Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green / Tulsi blend
Where to Buy: Verdant Tea
Tea Description:
The goal of the blend is to bring out the complexity of texture that Laoshan green exhibits while allowing the flavors of spring and of Laoshan itself to come through. We used cardamom and coriander as complex texture building blocks that draw out the aftertaste and make the mouth water. These additions are fortified with Holy Basil and peppermint to keep the crisp flavor and sweetness.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I was really excited to try this tea – I had been hearing so many good things about it on Steepster! Plus, I really love cardamom and coriander, and I love that this blend focuses on these two spices as well as their Laoshan Green Tea from this past spring’s harvest. This tea seemed to have all the makings for a real winner of a blend.
The aroma is amazing. With my first deep inhale, I picked up the unmistakeable notes of coriander. My brain also was telling me “cardamom” although I thought I was just trying to think of coriander and cardamom popped out … then I smelled again and YES… that’s cardamom alright! Then I started to notice subtle hints of peppery mint … is that tulsi? Yes, indeed. And once the olfactory nerves moved past the tulsi I was also able to discern the peppermint. All these wonderful fragrances together with a very subtle leafy green note, smelling very much like the air in spring-time when all the new green growth is sprouting up all around me. Very fresh and lively!
I wondered if the spices would overwhelm the Laoshan Green Tea, though, because they smell so strong in the dry leaf … but David at Verdant Tea mixed this blend skillfully and with great attention to achieving balance. This tastes and feels very nicely rounded on the palate, offering hints of pepper, citrus, mint and vegetative green notes, but without one flavor overpowering another.
The first few sips, I tasted the green tea – front and center! And that’s just the way it should be. This is a green tea blend … not a spice blend with green tea. It is sweet and creamy, with hints of creaminess – maybe somewhere between fresh cream and butter – and notes of whole grain. It is a great base to use with the spices that were chosen for this blend.
The coriander is probably the most immediately recognized spice, but the cardamom comes in just after that. They provide warmth in the form of a peppery tone – this is more of a savory pepper than a spicy-hot one though – and I think that it has enough of a subtly about it that even those who tend to shy away from “spicy” blends could enjoy this … this is not a chai!
About mid-cup, I start to notice the crisp, minty tones of the tulsi and peppermint. These are very subtle, and I like how they were added to the blend – not with a heavy hand, but with a plan to utilize these herbs as accentuating components rather than the main event. Instead of tasting strongly of mint – it tastes crisp, zesty, cool… very fresh and exhilarating, without overpowering the cup.
This is very refreshing iced, too. It’s almost a completely different tea! The mint is much more prominent in the cooled version, but the peppery tones of the spices are also there, offering accents to the mint. I’d describe it as a new twist – or perhaps a twisted new version – of a Moroccan Mint. And it’s a very nice twist indeed!
Climber’s High from The Tea Spot
Please Note: Check below for special savings on this tea!
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Yerba Maté, Black Tea, Green Tea, White Tea, Pu-erh & Tulsi PLUS Spice Melangé
Where to Buy: The Tea Spot
Tea Description:
A super-charged blend of teas, spices and herbs formulated to provide a refreshing daily lift for people with active, high-energy lifestyles. Climber’s High is a high-powered way to increase your intake of beneficial antioxidants such as flavonoids and catechins, as well as a host of healthy vitamins, trace minerals, beneficial phyto-constituents, and caffeine. It was originally conceived to assist people in adjusting to higher altitudes. This spiced yerba mate chai tea is both good for you and a pleasure to drink.
Learn more about this Yerba Mate Chai here.
Taster’s Review:
This blend has got a WHOLE lot going on!
When I first opened the package, I noticed a pleasant smell that was sweet and a little spicy, smelling a bit like a gently spiced chai. And one quick glance at the ingredient list suggests that this could easily be categorized as a chai (well, yeah, all tea is technically chai, but, I’m talking about what we here in North America think of when we think “chai”) so, I categorized it as chai.
The brewed tea smells a little earthy, slightly vegetative, but still possesses a certain spicy tone – a bit different than that of the dry leaf, but, it still smells warm, sweet, and a little spicy.
Wow! OK, so yeah, this DOES have a lot going on, but, somehow, it all comes together to offer a pleasant tasting blend. I don’t really taste each of the specific tea types here, I just taste a medley of different flavors that I’d associate with the different leaf types.
For example, I taste the earthy, vegetative taste of Yerba Maté, and I would attribute some of that earthiness to the Pu-erh as well. It tastes rich and smooth like a black tea, but it has a light, almost creamy/airy texture and flavor that I’d attribute to the white and green teas. I taste hints of mint and basil that I attribute to the peppermint and Tulsi. And yes, I taste the warmth of the spices, and the sweet, creamy finish that I attribute to the vanilla.
I wouldn’t say that I taste specifically any one of these ingredients, instead, I taste the combination of them all. I taste hints of sweet licorice, I taste the sweet warmth of the cinnamon and little peppery kick from the ginger and pepper. I don’t know that I taste any one ingredient more than the others, they all seem to come together in such a way to provide a very solid taste without one overpowering the others. Some might seem a little lost along the way but at the same time I can’t say that this blend would be the same without any one of these ingredients.
