Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: Whispering Pines Tea Company
Tea Description:
The most beautifully soothing mint green tea. Imagine a crisp beautiful sunrise in a densely wooded pine-oak forest with sheets of trilliums and wild currant berries. You wake up, step out of your tent and breathe the last sliver of fog before the shattered sunlight wisps it away. Whisper of the Woods is an ideal green tea reminiscent of that crisp and floral serenity with just the perfect amount of heart-warming energy to induce prana and exploration. Enjoy.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Nice! I don’t know why, but something about this Whisper of the Woods Green Tea Blend from Whispering Pines Tea Company made me think that there’d be smoke notes to it.
I don’t know if it’s just the name of it: Whisper of the Woods. It makes me think of a walk through the woods and the smell of the air that would surround me as I’m walking, and in that image that is playing in my head, the smell of the air would include a touch of smoke from a far off log cabin with a fire blazing in the fireplace. Or perhaps it’s just the name of the company: Whispering Pines Tea Company. Something about this company makes me think of that aforementioned blazing, crackling fire in the fireplace.
But this isn’t a smoky tea. And I don’t know that I’d want it to be smoky. I like the notes of mint – a combination of peppermint and spearmint – and I like the hint of jasmine. I like the way these flavors play together with the sweet, lightly grassy notes of the green tea.
And what I like best is that this isn’t overwhelmingly minty. Sure, the mint flavor is there and it’s strong and there’s no mistaking it. But, it isn’t a “toothpaste-y” mint. I don’t feel like I just took a sip of mouthwash. This was masterfully blended, and the result is a mint tea that isn’t too minty.
The jasmine essence builds as I sip. I barely noticed it in the first couple of sips, but, now that I’m nearly finished with the cup, the jasmine comes through really well. It’s not perfume-y, but it brings a beautiful floral note to the cup. I like the way the jasmine and mint notes come together.
It really is a bit like a whisper in the woods. Imagine a gentle breeze filtering through the woods, picking up notes of wildflowers and mint growing in the wild along with hints of grass. A beautiful scent. A delicious flavor. That’s what this tea delivers.
Cumulus Green Tea from Pelican Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Pelican Tea
Tea Description:
Cumulus. A light, contemplative brew of gently habanero-infused Pinhead Gunpowder green tea, organic peppermint and spicy cinnamon.
Yeah. We also like the sound of that.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I love the aroma of this Cumulus Green Tea from Pelican Tea! The dry leaf has a warm fragrance from the cinnamon and habanero, but there is also a crisp, exhilarating note from the peppermint and a slightly fruity note … which I originally thought must be from the green tea, although I don’t usually smell “fruit” when I smell a gunpowder green tea, so I guess that the fruit note I smell could also be from the habanero, which is technically a berry, right?
Once brewed, I smell cinnamon and peppermint primarily, with background notes of habanero and green tea. It smells zesty, warm and inviting.
Mmm! This is really good! All the flavors have a really nice balance and each note seems to meld in a really harmonious way with the other notes. It is one of the more “fluid” tasting teas – that is to say, everything just sort of moves along in a very smooth, effortless, seamless way.
The sip starts out with the cinnamon and peppermint and these two notes are pretty well paired – they aren’t competing with one another, and they aren’t overpowering flavors. This doesn’t taste too minty or too cinnamon-y.
Next comes a very soft wave of heat from the habanero. The warmth of the habanero sort of builds on the back of the palate, but it never becomes a really strong flavor. It’s just a gentle sort of warmth. If I slurp the tea, I notice more habanero notes, but, even then, it isn’t a bold peppery flavor.
The notes of the gunpowder green are ever present in the sip, sitting there, in the middle of things, offering its sweet flavor and light lushness of green tea notes. There is a hint of smokiness to this too that is off in the background, and this marries especially well with the cinnamon flavor.
A really good tea. If the idea of a habanero infused tea is a little intimidating to you, I recommend starting with a tea like this one because it’s “gently infused” with the habanero, and that gentle infusion allows for enjoyment of the pepper without too much of the spice.
I’m really happy I got to try this one!
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.
Raspberry Vanilla Mint Green Tea from Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Description:
This vibrant blend combines a fresh Chinese Young Hyson green tea with peppermint leaves, raspberry and vanilla flavors. This refreshing and versatile green tea boasts fresh, intoxicating flavors that will keep you coming back for more. Perfect any time hot and exceptional iced with a touch of sweetener.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s NEW Selection Club subscription program here.
Taster’s Review:
Yay! My latest package from Simple Loose Leaf – which is my FIRST of their all new Selection Club subscription – just arrived! I’m so excited. This Raspberry Vanilla Mint Green tea is the first tea that I’m trying from this month’s box.
Let me explain a little how the Selection Club works (at least, this is my understanding of the program, I hope it makes sense when I explain it!): Every month, an email is sent out to subscribers. Here’s what my April email says:
Below we have selected 5 teas that we feel you will love. Please browse these teas and familiarize yourself with what they have to offer. At the bottom of the page there is a button that will take you to a form that you will enter your selections.
So, you choose from the five different teas which tea you’d like to receive for April. Or, if you prefer, you can get a sampling of all five! Me being a taster … that’s the option I chose. There is even an option to tell Simple Loose Leaf what your preferences are so that they can design the selection of five teas to the types of teas you drink most often. I didn’t fill out this preference form because … I want the variety!
So in the mail, I received a cute little box with five sample sized teas inside! In addition to this Raspberry Vanilla Mint Green tea, I also have Ti Kuan Yin, Winter White Chai, Gunpowder Green and Caravan Black. I also have a smaller sample from next month’s selections: Hazelberry Pu’er!
This is one seriously awesome tea of the month club! Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let me tell you about this Raspberry Vanilla Mint Green Tea:
This tea is so yum! I love that I can taste all four flavors that are promised in the name of the tea: I taste the mint, I taste the raspberry, the vanilla and the green tea. At the start of the sip, I notice the mint immediately as the menthol hits the back of my palate immediately before the liquid hits my tongue. Then I pick up on the soft, creamy notes of vanilla, and the sweet-tart flavors of berry.
The green tea is not as prominent as I think it should be. I’m usually of the belief that a tea – even a flavored tea – should first be about the tea, and I’m wanting that to be the case here. It isn’t. But that doesn’t mean that the green tea is absent. I taste the green tea. It’s sweet, lightly grassy with herbaceous undertones that meld well with the mint, with a buttery note that marries well with the creamy vanilla tones. And even though the green tea notes are not as strong as I think they should be, this is still a seriously tasty cup!
I found my cup emptied pretty quickly … and if the speed in which the tea disappeared from my cup is any indication, then I’d say that this tea is a winner!
If you’re interested in joining Simple Loose Leaf’s Monthly Selection Club, I can save you some money! Use this code: SISTERSELECTION25 and get a 25% discount when you sign up for the selection club. This discount is not applicable on the retail selection of teas, and is only good for the selection club subscription.