Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Tea Information:
Of all the mint chocolate teas we’ve tasted, this one is at the top. This is a dessert tea for pure tea lovers. The mint is gentle and the chocolate is natural. Think rich dark chocolate rather than sweet milk chocolate. Simply delicious.
This tea is available from Amoda Tea.
It’s also part of Amoda Tea’s Holiday Box!
Learn more about subscribing to Amoda Tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’m trying the second tea from the Holiday Box that Amoda sent me. It took a lot of willpower to save this tea for second instead of trying it immediately, but because I didn’t get the mail until after my ‘black tea’ time in the day, I decided to hold off and try this when it would be more suitable for me to drink a black tea.
I have found that when I drink black teas late at night, I end up lying in bed awake and unable to drift off. I can drink some other teas without experiencing this so I’ve come to realize that it’s the caffeine level of the black tea that keeps me more alert at night and unable to get drowsy. So, I find that I need to stop drinking black teas about four or five hours before I plan to head to bed.
But this is one of the teas in the Holiday Box that I was especially eager to try! Chocolate! Yes please!
And when it comes to chocolate teas, I find it difficult to wait until the tea cools. I have to have just a sip of what’s to come! So I took a small sip and even though it was too hot to keep on drinking, I could definitely taste chocolate and mint. Mmm!
This is very crisp and minty. A bit more minty than it is chocolate-y, in my opinion. But there is a nice amount of chocolate to this tea. If I were to adjust anything about the tea, it would be to lighten up on the peppermint just a tad and add more chocolate.
But what I’m enjoying most about this is that the black tea base is solid. It’s a strong background of flavor. It’s well-rounded and the flavor of the tea complements the flavors of mint and chocolate nicely. The chocolate is rich and tastes of dark chocolate to me. It’s smooth and has a deep, deliciously chocolate flavor.
The three components all work very well together and it’s a well crafted cup of tea. It’s strong – robust enough for early morning if you need a flavorful boost. But it’s also flavorful enough that it tastes like dessert. So it’d be like having dessert first thing in the morning and as far as I’m concerned, that would make everything right with the world so early in the day!
Awakening Tea from The Algonquin Tea Co.
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal/Functional Tisane
Where to Buy: Algonquin Tea Co.
Tea Description:
Blends nutritious and supportive herbs with stimulating herbs, producing a balanced, uplifting tea that energizes without the side-effects of caffeine.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about subscribing to Postal Teas here.
Taster’s Review:
This is tasty … for an herbal tea. And that last part is the problem. I’m not big on herbal teas. I never have been. I’d rather drink Camellia Sinensis. And unfortunately with the Postal Teas 9th edition box – all three selections were herbal teas. Herbal teas from Algonquin.
Now, granted, all of these Algonquin herbal teas were unique and quite different from anything that I’ve ever tried. And that’s both a blessing and a curse because while there may be an ingredient or two that I recognize in this blend, for the most part, I’m drinking herbs that I’m not really familiar with so it makes it difficult to recognize and reconcile what I’m tasting.
But I still tried it because that’s what I do. I taste teas and then I write about what I’m tasting.
In this blend, the most easily identifiable ingredient and flavor is the mint. It’s crisp and adds a nice, refreshing element to the cup. There’s ginseng – not a favorite herb of mine. I can taste the earthiness of the ginseng. Nettle is in this too and I’m glad to report that while I get hints of the bitterness that goes with Nettle, it’s not a strong or dominant flavor.
Then there are some other ingredients that I’m less familiar with, like alfalfa (oh, sure, I know what it is, I just don’t recall having it in a tea any time recently), astragalus, angelica, joe-pye and calamus. It also has labrador, which I’m pretty sure I’ve had before, but again, it’s not something I’m familiar enough with to taste it and say, ‘yep, that’s labrador’ with complete confidence.
The combination of these ingredients is supposed to be a stimulating and energizing tea without caffeine. OK, but, I kind of like my caffeine. The only time that I’m not up for some caffeine (tea caffeine, that is, not coffee!) is when I’m getting close to bedtime. So, I can’t say that I really want an herbal, caffeine-free stimulant. I like my stimulants caffeinated, thank you.