And while there are a lot of flavors to explore here, I am really enjoying the challenge and the journey this tea offers. It is warm and energizing, just the kind of cup I want on those mornings when I need a little motivation.
I like it!
Special Savings: Now through July 22, you can save 15% off of Climber’s High Tea from The Tea Spot. Use the code climbsister in the coupon field at checkout to receive your special discount!
Marigold Lemon Tulsi Blend from The Tao of Tea
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Tulsi
Where to Buy: The Tao of Tea
Tisane Description:
Tulsi with hints of lemony flavor makes a great combination. We chose 100% organic Australian Lemon Myrtle for the blend because it had the perfect strength to balance the brew. Complemented with the fragrant sweetness of calendula flowers.
Caffeine free.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh, what a pleasant cup. So gentle and relaxing … perfect for later in the evening (which it happens to be right now), it seems to instill a sense of serenity – I can feel the stress of the day melting away as I sip this.
It has a slight medicinal taste, but I don’t find it to be medicinal in an off-putting way. I think a better word to describe it would be herbaceous, although there are those who would say that herbaceous and medicinal are quite similar descriptive words. I don’t think so, though I can see how some might construe them as similar.
The slightly peppery, slightly minty tones of the tulsi meld beautifully with the light citrus-y tones of the lemon myrtle. I don’t usually notice too much flavor from marigold petals, but because the overall character of this tisane is rather subtle the sweet floral tones do present themselves in the flavor here.
A very enjoyable, naturally caffeine-free cup – perfect for those evenings when you want to unwind. This tea will calm your spirit and mind, and even help relieve your tension.
Very nice.
Tulsi Signature Blend from Davidson’s Organics
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Tulsi
Where to Buy: Davidson’s Organics
Tisane Description:
Davidson`s Signature Blend blends three varieties of Tulsi (Krishna, Rama and Vana) with Peppermint (mild stimulating properties, aids digestion & calms an upset stomach)*, Pepper (mild stimulant & digestive aid)*, Ginger (helps with motion sickness & nausea)* and Cinnamon (recommended for balancing blood sugar levels).
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
Nice!
I love the combination of flavors here … a quick glance of the ingredients, and one might think of this as a chai-like tisane, but, it really isn’t. The flavors of pepper, ginger and cinnamon are very calm – not at all spicy.
Everything in this blend is nicely balanced. It has a minty overtone, but the peppermint (as well as the natural minty notes of the tulsi) does not overpower the cup. Peppermint can sometimes be an aggressive herb, but here, it seems to even out the also sometimes aggressive flavors of cinnamon, ginger, and pepper. Everything seems to work together to create a gentle, even flavor that is actually quite soothing.
I love that I taste everything here but it is all in a smooth and calm way. Bravo to Davidson’s Organics for creating a Signature Blend that allows the beauty of tulsi to come through.
Wild Forest Tulsi from The Tao of Tea
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Tulsi
Where to Buy: The Tao of Tea
Tisane Description:
Flavor Profile:Very fragrant, notes of kafir limes, orange, mint and cloves.
Ingredients:100% Organic Wild Forest (Vana) Tulsi leaves and stems.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I often find myself at a loss on how to describe an “unflavored” tea or herb, because, even though the natural flavor of the product has not been altered by flavoring, it is often quite flavorful on its own and therefore I don’t feel the word “unflavored” applies.
Unadulterated? Unaltered? Untainted? These words seem to intimate that the act of flavoring tea is somehow wrong, and I don’t agree with that sentiment, as I enjoy many types of tea, both flavored and “unflavored.”
Unmixed? This almost seems like the reverse sentiment … like tea and herbs should be blended, flavored or mixed, and I don’t agree with that either.
How about Plain? This seems to imply that the tea or herb is boring. Plain. Dull. And I don’t agree with that either.
So, after what has seemed a long “inner debate” with myself, I think I may have finally settled upon the word PURE to describe an unflavored tea or herb.
And, I think that the word pure is the perfect word to describe this Wild Forest Tulsi from The Tao of Tea. The aroma of the dry leaf is quite herbaceous, reminiscent of the fragrance of the air one might experience while taking a hike in the woods of the Pacific Northwest. (We have a lot of mint growing wild up here!) Once brewed, the tea becomes extraordinarily fragrant. I noticed a medicinal quality to the aroma as I poured it, reminding me a bit of vapor rub.
And to tell you the truth, that isn’t exactly what I would consider to be a mouth-watering scent. But, I still managed to get myself to take a sip … and I found myself taking another, and then another. At first, it seemed to be more curiosity than anything else, but, by the time I made my way to mid-cup, I found myself really enjoying what I was drinking.
The flavor is incredibly complex for an herb: I taste hints of mint and a warm, spicy note to it (not “spicy hot” really, but more of an exotic spicy note) as well as notes of citrus. It has a very satisfying savoriness to it; it is very calming and relaxing to sip.
A lovely, pure herb. I love how it offers a sense of tranquility to me as I wind down this evening.