Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Whispering Pines Tea Company
Tea Description:
A warming blend of o’olong tea, mint and cinnamon! Crisp, smooth, minty perfection at its finest!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Blackmint Oolong Blend from Whispering Pines Tea Company threw me for a loop when I first tried it. I visited the website and looked under black tea blends, and found two with mint … one with an Assam base and one with a Lapsang Souchong Base. To tell the truth … this tea didn’t taste like either!
So I emailed the company for verification, and they got back to me promptly (I love it when a company makes themselves available promptly to their customers like this one does! It makes me feel comfortable doing business with a company when they’re there to answer questions … and they do so right away!) and they told me that Blackmint could be found in their Oolong section!
That surprised me, because while the tea base tasted smooth and had a thick, somewhat creamy mouthfeel the way dark Oolong teas do, it had a certain strong quality to it that I wouldn’t normally associate with an Oolong. This tea has a very pleasing, rich flavor that would satisfy even those who usually prefer black teas over Oolong. The flavor isn’t quite black tea-ish … but, it has a bolder flavor than many Oolong teas that I’ve tried.
And to be paired with the minty duo of spearmint and peppermint, it would need to have a strong character! The minty flavor is powerful, but, not overpowering. I love the way the mint and the Oolong work together – it makes a minty … creamy kind of taste that reminds me a bit of the creamy consistency of a minty milkshake (you know which one I’m talking about right? I passed by some golden arches yesterday and the sign in the window says they’re back for St. Patrick’s Day!)
The cinnamon in this tea … is less noticeable. Perhaps this is because the mint and the Oolong are both so prominent that the cinnamon plays more of a background note, but, I tasted some earthiness from the cinnamon but not so much of that zesty cinnamon edge. However, I can’t say that I missed the cinnamon because I found this tea to be so enjoyable just the way it was.
A really delightful blend … I’m really glad I got the opportunity to try it.
Cranberry-Mint African Redbush Tea from MarketSpice
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: MarketSpice
Tisane Description:
Tart yet minty. This tea is a blend of African RedBush, Cranberry and Peppermint flavoring. High in anti-oxidants and naturally caffeine free.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
This Cranberry-Mint African Redbush Tea from MarketSpice has a really interesting combination of flavors … and it’s not what I expected at all!
I expected to taste a strong minty taste, and maybe a hint of sour cranberry. And while the mint is indeed strong … that isn’t the first note I experience. I taste a warm, nutty flavor from the rooibos. It is a distinct rooibos flavor, but, at the same time it doesn’t taste like a typical rooibos. It doesn’t have that sour wood taste, or the sometimes funky sweetness that I often associate with rooibos. Instead … it is more of a taste that is sweet, almost honey-like (reminding me a bit of honeybush rather than rooibos!) and a warm, nutty flavor. Hints of wood but not a sour wood.
Then I notice the fruity notes of the cranberry. It is tangy and tart, but the sweetness from the rooibos curbs some of the tart flavor. I really like how cranberry and rooibos taste together. I don’t think I really realized it until I tried this tisane … but these two components work very well together.
Almost at the mid-way point of the sip, I notice the mint. It is cool and crisp … but it isn’t a strong, distinctly peppermint kind of note. The flavor of cranberry as well as the strong presence of the nutty tones of rooibos has managed to tone down the peppermint just a smidge, to give it a sweet, cooling effect without overwhelming the palate with minty taste.
The flavor is really surprisingly smooth. It almost reminds me of a latte … there is almost a creaminess to this cup (and no, I didn’t add milk!) It’s really very pleasant … a very surprising, delicious cup of rooibos! I’m really enjoying this.
Rest Well (Certified Organic) from Far Leaves
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Far Leaves
Tisane Description:
Pure herbal bliss; certified organic chamomile, peppermint, lavender, and valerian caress achy temperaments and sooth minor ailments – CAFFEINE FREE
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
I always tend to be a little apprehensive when it comes to herbal infusions with chamomile, but I found the fact that this Certified Organic Rest Well infusion from Far Leaves also contains lavender and peppermint reassuring. I thought there was a good chance that I’d like this one.
