Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Amoda Tea
Tea Description:
The White Peony base tea offers a sweet and mild profile perfect for soft flavours. This teas gives an amazing vanilla and cream aroma. When sipped, you can taste the sweet hay and floral notes of the white tea and the orange peel just after. This tea saves the best for last – vanilla and a lingering creaminess that’s almost nutty in flavour.
Learn more about this blend here.
Learn how to subscribe to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
To be honest, I wasn’t all that impressed with my first infusion of this Pony Goal White Tea Blend from The Teaologist. I mean, it was alright … but it just wasn’t the great blend I was expecting … especially since I am generally pretty pleased with Amoda’s selections for their tea boxes, and the last tea that I tried from The Teologist I enjoyed. My first brewing attempt with this tea wasn’t what I expected from the Teaologist … or Amoda.
And I suspect that the reason I was less than satisfied with it is because I brewed it according to the brew suggestions on the package (180°F for 2 – 3 minutes) instead of my usual “go to” steeping parameters for a white tea (160°F for 5 – 7 minutes).
The second time I infused this tea … I went with my go-to parameters and … what a difference! Yes! Now this is good!
The flavors are all present. The Bai Mu Dan is sweet and creamy, which is further accentuated by the vanilla notes. The citrus emerges toward the end of the sip, giving the palate a “creamsicle” sort of taste to enjoy. The notes of strawberry and pomegranate come through, but these are delicate flavors. I notice the pomegranate in the aftertaste more than at any other point.
This tea is tasty served hot, but it is definitely better as it cools. The creamy vanilla tones really POP when it is cool. The strawberry and pomegranate is more distinct when it’s cool too. The citrus notes seem to soften somewhat in the cooling process, but I still get that creamsicle-y kind of finish with this tea and it’s really YUM!
So … it just goes to show you that if you’re not successful with the first attempt with a tea, it’s worth trying again … tweak your parameters and see if you can make the tea work for you! It was definitely worth it to take some time and work with this blend … because it’s really quite good!
MintGrass Tisane from The Teaologist
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Amoda Tea
Tisane Description:
This tea is about the balance of its parts. Straightforward in its ingredients, uncommon in its composition. Bits of mint tingle the tongue, sticks of lemongrass refresh the palate and hints of chamomile calm the body. Slice up some ginger to add some spice. Stir in honey to sweeten the pot. Simplicity can be versatile.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Learn how to subscribe to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
This is the second tea from this month’s Amoda Tea Tasting Box that I’ve tried, and even though it’s a tisane (and I really would prefer that Amoda start including more TEAS in these boxes instead of tisanes), I am still finding this MintGrass Tisane from The Teaologist an enjoyable cuppa.
There is a really lovely balance of peppermint, lemongrass and chamomile in this blend. The peppermint is crisp and cooling – very refreshing! But I like that the other two ingredients here soften the vigor of the peppermint just enough so that it doesn’t taste too minty. Sure, the peppermint is a strong component to this blend, but, I don’t feel like I’m drinking liquefied toothpaste.
The lemongrass offers a really lovely, bright citrus-y note. It tastes faintly of lemon – but it’s a mild lemon taste – not really so tart as it is sweet, but there is a hint of tartness toward the finish that leads into the aftertaste.
The chamomile adds a touch of floral sweetness. Of the three components of this blend, the chamomile is the most discreet, but it does manage to make its presence known in the sip. There is a distinct “chamomile-ness” to the cup, but what I’m liking is that this doesn’t taste like a chamomile blend … if you get my meaning. So often when you brew a chamomile blend – there is a very heavy presence of chamomile … while here the chamomile is more subdued and allows the peppermint and lemongrass to do their thing in their own way.
Overall, this is a very enjoyable tisane, and I can definitely see the relation that this tisane has with this month’s Amoda Box theme – which is St. Patrick’s Day/Spring (this tisane being related to the spring part of the theme) It definitely has a fresh, spring-time kind of flavor!