, beaming in unexpected clearings redolent of grasses, herbs and wildflowers in full bloom. The bright spruce aroma overhead and earthy fir needles melding with the soil underfoot. Brushing your hands against the sticky juniper bushes, gathering fragrant herbs and ripe blackcurrant berries warmed by the sun. Capture the fleeting majesty of the aromatic journey.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
It’s been a while since I’ve written a review here on SororiTea Sisters but that certainly doesn’t mean I’ve stopped drinking wonderful, strange and unique teas such as this tea from August Uncommon!
This is such an interesting tea; any time you encounter a ‘savory’ tea with different kinds of unconventionally used herbs and spices, such as the rosemary and thyme in this blend, you know you’re going to be getting an outside of the box tea drinking experience. The dry leaf of this tea certainly has a very pungent aroma of thyme which is quite enticing. There’s also a slight earthiness which adds depth right off the bat, even before pouring any water!
The aroma of the brewed tea is surprisingly smooth with both a familiar, comforting aroma and air of exoticism. However, I just feel like once you begin drinking the tea it fails to deliver the level of flavour that you’d expect from all the wonderful aromas that have been experienced at this point. Not that it tastes bad! It’s just that I feel like this blend doesn’t quite commit to being either sweet OR savory. I taste a distinct flavour of thyme with hints of rosemary but not in the potency I expected or wanted. The sweetness comes from a hint of jammy flavour provided by the juniper berries; I’m missing the distinct pine flavour of the junipers though and that’s a slight disappointment too because I think that flavour note would have really sold the title for me. The whole thing is supported though by a very smooth, earthy base though and I’m REALLY loving that element of the blend.
And of course, like I said, it truly isn’t a BAD blend. On the whole, I actually find it really delicious – I’m just having to mildly adjust my expectations while drinking it. I absolutely recommend trying it if you get the chance. And for people who haven’t had savory teas before I think this would be a really good way to branch into that type of flavoured blend.
