Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Tea Is Chi
Tea Description:
Tropical Black is blended with coconut and peppermint.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Tropical Black Tea from Tea Is Chi didn’t last in my stash for very long! There are several reasons why and I hope to cover a few of them in this write up today!
When I think of Tropical or Island locations I think coconut and/or tropical fruit and a minty-fresh breeze. Very few Tropical flavored teas seem to add that minty-freshness so when I saw that Tropical Black Tea from Tea Is Chi not only added a strong black tea base with sweet and nutty dried coconut paired with refreshing peppermint I was overjoyed to try it! Once I tried this tea – it didn’t disappoint! It actually went above and beyond my expectations not only in aroma but also in flavor!
The black tea base was sturdy enough to stand up to the coconut and mint it was paired with – as well as satisfy my own personal black tea base level of flavor preference. The dried coconut was top-notch! It couldn’t have been more perfect to the eye, touch and feel, and taste! It was sweet yet nutty and contributed to the overall flavor. Then there was the cooling, fresh, minty-goodness of the peppermint! The peppermint flavor packed a punch and was very nicely done. Keeping all 3 ingredients in mind – I was completely satisfied and pleased with this flavored black tea to the highest level!
Tropical Black Tea from Tea Is Chi really took this Tropical Flavored Black to the next level just by adding that peppermint to it. I sure hope other companies don’t shy away from adding minty-goodness to their Tropical Themed Teas…after all…what is a tropical atmosphere without a nice fresh breeze, am I right?
Green Mint from Chi Whole Leaf
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Chi Whole Leaf
Tea Description:
A cleansing blend of Chinese Green Tea, Mint Leaves, Indian Eucalyptus and Milk Thistle Seed from Bulgaria.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Thanks again to Will at Chi Whole Leaf for the samples!
I’ve decided I’m going to review 3/5 here on the blog, though all five will be reviewed on my Steepster account. If you’re interested in learning about the 2/5 I’m not reviewing on this blog here they are: Ginger Chai & Chamomile. I had a few biases going into those tastings, which is why I’m leaving them out on this blog.
This was one of the samples I was pretty stoked about; I really like eucalyptus (if I could be reborn as an animal it’d probably be either a Sloth or a Koala) and the pairing of eucalyptus, mint, and green tea makes me think of a day of being pampered at a Spa or hot spring; cool, refreshing and very stress relieving.
Normally I think this is a blend I’d have opted to try cold, but since I’ve made the other three blends I’ve tried hot I did the same with this one just to have some consistency. I thought dry this smelled pretty minty, but as I was tasting it the green tea base was actually the strongest flavour with both the eucalyptus and the mint providing a refreshing, cooling aftertaste. It was very pleasant and did have a calming “Spa” sort of affect. However I personally didn’t feel totally satisfied with the flavour either; I liked the level of grassy, vegetal green tea notes but I really craved a stronger more “menthol” feeling mint notes, and a touch more eucalpytus. I think both were a little light handed for what they could have been.
That said; I enjoyed the blend and I did feel like my hope of a refreshing hot spring-esque tea was met. And again, I can’t stress enough how much I really like the convenience of these powdered teas; it’s a huge part of why I’m so drawn to matcha as well. But unlike the flavoured matchas I enjoy, these ones a more nuanced and layered instead of fairly monotone flavours!
If nothing else, I’m a big fan of the concept.
Pomegranate Mojito Green Tea from Zest Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Zest Tea
Tea Description:
At Zest, we start every morning with a Mojito. This aromatic blend of young hyson green tea, peppermint, lime, and pomegranate will bring back memories of lounging on a beach, or maybe whatever memories you have left of college. Either way, our Pomegranate Mojito Green Tea is an amazingly refreshing blend, great for any time of day.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about Zest High-Octane Tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I took the opportunity to taste this tea several times before I sat down and write a review about it, and I’m glad that I did. This is one blend that took a little “tweaking” on my part to find the right brewing temperature and time to get the most out of the tea.
Normally, I’ll brew a green tea from 175° – 180°F. I found that this tea works better with the lower temperature. I usually steep a green tea for 1 – 2 minutes, but I found that this tea required about 2 1/2 minutes to get the most out of the pomegranate, lime and peppermint flavors. I tried a 3 minute steep time too, and I wasn’t very happy with that result, so my recommendation for this tea is a temperature somewhere between 170° – 175°F and a steep time of 2 1/2 minutes.
And while it does seem like this is a lot of effort to put forth to find the “sweet spot” brewing parameters for a tea, it’s well worth the effort! This is a tasty green tea!
The peppermint is the prominent flavor of this cup, with notes of lime weaving their way in and out throughout the sip. The green tea notes are sweet and buttery. The pomegranate is a little more difficult for me to discern, but after a few sips, I started to notice hints of pomegranate arriving at the tail of the sip. The aftertaste is mostly pomegranate and lime with a crisp, clean minty note.
Of the three teas that I’ve reviewed thus far from Zest Tea, I think this one is my least favorite. I really enjoyed the Blue Lady and the Apple Cinnamon black teas, and I’m enjoying this one as well, but, there is something about this tea that is less appealing than the other two. A slight “chemical-y” off taste to it that I didn’t notice with the other two teas. It is a very slight taste though, and I still find the lime and mint notes to be quite delightful as well as the notes of pomegranate in the finish and aftertaste. It’s a tasty tea, it’s just not my favorite.
