Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Zoomdweebies
Tea Description:
Shamrock = Peppermint, spearmint and a HINT of vanilla Premium Organic green tea with organic flavors.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn about SBT’s subscriptions here.
Taster’s Review:
HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY!
I’ve had this Shamrock Iced Green Tea from Southern Boy Teas for a little while now, but I held off trying it until it was closer to St. Patrick’s Day for a couple of reasons: 1) when I originally planned to write a review of it, I saw it was out of stock and I thought I’d wait to see if they restock it, which they did; and 2) I thought it would be cool to wait until St. Patrick’s Day.
This is a chilled glass of YUM. The green tea is light and buttery. The minty notes are crisp. The vanilla is smooth and creamy. Together, the three components create a tea that tastes fresh and sweet and delicious.
To brew this, I heated 1 quart of water to 170°F and steeped the tea bag for 1 1/2 minutes. Then I heat a second quart of water and resteeped the tea bag for 2 minutes. I combined both of these quarts into my favorite 1/2 gallon iced tea pitcher and then I put the tea bag into a airtight container and put both in the fridge. (I can resteep the bag for another 1/2 gallon of tea later!)
This is a really refreshing iced tea. I really love the green teas that Southern Boy Teas is coming out with – and I’m looking forward to the Banana Peach one … I hope that will come out soon!!!
Mint Chamomile Rooibus Blend from Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos & Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Description:
Our Mint Chamomile tea will put a smile on your face regardless of the day you are having. Brew a cup of this floral, sweet and soothing tea and enjoy a wonderfully fresh finish of this beautiful cup of tea.
Chamomile Flowers, Roobius Tea, Peppermint Leaves, Natural Vanilla Flavor
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s Co-Op Membership here.
Taster’s Review:
What a happy day! I was so thrilled to find a box from Simple Loose Leaf in my mailbox today! So happy, in fact, that I decided to go against my “usual” approach when it comes to teas and I grabbed the tea I would normally ‘put off’ trying: this Mint Chamomile Rooibus Blend!
Tonight seems the perfect night for such a blend too. I’m up a little later than usual and I’m not really feeling all that sleepy yet. I’m hopeful that the chamomile in this tisane will help inspire a sense of calm and relaxation so that I can start thinking about catching some Zzz’s.
To brew this tisane, I grabbed my Kati tumbler and measured a heaping bamboo scoop into the basket. Then I poured 12 ounces of 195°F water into the tumbler and let it steep for 8 minutes.
I’ve come to realize that I’d really rather not steep chamomile blends in my Breville One Touch. The chamomile is a bit more ‘resistant’ to being removed from any infuser basket, and while I do scrub out my infuser basket in between every tea that I brew in my Breville One Touch, chamomile proves to be rather challenging to scrub out of the basket. I find it easier to clean the Kati Tumbler infuser basket than it is to clean the basket of the tea maker!
Even though I am often quick to say that I’m not crazy about chamomile or rooibos, I’m really enjoying this! I think it’s the combination of the peppermint and the vanilla flavor that I’m liking. The soft, creamy notes of the vanilla soften the crisper edges of the peppermint just enough so that the herb isn’t as invigorating as it often is. I’m not getting that exhilarating feeling after sipping this. The mint is cool and sweet and the vanilla adds a softness to it that is quite nice.
The rooibos adds a little bit of nutty flavor and a touch of honey-like (that honeyed flavor coming not just from the rooibos but also the chamomile) sweetness to the cup. I like that while the rooibos doesn’t present a strong flavor to this tea, what I can taste of the rooibos is a pleasant contribution to the overall cup. That is to say that it plays well with the other flavors!
Of the four ingredients of this tea, the chamomile is the one that I taste least. As I already mentioned, I do taste a light ‘honey-like’ flavor from it, but I’m not tasting much else from it. Maybe a hint of ‘chamomile apple taste’ every now and then, but it’s very obscure.
But I don’t mind that at all. I’m not big on chamomile, as I said, but I do like the flavors of mint and vanilla and since those are the two strongest flavors of this cup, I’m quite happy with what I’m tasting.
This is a soothing, comforting cuppa – relaxing? Yes. A really nice bedtime drink.
This tea came in this month’s Simple Loose Leaf’s Co-Op Membership box, along with four other teas. This program is great for someone who likes to taste before they commit to a large quantity of tea – the five tea packages were sample sized, just enough to have several cups of tea to decide if you like it enough to buy more and when you do buy more, you get a discount on full-sized purchases! This Co-Op program is a win-win!
Energy Ayurvedic Tea from TeaVeda
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: The Veda Company
Tea Description:
Mildly caffeinated with green tea, one of the nature’s antioxidant wonders. Boost your “Energy” with energizing, tasteful and exotic blends of lemongrass, mint and hibiscus.
Learn more about the teas from TeaVeda here.
Taster’s Review:
I know I’ve mentioned this before, but I really do like the concept of the Teaveda teas. I love the beautiful tins and the matching tea ware. I just kind of wish that the Veda Company paid as much attention to this blend in particular as they paid to the packaging and tea ware, because this tea is really quite average. 
