Mint-Chilla Chai-Nilla

Still down with my head cold.
But guess what, I was right… this puerh is much better as a “sick tea”!
It’s so soothing and making me feel loads better, for the moment.
That sickly sweet note is now somehow refreshing. Bumping the rating just a little.

A huge HUGE thank you to Invader Zim for sending me a surprise box of tea for some teas I had sent to her previously. It was totally unexpected as I asked for nothing – practically demanded nothing in return! What a lovely surprise today in the mail!
I do not think I have ever had a tea from Spice and Tea Exchange so this is new for me and I am quite enjoying it!
A nice pu-erh base with some wonderful notes and of course peppermint and chai spices.
I am not even minding the licorice note!
I am going to play with this tea a bit and do a review on http://sororiteasisters.com/
Thank you Invader Zim :) Happy dance.

Thanks to Azzrian for this tea:)

I have a mild like for peppermint, one of my favorite teas from Bigelow was Mint Medley. This tastes alot like it. It isn’t a ‘Wowzer’ of a tea, but it’s one that I won’t mind keeping in my cabinet. Luckily for me, there is a Spice and Tea Exchange nearby, like 15-20 minutes away. So I think I might soon go pick some up. Unfortunately though, this summer I’ll be moving and going to this one will be kind of difficult and it doesn’t look like they have any other locations here in Michigan. Ahh well.

There is a lot going on with this tea. My brain didn’t fully process what I bought until just now. I purchased it thinking it would be good for my mom who has digestion issues but she is also not good with tea infusion. I will teach her. When I first opened the bag I was hit with Mint and a medicinal note… dentist’s office. Maybe a slight hint of nilla in the background. But when you infuse the tea the profile changes. Suddenly the back of the dentist’s office bursts open into a fish market. FRESH FISH! It’s so strong! Had to push it away as I was steeping it. But as I bring it back the mint aroma comes back. But it is not dentist mint anymore. Now it’s just peppermint. Almost reminds me of those chocolate peppermints. Not the York with the white in the middle but the green one. Hmm well, maybe the York too. The liquor color is deep and dark brown. Hickory. As you sip it down it turns to a bit more of a rosewood shade. Strangely, the mint isn’t overpowering in flavor. They all kind of meld into one… meh. It’s not terrible it’s just not nearly like anything I was thinking it would be. It’s all fishy and minty and vanillay and woody all at the same time and my brain is going wtf…

I love this loose leaf tea! It has a very strong chai flavor.

I did not know this was a Pu-Erh. I had it when I was fifteen, and I remember the nice vanilla smell and really sweet taste. I thought that the earthier body and smell was because it was blended with a black tea-turns out I was wrong and it was a green Pu-Erh. It’s one of the few darker teas that I started to drink without cream and sugar because it was so rich, never mind the sugar was great with the peppermint. The Tea Spot Climber’s High is a lot like this one, but I prefer the taste of this one because of the peppermint next to the cinnamon and vanilla bean.

Backlog:

I enjoyed this. I didn’t necessarily agree with the ‘chai’ part of the name, simply adding cinnamon to a tea doesn’t make it a chai in my book. Sure, I know tea = chai but for me, chai = spices. Cinnamon isn’t enough to make this a chai for me.

That said, it’s still tasty. The pu-erh is smooth and earthy and mellow and I thought that the cinnamon and licorice root complemented the earthy notes of the pu-erh. The peppermint gave it a lovely freshness and the vanilla gave it a soft, creamy note.

An enjoyable pu-erh blend.

I’m not sure what I was expecting but this wasn’t really what I wanted right now. The flavor seemed odd with a bad aftertaste on the roof of my mouth.

I think I’ll try making it with some almond milk in a saucepan tomorrow. Maybe the flavor will blend for me with milk.