I also really like the energizing BOOST that I get from these Zest Teas!
Organic Love White Tea from Spicely Organics
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Spicely Organics
Tea Description:
This delightful blend, with its light floral essence and smooth minty finish, is perfect as an after meal pick-me-up or as a late night elixir to refresh the mind and enhance the mood. One pot can make the night sweet and reminiscent. Share it with someone you love. INGREDIENTS: Organic White Peony, Organic Rose Petals, Organic Lavender, Organic Peppermint
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about the Spicely Organics Monthly Tea Membership here.
Taster’s Review:
This Organic Love White Tea from Spicely Organics smells so amazing! I wouldn’t have thought that mint, rose, lavender and white tea would have made such an appealing aroma, but, it’s really quite lovely. White tea and mint … perhaps. Definitely rose, lavender and white tea. But, all four together? I wouldn’t have imagined it smelling so beautiful.
And it tastes quite beautiful too!
The peppermint is the strongest flavor of the four ingredients in this tea, but I’m happy to report that it isn’t an overpowering flavor. This doesn’t taste like mouthwash or even like a piece of peppermint chewing gum. It has a light, sweet peppermint-y note that mingles in a very pleasing way with the flavors of lavender and rose and white tea.
The lavender is especially subtle here, offering just a hint of it’s calming presence. Just enough to let you know it’s there, lulling you into a relaxing state. The rose is a gentle flavor too, and it isn’t a sharp rose flavor. It’s lightly sweet and floral. The two flowers seem to mingle in such a way that it offers more of a “floral essence” than a distinct, powerful flowery taste.
And that’s good, because this IS a white tea, after all. And White Peony tea tends to be a somewhat delicate tasting tea, and if the other components to this blend were too strong, they would create a taste that was all mint and flower. I like that I can taste the white tea, it tastes fresh, light and crisp. It is a perfect base for these other three flavors.
This is a really beautiful tea that seems to instill a sense of calm. And definitely a tea with which I could easily fall in love!
Coconut Peppermint Patty Flavored Black Tea from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
This tea was a suggestion from our friend LiberTEAs. Am I the only one who thought the white stuff in the peppermint patties was coconut? I really wish I had some of this with me right now, but it’s all at the office, I’m afraid.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
Yep, you read that right … I suggested this flavor. So, needless to say, I had high hopes for this Coconut Peppermint Patty Flavored Black Tea from 52Teas when I brewed it. What inspired me to suggest this flavor is a chocolate bar that I received in my December Knoshy box. The candy bar was amazing, and I loved the flavor combination of peppermint, coconut and chocolate, that I wanted more of it. And what would be better than to enjoy those flavors with a cup of tea … or perhaps, in a cup of tea!
I’m not particularly fond of the dry leaf aroma. I can smell the coconut and mint and those two components smell nice, but there is also a slight chemical odor to the tea that I don’t find appealing. I could smell it while the tea brewed too. I overlooked it though, hoping that the brewed tea would smell – and more importantly taste! – better than what I was smelling as the tea brewed.
Thankfully, I don’t smell that chemical-y note now that the tea is brewed. It doesn’t have an especially strong scent at all, which I find kind of odd since it’s a supposed to have coconut and peppermint flavors and they tend to be aromatic (especially peppermint!) Oh, sure, I can smell the coconut and the peppermint (as well as notes of black tea and chocolate!) and it smells delectable … but it’s not a strong fragrance.
I waited a few minutes to allow the temperature of the tea to drop slightly (no need to burn the tongue!) and YUM! This is good. I’m happy to report that the tea doesn’t have the chemical flavor that I feared it might have when I smelled the dry leaf. I’m tasting chocolate, I’m tasting coconut and mint, and I’m tasting black tea!
Yay!
The black tea is a nice, solid base. Recently, there’s been a conversation on Steepster about 52Teas’ black tea base. I personally like this base, I think that the base that was utilized previously by 52Teas was a tad too harsh depending upon what it was blended with. Sometimes, the blend came together just right and the flavor was delicious, but sometimes, there was just a bit of harshness to the cup. I can’t say that I’ve experienced a similar “harsh” flavor from the newest blend of teas – a recipe that was created a couple of years ago that combines Keemun, Darjeeling and Assam. Personally, I like this blend, but, I think the base would be even better if 52Teas dropped the Darjeeling and added a Fujian black tea instead.
Anyway … as it is, I like this black tea base with this particular blend of flavors. The background flavor is flavorful and not overwhelming. The malty notes of the Assam work nicely with the creamy notes of the coconut and the chocolate.
And I love that I’m tasting chocolate. There is a nice level of chocolate here (although, as I’ve said before, more chocolate is always better. I’m telling you, if I ever move to Wichita and go to work at 52Teas, I’m going to be adding an extra scoop (or two) of cacao nibs to the chocolate blends. And, I’ll probably be accidentally adding cacao shells to the inventory and adding a few scoops of those to the chocolate blend too. Frank: cacao shells add an amazing chocolate flavor. 🙂
With the exception of a desire for more chocolate flavor in this blend, this is JUST what I was hoping for with the combination of these flavors. It’s very yum, and I’m loving it.