While I’m enjoying this blend, I’m not really getting a sense of “Energy” from it. The flavors are very subtle and the overall cup is just sort of “ho-hum”.
The mint, which is normally a rather assertive herb, is quite subdued here. The lemongrass is bright and has a lemon-lime sort of flavor to it that I find enjoyable.
As for the hibiscus … well, it’s no secret that I’m not a big fan of hibiscus. I’m happy to say that the hibiscus is a gentle flavor here – I’m not getting an overly tart flavor from it nor am I getting the syrupy thickness from it. Then again, I did only steep the tea for 2 1/2 minutes so I didn’t expect to get a thick texture from the hibiscus.
I think that maybe the hibiscus helps to emphasize the lemon-y notes of the lemongrass just a bit, but other than that, I can’t say that there’s a really distinct hibiscus note here.
The green tea is pleasant. It’s smooth and buttery. It’s not bitter and it’s not astringent. (Bonus points for that!) Overall, this tea is alright. It’s not my favorite tea that I tried from Teaveda and I guess I just expected more from a tea that calls itself “Energy.”
Mint Marigold Spice Herbal Tea from M&K’s Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: M&K’s Tea Company on Etsy
Tea Description:
Sweet spices and a minty rooibos blend swirl together in this exclusive M&K’s creation! Peppermint and spearmint coat Asian star anise, providing a licorice taste complimenting the spicey, roasted ginger. This infusion is part of the M&K’s Original 20.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
My first reaction to my first sip of this tisane was: mmm! Now, granted, that’s my reaction to many teas that I taste for the first time and it’s usually my reaction when I indulge in a favorite tea. But, it’s not always a first reaction when I take a sip of a tisane. And it’s certainly not a frequent reaction when I take a sip of a rooibos tisane.
But M&K’s created a winner when they crafted this rooibos blend. It’s warm and cozy but also cool and invigorating! It’s a lovely medley of contradiction.
The first flavor I notice when I take a sip is cinnamon. Almost immediately after picking up on the cinnamon notes, I taste the crisp, refreshing taste of peppermint and spearmint.
Mid-sip, I notice the zesty licorice flavor from the anise. It’s not an overwhelming flavor and I suspect that even those who are not typically fond of blends with star anise would enjoy this tisane. It is more of a warm snap of licorice with a hint of sweetness from the anise without the strong spicy snap of it.
I also notice a warm, peppery ‘glow’ from the ginger.
What I don’t notice is a strong, obvious flavor of rooibos and I’m sure that those who are familiar with my likes and dislikes know that I’m quite alright with the lack of rooibos flavor. I like that I’m tasting the gentle honey sweetness of the rooibos and a hint of nutty flavor without a really strong rooibos taste.
I like the way these flavors – peppermint, spearmint, anise, ginger and cinnamon – come together in this blend. Any one of them can be a very aggressive flavor but rather than one flavor overpowering the others, they are working together in a synergistic way to create a very harmonious taste that’s both spicy and sweet, warming and cooling.
I like this one!
Moroccan Mint Green Tea from M&K’s Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: M&K’s Tea Company on Etsy
Tea Description:
A popular tea prepared in the North Africa region, Moroccan Mint is prepared with fresh spearmint leaves and Chinese gunpowder green tea, which is tightly rolled into small pellets. Lemon Verbena is also used to give it a little taste of lemon flavor. We recommend this tea sweetened.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I received this Moroccan Mint Green Tea as part of my Wintertime Sampler Pack that I ordered from M&K’s. This isn’t a special “seasonal” tea but it is one of the most unique Moroccan Mint teas that I’ve ever tasted!
What makes this one so special? Well, like some of the best Moroccan Mint teas I’ve tried, the tea base for this is a Chinese Gunpowder Green. To give it the “Mint” – M&K’s chose not just one minty herb, but two: spearmint and peppermint. But then they added Lemon Verbena to give it just a hint of citrus. That bright, sunny note of lemon gives this crisp, minty drink just the burst of flavor it needs to make it just a little different.
The citrus-y tone isn’t a loud flavor. It doesn’t overwhelm the flavors that make a Moroccan Mint tea what it should be. It just adds a little extra to the cup. I like that!
The Gunpowder green is a smooth green tea with hints of earth. It’s not overly vegetal. I think I mentioned in a previous review that I like the combination of gunpowder green teas with mint – that in my mind, this is the making of a true “Moroccan Mint” tea. Other Moroccan Mint teas that use other teas as a base just seem to miss the mark for me. It’s a little earthy but not too grassy or vegetative. It has a light smoky tone in the background. I find these flavors to be a nice contrast to the cool, crisp notes of the mint without it tasting too “herbaceous.”
I also enjoy the combination of spearmint and peppermint in this blend. I usually prefer peppermint because it’s a bit more zesty than spearmint, but I like the way these two work together to provide a minty taste to this cup without it tasting too minty. I’m not drinking mouthwash, I’m drinking tea. And this tastes like tea with a fresh, cool minty taste. Perfect.
This is one of the best Moroccan Mint teas I’ve tasted – and in my years as a tea reviewer, I’ve tasted quite a few!