Shanti Tea

Thank you to TeaEqualsBliss for sending me some of this tisane.

I was a bit freaked out when I measured this out into the basket of my breville. THERE IS A LOT OF HIBISCUS! Ugh! But I tried to keep an open mind, and it’s not really too bad. The lemongrass does soften it up a bit, gives it a slight buttery creaminess, and a nice citrus-y hint of flavor that compliments the berry-ish tones of the hibiscus.

However, I do disagree with TeaEqualsBliss – I think this is better hot than cold. When it cooled, I noticed that the hibiscus seemed to pop and the lemongrass sort of retreated. When it was hot, it was actually quite soothing … sort of like a mulled wine or something, but without the spice. This would be nice with a cinnamon stick in there, though!

Smelling the dry leaf made me think I accidently grabbed the Black Merlot I had last night (I checked and it was not). Theres floral notes, as well as something else, but I don’t wanna pour the contents out again to see what it is and the outside of the bag is heavily scented by another tea so….
I thought I oversteeped this since I forgot to set the timer. Liquor is a very deep red/brown, also making me think I oversteeped. Wet leaf still floral. The flavor is much more mellow than the aroma lead me to believe which made me think I didn’t oversteep afterall. It’s not dull or drab, just mellow with the tiniest bit of astringency. I first thought malty but then backed that off to a wood flavor with a touch of smoke. Though floral it’s not too sweet, but a little. I liked this tea well enough and would visit it again, though not enough to put on my right away purchase list; which I guess I should start since all of the samples that several fine Steepster folk have so graciously shared will eventually run out. There’s so much work to do to make oneself a fanatical obsessed tea drinking addict.
I tried a second steep and it was a hair lighter but also sweeter. Astringency went up a notch too so after this cup I’m done.
tunes-Dave Mathews Band=Christmas Song/Long Black Veil/Gret Street/Big Eyed Fish…all live versions

Thanks to TeaEqualsBliss for sending me some of this tea to try.

It does have a lovely honey-esque and fruit-y aroma. I can also smell the hops, a fragrance I became familiar with in my tea blending days.

The flavor is very honey-like, but I taste the hops in there too, which gives it a nice malty note and a pleasant richness that I don’t generally experience with rooibos blends. The green rooibos tastes fruity and light. A very nice blend, I like this one a lot!

Thank you TeaEqualsBliss for sending me some of this tea. It’s lovely!

I really like this. It has a bold strength to it, and it is great for a breakfast tea (I had some this morning with cream and sugar – it was a smooth, sweet, creamy treat to go along with my pancakes!), but it also has a certain lightness to it, crisp and soft, that would make it a suitable afternoon tea as well. I’m drinking it right now as an iced tea (I decanted what was left in my teapot, and stashed it in the fridge so I could try it iced). It’s sweet but not too sweet, and it would be marvelous with a sprig of mint or a lemon wedge.

Really really nice!

Thank you TeaEqualsBliss for sending me some of this Matcha.

YUM!

I like the way the blueberry and Matcha work together here, they seem to emphasize the sweetness of each other, and cancel out any bitterness that might otherwise be noted with the Matcha … as well as cancelling out any of the tartness that I might have noticed from the blueberry! It’s like all of the good here, and none of the bad! I like!

Sweet, very fragrant, and very enjoyable. Not chalky or gritty, and it stays well incorporated until I’ve reached the bottom of the bowl.

A very delicious Matcha treat, indeed.

I thought I already reviewed this one but it doesn’t look like it logged. So…here goes!

This certainly smells and tastes like coffee or a coffee latte.It has a hazelnut hint to it too both in taste and aroma.

At times when I think it’s like sucking on a coffee bean…I start picking up other flavors to really make me think…black tea…nuttiness…floral…it’s different but good.

Backlog:

Thanks to TeaEqualsBliss for sending me some of this Matcha. This is the last of the berry flavored teas I’ll be drinking today!

This is really yummy. The berry flavor is subtle at first, but develops as I sip… by the time I reached my last sip, I found the berry flavor … especially in the aftertaste … to be well-pronounced. Sweet, a little tart, and juicy tasting, reminding me of something between a blueberry and blackberry flavor. Delicious!

