Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Sarabeth’s
Tea Description:
Green Tea is one of the most natural of all teas and contains many of the natural compounds which make teas a healthy drink. The preference to green teas lies in their light, delicate and refreshing taste. It is meant to be consumed without milk or sugar and is a pleasant accompaniment to a meal thanks to its digestive properties.
Learn more about Sarabeth’s teas here.
Taster’s Review:
I was a little hesitant to try this one. I admit it. I’ve had a few bad experiences with decaffeinated tea (long ago) and those experiences have stuck with me, and when I see “Decaffeinated” on a tea, the memories of those bad experiences come flooding back.
Since then, most of the decaffeinated teas that I’ve tried have been pretty good. I’ve even had a few that I might not have known that it was decaffeinated had I not brewed the tea myself and read the packaging. And that’s exactly what I’m trying to determine with this Decaffeinated Green Tea from Sarabeth’s: does it taste decaffeinated?
The answer to that question would depend on what you meant by “decaffeinated taste.” Does this taste chemical-y or just … weird or off? No, it doesn’t. It tastes like a light, refreshing green tea. But it does have a slightly thinner taste than a caffeinated green tea might. In that way, it does have a slight decaffeinated taste. But it isn’t an unpleasant or off-putting taste – not at all! It just tastes and feels a wee bit thinner than a green tea from Sri Lanka would otherwise taste.
The flavor is lightly buttery, sweet, and slightly vegetative, reminiscent of lightly buttered lima beans. It doesn’t have a chemical taste (or aftertaste). It’s a pleasant green tea, and the fact that it is decaffeinated makes it quite alright to drink any time of the day and not worry about whether or not the caffeine will keep you awake past bedtime.
I would definitely recommend this to someone who either can’t have caffeine or is looking to limit their caffeine intake, but still wants to enjoy a tasty green tea.
Spinach Chive Savory Tea from Numi Organic Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Numi Organic Tea
Tea Description:
Layers of steamed spinach greens give way to the mouthwatering fullness of this savory brew. The citrus notes of Numi’s Dry Desert Lime tickle the roof of your mouth as coriander teases your taste buds. Dill, chive and decaf green tea are the perfect finish to this wellrounded, yet complex, blend.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
I received a sample of this Spinach Chive Savory Tea from Numi Organic Tea in my September Goodies Box, and I was very excited to try it because I have been wanting to try these savory teas from Numi ever since I learned about them.
When I tore into the package, I could smell the onion-y chive right away! The aroma of the other ingredients are milder, but I could smell the vegetative notes of both the green tea and the spinach, as well as well as a hint of citrus. The brewed tea smells very much like the dry tea, although the liquid has a softer fragrance than the dry leaf.
This is an unusual but tasty tea. It’s a bit thinner than I would like it to be, I think it would be better if the green tea were not decaffeinated. I think that the tea would be more satisfyingly “round” if it had not undergone the decaffeination process.
As it is, though, I like that I taste the chive, the spinach, the coriander and the lime. I don’t taste a lot of green tea here, but then I think that the vegetative notes of the chive and the spinach probably meld with the green tea to produce a more united vegetal taste. The chive stands out more distinctly than the green tea and the spinach, but even so, the hint of onion-like flavor is very mellow.
Overall, it’s a very mild and tasty beverage … I like this savory experience. It’s definitely different!
Mango Green Tea (Decaffeinated) from Spice & Tea Exchange
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green (Decaffeinated)
Where to Buy: Spice & Tea Exchange
Tea Description:
Chinese green tea leaves are combined with flowers & natural mango for a nice fruity flavor. This is a naturally decaffeinated green tea that is great hot or iced. Contains: organic green tea, safflower & marigold petals, natural mango and citrus pieces & flavoring.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
From the moment that I took a sip, there was something a little different about this. I could tell it was decaffeinated, although I did not put my finger on that right away. It wasn’t until I read the above description that I said “ah… that’s it, it’s decaffeinated.”
That’s not to say that it tastes bad. It doesn’t even have the chemical-y taste that some decaffeinated teas have, nor is it terribly thin the way some decaffeinated teas can be. It is slightly thinner than a typical Chinese green, but, it is not an obvious thinness.
