Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: The Spice & Tea Exchange
Tea Description:
This fragrant white tea blend consists of all organic ingredients. Roses, jasmine, and lavender are combined with rejuvenating peppermint for a delicious and scented cup. Great for morning or evening enjoyment. Contains: green tea, rose petals, jasmine flowers, lavender flowers, peppermint leaves. Moderate Caffeine.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The aroma of the dry leaf is enchanting! It has a strong peppermint scent, but, because the rose is also quite strong, these two seem to contrast each other enough to offer a bouquet that is beautifully floral and yet, deliciously minty at the same time. In the background, I also smell notes of jasmine and lavender. It’s a very pleasing fragrance.
The infusion is also nicely fragrant, smelling a bit more of the rose than of the peppermint, which was what I was hoping for. But I purchased this tea based on the promise of a “White Rose Tea” … and not a peppermint one. I am glad that the rose is prominent, with notes of lavender and jasmine accenting the rose and a hint of peppermint in the background. It smells fresh and romantic, and evokes thoughts of summer when roses are in bloom.
With all these strong floral and peppermint notes, I expected the flavor of the white tea to be absent. But it is not. On the contrary, the flavor of the white tea is very well-defined with its sweet, slightly creamy attributes. It is a very nice base for the flavors of rose, lavender and jasmine – as well as the peppermint – to express themselves.
Not surprisingly, the rose is the strongest component of the cup. It actually starts out rather perfume-y, to the point of numbing the tip of the tongue with its sharp, perfumed quality. That being said, somehow, it is not an off-putting perfume-y taste. It doesn’t taste soapy, it is more reminiscent of rose water than of Aunt Bertha’s perfume. And once the tea has cooled slightly, the flavor tends to settle in, and allows the palate to explore the other notes with ease.
The jasmine and lavender are softer flavors, and I find they serve more as an accent to the rose rather than as individual floral notes. It becomes more of a medley of floral flavor with the rose as the main focus of that medley. The peppermint is also a softer flavor, and I found myself actually looking for it with the first few sips, it was that soft. Now that I am halfway through the cup, the peppermint is more apparent, although it is still not what I’d consider to be a strong flavor. This sometimes aggressive herb seems rather content to be a background note here, and allow the flowers to take center stage.
I find this to be a very enjoyable cup of tea. It offers a delightful sense of tranquility as well as romance, so pour two cups of this tea and sip it with someone special.
Rainforest Maté Tea from The Spice & Tea Exchange
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Yerba Maté
Where to Buy: The Spice & Tea Exchange
Tisane Description:
Spice and fruit unite in this unique herbal melange composed of energizing mate’ tea, licorice, spices, rosehips and pineapple chunks that refresh and revitalize when brewed. Moderate Caffeine.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
This tisane has a lot going on, but it all works together very nicely. The cloves offer the most prominent flavor of this cup, followed by a sweet licorice flavor. I don’t taste much of the distinct earthiness of the Yerba Maté, and given the natural earthy qualities of the spices I don’t think that earthy/vegetal tone is really necessary and might detract from the delicious flavors that the spices provide.
By the end of the sip, mint tones begin to peek out without becoming too overwhelming. I like the mint notes here, they are mere hints of minty goodness rather than an overpowering mint flavor … which is rather nice as I know from my own experience of blending teas that it is not easy to keep mint from taking over.
The sweet pineapple gives this tisane a luscious, fruity tone that is almost a surprise with the first couple of sips. With the start of the sip comprised of warm (but not spicy) spice, I didn’t really expect the sweet, juicy flavor of pineapple to shine through, but it does! Right about mid-sip, the pineapple begins to weave its way in and out of the sip. It’s quite nice!
In the background there are hints of floral notes that seem to complete the rainforest-y theme that this tisane embraces. I love how this tisane doesn’t just call itself a “rainforest” blend – it actually captures the spirit of what I imagine from a rainforest. Zesty, but with a cool, crisp mint coming in toward the end. Sweet, starting with a sweet yet snappy licorice note which is followed by a lovely pineapple flavor. It all comes together in a very refreshing and energizing way!