Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Amoda Tea
Tisane Description:
This tea is about the balance of its parts. Straightforward in its ingredients, uncommon in its composition. Bits of mint tingle the tongue, sticks of lemongrass refresh the palate and hints of chamomile calm the body. Slice up some ginger to add some spice. Stir in honey to sweeten the pot. Simplicity can be versatile.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Learn how to subscribe to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
This is the second tea from this month’s Amoda Tea Tasting Box that I’ve tried, and even though it’s a tisane (and I really would prefer that Amoda start including more TEAS in these boxes instead of tisanes), I am still finding this MintGrass Tisane from The Teaologist an enjoyable cuppa.
There is a really lovely balance of peppermint, lemongrass and chamomile in this blend. The peppermint is crisp and cooling – very refreshing! But I like that the other two ingredients here soften the vigor of the peppermint just enough so that it doesn’t taste too minty. Sure, the peppermint is a strong component to this blend, but, I don’t feel like I’m drinking liquefied toothpaste.
The lemongrass offers a really lovely, bright citrus-y note. It tastes faintly of lemon – but it’s a mild lemon taste – not really so tart as it is sweet, but there is a hint of tartness toward the finish that leads into the aftertaste.
The chamomile adds a touch of floral sweetness. Of the three components of this blend, the chamomile is the most discreet, but it does manage to make its presence known in the sip. There is a distinct “chamomile-ness” to the cup, but what I’m liking is that this doesn’t taste like a chamomile blend … if you get my meaning. So often when you brew a chamomile blend – there is a very heavy presence of chamomile … while here the chamomile is more subdued and allows the peppermint and lemongrass to do their thing in their own way.
Overall, this is a very enjoyable tisane, and I can definitely see the relation that this tisane has with this month’s Amoda Box theme – which is St. Patrick’s Day/Spring (this tisane being related to the spring part of the theme) It definitely has a fresh, spring-time kind of flavor!
Dragon Mint Rooibos Blend from Shanti Tea
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Shanti Tea
Tisane Description:
Certification: Organic
Aroma: Minty
Infusion Aroma: Minty (hint of nuts)
Infusion Color: Deep Amber
Base flavor: Minty
Infusion Strength: Medium
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
Minty! This Dragon Mint Rooibos Blend from Shanti Tea is for those of us you who really love mint!
The mint flavor here is strong! So strong that it nearly overpowers the rooibos. And in my opinion, that’s not a bad thing, especially since rooibos aren’t my favorite thing. This blend has just enough rooibos to add just a little something extra to the cup – a pleasing nutty tone in the background – without adding that sometimes “off” or funky taste that comes from rooibos.
Then there is the PEPPERMINT! It is really zesty and invigorating! And yes, it does have a very minty taste, but, perhaps it’s that nutty note that is in the background … but I am not thinking “toothpaste” or “mouthwash” as I sip this. It is definitely fresh tasting … and leaving my mouth feeling fresh and clean. But it’s more like a breath mint to me than an oral hygiene product.
A pleasant cuppa served hot or cold!
White Christmas Black Tea Blend from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Here’s our premium black teas blended with peppermint, marshmallow root and organic flavors. I know we’ve done a few marshmallow/mint blends this year, but this might just be the crowning jewel. As a few of our 12 Teas of Christmas sampler purchasers have already commented, the black tea lends a faint chocolate note to the mixture of mint and marshmallow.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh yum!
I have tried the other marshmallow root teas that 52Teas has crafted in the past, and I’ve enjoyed them all, but, this White Christmas Black Tea Blend might just be my favorite thus far. (I don’t know though, the Sun and Cloud Mist Tea is really amazing too!)
First, I really like that the black tea is not overpowered by the other flavors. I taste the black tea right up front, and while I do enjoyed my flavored teas, I do appreciate it when the tea is not overwhelmed by the flavors. Here, the black tea is robust, rich, and delicious, with a moderate amount of astringency. And as it has been mentioned on Steepster, there is the faintest note of cocoa to this that is quite delightful – and I can’t help but wonder how AMAZING this tea might have been with chocolate flavors too. That’s not to say it’s not already delicious – it is! – but, I’m a chocoholic and chocolate always makes things taste better!
