Ancient Green Leaves from The Tea Can Company. . . .

This is my first tea from this company! Looking at their website, I see the reason for their name. Many of their teas are available with different labeling, and there are some really lovely options here. In addition, you can choose a tea and request custom labeling for an event or for a company – such possibilities!

This tea promises to be a smooth, Japanese pan-fired Sencha tea. Mine is in a sachet and I see some flat leaves about two centimeters long as well as a bit of crumble and dust, probably from its rough transit to my house while out of its tin. I feel sure the leaves in the tin were quite whole when the tea was received by the person who ordered it!

There were no instructions on the website as to steeping parameters so I used my usual green tea process – 175F for three minutes.

The resulting liquor is quite pale but fragrant. My first impression is of roasted chestnuts, the classic pan-fired green taste to me. It is lively and brisk without astringency. The flavor lingers well after the sip. The briskness dries the tongue and makes you reach for more, and I notice the initial roasted nut flavor shifted to a quick tingle and then a sweetness rising up into the whole mouth. This lingers for quite a while.

Eager for more, I resteeped my sachet. The liquor is about the same color. The flavor is nearly identical with perhaps a lighter roasted nut taste up front and even a little more sweetness, but that could be simply building the longer I drink this.

If you are a fan of pan-fired Japanese tea, you may want to give this one a try!


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Green
Where to Buy:  The Tea Can Company
Description

Refreshing, smooth and high in antioxidants. Classically Japanese, sencha green tea is pan-fired for a taste that is smooth, refined and easy on the palette. With a refreshing aroma and lovely true green color, this tea is rich in antioxidants that promote well being.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Rose Petals from The Tea Can Company

Rose Petals, both the name of this tea and, of course, a key ingredient. Rose petals, ceylon teas, and natural flavors. Basically this tea took a floral base and added a floral flavoring.With no recommended steeping I followed my heart and steeped this for 3 minutes in 190F water.

The end result is…surprise…floral. A little bit sweet from the rose but also a little perfumey and dry from the ceylon base. Think potpurri sprinkled with sugar. Granted I am probably not this teas intended audience since I don’t like floral or ceylons to begin with but sometimes teas with these ingredients have won me over. Alas, that is not the case here.

This tea claims to taste of sweet romance but this is not the relationship I am looking.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Black
Where to Buy:  The Tea Can Company
Description

Description: The taste of sweet romance. Delicate, fragrant and soft as a flower, this rose tea is smooth perfection. Enjoy love in a cup, and the glow of good health delivered by abundant antioxidants. Relaxing rose tea can also relieve cramps.
Ingredients: An Aromatic Blend of Ceylon Teas, Rose Petals and Natural Flavoring, Contains Caffeine

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Sencha Green Tea by The Tea Can Company. . . . .

I steeped this tea in one cup of 175° water. It comes in a sweet little tea sachet that I somehow managed to rip a hole in. (Good job, me.) So I’m steeping this for about three minutes and the color of the water is not changing all that much, although it is taking on a greenish yellow tint.

The tea liquid is ever so slightly viscous, with teeny tiny specks dancing in it that I can barely even see. It’s not fragrant from across the room, but I can catch a whiff if I’m bending over the tea itself. I steeped for two minutes but then decided to put the tea sachet back in for another minute or two because it wasn’t strong enough for my taste yet. The thing about green tea is that you can’t see bit too hot or it will turn bitter; however, if you have cooler water it doesn’t steep as fast. (Plus of course steeping too long can induce bitterness as well.) Also I have no recommendations for this tea so I don’t know the best way to steep it and consequently I am just basically making an educated guess. As I’m looking at the tea leaves inside this teabag, I can see that they’re all chopped up, but they’re definitely not crushed into dust. In fact, they are not nearly as quick to jump out the hole in my sachet as I anticipated they would be.

After sitting for another minute, the tea liquid does look slightly yellower. It does not have a much stronger fragrance, however. But the flavor is quite nice now, with some astringency and quite strong vegetal overtones. I may have pushed it over the edge with my slightly longer steeping though because it is almost verging on bitterness at the end of the sip now. It’s still not what I really call bitter though. It has mostly bright flavors, seaweed and vegetal, with only a hint of buttery flavor. It’s very green flavored and I’m not catching many floral notes either, although perhaps a hint here and there.

