Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tea, Oh!
Product Description:
A lively mint and chocolate blend perfect for after dinner.
Taster’s Review:
This is a delicious mint chocolate tea. And while I cannot think of a mint chocolate tea that I haven’t enjoyed, I think what makes this one so spectacular is that the chocolate note is very well-defined. This chocoholic is quite happy at the moment!
The black tea base is strong without being overwhelming. I suspect it is a black Ceylon tea because it is quite smooth and brisk while not interfering with the other flavors.
The mint is crisp and cool and presents a nice contrast to the creamy, sweet chocolate flavor in this tea. Overall, this is a bit like a “Thin Mint” cookie in a teacup! YUMMY! (I miss Girl Scout cookies already!)
There is a bit of astringency to this cup, and while I don’t normally mind astringency in a tea (and in some teas I celebrate the astringency!), with this particular one, I kind of find myself wishing it wasn’t there. I am not saying that the astringency is bothersome, however, it would make for a much smoother experience without it. So, I guess if I am to offer any criticism about this tea, it would be that I’d rather the astringency not be there.
However, as I continue to sip, the astringency seems to smooth out a bit, and is less noticeable. Perhaps I am getting used to it, or perhaps the chocolate and mint flavors have developed enough so that the astringency is not as pronounced. Either way, I like it more now that I am at mid-cup than I did at the start.
Peppermint Herbal Infusion from Hampstead Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Hampstead Tea
Product Description:
We’ve enhanced peppermint’s traditionally renowned digestive properties by pairing it with spearmint. Cool, refreshing and soothing.
Naturally caffeine free.
Ingredients: Fairtrade peppermint and spearmint leaves
Taster’s Review:
In the evening, I like to reduce my caffeine intake so that I’m not bouncing off the walls when I should be sleeping. That’s when I turn to refreshing herbal tisanes such as this Peppermint Herbal Infusion from Hampstead Tea.
This tisane is a blend of organic peppermint and organic spearmint. It tastes crisp and clean. It’s a pretty simple blend, and it tastes pretty much like I’d expect it to, it tastes minty! I also appreciate that this is completely organic and it’s fair trade too. I like that I can not only enjoy this tisane, but feel good about drinking it.
Even though it’s a simple pairing of two types of mint leaves, sometimes the simplest tisanes are the most pleasurable. I like this for its simplicity. It is tasty hot or iced … and it’s even tasty if I happen to forget my teacup on the kitchen counter, get busy doing something else, and then come back to a lukewarm cup. It still tastes great!
Over Achieve Mint from Teaquilibrium
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Yerba Maté
Where to Buy: Teaquilibrium
Product Description:
Getting ready for race season or simply want to add some calm pep to your day?
The mouthwatering combination of chocolate and fresh mint has made Achieve Mint a customer favorite. Overachieve Mint is blended with energizing Yerba Mate to give that sustained boost that mate is known for. This is a fabulous choice for endurance athletes or anyone who wants a natural calm energy.
ingredients: yerba mate, peppermint, cacao nibs, natural chocolate flavor.
Taster’s Review:
This is a really tasty Yerba Maté blend. The mint is strong but the chocolate does come through nicely.
The Yerba Maté base is a green (not roasted) Maté and offers a hint of its earthy, vegetative flavor. However, the mint flavor is rather intense here, and it does seem to mask some of the stronger notes of the Yerba Maté. But, I’m not complaining because I sometimes find the rather distinct flavor of Maté to be a bit too much for me. With this blend, it’s really quite enjoyable and melds very well with the other flavors.
The peppermint is very strong – this blend is certainly not for those who do not care for mint. For those of us who do, though, this is a clean, crisp tasting peppermint that invigorates while leaving the palate feeling refreshed.
The chocolate is a bit subtle, but, I am liking how it comes through. I can really notice the cocoa notes in the aftertaste mingling with the minty flavor. I also found that the chocolate seems to pop a bit more as the tisane cools, so don’t drink this one piping hot! Let it cool just a little so that you can enjoy the chocolate flavors!
This tisane reminds me of a peppermint patty (especially the aftertaste), but without the overwhelming sugary sweetness! A thin layer of chocolate coating … just enough to coat the peppermint but not overpower it … a snappy, vibrant treat that will surely get you going!
I like this one a lot!
Green Peace from Chad’s Chai & Tea Co.
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Chad’s Chai & Tea
Product Description:
The Moroccans liked to blend green tea with mint, and we couldn’t agree more wholeheartedly! Refreshing and calming, Green Peace is an inspired blend of extraordinary green tea and spearmint leaf. It can be enjoyed by itself or with food, and simply must be tried iced!
Taster’s Review:
I tried this before knowing anything about it except for its name. I could smell the mint, although it was not overwhelming. When I tasted it, I could taste the mint, but, it didn’t taste like a typical “Moroccan Mint” to me… it tasted like there was something a little different.
And there is! Where many mint green teas settle for either peppermint or spearmint, Chad’s Chai & Tea chose to use both mints to create a real depth of flavor. But even with two different types of mint, the mint flavor is not overwhelming here, and I am able to taste the Chinese green tea.
Although the website for Chad’s Chai & Tea does not specify what type of Chinese green tea is used for this blend, it looks like a gunpowder green tea. The tea has a light, creamy butter taste in the background which when combined with the minty flavors, comes across as a very creamy mint taste. Delicious!
This tea tastes invigorating, but there is a certain soothing property to it as well. I feel more relaxed as I continue to sip it.
With mint teas, sometimes they are just too MINTY… but, this one is just right. A nice balance between green tea and mint flavors, and I like the blending of the two types of mint. A very pleasant mint green tea!
Bertha Palmer Centennial Tea from Local Coffee & Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Local Coffee & Tea
Product Description:
A soothing herbal rooibos with licorice root, fennel, peppermint and lemon verbena. Naturally caffeine-free.
When Mrs. Potter Palmer (Bertha Honoré Palmer), the well-travelled and powerful Chicago socialite, first set eyes on Sarasota in 1910, she proclaimed ‘Here is heaven at last’.
She soon owned 80,000 acres of what is now Sarasota County, operated a successful ranch, and made her graceful winter home and gardens at The Oaks on Historic Spanish Point.
Sarasota County celebrates the 2010 centennial of her arrival and honors the significant impact Mrs. Palmer made on our culturally rich and prosperous community. Please join us in raising a cuppa Bertha Palmer Centennial Tea to this incredible woman!
For more information about events throughout the year, visit www.BerthaPalmerAlive.com
Taster’s Review:
I love licorice and I like peppermint, but I don’t always like the two flavors together. Sometimes it works for me while others it does not. With this tisane, it works very nicely!
The rooibos base offers a hint of nutty/woody flavor, but, it iss barely distinguishable in the midst of the stronger flavors of licorice, fennel and peppermint. The lemon verbena is a soft citrus-y flavor that sits in the background and softens some of the sharper qualities of the other ingredients.
The licorice, fennel and peppermint are the dominant flavors here, but as I said before the lemon verbena softens them somewhat, making this combination very palatable. It starts off with a sweet licorice-y taste, followed by the taste of crisp peppermint. The bright, lemony note arrives right before the finish and leaves a cool minty/citrus-y aftertaste.
I like this best when served hot with a drizzle of agave nectar, but it’s not bad iced either. This is a tasty, soothing and very relaxing tisane. Nice!