Thank you TeaEqualsBliss for sending me some of this tea.

This is really good. An interesting take on the traditional jasmine. The smoke is very subtle, very-barely-there when I first started sipping, now that I’m nearly done with the cup the smoke has developed a bit, but it never becomes a strong smoky presence. It is apparent, but not overwhelmingly so. It is an interesting contrast to the sweet, exotic jasmine. The smoke seems to bring out some of the sweeter notes of the jasmine, emphasizing them. This is so pleasantly sweet that it almost tastes “dessert-y” to me.

I don’t know that this is my favorite take on jasmine, but, I am really enjoying it. It’s different, but it’s quite good.

Very nice. Lightly sweet. I prefer green rooibos over red rooibos and this tisane reminds me why. The sweetness here is much more natural tasting, like it’s been derived from sun-ripened fruit as opposed to that saccharine-like sweetness that I taste from red rooibos. No funky aftertaste either.

The flavor is slightly vegetal, not quite grassy like a green tea kind of grassy, but, more like a sweet/fruity kind of vegetal, and notes of nut and wood in the background. It is light and crisp. Enjoyable.

(This sample was generously provided to me by Shanti Tea. Thank you Team Shanti.)
Dry Leaf: Has a vegetal aroma.
Wet Leaf: Has a warm vegetal aroma.
Liquor: Is a amber color.
Tatse: The broth is light and watery in the mouth. This tea has a vegetal flavor but there is a slight earthiness in the background. Also, if you steep this tea in shorter infusion time like 10-15 seconds the tea seems to be smoother. If you steep for a minute or longer this tea gets a bitter bite to it.
Overall Opinion: I give this tea a 85. This is an average green tea that will not blow you away in my humble opinion. You may have to play with steep time for desire taste. I prefer shorter infusions with this tea.

Dry, this is a very visually appealing tisane … and it smells incredible. Very fruity with floral notes. It brews to a golden color, and while the aroma softens quite a bit once it’s brewed, I can still smell that lovely fragrance that I noted before it was brewed. Sweet, fruity, and a whisper of floral tones.

The flavor is very pleasant. I like that this is a green rooibos blend, as I prefer green to red rooibos. It makes for a lighter, fresher tasting cup. The fruit flavors are the strongest here, I taste tangy citrus, sweet peach and a hint of apple. The rose notes are softer at the start, but develop by mid-cup.

Overall, a very enjoyable late-night cup.

(This sample was generously provide to me by Shanti Tea. Thank you Team Shanti)
Dry Leaf: Has a sweet caramel like aroma with a light coffee aroma with a very faint floral aroma way off in the background.
Wet Leaf: Has a warm sweet malty aroma with a touch of floral.
Liquor: Is deep dark amber think almost like black coffee.
Taste: At first it was supper bitter. I couldn’t drink it plain. I added milk and sugar than this tea turn sweet almost caramel like and malty with a touch of a floral flavor in the background and it did not overwhelm the tea either. The broth of this tea is kind of watery and leaves almost a raisin flavor that lingers in the mouth.
Overall Opinion: I have to give this a 86. I tend to drink my teas plain without adding anything to it. But, this tea came off very bitter plain. I added sugar and milk which made a big difference for this tea. I think this is a great morning tea that any coffee drinker could find a pleasurable alternative to there normal coffee routine.

(This sample was generously provided to me by Shanti Tea. Thank you Team Shanti.)
Dry Leaf: Floral with a very slight citrus aroma.
Wet Leaf: Citrus with a faint vegetal aroma in the background.
Liquor: I got a honey color.
Taste: I get a floral with just a faint hint of citrus. The broth has a thick or rich feel in the mouth. Makes the top of tongue feel sticky and causes a slight dryness in the mouth. I mean this in a pleasant way. Nice.
Overall Opinion: I give this a 90. The taste of this tea is light and pleasant. I would recommend this tea for a change of pace or to all the traditional tea drinkers that want try a blend or flavored tea.