I enjoyed this tea, and although I probably wouldn’t drink it on a daily basis, I would definitely consider it for a great travel option because of the convenience of the prepackaged sachet.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Green
Where to Buy:  The Tea Can Company
Description

This pan-fired Green Tea is simply the best. Savor this clean and robust flavor while you enjoy the many health benefits. High in antioxidants. Serve hot or cold.
Ingredients: Pan-Fired Green Tea, Contains Caffeine

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Holy Basil: The Secret Ingredient to My Fave Detox Tea

Fresh basil is the stuff of summer, plucked from the garden for added depth to sandwiches, or pressed between mozzarella and tomatoes for a caprese plate. Daily Detox tea from the Tea Can Company doesn’t have that kind of basil, but the smell of the dry tea leaves did bring me back to fresh summer days in our family herb garden. Instead, the ingredient this tea is Tulsi, holy basil.

There are other ingredients like rose hips or spearmint, but they take a back seat to the strong, forward flavors of lemon myrtle and holy basil.  I was surprised– usually rose hips like to make the tea pink and sour, but I had no problem sour fruit flavors, even after steeping this tea long and hot.

I love herbal teas with savory spices like sage, or chili, or fennel, and a basil tea is a great addition to this category. Lemon and basil are often used together on food, and it is no surprise that the flavors work well together in a tea. This blend sweet enough to still be a traditional tea, with plenty of creamy lemon flavors and soothing mint, but the pop of basil really sets it apart. The basil adds a “green” flavor that is very different from the usual grassy senchas or hay-like green rooibos, adding a distinctly full, leafy note.

Both holy basil and Linden blossom have long histories of sacred respect and healing properties, so the detox they provide might be both physical and spiritual, if you buy into that sort of thing.  If nothing else, you will experience the peaceful moment of enjoying a tasty cup of tea.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Tea Can Company
Description:

This unique blend of Medicinal Herbs and Berries provides a host of antioxidants and health benefits. A feel good drink that lasts all day. Serve hot or cold.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Tahitian Vanilla from The Tea Can Company . . . . . .

Steeping this tea was the first time I steeped tea in a tea bag in like years! I always use loose leaf and I definitely contemplated pouring the leaves from the bag into my steeper but there wasn’t much to the sample so I decided against it. However, I was intrigued by the ingredient list: Oolong, rose petals, natural flavors (assuming vanilla flavor). I absolutely love anything with rose petals and pretty much anything that says vanilla!

The dry leaf of this smelled very yummy. I could smell the vanilla and rose mingling together with the oolong and it was very enticing. I plopped the tea bag into my cup and filled the cup with hot water and I let it steep for 5-7 minutes. I was not impressed with the tea bag situation and wish that I had cut it open and just used my usual steeper but whatever!

The smell of the steeped liquor was not as sweet as the dry leaf, but I could still smell that floral vanilla. This blend definitely needed my usual spoonful of agave to sweeten it up and bring out those flavors. Once it was steeped to my liking and I added the agave, I took a little sip. I was pleasantly surprised! Rose definitely is dominant here. This tea is floral with the aftertaste of sweet vanilla, which was definitely brought out by my addition of agave. Im not sure why, but I feel like a taste a little bit of citrus or fruit and that could be the oolong.

Here is how this tea makes me feel: I am sitting down at a cute little bed and breakfast inn. The dining room window overlooks the beach and I can see the waves crashing on the shore. I am surrounded at the table by other vacationers, snacking on danish and scrambled eggs. The smells of tea, coffee, and bacon intermingle with the fresh “beach air”. The teapot on the table catches my eye and I pour some into my cup, with the smell of sweet rose wafting up to my nose. I take a sip as I look around at the wallpapered inn walls and sit back, relaxed and in total tranquility!

Its safe to say I liked it! 🙂


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Oolong
Where to Buy:  The Tea Can Company
Description

Created with luxuriously rich French Polynesian vanilla and rose petals picked from the finest blossoms, this Oolong tea is ooh la worthy. Supports the health of the heart, hair, skin and teeth, rich in antioxidants and high in vitamin C.
Ingredients: Oolong Tea, Rose Petals, Natural Flavor, Contains Caffeine

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!