Of course since it is summertime anything that sounds summery I am willing to try! Tropical Sunrise is about as summery as it gets. It’s a green tea with goji berries, coconut, and mango! The dry leaf smells very citrusy and I think this would taste best iced, but instead of truly icing it I just let it cool at room temperature for a little while. Once it cooled I gave it a try and it is very refreshing!
Whenever I see mango or goji berries or citrus in a tea’s description I wonder if it is going to be too tart or citrusy. This tea may have smelled citrusy, but it actually was well balanced between all of the ingredients. The green tea adds a fresh, cool, and vegetal flair. The mango, citrus, and goji berries do stick out but not overly so.
The creamy coconut gives it even more of a sweet and summery feel and definitely creates a great blend that I approve of, even though it includes ingredients that I don’t normally gravitate towards. I enjoyed this and feel like it would be a delicious and refreshing iced tea this summer.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
A creamy coconut tea with hints of mango and citrus accented with goji berries.
Excellent iced or cold brewed
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Mountain Bliss from Balcony Teas. . . .
Sometimes flavored green teas and I don’t get along. I don’t know if a sharper base is usually used or if my stomach – and tastebuds – sometimes object to the flavorings themselves. I looked up the ingredients on this one to see if I needed to brace myself before sipping, but I am hopeful since this isn’t technically a flavored tea but rather a blend of lots of ingredients.
And this tea is a blend of wonderful things that I need! The base is Chinese green, and the herb sideritis from which Greek Mountain tea or shepherd’s tea is made is in there as well. This herb has long been used as a folk remedy for soothing stomach ailments as well as for treating colds. Thyme and juniper berry are savory smooth ingredients, and olive leaves are also in the mix, giving a richer body to the tea, all also touted for health benefits. There are also apple pieces and calendula petals.
The tea itself is warm and embracing as I sip. I can taste the thyme, not strong but easy to pick up since I usually put French thyme in my omelette. (Today I used oregano instead.) Perhaps it is the juniper berry adding the warm hug. It could be the sideritis, but I have never tasted it on its own so I don’t know exactly what it contributes to the flavor profile. I have no worries about post-breakfast heartburn today.
Bottom line – this is a warm and savory cuppa that did very well as a breakfast tea, holding its own when served with an oniony omelette, and did NOT eat up my poor gastritis prone tummy! Hooray!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: Balcony Tea
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.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Checking out Genmaicha from New Mexico Tea Company. . . . .
I have had very little genmaicha. The first I tried was a sample that came with an order, and since I didn’t know anything about genmaicha, I thought I had done something terribly wrong and burned it!
The second was a flavored genmaicha, and it was great. But, it had lots of added flavors.
So this is only my third genmaicha, and it is my first time tasting unflavored genmaicha while knowing exactly what it is! This is Japanese bancha, usually harvested in June after the Sencha has been harvested around May. There may be little bits of twig in the mix to sweeten the tea. And the critical addition is rice – brown pellets of heavily toasted rice, tiny but numerous.
The smell of the steeped tea made say, “Whoa now! Back that up!” My daughter looked at me in trepidation before sipping hers. We both sipped, and….
Aaaaaaah. This is pretty good! Way different than what we usually drink. Hearty. Roasty. No sour taste, no grassiness, no astringency. In its own roasty toasty way it reminded me of Lapsang, a tea dear to our hearts.
I can see this becoming a tea that one craves, that one associates with certain foods or places. If you grew up drinking it, I think it would be the Japanese tea equivalent of comfort food. I will never face a cup of genmaicha with trepidation again. I may even start craving it!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: New Mexico Tea Company
Description
Made with a little bit of luxury, ObubuÕs Genmaicha (玄米茶) or Brown Rice Tea is made with sweet mochi rice (also grown in Wazuka) combined with Yanagi Bancha.
The strong, sweet flavor of the roasted rice fills the air as the tea steeps and mixes with the sweetness and bitterness of the sencha to produce a delicious tea.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Coconut Green Tea Anyone? #PacificTea
Whenever Pacific Tea Company is located, I can with pretty good authority say it’s probably not close to me, you guys. This blend (dubbed “Local Hideaway”), had it been a hideaway local to ME– would probably taste like a snow-covered forest floor. Or a tundra-infused Great Lake. Needless to say, all of the hideaways local to my current home are not exactly flavors you’d want steeping in your cup.
But luckily, wherever is local to Pacific Tea tastes far, far better than here. This green blend is strong on the vegetal green notes at the front of the sip, with delightfully fresh coconut-and-vanilla lingering at the end. I’m still coming around on grassy green teas, so at first sip, I wasn’t too sure if this would be the brew for me.
But it’s absolutely redeemed and made all the more interesting by those sweetly lingering tropical notes at the end of each sip.
Pacific Tea, wherever you are, I’m comin’ for ya. If this is what your local hideaways taste like, I want to go to there.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: Pacific Tea
Description
Take me back to the summer of enveloping coconut trees on roads less travelled. Lingering notes of coconut, carob, liquorice and vanilla remind of days better spent.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Enjoying my weekend with Gokuzyo from Japanese Green Tea In
This weekend has been a bit hectic with the new addition of our newest furbaby.
Now-mind you we have 4 kids between my husband and myself ranging in ages from our twin 15 year olds to our 7 year old. Needless to say, we have a busy house. So when it was time for me to have a quiet cuppa before anybody else had risen for the day’s festivities, I grabbed this delight. Gokuzyo from Japanese Green Tea In.
I will be 100% honest here and say that I haven’t had a straight green tea in some time. It seems lately my tastebuds have been craving flavored teas. So this particular offering was a very welcomed change of pace.
As soon as I opened up the package, I was ecstatic. There was a definite vegetal vibe and I anxiously prepped up my water. Per the site’s recommendations, I used 2 tsp and water at 175F. Allowed the tea to steep for about 2 minutes and cool for an additional minute.
I was happily greeted with this amazing rich sweet flavor that had a slight vegetal aftertaste. Through each sip, I was greeted with this almost candy green tea flavor that I devoured greedily. This tea is described as having an elegant sweetness and I couldn’t agree more. I happily sipped on this tea for the afternoon while working on a few projects here and there. I was able to get several infusions out of the serving. Just fresh, delicious, sweet with a hint of that subtle vegetal taste that I’ve grown to love.
This tea would be amazing iced and I’m looking forward to those dog days of summer where a shared pitcher of iced tea with friends and family is exactly what is called for. This would be one of those teas that I can see a broad audience really enjoying.
I can also see this tea as being a great starter green tea for anybody that would like to dip their toe into more straight teas. Japanese Green Tea In even gives a great summary of this tea and its background. I’m quite happy with the first offering from this company and I’ll be checking out their other offering soon.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Japanese Green Tea In
Description
Gokyuzyo translates literally to “The Highest Grade” in Japanese. Among all the green tea harvested, Gokuzyo is the section of the best tea leaves based on taste, water level, aroma and the quality of the leaf itself. Trained masters (called chya-shi in Japanese) pick the best tea leaves by hand, one leaf at a time. Please enjoy the best of what we offer.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
