Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Chi of Tea
Product Description:
Assam black tea blended with mint, cardamom and ginger create this warm yet cooling spicey chai blend.
Taster’s Review:
I am very impressed with Chi of Tea. They have great tea at reasonable prices, very fast shipping, and they include a plethora of free samples with each order! What more could you ask for?
This is one of the free samples I received with a recent order. The dry leaf is a finer grind than what the picture might suggest – this is quite a finely ground tea. No matter, though, because I’ve come to realize just how important that grind is to a chai blend. It allows for maximum extraction of the flavors of the spices and tea, creating a very richly flavored brew.
The black tea base is quite strong, indeed. I recommend steeping somewhere between three and four minutes, any longer and you may end up with a cup that is bitter. I brewed mine for about three and a half minutes, and this was perfect for my taste buds. Robust and malty without bitterness.
The spices are not as strong as the black tea base, nor are they as spicy as in some other chai blends. But that is not a complaint, because, I like this chai for what it is. The spices offer a pleasant warmth and allow for enjoyment of a very delicious Assam blend. This chai puts the tea first, and I like that.
What surprised me most about this chai is the mint. It didn’t really present itself until about mid-cup. Notes of the mint were lingering somewhere in the distance before that point, but at about mid-cup, a crisp, refreshing mint taste started coming through. It was a nice surprise, indeed.
I really like this chai. It is deliciously different. I prefer this one latte – I love the creaminess of the milk and the way it melds with the minty flavor. What a delight!
Organic Sencha Mint from Eden Foods
Tea Type: Green Tea
Where To Purchase: Eden Foods
Product Description:
A unique green tea with two classic herbal favorites. Premium organic Sencha tea from the historic tea area of Uji, Japan expertly blended with organically grown Egyptian spearmint and peppermint. A delightfully delicious combo of mildly sweet, cool minty flavors and the delicate smoothness of green tea. Refreshing, relaxing yet uplifting with 41 percent less caffeine than brewed coffee. Take time for tea, and enjoy the health benefit from antioxidant catechins in green tea, and volatile oils of mint.
Organic Sencha Green Tea Leaves (Camellia sinensis), Organic Peppermint Leaves, Organic Spearmint Leaves
Tasters Review:
I’ve said it before and I will say it again and again…I LOVE MINTY TEAS!
I’m often on the go and can’t always enjoy a cup of loose leaf especially a good minty one at that. Organic Sencha Mint from Eden Goods is the way to go while on the go! It’s in a bag but the flavor is tremendous! The sencha tastes more like a cucumber type tasting green than a buttery or grassier green tea taste. The mint is great! I can taste the spearmint a bit more than the peppermint. It’s quite powerful and very refreshing!
As I am a mint freak – tho – I do like this tea!
Gunpowder Mint Tea from Jennifer’s Tea Garden
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Jennifer’s Tea Garden
Product Description:
Ingredients: Green Tea, White Tea, Mint, Jasmine, Natural Flavorings
Taster’s Review:
My oldest daughter has just recently started drinking tea. Before that time, she would avoid tea – and I think it was more about her trying to rebel against my passion for tea than her disliking it. One of her favorite teas is mint green tea, so I have been sharing this tea with her. Truth be told, she’s consumed most of this tea … this is my first cup!
The mint here is crisp and refreshing. Usually with mint teas like this one, the mint is the strongest note and it often overwhelms the cup. But that is not the case with this tea. While the mint is a strong flavor here, it is not the strongest flavor. The green tea edges the mint out, providing a pleasant vegetative taste with just a hint of smoke in the background.
Not surprisingly, the white tea is a delicate flavor with this blend, but I can taste the distinctively clean, fresh taste of white tea. The real surprise of this tea is the jasmine! I love the way the sweet, flowery taste of jasmine lingers in the background – every once in a while it peeks through.
This is a delicious twist on the classic mint green tea – and I think I might just like it better than that classic combination of mint and green tea. This is delightful!
Mint Chocolate Chip from Persimmon Tree Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Persimmon Tree Tea
Product Description:
This naturally caffeine-free infusion comprises organic rooibos, vanilla, rich chocolate and invigorating mint.
Taster’s Review:
As this one brewed, I could smell it from the adjoining room. That’s how fragrant this one is! And it smells YUMMY!
From the very first sip, the chocolate dominated the cup. And that makes me a very happy chocoholic. The mint maintains its strength throughout the sip as well, but I am glad that it is second to the creamy chocolate flavor. I like mint, but when it comes to tisanes, it can sometimes overwhelm the cup. That doesn’t happen here.
What is a little overpowered is the flavor of the rooibos, but I don’t have a problem there. Rooibos isn’t my favorite flavor … but chocolate is. This tisane is a win win!
The vanilla comes in very smoothly here providing more of a creamy accent to the flavors of chocolate and mint. That is to say that the vanilla isn’t a strong flavor on its own but it really enhances the main flavors of mint and chocolate.
I’ll be honest, before I tasted this tea, I thought I was in for just another run-of-the-mill chocolate mint rooibos tisane. I mean, don’t get me wrong: I love chocolate mint tisanes (that is to say, I don’t think I’ve tried one that I didn’t enjoy, although I could be wrong on that). But I’ve tried a LOT of them, and they all pretty much taste the same. But this one stands out! This one is EXCELLENT! This one is a must try for chocolate mint fans!
Peaceful Dreams Tea from Teas & Tapestries
Tea Type: Herbal Tisane
Where To Buy: Teas & Tapestries
Product Description:
(Organic Caffeine Free Herbal Tea) Chamomile makes a pleasant aromatic tea with a fruity flavor, enhanced by sugar or honey. It is often sipped for relief of health problems ranging from toothache to nervousness. Chamomile has also been noted as beneficial for soothing headaches and is a natural relaxing herb known to assist the restless and those suffering from insomnia. In many circles Chamomile is called nighty night tea or sleepy tea on account of its natural properties which promote restfulness and drowsiness. It is also known to assist digestive disorders by settling the stomach and calming the nerves. This tea blend has an added benefit of peppermint. Peppermint It has been reported and written that peppermint sweetens the breath and calms the digestive system, plus it helps heartburn, stomach ache and nausea. I also add ginger for its numerous health benefits! Scientists have found evidence to support gingers wide range of medicinal actions. These actions include the lowering of cholesterol levels, relief for allergies and asthma, arthritis, colds, and nausea; and protecting the digestive tract and liver against toxins and parasites…along with many other benefits.
This tea is not a commercial blend, but I personally hand mix it in small batches to ensure quality and uniformity of each and every custom tea tin.
Tasters Review:
“Peaceful” pretty much sums this up! This is very relaxing. There is a good deal of chamomile in here which I can taste fairly intensely. The peppermint helps that a little…as I am not overly fond of chamomile as a general rule of thumb. I wouldn’t mind more peppermint to be honest with you. There is a fruity hint to this too! That is pretty nice!
Taste-wise this is alright. It’s a bit more herb-ally and -medicine-E that I usually reach for but the mint and fruit notes help and I ended up enjoying the cup just fine.