monk tea

When I first started drinking loose leaf tea, someone sent me a sample of a monk’s blend. I don’t remember what company made it, but I wasn’t terribly impressed with it. I never did seek out any to buy, but I didn’t hate it. It just didn’t do much for me.

A traditional monk’s blend tea is black tea with vanilla and pomegranate, or grenadine, if you will.

This Trappist Monk Blend is far more complex. Blueberries, Michigan cherries, caramel flavor instead of vanilla, and lots more!

Did I mention that it is ORGANIC? This is a real point of passion for the brothers who founded this company. That raises the price, as would be expected with quality ingredients, but I resteeped my sachet and got a really great second cup, with almost no noticeable decrease in flavor or color.

The base is a smooth assam, so a nice bit of caffeine but not at all rough enough to need sugar. I thought it was delicious just as it is. I am guessing it would make a great iced tea, with or without sweetener, as well.

I found it to be more full-flavored than the monk’s blend from years ago. The assam and caramel lay down some nice deep bass lines, the stone fruits give us our sparkling middle notes, and calendula provides the treble. Cornflower makes it all a little sweeter.

This is a variation on monk’s blend that I can get behind!

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Black

Where to Buy: Fraser Tea

Description

A unique twist on the tradition of Monk’s Blend tea, our Trappist Monk Organic Black Tea melds Michigan cherries with exotic vanilla and sweet caramel organic flavor and is crafted from the highest quality Assam tea. Through bold flavors, that are tempered with zesty orange peel, pomegranate and grenadine, the essence of this tea takes on a rich sweetness. We named this blend after the Trappist monks whose order our father was a member. Choose this organic black tea to help increase alertness and focus, we wish you a healthy mind, body and spirit with each cup.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

ashmanra

I am a music teacher, tutor, and former homeschool mom (25 years!) who started drinking loose leaf tea about seven years ago! My daughters and I have tea every day, and we are frequently joined by my students or friends for “tea time.” Now my hubby joins us, too. His tastes have evolved from Tetley with milk and sugar to mostly unadorned greens and oolongs. We have learned so much history, geography, and culture in this journey. My avatar is a mole in a teacup! Long story…

This post was posted in Black Tea, Fraser Tea

An interesting twist on Monk’s blend.

Cherries are one ingredient you don’t see often in tea. Though I honestly don’t taste as much cherry flavor as I thought I would it does produce a nice undertone for the vanilla and caramel flavors.

It has a velvety mouth feel. The wet leaves remind me of the smell of coffee creamer. Go figure. For those who enjoy flavored black tea this is definitely one you need to try. It has unique character with flavors that aren’t too over powering but still deep enough for those who like a little punch with their tea.

If you like to support tea companies that focus not only on quality but sustainability I invite you to check out Fraser. They are a company from Michigan that look to enhance the lives of their framers while providing a truly unique blend of teas.