Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Shanti Tea
Tea Description:
We have several maple offerings however this is one of our favourites, combining the natural soft nuttiness of kukicha with maple essences yields an incredibly flavorful, sweet, soft, and fresh profile. One of our most popular maple blends.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’m always eager to try a new flavored kukicha tea because there really aren’t that many out there. I’ve managed to find a few, but, really, they don’t seem to be as popular as a flavored Ceylon or Sencha. And that’s a shame, because the natural toasty notes of kukicha meld so beautifully with some flavors … like maple, for example!
This Roasted Maple Kukicha Tea from Shanti Tea is unbelievably good. The roasty-toasty, nutty taste of the kukicha marries beautifully with the sweet, delicious maple flavor to create a very seamless flavor that is positively scrumptious! It is warm and delicious, a perfect autumnal treat … and while I realize that it is now spring, I still LONG for my favorite season and this tea allows me to enjoy autumn even though spring is here.
This tea has a natural sweetness to it and it really doesn’t need additions of any kind. It is sweet enough so sugar or other sweeteners just aren’t needed (but if you want to amplify the maple flavors, try a drop or two of real maple syrup) and I think that milk would overwhelm the delicious flavors (although if you’re envisioning a maple and cream treat, you might infuse this at double or triple strength to make a latte).
As I write this review, I discovered that this tea is currently sold out. I do hope that they will be restocking this one soon, because it is a WINNER! I love this!
Precious Eyebrow (Chunmee) from Shanti Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Shanti Tea
Tea Description:
This Precious Eyebrow tea originates from Anhui Province, China. Also known as Chunmee, it is the most popular green tea in China, consumed by millions every day. Our Precious Eyebrow is the highest grade of ‘eyebrow’ tea available. The eyebrow-shaped leaves yield a pleasantly aromatic and refreshing yellow infusion with a slight astringency and a provocative plum-like aftertaste.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Precious Eyebrow is one of those teas that I don’t often drink, but, when I do finally get around to having a cup, I wish I had made time for it sooner.
This is one of the nicer Chunmee teas I’ve tasted. It has a light vegetal tone to it – not so much “grassy” as it is like steamed spinach, perhaps with a bit of melted butter on top. It has a very mellow, smooth taste to it, with nutty undertones and a delectable fruity note in the background.
There is very little astringency to this tea, and no bitterness. Just a sweet, roasted nut flavor with mild “green” tones and a sweet, juicy finish. The aftertaste is a mellow nutty flavor with hints of smoke.
Chunmee is one of those teas that every green tea drinker should keep on hand for when they want a delicious, easy-going tea. It’s delicious served hot or iced.
Pomegranate 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:
I was excited to try this Matcha. I love pomegranates, they are one of my favorite fruits! However, since they tend to be a bit pricy, I don’t get a chance to enjoy them as often as I’d like to.
I didn’t make this as a latte, instead, I prepared it the same way I would normally prepare Matcha – except that I did not sift the Matcha. I find that with flavored Matcha, it is better not to sift. It whisked up nice and frothy, and possessed a color that was dark green. The froth dissipated within minutes, but then, the Matcha also managed to disappear pretty quickly so I’m not complaining!
The flavor of the Matcha is sweet and vegetative, although it isn’t as grassy or vegetative as some other Matcha teas that I’ve tasted. This one has more of a fruity note with a nice buttery undertone. It has a smooth, rich flavor, and I do not notice any gritty or chalky flavor from the Matcha (a big plus!)
The sweet, creamy flavor of the Matcha is the perfect base for the flavor of pomegranate. The tart, juicy flavor of the pomegranate shines through and is especially noticeable toward the tail of the sip. It tastes fresh and juicy, just like a pomegranate aril!
This makes a GREAT pick-me-up when I start feeling sluggish toward the afternoon. I felt full of energy after drinking it. I love this stuff!
