Nettle makes me think of ancient forests, fantasy novels, or fairy tales. I imagine a character moving through the woods getting stung by nettle, or collecting herbs like nettle for a tea or potion. The herb’s prickly reputation is featured in folk tales where the hero needs to grasp a bunch of stinging nettles, or make a cloak of nettles to fend of some malicious force or break a spell. (As a side note, apparently there is a world nettle eating championship. Who knew?)
All that magic in mind, how does nettle taste as a tea? The Nettle blend from Republic of Tea tastes slightly green with a strong flavor of creamy vanilla, and just a hint of mint. It’s unclear to me if the creaminess if from the vanilla flavoring or part of the nettle. This brew has a smooth and buttery mouthfeel like certain green teas.
I did a little research and the internet tells me that nettle leaves should taste reminiscent of spinach or cucumber, green and mineral in flavor. I’m not picking up on anything strongly like that in this blend, the vanilla clearly takes over. Maybe I’m in luck, as a spinach tea doesn’t sound all that appetizing.
On its own merits, the Nettle blend from Republic of Tea is a easygoing herbal vanilla brew, with a hint of something green and minty. I’m glad such a prickly herb was transformed into something so soft and comforting.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Republic of Tea
Description:
Nettle leaves have been known to support the body in a variety of ways. Studies have shown that it can help reduce joint inflammation and can help support kidney function.* Nettle tea has also been popular as a tonic for centuries to help women through all phases of life- from menstruation, through pregnancy and breastfeeding, to menopause. A touch of mint and vanilla makes this tea a joy to sip.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
A Kid-Friendly Novelty, Delicious, Gross Swampwater from David’s Tea
David’s Tea company always have the cutest seasonal mugs, and I just can’t help but check out their fall collection as soon as it goes up on their website. Their loose-leaf teas are generally all blends, and tend to be on the sweeter side. That said, it is a colorful and friendly place to get started for those who are new to tea.
This Halloween season, I ordered a cute ceramic jar with glow-in-the-dark ghosts. To get the jar, it came filled with tea, and this blend was such a good time I had to write a review. The tea that came with my jar was Swampwater. This green rooibos blend is flavored with papaya and passionfruit and is decked out with orange and black-cat sprinkles. It smells sweet and fruity in the dry leaf, and tastes even more sugary when brewed. The tropical flavors reminded me of gummy candies or melted popsicles. Definitely a sweet indulgence, but a nice reward for Halloween.
The real trick with this blend is that this tea brews up murky and opaque– like swampwater! It reminds me of those gross-out candy workshops that all little brothers seemed to have in their toy collection. When brewed with hot water, the sprinkles melt to change the color of the brew, and this innocent rooibos ends up looking as densely colored as a cup of matcha, but more brown than green. Even if you like to drink your tea iced, I recommend brewing this hot and chilling it. If the tea is used in a cold brew, the sprinkles won’t melt and you won’t get this sensational color-change magic.
Because of its decaf nature, the sweetness, and the novelty of the color change, this would be a great drink for a kids’ Halloween party. It looks gross and tastes great, and what kid can resist some black-cat sprinkles on Halloween? If you order it soon, you might still be able to get the glow-in-the-dark ghost jar as an added bonus. Happy Halloween!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: David’s Tea
Description:
After we retired this fruity limited edition tea, we never thought we’d see it again. But this Halloween, it rose from the grave one last time. With rooibos, papaya, passion fruit and black cat sprinkles, it’s a spooky blend worthy of any Halloween festivities – and best of all, it steeps to a sinister dark green colour. The scariest part? People can’t seem to get enough of it. So make sure you get your hands on this frightfully delicious tea before it goes back to the grave.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Midnight Magic Green Tea from Shanti Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Shanti Tea
Tea Description:
It is usually at the strike of midnight that the world begins to unravel into the beautiful and magical creation that it truly is. Sit back, relax, and enjoy this blend while the world’s magical nature reveals itself to you.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The dry leaf of this Midnight Magic Green Tea from Shanti Tea has a strong floral note with a distinct vegetative note and just a hint of citrus. Once brewed, the rose remains strong, and the citrus emerges just a bit.
What I’m noticing immediately with this tea, and what I’m liking best about this particular tea from Shanti Tea, is that it is first and foremost a green tea. That is to say, this tea isn’t a strongly flavored tea where the taste of the tea has to compete with the flavoring.
The vegetative notes of the green tea are strong without tasting sharp. Yes, it is a grassy note, but its not a bitter grassiness. It’s actually quite smooth. It is lightly sweet, but I find that this tea tastes more savory to me than many green teas. It’s pleasantly brothy and my palate finds it very agreeable.
The rose is a faint note – it is much more distinct a scent than it is a flavor in this cup. It offers a touch of floral sweetness, but I’m not finding this cup to be overtly floral. The same is true of the citrus … the orange is delicate … oh, I can certainly taste it and it tastes really nice … but it doesn’t overwhelm the cup. I find that as I continue to sip, the sweet orange flavor reveals itself more, and by mid-cup, there is a really lovely orange-y flavor that accompanies the grassy notes of the green tea. The rose never really becomes more than an accent flavor, but it is quite lovely the way it is.
I found this to be an enjoyable cuppa – sweet, flavorful and one I’d be happy to sip on anytime!
