Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal Tisane
This tea is available from Amoda Tea.
Tea Description:
This tea does exactly what its name promises – brings serenity to your day. Ingredients like chamomile, jasmine and lavender really do have that affect. We taste the apple-like flavours of chamomile, a perfect lemon squeeze and smooth mint. There’s tart and sweet florals playing off one another and hints of relaxing lavender that come out mid-sip.
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Taster’s Review:
After my first few sips of this Serene Herbal Tisane from The Honest Leaf, I found myself contemplating whether or not I actually liked it. I didn’t dislike it but I wasn’t too sure whether or not I was enjoying what I was tasting.
That is to say, it’s quite unlike other teas I’ve tried.
Now that I’m about halfway through the cup, I can say that yes, I do like this. It’s different, it’s tasty and I like it.
The flavor starts out quite subtle. I notice a soft lemon-y note from the lemon peel and flavoring. This flavor develops over the course of the sip – starting off with a delicate whisper of lemon. The finish is bright with lemon notes and the aftertaste is quite lemon-y, as if I had just taken a sip of lemonade. The aftertaste lingers a while.
After the subtle introduction of lemon, I pick up on flowery notes of jasmine, lavender and passion flower just before mid-sip. These floral notes are also quite subdued. They don’t develop the way the lemon does, but I do pick up on a few more floral notes mingling with the lemon notes in the aftertaste.
Just after mid-sip, I notice the crisp peppermint. I like that the peppermint follows the example set by the flowers and lemon and is understated. The cool peppermint is a nice contrast to the lemon-y flavor, but the mint doesn’t slap you in the mouth with it’s minty presence. It’s just a slight ‘peppy’ sort of flavor that perks up the flavors of the tea without tasting like someone spilled a little bit of mouthwash in my teacup.
I didn’t really notice the chamomile until I reached mid-cup. The chamomile is more of an undertone, offering a indistinct apple note and hint of honey. I can smell more chamomile in this than I can taste. After the mid-cup point, the chamomile notes develop somewhat, but they never become a strong, prominent profile to the cup.
Happily, I notice no hibiscus in this, unless the hibiscus acts as a ‘tart’ agent to help amplify the tartness of the lemon, because the aftertaste does have a tartness to it. Not too puckery, though, but as I said, I do get a lemonade-y sort of experience in the aftertaste.
Overall, I found this to be a relaxing, enjoyable cup. It’s certainly different than the typical ‘nighttime’ type of tisanes, and different is good!
Dhulagiri White Tea from Nepali Tea Traders
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Nepali Tea Traders
Tea Description:
Named for Nepal’s “dazzling, white beautiful mountain,” this delightful first flush white tea releases all of the purity and freshness of our Himalayan highlands. One leaf and a bud are hand-plucked and left overnight in the cool spring air for the mildest form of natural oxidation, then gently hand-rolled. Dhulagiri is a sweet, crispy white tea with a lovely floral aroma.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
According to the above description from the Nepali Tea Traders website, this tea was named after the “dazzling, white beautiful mountain.” And that is the perfect name for this Dhulagiri White Tea from Nepali Tea Traders, because this is indeed a beautiful white tea that is positively dazzling my taste buds!
I’ve tried a lot of white tea during my career as a tea reviewer, but, I can’t recall ever trying a Nepalese White Tea – until tonight, that is! And I’m so glad to finally be trying this! It’s so good. The flavor is sweet and refreshing, with a slight fruit note that reminds me of melon, and a hint of vegetation that reminds me of the freshest, newest leaf buds on a bush. Now imagine those new leaf buds with a droplet of dew on it … yeah!
In the past, I’ve often described the vegetal note of a white tea as “hay-like” but, I think that this has a slightly greener taste than that, and that’s why I used the description of a new leaf bud with a droplet of dew. It is clean and fresh and green, but not overly vegetative.
As I sip this, I feel a gentle re-awakening – not really an invigoration – but more like a replenishing of the body and soul from the inside out. And yet, as I sip, I also can’t help but feel a little bit of sadness, because this tea represents the last tea that I’ll be getting from my monthly tea sampler box from Amoda Tea. What I am happy about though, is that I’m closing this chapter of Amoda Tea on a very high note. This is one of the nicest teas that I’ve received in my Amoda Tea box. There are at least a handful of teas that were very memorable from Amoda Tea, and this one definitely belongs in that handful.
An EXCEPTIONAL tea from Nepali Tea Traders. I’ve tried a few teas from them now, and I highly recommend them! Their teas are excellent! If you do decide to place an order from them, be sure to put some of this tea in your cart. You won’t be sorry! This is wonderful.
Minty Winter Wonderland from Tiesta Tea
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Amoda Tea
Tea Description:
Tastes just like the ingredients would suggest: white chocolate, vanilla and mint… yes! It came as a surprise to us that the natural flavours of rooibos made their way through all that mint. The honey and almost woodsy characteristics are definitely there. Of course though, that peppermint keeps going and going and going.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
I’m a bit behind on reviewing some of my teas … this tea came in my Amoda Tea Tasting Box for December. The 12 Days of Christmas thing threw me for a loop, and then there was that nasty head cold … but, enough with the excuses. Let’s talk about this delightful Minty Winter Wonderland from Tiesta Tea!
This is really yummy. It is a rooibos blend, but I don’t taste a lot of rooibos here. There’s a nutty sort of flavor – something between nutty and woody – that is definitely rooibos but, it is such a small part of this tisane.
Mostly what I taste is MINT! Crisp, cool peppermint! And the way this tisane has been composed, it tastes very much like a candy cane. The white chocolate gives it a sweet, creamy note … and the touch of vanilla enhances that sweet and creamy note. It is so yummy … it tastes like someone may have melted a candy cane in a cup of rooibos. There is a honey-esque tone too … something I don’t usually attribute to rooibos, but, it’s there.
Overall, a delicious cup of tisane.