Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Amoda Tea
Tea Description:
There’s a whole lot of tang in this tea: orange peel, lemongrass, bergamot oil. The Ceylon (Sri Lankan) base tea can also have a tangy character. This is a smooth, medium-bodied cup. Obviously, the citrus in this tea is bold, but it’s not aggressive or bergamot-heavy.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn how to subscribe to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
This Citrus Earl Grey Black Tea Blend from Naked Teas Galore is the second of the three teas I received in this month’s Tea Tasting Box from Amoda Tea. I really do enjoy these boxes, and this month, they did things a little different. Instead of providing three different teas/tisanes from three different tea vendors, they chose just one vendor to focus on, and selected three different teas from them.
I kind of like this change … it gives me the opportunity to try not just one tea from a tea company, but, three! Let’s just hope that the company they choose will be a new-to-me company – like this month’s vendor, Naked Teas Galore.
I am very happy with this particular selection – Citrus Earl Grey. Of course, Bergamot is already a citrus, but Naked Teas Galore really zoomed in on the citrus notes by adding Lemongrass and Orange Peel. These additional citrus flavors soften the sometimes sharp bergamot flavor and create a sort of “medley” of citrus-y flavor … sort of like a citrus punch, if you can imagine that. The bergamot is still distinct, of course, but just … more mellow. Smoother. Sweeter! The orange peel and lemongrass do not offer a strong, specific flavor of their own in the brewed cup; instead, these ingredients contribute to the aforementioned “citrus punch” like taste.
The black tea is sort of a mellow-tasting black tea that sits off in the background, content to let the citrus-y flavors play. It is a solid black tea flavor, but it is definitely off in the background. It is not an aggressive flavor, but I think a stronger black tea flavor would have interrupted the citrus-y notes that I think Naked Teas Galore was trying to hone in on with this blend. It might be interesting to see how a stronger black tea base would have tasted here, but as it it, I find this to be a really tasty tea, perfect for one of those lazy afternoons, when you just want to sit and contemplate the joy of tea!
Peach Matcha Green Tea Blend from Naked Teas Galore
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green (Matcha)
Where to Buy: Amoda Tea
Tea Description:
This is a sweet treat
The powder smells peachy, that’s for sure. The first whiff caused fear that we were soon to be drinking fuzzy peach candies, but the green tea aroma comes out once you add water. Slurp it to get a full taste of the matcha flavour. It’s the rich vegetal character of matcha that balances the sweet peach flavour. Juicy hot or cold.
Learn more about this Matcha here.
Learn how to subscribe to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve had a few things to say about Amoda Tea and their Tea Tasting Box subscription … some good, and some not so good. For example, when I receive my monthly box and it contains mostly tisanes, I’m a little perturbed. And then, sometimes, I receive a box that has three teas … and I’ve not tried any of the three teas inside it. That’s when I do the happy dance. And even the months when I’m just a little disappointed, I still find myself thoroughly enjoying the teas and/or tisanes that were included in the box. So, really, even though there are moments of disappointment, overall, I am really VERY thrilled with the monthly boxes that I receive from Amoda Tea.
This month when I received my tasting box, I did the happy dance … because, check it out: Not only is there an Earl Grey variation (which I will review later this month) … but there is MATCHA! This Peach Matcha Green Tea Blend from Naked Teas Galore that I’m sipping now! Yay! MATCHA!
The insert with the teas this month suggests to me that this month’s box is based upon cravings – sweet, salty and sour. OK … I get those kind of cravings now and again, so, I can appreciate this month’s approach. This Matcha tea is a sweet craving. It is the first tea from Amoda that I’ve received that is pre-sweetened. I don’t usually sweeten my Matcha teas – even the flavored ones – because I think that Matcha has a sweetness to it that doesn’t need to be overpowered by the addition of sugar. And the sugar in this blend does make this rather sweet … like peach candy! I’m not finding the sweetness to be too much, but, it is rather startling because I’m so used to not having the sweet there. Does it overpower the Matcha and its natural flavor? Maybe a little, but not so much that I’m finding myself put off by it.
I do think that the sweetener here does affect the product though … as I had a hard time achieving any kind of froth with this Matcha. Not a huge deal, of course, but, I do think that if you’re going to introduce tea drinkers to Matcha (which is what Amoda Tea seemed to want to do with this, their first Matcha offering in their monthly box) they should choose a tea that will froth up. Maybe it’s just me, but, I love that foamy, light froth that sits atop my bowl of Matcha!
The peach notes are really wonderful here. Sweet and yes, like I said before, peach candy-like. It reminds me of peach Jolly Rancher candy. But I like that I can taste the slightly vegetal tone of the Matcha as well. It is somewhat subdued in the presence of the strong flavoring and the sweetness of the cane sugar, but, it’s still there. The citric acid is also noticeable, especially in the aftertaste … I taste a tangy note at the end. Like peach slices that have been sprinkled with a little bit of lemon juice to keep them from browning. The flavor is still primarily peach, but there is just a touch of citrus that is noticeable toward the end.
Overall, this makes a sweet, creamy treat … and I can see how this fits within the sweet craving category. Very enjoyable, and I’m glad that Amoda Tea has decided to venture out in Matcha offerings as well … I look forward to what they’ll include in the future as far as Matcha goes!