Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Shanti Tea
Tea Description:
Ginger Sencha is a warming blend of organic ginger root and organic Japanese sencha. A great green tea for the cold winter months and to help settle an upset stomach.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
When I first started scooping this Ginger Sencha from Shanti Tea out into my teapot, I was a little worried. There appears to be a whole lot of ginger in this! I mean, I like ginger, sure, but, with this much ginger, was I going to taste the Japanese Sencha?
Fortunately, Shanti blended this one just right. Yes, the ginger is strong – and it is warm and soothing … which is especially welcome on this cold, wet winter day. But it – surprisingly! – does not overwhelm the green tea. On the contrary, I find there to be a really delightful balance between the tea and ginger here.
The Japanese Sencha tastes sweet and slightly grassy without tasting bitter. I don’t notice much astringency to this cup, and I suspect this is because the ginger is strong enough to mellow out any astringent overtures.
The ginger is strong, as I’ve already mentioned, and it has a nice, peppery bite, but the soft, buttery taste of the Sencha seems to soften some of the zestier notes that I might otherwise notice with the ginger.
While it may seem a little bit “simple” to combine two ingredients, in this case, Sencha green tea and ginger root, but, even the simpliest blends require the right touch, and this blend from Shanti tea is masterfully combined. It provides a strong, warm bite from the ginger while still being able to allow the drinker to enjoy the soft, supple taste of the Japanese Sencha. Well done, Shanti Tea!
Lemon Karkade from Shanti Tea
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Shanti Tea
Tisane Description:
Origin: Egypt
Certification: Organic
Ingredients: Lemongrass, Hibiscus
Naturally Caffeine-Free Herbal Tea
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
“Yikes! Hibiscus!” That’s exactly what I exclaimed as I measured out this tisane into my Breville One-Touch. My history with hibiscus has been well documented here, and I don’t need to rehash it, so I’ll simply summarize by saying hibiscus isn’t my favorite herb. It’s too tart and when brewed too long, it produces an icky, syrupy liquid. Yeah, I know it’s good for you. Lots of vitamin C, and all that.
So, I am trying not to judge this tisane too harshly before I even try it. Who knows, I may like it. Stranger things have happened!
OK… so it’s not bad. Not bad at all. I am not about to proclaim it the best tisane I’ve ever tried because it isn’t, but, considering this is a blend of two ingredients, and one of them is hibiscus, I think it’s quite alright.
The hibiscus lends a sort of berry-ish kind of flavor to it, it is tart, but, because I steeped this for only six minutes, I’m not dealing with an overwhelming amount of tartness here. The lemongrass does it’s bit to soften the hibiscus somewhat and to provide a hint of buttery creaminess to the cup, as well as a citrus-y taste to complement the berry-like taste of the hibiscus.
I prefer this hot, because as it cools, the hibiscus starts to get a bit too tarty for my taste buds. I find it to be quite soothing to the throat. My throat has been put through the ringer lately because of my allergies (I have them all year round!), and I find this to be quite nice to sip and help relax the itchiness in my throat. I imagine this would be best served with a dollop of honey, but, I am drinking it straight and it’s not bad that way either.
Overall, it’s pretty tasty. It isn’t my favorite offering from Shanti Tea, but I can see how this might appeal to someone who likes hibiscus but wants a slightly lighter hibiscus drink. Not something I’d want to drink every evening, but it isn’t something I’d turn away if it were offered, either. Pleasant … not bad … but I’ve had better, certainly.
Honeybee from Shanti Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Shanti Tea
Tea Description:
This Green Rooibos blend infused with honey essence makes a particularly fragrant iced tea and works very well as a concentrate. Mix in some organic honey when boiling the tea for even more honey flavor.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
It’s late. Actually, technically, it’s “early” … as in 4:30 in the morning early. I am not able to relax and get to sleep, so I headed for the kitchen and grabbed a tisane … hoping it would calm me and help me sleep. This is the tisane that I grabbed … let’s hope it does the trick!