Overall, it doesn’t taste bad. It tastes minty with an herbaceous and earthy background. Mint is the top note. It’s tasty. If you’re looking for a caffeine-free stimulant, you should try it. If I were looking for a caffeine-free stimulant, I might first consider that I’m trapped in a bad dream. But if after determining that I’m not in a bad dream and I’m not having some kind of mental breakdown and I still – for some unfathomable reason – want a caffeine-free stimulant, this is something I’d consider.
I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed to learn that the 9th edition box from Postal Teas was all herbal selections. While I did enjoy these herbal teas for the most part, herbal selections just don’t excite this tea drinker all that much.
That said, these teas from Algonquin were alright and I drank them and didn’t hate them. There were definite “pros” to them. For example of the three herbals that I tried, there were no hibiscus in any of them! Nope, not even a little bit of hibiscus. Big bonus points to Algonquin for crafting herbal blends without that horrible hibiscus stuff. And I also appreciate that they’re unique. There are ingredients that I’ve not been exposed to, and like I said, that’s both a blessing and a curse. I would like to be able to taste something and say “oh yeah, that’s the __.” But, I can’t really reconcile some of the flavor notes because there are ingredients that I’m not so familiar with.
But the benefit is that it’s something different. This doesn’t taste like the average herbal blend from ABC company, you know? So like I said, blessing and a curse.
Overall, I’d say that while my experience with this 10th edition of the Postal Teas subscription was not the most exciting and thrilling of boxes that I’ve received over the past 30 days or so, I didn’t dislike the teas that I drank from the box. And that’s a “pro” too.
24 Days of Tea Holiday Countdown – Day 23 from Teanzo 1856
It’s day 23 … are you finished with your shopping yet? (Please don’t ask.)
For today’s artistic inspiration, I am featuring this rustic heart ornament from Gwynn Thoma. I’m not entirely sure, but it looks as though the panels were felted and then stuffed and hand sewn together. It’s really lovely and I love the way it looks on my tree. Since about 95% of the ornaments on my tree are all handmade, I love the way this ornament really seems to define that idea. It looks simple and rustic, but I love the charm that it brings to my tree.
Mint Detox Tulsi Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Tulsi
Where to Buy: Teanzo 1856
Tea Description:
With rosehips and mint, this loose leaf detox tea supports hydration and detoxification. You can sip this detox tea hot or gulp it down as an iced tea guilt-free since it has virtually no calories! Makes a fantastic and unique gift. This is a herbal tea that you can take with you in your water bottle and sip all day long to stay refreshed.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
There have been quite a few caffeine free tisanes in this Advent Calendar box from Teanzo. Some have been hits and others misses. Fortunately, this one is a hit!
I really like the combination of spearmint and tulsi. The warmth of the tulsi and the cool, crisp notes of the spearmint offers a nice contrast. The spearmint is refreshing without tasting toothpaste-y as the spicier notes of the tulsi help to reduce the impact of the mint.
Also nice is the light, lemony note from the lemon myrtle. It’s a really uplifting flavor that brightens the whole cup.
It’s a pleasant combination of flavors that I found very enjoyable. I don’t know if it works as a “detox” or not, but, I will say that this is one of the tastier “detox” teas I’ve tried. It’s thirst-quenching and tastes good served hot or cold and it has a nice, natural sweetness to it that requires no additional sweetener. Another bonus for the detox!
24 Days of Tea Holiday Countdown – Day 21 from Teanzo 1856
We’re getting there! This 24 days has gone by so quickly – it’s already day 21! Can you believe it? This year is almost gone – a new one about to begin!
For today’s artistic inspiration, I sorted through some of my old photos online and I came across some altered dominoes that I created. I altered a bunch of dominoes (the back of the domino is a really neat surface to use as a canvas for artwork) and I turned them into little ornaments and sold them one year at the Christmas Bazaar in Ridgefield, WA. That was more years than I care to count at this point! Wow! I can’t believe how long ago that was.
Anyway, here is one of the dominoes that I altered. I drilled a hole in the domino to be able to add a jump ring and a loop to the domino, then I added the star and swirl design, painted it, and then I added some rhinestones to the piece for some extra sparkle. Then I protected the surface with a resin that adds a glass-like surface to it. The final piece was bright, sparkly and shiny – just the kind of thing you want for your holiday tree!