(This tea was generously provide to me by Shanti Tea. Thank you Team Shanti.)
Dry Leaf: Subtle smokey aroma.
Wet Leaf: I get more of a smoke aroma.
Liquor: Medium to dark amber color.
Taste: This tea has a smooth smoke flavor with a touch of sweetness.
Overall Opinion: I give this a 87. This tea reminded me of a Lapsang Souchong without that pine aspect. I would have expected this tea to be more of a Da Hong Pao (Big Red Robe) but there wasn’t that tart or tangy or even sour aspect to this tea. So, if your looking for something more like a Lapsang Souchong than a normal Wuyi Rock than you have found it.

(This sample was generously provide to me by Shanti Teas thank you Team Shanti.)
Dry Leaf: All citrus! The tea looks dark and twisted with fruit pieces I would guess a oolong.
Wet Leaf: I get like a citrus with a heat note you could even say kind of smokey.
Liquor: I would call this a medium to dark amber.
Taste: It has a smooth citrus taste with a slight smokey flavor almost earthy but to gentle so call it earthy completely.
Overall Opinion: I give this tea a 88. If you are a traditional tea drinker and interested in a blend I think this is a easy one to get a long with. And because this has citrus in it I bet it would be great iced too.

Thank you to TeaEqualsBliss for sending me some of this!

YUM! Chocolate-y yumminess. This is probably the most chocolate-y rooibos blend that I’ve tasted … at least in quite some time. It is rich on the chocolate-y Awesomeness!

This is a nicely flavored green tea with a sturdy cranberry punch of flavor! The green tea is near gunpowder green, too!

I have decided to start working my way through a stash of samples that have been hiding in my cupboard. I am starting with this one a) because I have had no caffeine today, b) most of my samples happen to be herbals, and c) I am on the hunt for some good basic black teas to (possibly) replace my morning coffee.

The dry leaves smelled like hay. Clean and crisp. When I infused the tea I was shocked at how dark it was. At this point I had already mentally check this one off my list, but then I tasted it. I think I actually looked down at my cup and smiled. It was so good. So. Good. Strong, yes, but also wonderfully malty and smooth. After a few more sips I added milk and sugar. Even better. It cuts the tiniest bit of bitterness that sits on the back of the tongue. I may have done a happy dance in my kitchen.

So glad I tried this. Shanti, you’ll be hearing form me very soon.

This is REALLY good. REALLY REALLY good!

The natural toasted and nutty tones of the kukicha are a perfect match for the maple flavoring, which creates a very warm, delicious infusion. Sweet and absolutely indulgent.

Thank you to TeaEqualsBliss for sharing this one with me.

Hands Down…

THE BEST Irish Cream Tea I have ever tasted!

This is amazing! It’s rich, strong, dessert-like, creamy, creamy-mint, and so much more! I’m back logging this one but it’s a VERY memorable tea! I’m sending the last bit of the sample to my Sororitea Sister LiberTEAs – I must admit it’s going to be hard to let it go! LOL – I see an order in my future :)

YUMMM to the 10th power!

Thank you to TeaEqualsBliss for sending me some of this tea. It’s amazing!

I love this tea. it is so rich and delicious. It has a very bold presentation with a nice malty tone. It reminds me just a little of an Assam, but without the harshness that sometimes goes along with an Assam. It is very well-rounded and has a lovely biscuit-y quality.

Love this!

I was deathly afraid of the hibiscus in this one after I saw the infusion color but you know what? It wasn’t that bad! It is better iced but the hibiscus was toned down by the lemongrass. It was ok!

Matcha-Thon Matcha #2 for today…
SIPDOWN on this one…double shot…

YUM YUM YUM!!!!! LOVE this one!

see previous notes – highly recommended if you are into berry!

This is pretty amazing!

The texture is not as grainy as most matcha powders and it mixes very well! Almost as if it’s not matcha powder! The flavor is incredible…wildberry is RIGHT. It’s sweet, juicy, mouth watering, fresh, berry! It’s lighter on the green tea matcha taste but the wildberry is bright and true.

I’m a fan!!!!!