And I am enjoying it. The ingredients come together in a very flavorful way. The peppermint is a strong flavor, but it is not presented in a way that tastes too minty or like someone squeezed a dab of toothpaste in my cup. It tastes smooth and comforting in the cup … it doesn’t have that typical zesty, cool peppermint taste to it here. Instead, it seems to meld with the other flavors to create a herbaceous flavor that is more soothing than medicinal.
In fact, I don’t find this to taste medicinal at all. Instead, I find it … relaxing. Everything is so nicely balanced. Floral tones are sweet without being sharp. It doesn’t taste strongly of any one ingredient. I taste notes of each without feeling overwhelmed by any of them.
This is a very nice cup to cozy up to on those nights that you find it difficult to calm down so that you can get a good night’s rest.
Minty Winter Wonderland from Tiesta Tea
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Amoda Tea
Tea Description:
Tastes just like the ingredients would suggest: white chocolate, vanilla and mint… yes! It came as a surprise to us that the natural flavours of rooibos made their way through all that mint. The honey and almost woodsy characteristics are definitely there. Of course though, that peppermint keeps going and going and going.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
I’m a bit behind on reviewing some of my teas … this tea came in my Amoda Tea Tasting Box for December. The 12 Days of Christmas thing threw me for a loop, and then there was that nasty head cold … but, enough with the excuses. Let’s talk about this delightful Minty Winter Wonderland from Tiesta Tea!
This is really yummy. It is a rooibos blend, but I don’t taste a lot of rooibos here. There’s a nutty sort of flavor – something between nutty and woody – that is definitely rooibos but, it is such a small part of this tisane.
Mostly what I taste is MINT! Crisp, cool peppermint! And the way this tisane has been composed, it tastes very much like a candy cane. The white chocolate gives it a sweet, creamy note … and the touch of vanilla enhances that sweet and creamy note. It is so yummy … it tastes like someone may have melted a candy cane in a cup of rooibos. There is a honey-esque tone too … something I don’t usually attribute to rooibos, but, it’s there.
Overall, a delicious cup of tisane.
The Witching Hour from 52Teas
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos & Tulsi
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
If you liked our Graveyard Mist from a few weeks back, I think you are going to love this one. We’ve combined Rooibos and Tulsi Rama with cacao nibs and fresh cut peppermint for an unearthly, caffeine-free Halloween treat. The rooibos, tulsi rama and chocolate smooth out the peppermint and make it more rounded, less sharp, more soothing and less jolting. the mint is most prominent, but it’s a subdued mint tamed by this blend of tisanes and chocolate.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh … YUM! This is some seriously delicious minty chocolate goodness in a teacup!
The rooibos and tulsi together offer a bit of an unusual base, but I don’t mean that in a bad way. It it actually quite good. I think that the tulsi helps to soften the rooibos’ sometimes weird woody taste just a bit, and it also adds some definition to the mint, giving the overall cup a more of an herbal-y/earthy kind of taste rather than the typical woody/nutty rooibos flavor, which is, if you think about it, very in keeping with the “witchy” kind of theme. The bit of herbal taste makes it seem as though this might have been freshly ladled from a witches caldron!
But, if it were a potion, I don’t think it’s an evil potion, because an evil witch wouldn’t put chocolate in her potion! This was a potion concocted by a very good witch (or a brilliant, mad, Zoomdweebie of a genius named Frank!)
I like the balance in this cup. I taste the chocolate (and OK, I’ll be honest, more chocolate is always better), and I taste the mint, but, the mint isn’t overpowering. It tastes crisp and smooth at the same time. There is a slight nutty flavor from the rooibos, but as I mentioned before, I find that the taste of the rooibos seems to be tapered somewhat by the tulsi. Everything just seems to work together very harmoniously to create a very soothing, calming, easy to sip tisane.
What a perfectly enchanting brew!