I’ve probably said this more than once about a rooibos blend … but I’m going to say it again: This is one of the nicest rooibos blends I’ve had. And it’s also one of the more unique rooibos blends I’ve come across.
First of all, we have the green rooibos base, which is not a typical rooibos base. The un-oxidized leaves of the rooibos plant give a lightness and a pleasantly sweet, fruity taste to the cup.
Then, there is the hops. I don’t find hops in many blends … and I’m really surprised that more tea blenders don’t utilize this herb. I suspect it is because of the bitterness that’s often associated with the hops flower. However, I love hops for it’s unique flavor. I do taste a bit of the bitterness but because of the natural sweetness of the rooibos, the bitterness is offset just enough to keep it from tasting off-putting. Instead, what I notice is not the bitterness of the hops, but malty flavor and a rich taste and texture that is rather unusual for a rooibos blend. Rooibos blends tend to be a bit thin … but not this blend!
But what I taste more than anything with this cup is the delicious honey notes. This tastes like a thinned honey, and with the malty notes from the hops, it gives it an almost honey-ale kind of taste. Very different, and very enjoyable.
I really like this, and I also like the fact that the hops is having a soothing, relaxing effect on me. I might just be able to get to sleep tonight, after all!
Renaissance Black Tea from Shanti Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where To Buy: Shanti Tea
Tea Description:
A well travelled, enlightened black tea blend, with the malty strength of a morning tea, but the soft, floral touch of an an afternoon cup. A perfect blend to set the mood for a purposeful yet relaxing day.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is a wonderful black tea blend – it’s one of those that would work nicely for that important first cup of the day because it has a robust, bold flavor, but it would do equally as well as an afternoon pick-me-up because it has a certain softness to it. Light and crisp, but with a bold, malty flavor. I love it!
It also tastes great as an iced tea which is how I’m enjoying it now. I had a cup of it earlier this morning, tasting it first without additions and then deciding that I wanted a creamy latte with my breakfast and it was very satisfying. I decanted the rest of the tea and stashed it in the fridge, and it is fantastic as an iced tea – full of rich flavor, but there are so many lively floral notes to give it a lighter touch.
A really nice “all-in-one” type of black tea blend, this one will serve as your breakfast blend as well as your afternoon tea and a very refreshing iced tea too! This would be perfect for those who (like me!) find that their space for tea is limited – this one takes the place of three different teas, and it’s delicious too. What more could you want?
Blueberry Matcha from Shanti Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green (Matcha)
Where to Buy: Shanti Tea
Tea Description:
Matcha tea is kind of like a super-powered green tea—since you’re ingesting the whole leaf instead of just the brewed beverage, you get up to ten times the antioxidant effect and nutritional value of your standard green. Matcha’s rich in antioxidants, as well as chlorophyll and fiber, and has been found to have natural mood enhancing effects. All in all, matcha’s got no match when it comes to healthy teas.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Matcha really delivers on the flavor promised in its name. This is really BLUEBERRY! The flavor of blueberry is so vibrant, and it doesn’t taste fake. It tastes bright and sweet and juicy, just like a fresh, ripe blueberry.
I really like the way the flavor of the powdered green tea and the blueberry mingle here: the two components emphasize each others sweet notes, and the blueberry has a way of bringing the fresh, vegetative notes of the Matcha in a very agreeable way. I taste no bitterness, just fresh, sweet berry and the lush “greenness” of the Matcha.
The Matcha is very smooth – not chalky or gritty. It whisks up frothy – and it achieves this froth very easily. I had barely begun to whisk when I noticed a very rich froth sitting atop the Matcha. Nice! Now that I’m more than halfway finished with my bowlful of Matcha, the froth has subsided quite a bit, but, the tea is still very well incorporated in the water – I haven’t really noticed any separation or sediment.
Really good – this is a tea I’d recommend to all the blueberry fans out there! It packs a lot of YUM into every sip!