The peppermint is crisp and refreshing. My mouth feels clean in the aftertaste, I can feel the cool mint tingle over my tongue. Very invigorating! I like how the marshmallow softens the mint somewhat though … this doesn’t taste TOO minty. The marshmallow gives the cup a soft, sweet taste that I really like.
What a great tea! I really like this one a whole lot. Well done, 52Teas!
Serenity Herbal Tisane from Sanctuary T
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Sanctuary T
Tisane Description:
Life is crazy, so calm your nerves with this herbal blend. Take a moment just for yourself.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
Whenever I come across a tisane with chamomile, I sort of cringe. And that’s just what I did with this Serenity Herbal Tisane from Sanctuary T.
It’s not that I dislike chamomile, because, I’ve come across many a blend with chamomile in it that I’ve really enjoyed. I’ve even had pure chamomile and enjoyed it. I think the problem stems from encountering in my “pre-loose leaf” days too many chamomile tisanes that were stuffed into teabags, comprised of crushed chamomile that ended up tasting so … off. Those memories continue to plague me.
But that just isn’t fair to this tisane, because this is really so good. And the chamomile is really so … barely there. I taste it, of course, but the flavor melds with the crisp flavor of peppermint, the sweet notes of lavender, the exotic flavor of jasmine blossoms, and the buttery, citrus-y notes of lemongrass. I like how each of these flavors are represented in my cup, but, not one really emerges as an overpowering flavor. Everything is nicely balanced.
It tastes lightly minty … not mouthwash-y. The citrus tones are mostly present in the aftertaste. The jasmine and lavender taste sweet and floral without tasting perfume-ish. And the chamomile adds to that floral tone, and adds a light fruitiness to the cup that accents the citrus notes quite nicely. This is a tisane that I could drink again and again!
Chocolate Mint Whisper White Tea from Nature’s Tea Leaf
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Nature’s Tea Leaf
Tea Description:
Chocolate Mint Whisper White Tea is an exclusive blend of a select White Peony tea with pure peppermint leaves and rich Belgian chocolate. The whole leaf tea is evenly mixed with fresh cut mint leaves that are dried naturally to preserve their flavor. Belgian semisweet dark chocolate curls are expertly combined to provide the drinker with a tea that is decadent in aroma but with a flavor that is fresh and minty with hints of rich and velvety chocolate.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I gotta tell ya, the more I try chocolate blends from Nature’s Tea Leaf, like this Chocolate Mint Whisper White Tea, the more I’m liking them. First of all, I love the big curls of chocolate that this blend has. Not just dark Belgian chocolate, but, white chocolate curls too! Sure … the chocolate melts and there are some that will argue that the melted chocolate in the tea clouds up the tea. And it does. But, I don’t care! It’s CHOCOLATE! And when this chocoholic sees cute little chocolate curls mixed into the dry leaf of a tea … the inner child in me squeals with delight.
The White Peony tea leaves seem to respond to this blend differently … that is to say, this doesn’t taste like a typical Bai Mu Dan. There are similar qualities, of course, like the straw-like taste (imagine the air that surrounds a dry hay stack) but, I don’t really notice a vegetative quality or other notes that I often associate with a white tea. But one thing that I do notice here … is an earthy undertone to the white tea that is often overlooked. So … while the ingredients in this blend may have overwhelmed some of the nuances of the white tea, it has also brought forward some flavors of the white tea that is not usually noticed. Like I said … the tea responds differently to this blend … and I, for one, like it.
The mint was a little … difficult to detect with the first few sips. The whole “Whisper” in the name made sense … because the peppermint was indeed a whisper of a taste. And now that I am more than halfway finished with my cup of tea, I notice more mint taste than i did with my first couple of sips … it is still quite a delicate flavor, noticed mostly when I suck in a breath and allow the air to flow over my palate. It is then that I notice a crisp, clean note that is distinctly mint.
This tea is deliciously chocolate-y, and what I really liked about this blend is that even though it was a white tea, it had a pleasing amount of chocolate flavor … but not so much that I lost sight of the fact that it was tea that I was drinking. I liked that I could taste the white tea, and I liked that this tea offered me a different perspective of white tea. A very interesting blend – one that I’d recommend to any chocolate lover.