This is my first tea from this company! Looking at their website, I see the reason for their name. Many of their teas are available with different labeling, and there are some really lovely options here. In addition, you can choose a tea and request custom labeling for an event or for a company – such possibilities!
This tea promises to be a smooth, Japanese pan-fired Sencha tea. Mine is in a sachet and I see some flat leaves about two centimeters long as well as a bit of crumble and dust, probably from its rough transit to my house while out of its tin. I feel sure the leaves in the tin were quite whole when the tea was received by the person who ordered it!
There were no instructions on the website as to steeping parameters so I used my usual green tea process – 175F for three minutes.
The resulting liquor is quite pale but fragrant. My first impression is of roasted chestnuts, the classic pan-fired green taste to me. It is lively and brisk without astringency. The flavor lingers well after the sip. The briskness dries the tongue and makes you reach for more, and I notice the initial roasted nut flavor shifted to a quick tingle and then a sweetness rising up into the whole mouth. This lingers for quite a while.
Eager for more, I resteeped my sachet. The liquor is about the same color. The flavor is nearly identical with perhaps a lighter roasted nut taste up front and even a little more sweetness, but that could be simply building the longer I drink this.
If you are a fan of pan-fired Japanese tea, you may want to give this one a try!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: The Tea Can Company
Description
Refreshing, smooth and high in antioxidants. Classically Japanese, sencha green tea is pan-fired for a taste that is smooth, refined and easy on the palette. With a refreshing aroma and lovely true green color, this tea is rich in antioxidants that promote well being.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Jasmine Green Tea from Zesta Tea. . . . .
With how my life is structure, having a tea that I can pop in a bottle of iced water or freshly prepped water is key. I sometimes need a quicker route to tea than the traditional loose leaf variety. It sounds silly, but being a mom of 4 with all of the other work and home tasks that need to get done on a daily basis, I find that sometimes time just doesn’t always allow for the prep needed for my beloved loose leaf. Yes, I know. Prepping loose leaf tea takes a mere minutes, but sometimes I really do find myself up against the clock to grab shoes and get out the door with kids in two. This is where Jasmine Green Tea from Zesta Tea has been my hero.
Jasmine Green Tea is a bagged tea variety of one of my beloved teas. With a gorgeous elephant as their logo, Zesta Tea knows how to do give you a lot of flavor in a tea bag. Freshly prepped with hot water, this tea gives that familiar and soul loving floral flavor mixed with that brilliant green tea base. The jasmine flavor really is the star here and the green tea is a bit more gentle. . . quite a romantic combination in my opinion. The tea is smooth and really hits the spot when you need something quick. I do still enjoy my loose leaf version of jasmine green tea better, but this tea is perfect for those instances where I need to really get a moving.
What I found that I really adore about this tea is how marvelous you can brew up an iced tea. I fill my water bottle up with ice, water, and a few of Zesta’s Jasmine Green Tea bags. Stick it in the fridge and in an hour or so, I have wonderful iced tea. Perfect for those on the go moments that fill up my day everyday. And this iced tea always compliments whatever lunch I’ve scrounged up for myself.
For a bagged tea, this Jasmine Green Tea has really caught my attention. I’m excited now to jump into the loose leaf teas that Zesta Tea sent us to review along with the other bagged tea varieties. I see lots of tea tasting sessions in my future this weekend!
I’ve had other bagged tea varieties of this tea blend before and for the most part, have walked away disappointed. Not the case here. This may be a tea I need to pick up more of for those busy summer days that are quickly approaching.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Zesta Tea
Description
Chinese green tea delicately flavoured by imprinting the leaves with natural Jasmine flowers and allowing the tea to absorb its fragrance. The flowers are then carefully removed by hand leaving behind this exotic tea that can be drunk any time of the day and particularly makes a great accompaniment to food.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Warm Fuzzy – Hand-blended tea from PaperBoxGoodies
Today’s blend, Warm Fuzzy, comes from Etsy shop PaperBoxGoodies. This teabag came with a cute tag and tea charm, helping remind me that each bag is hand-filled by the small Etsy shop.