I sold a bunch of these things – back then, I was also selling tea and that was my primary purpose at the bazaar, I wanted to sell my teas but I decided that since I was paying for the booth, that I’d take full advantage of it and sell some other stuff too. I did pretty well, I managed to sell enough to pay for the cost of the booth plus buy a few holiday gifts for some of the more expensive people on my list. It was a day well spent.
Tranquil Spa Blend
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos (Green)
Where to Buy: Teanzo 1856
Tea Description:
Tranquil Spa Blend is a relaxing ginger mint orange herbal blend. Rejuvenation at its tastiest. We wanted to take you away to a spa with our teas, so we put together a brand new Spa Trio: Dream Spa Blend, Tranquil Spa Blend, and Bliss Spa Blend. Each of these is caffeine free and blended to perfection to give you a spa feeling and taste. Each of our spa blends comes in a green latch tin with 2 oz of tea. You can also purchase them as a Spa Trio. Add a little spa to your day!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Having already tried the Dream Spa Blend and the Bliss Spa Blend from the “Spa Trio” and really enjoying them, I was hopeful that I’d have a similar experience with this Tranquil Spa Blend. Then I read the ingredients and saw that eucalyptus was in the blend and I’m hopeful that the eucalyptus wouldn’t ruin this blend for me. Let’s keep our fingers crossed and go into it with an open mind!
To steep this tisane, I used my Kati tumbler. 12 ounces of water heated to 195°F, I poured the contents of the sampler pouch into the basket of the tumbler and then added the water. I steeped this for 6 minutes. Usually I would steep a tisane for a little longer but I was a little cautious this time with the eucalyptus.
Now it’s time for a sip!
OK, this isn’t bad! It’s actually quite tasty. Yes, I taste the eucalyptus, but, I am getting stronger notes of orange and ginger and the eucalyptus seems to enhance the ginger notes a little bit here. Rather than causing the whole cup to turn to a bitter, medicinal mess, it is actually enhancing the blend. That certainly is an unexpected turn of events!
The eucalyptus seems to soften the ginger a little bit. Ginger usually has a lot of peppery bite to it, but the eucalyptus has soften the blow of the ginger bite here. It’s still warm and ginger-y pleasant, but the ginger has a smoother flavor now.
I don’t taste a lot from the mint, but there is a background minty taste. I like the way that peeks through. The green rooibos is the perfect base because it adds a light, fruity sweetness to the cup.
Everything is balanced here. The orange is bright and juicy. The ginger is warm without being too spicy. The eucalyptus isn’t overpowering (yay!) and the mint is a soft, subtle flavor. It’s soothing without tasting medicinal. It all works with the ‘tranquil’ vibe that the name of this tea suggests.
A SURPRISINGLY good tisane. I was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I am.
Mint-Chilla Chai-Nilla Tea from The Spice and Tea Exchange
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh
Where to Buy: The Spice and Tea Exchange
Tea Description:
A pu-erh chai tea with creamy vanilla, bright peppermint, and a touch of cinnamon. A rich smooth tea that adds a refreshing minty twist to the traditional chai tea flavors. Contains: organic green pu-erh tea, organic peppermint, organic cinnamon, organic vanilla bean, organic licorice root.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is an enjoyable pu-erh blend but I don’t know if I’d call it a “chai.” The only ingredient in this blend that is common in a masala chai blend is cinnamon. There is no ginger, no clove, no cardamom … none of the other “usual” ingredients in this “chai.”
Oh, sure, there’s licorice root and I’m enjoying the sassy flavor that it adds to the cup, but licorice root is not a common ingredient in a chai blend.
But whether or not I’d consider it a chai, it is a tasty blend.
To brew it, I used my Kati tumbler and heated the water to 190°F. I added a heaping bamboo scoop of loose leaf tea to the basket of the tumbler and then I added 12 ounces of heated water. I waited for 15 seconds and then drained off the liquid, discarding it (the rinse). Then I filled the tumbler again with another 12 ounces of heated water and steeped it for 3 minutes.
The pu-erh base is earthy and smooth. No bitterness or astringency to speak of. Just smooth, mellow flavor. The earthiness is complemented by the cinnamon and licorice root. The peppermint adds a burst of fresh flavor while the vanilla adds a hint of creaminess. (No need for dairy to make this a latte! It’s a little bit like a latte without the addition.)
An enjoyable tea that tastes just like the holidays! A great tea for this time of year!