But I do notice a slight metallic twinge toward the end of the sip, a twinge that lingers into the aftertaste. It isn’t a disturbing twinge, but it’s there, and it tells me that this is, indeed, a decaffeinated green.
It is still a tasty tea, though. The green tea is sweet and vegetative, and the mango has a sweet, tropical flavor that evokes thoughts of warm summer breezes which is kind of a nice thought as it is very cold outside! I like the level of flavor here, it isn’t strong or artificial tasting, it tastes like real mango. I can also taste a very subtle note of citrus, which brightens the cup, but I think it also accentuates the metallic tone.
A tasty decaffeinated tea, nice for when you’ve had more than enough caffeine for one day but you’re not ready to switch to a caffeine free tisane, a decaffeinated tea like this one makes a nice alternative.
Jasmine Green Decaf Tea from Culinary Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green (Decaffeinated)
Where to Buy: Culinary Teas
Tea Description:
New formulation for our Jasmine Decaf Green Tea! The jasmine notes are perfumy and full floral. You cannot believe you are drinking decaf!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I constantly find myself surprised when I taste a decaffeinated tea and really enjoy it the way I am with this Jasmine Green Decaf Tea. You see, I had way too many decaffeinated teas (years ago!) that ended up tasting icky and chemical-ish which were not only unpleasant to drink but would also impart a rather disagreeable aftertaste that seemed to linger way too long.
But, I’m not experiencing those unwelcome flavors with this tea! This tastes sweet, luscious, and quite lovely! I do adore jasmine tea, and this tea offers me a fantastic way to enjoy it later in the evening when I’d rather not have so much caffeine in my system.
The green tea tastes delicious, slightly creamy and very smooth. It is difficult to discern that this is actually a decaffeinated tea, and had I not made the pot of tea myself, I wouldn’t have guessed it. It does taste only slightly “thinner” than a caffeinated Sencha would taste … but the differences between this and a caffeinated green tea are so minute that I really have to focus to notice them.
And the jasmine tastes very nice. It is not overdone so there’s none of that soapy taste to this. Just gently sweet, beautiful jasmine.
A really brilliant decaffeinated green tea, this Jasmine Green Decaf.
PRODUCT REVIEW: Marley’s Mellow Mood Lite – Half Lemonade/Half Tea from Marley Beverages
Product Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Marley Beverages
About Marley’s Mellow Mood:
Marley’s Mellow Mood is a new line of 100% natural relaxation beverages created in partnership with the family of legendary musical prophet, Bob Marley.
Learn more about this product here.
Taster’s Review:
I was a little hesitant to try this one, mostly because when I see the word “lite” on a beverage, I worry that it contains aspartame to which I’m allergic. Having suffered one too many reactions because of this artificial sweetener, I tend to avoid “lite” products all together.
So, I read the ingredients:
water, sugar, erythritol, pear juice concentrate, lemon juice concentrate, black tea, sodium citrate, reb A (stevia leaf extract), natural flavor.
No aspartame. But what was this erythritol? It is a sugar alcohol which is safe … at least, safer for me to consume than aspartame. So, I waited until late evening (as it does say it can make you drowsy), and opened the bottle and started sipping.
The pros: This is pretty tasty. The first few sips had a sort of artificial sweetener sweetness to it, and I suspect that this is the stevia. However, once the other flavors started to emerge, I didn’t taste that funky sweetness anymore, and just enjoyed a very pleasant combination of sweet-tart lemonade and black tea.
The Cons: Because the black tea is sharing center-stage with the lemonade, it is a less distinct (although still quite distinguishable) flavor. And it is sweet. A bit sweeter than I usually would want my iced tea to be.
Overall: I am enjoying it, even though it’s a bit on the sweet side and even though the tea is not as prominent as I’d like it to be. And… the mellow part works. I’m already starting to feel drowsy, and before opening the bottle I probably would have been awake for at least a couple more hours.
So, even with the drawbacks of this beverage, I’d still give it two thumbs up because it does deliver what it promises, which is a mellow mood!