Blue Unicorn from Shanti Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Shanti Tea
Tea Description:
From the famous Biodynamic & Fair Trade Idulgashinna Tea Garden come these visually captivating spears of Cinnamon, gold, and silver tips, resembling the mythical unicorn’s horn. This hand crafted tea is carefully hand-rolled and twisted into spears. Each finished cluster is slightly more than 1 inch in length. These partially fermented leaves produce a delicate, pale liquor that is exceptionally sweet and clean, with champagne undertones. The tea can be steeped multiple times, each revealing new complexities.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is definitely one of the most unique Oolong teas that I’ve ever encountered. After reading the description of the tea, I thought that maybe it was a black tea, but as Shanti Tea has categorized it as an Oolong, that’s what I’ll call it. Taste-wise, it has qualities to it that are reminiscent of both types of tea.
I steeped this in my gaiwan, adding an extra horn (the steeping parameters suggest 3 horns) to my gaiwan, and using short steeps starting with 1 minute, and adding 30 seconds to each subsequent infusion. I combine the results of two infusions into my cup; therefore, infusions one and two are cup number one, infusions three and four are cup number two, and so on.
The first two infusions were light in flavor, at first, I had a difficult time discerning much of anything and I worried that I may have made a mistake while brewing, and that maybe I should have followed the instructions to the letter. However, as I took the next couple of sips, the flavors began to reveal themselves. By the time I was nearly finished with my first cup, I could taste a pleasant sweetness, some earthy tones, and a lovely spiced undertone. There were indeed “champagne-like” flavors to the cup, imparting a slight fruity sweetness to enjoy in the aftertaste.
After infusions number three and four to make my second cup, the leaves no longer resemble the lovely horns that they were prior to infusion, but they haven’t yet completely unfurled, indicating that they were ready and able to produce more infusions. The second cup is more flavorful than the first, with some earthy tones emerging. The aforementioned spiced tone is still present, but, it is smoother than in the first cup. A bit more of a fruit taste with this cup, as well as more astringency. I find this cup to be more rustic-tasting; offering flavors that are more like a black tea to me than an Oolong.
With the third cup, I noticed more of a floral note emerging. This cup tastes much more like an Oolong than the second cup. The fruit flavors are much more distinct. A sweet, smooth flavor, and very few of the spiced undertones I mentioned earlier. The earthy tones have also mellowed. This one is less astringent than the second cup, and definitely my favorite of the three.
This is a really intriguing, unique tea.
Lemonade from Shanti Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green Rooibos
Where to Buy: Shanti Tea
Tisane Description:
Origin: South Africa
Certification: Organic
Ingredients: Green Rooibos, Lemon Peel, Lemon Myrtle, Calendula, Natural Essences
Naturally Caffeine-Free Herbal Tea
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve tried a few different “lemonade” teas and tisanes over the last couple of years. Some are stronger in lemon-y flavor than others. This tisane started out rather subtle, but, as I continue to sip, the flavors have gotten more intense. I like the way the flavors develop, getting the palate ready for the tart and tangy notes that are about to come.
I know I’ve mentioned this before, but I prefer green rooibos over red rooibos. The green rooibos has a lighter, fresher, fruitier taste to it than the sweet, woody and nutty flavor of the red rooibos. Here, the green rooibos provides a pleasant fruity flavor and a hint of sweetness to the cup without overwhelming the cup with other flavors that distract from the lemony taste of this tisane.
The lemon myrtle and lemon peel add a sweet, slightly tangy lemon flavor without tasting too tart. The tartness of this cup is most obvious in the aftertaste, where that tingly tangy taste lingers on the palate, as if I had just taken a sip of … well, of lemonade!
Overall, I’m finding this tisane to be bright, sunny lemon flavor that is sweet-tart and really enjoyable. It is deliciously soothing served hot (and makes a great sore throat remedy too!) but it is even better served chilled … I think I’m going to stock up on this one as the weather turns warmer! It’s something that my entire family (even those who don’t like tea!) will love.