Warm Fuzzy lives up to its name, With fuzzy chamomile blossoms and green tea, this is a cozy, relaxing blend. The grassy green notes pair easily with the floral, lemony chamomile. For a tea with blend of herbal ingredients, this was gentle and sweet, definitely not bitter or medicine-like. I think this blend is best with touch of honey to bring out the natural sweetness in the chamomile. I prefer teas with a bit more spice or boldness, but this is a kind, comforting brew for when you need to calm down and drink something nice-and-easy.
I don’t see Warm Fuzzy in stock on PaperBoxGoodies’ Etsy shop, but there are other intriguing flavors with names like Purple Snozberry, Bluesfest Green, or Passionmint Green. After the quality of Warm Fuzzy, I look forward to trying other blends from PaperBoxGoodies.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: PaperBoxGoodies
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Ashwagandha Root in Atman Tea Co. . .
When it comes to trying new flavors, sometimes ignorance is bliss, but once you have a strong mental image of something associated with a flavor, you’re done for. If you’d like to pretend you were with me during this mystery tasting, imagine Mr. Bean, but with more eyebrow wiggles and puckered lips, and that would be an appropriate approximation.
Upon receiving this pyramid tea bag (just the perfect blend of fancy and convenient) from Atman Tea Co, I was ready to test those taste buds. After a 2 minute brew at 160F, this pyramid really surprised me for a number of reasons! First and foremost, these tea leaves are FLA-VOR-FUL (sorry for caps yelling, but that’s how my mouth felt). I can’t imagine I over-brewed this with such a low temp and time. Follow-up tests with an “independent” second party (ok,ok my Dad) supported my initial findings.
Then I wondered where this smoky taste was coming from. Was this a Puerh? A mate? I’ve never known those to end with an astringent apple flavor. The dry leaves were so innocuous. And it can’t be from sweetener, because I added none. Really loving my wonderful new year’s resolution right about now. Hmmmm, internet sleuthing we go…
Hello, hello Gunpowder green tea, (BOOM! Found it), and ashwagandha root (aka Indian ginseng). So this has some medicinal value to it, and I’m sure if you weren’t feeling 100%, this would have just-enough taste to it, but for me right now its overwhelming.
Hmmm ashwaganda, haven’t heard that one yet, what’s its etymology? Oh, **SPOILER ALERT** , it literally translates as …. “horse smell”… Well great, now my one militant vegan friend is going to harangue me for enjoying a tea that smells like animals. Uh oh and now that I sip more, I’m envisioning Seabiscuit rather than Jasmine and Gunpowder green…. aaaand I’m done for, gotta put it down. But at least I’ve consumed an anti-stress drink while the haters gonna hate hate hate hate. **SPOILERS OVER**
What have your experiences with ashwagandha root been?
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green/Herb
Where to Buy: Atman Tea Co.
This expertly crafted custom blend consists of Ashwagandha Root and Jasmine Green Tea. Ashwagandha reduces stress while combating fatigue. Jasmine Green Tea eases anxiety, calms the mind, and boosts mood. The resulting flavor is subtly sweet with a tasty undertone, which emanates a beautiful aroma. Together they make the most delicious and relaxing herbal tea one could ever brew.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Zen from Tazo. . .
I grabbed Tazo’s Zen™ at the dentist’s office without realizing the dreaded mint* was inside it. However, I’m pleased to announce that the mint isn’t the primary characteristic of this tea!
* A note about mint: WHY IS IT EVERYWHERE? Mint is for toothpaste only.
Anyway, this lemon-mint green tea is mostly lemon with a toasty green flavor. It’s like a roasty, nutty kind of green, which is interesting against the citrus-y (and, okay, a LITTLE minty) high notes.
I think this is a nice choice for recovering from the harsh blows of a dentist visit. (I need $4k of Invisalign! And a filling! And part of the underside of my tongue cut! Almost $5k altogether!) It’s very… Zen™. *
* A note about the ™: How on earth can the word “Zen” be trademarked? I imagine it’s just in the context of tea products? No one else can name their tea “Zen,” maybe? Does this strike anyone else as weird?
Anyway, this tea comes in boxes at your grocery store, if you want to give it a whirl! You can enjoy it in your less-messed-up-than-mine mouth!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Tazo
Description
A harmonious blend of green tea with lemongrass & spearmint.
