Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: The Mountain Tea Company
Tea Description:
Our classic Four Seasons of Spring blended with just a touch of Ginseng for a satisfying sweetness that isn’t cloying. Many blenders heavily flavor their tea until it is no longer tea. Our masterful blend features a delightful interplay of Ginseng while maintaining the true essence of our tea, giving you the wonderful taste of flowers, fruit, and herbs.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Ginseng Oolong from The Mountain Tea Company is just like every tea they sell, perfection! I have to say, I approached this tea with trepidation. I really don’t know why but ginseng is not an herb I favor. I have plenty of experience with herbs and I know the health benefits of ginseng but I simply have never really cared for the flavor of it. Ginseng, to me, has been something you have when you are needing an energy boost, or are falling ill, etc, and I generally prefer to avoid it. Well you should see me blush when I found myself actually enjoying this cup of tea!
I got a sample of this from The Mountain Tea Company for review and I will admit, I put off steeping it. It was not until my husband fell a bit ill with cold and flu symptoms that I decided to pull it out and give it a go. I admit, it is quite excellent! Not just the very good base of oolong used by The Mountain Tea Company but the way the ginseng is so masterfully blended! They also use really top quality ginseng in this blend which of course helps so much!
Now my husband is not a tea drinker. He will enjoy a cup of tea now and then but the teas he really enjoys are few and far between but he loved this one. Granted his taste buds are a little off and flavors are not as strong to him right now as they would normally be but he said he could taste the flavors in this cup and he steeped, and re-steeped his leaves all day long until his leaves were totally spent and he asked for more. He never asks for more!
As for me, I loved it! I kept laughing at myself for being so afraid to just sample this tea! Now I want to order more and always have it on hand, and not just for cold and flu days but every day!
Just as their description says, you can still taste the beautiful oolong beneath the ginseng which does not over take the cup with cloying sweetness but is perfectly balanced between sweet, floral, herbaceous, and creamy.
If you are like me and fear the ginseng – don’t be fearful! This tea is something I would drink anytime, anywhere!
Climber’s High from The Tea Spot
Please Note: Check below for special savings on this tea!
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Yerba Maté, Black Tea, Green Tea, White Tea, Pu-erh & Tulsi PLUS Spice Melangé
Where to Buy: The Tea Spot
Tea Description:
A super-charged blend of teas, spices and herbs formulated to provide a refreshing daily lift for people with active, high-energy lifestyles. Climber’s High is a high-powered way to increase your intake of beneficial antioxidants such as flavonoids and catechins, as well as a host of healthy vitamins, trace minerals, beneficial phyto-constituents, and caffeine. It was originally conceived to assist people in adjusting to higher altitudes. This spiced yerba mate chai tea is both good for you and a pleasure to drink.
Learn more about this Yerba Mate Chai here.
Taster’s Review:
This blend has got a WHOLE lot going on!
When I first opened the package, I noticed a pleasant smell that was sweet and a little spicy, smelling a bit like a gently spiced chai. And one quick glance at the ingredient list suggests that this could easily be categorized as a chai (well, yeah, all tea is technically chai, but, I’m talking about what we here in North America think of when we think “chai”) so, I categorized it as chai.
The brewed tea smells a little earthy, slightly vegetative, but still possesses a certain spicy tone – a bit different than that of the dry leaf, but, it still smells warm, sweet, and a little spicy.
Wow! OK, so yeah, this DOES have a lot going on, but, somehow, it all comes together to offer a pleasant tasting blend. I don’t really taste each of the specific tea types here, I just taste a medley of different flavors that I’d associate with the different leaf types.
For example, I taste the earthy, vegetative taste of Yerba Maté, and I would attribute some of that earthiness to the Pu-erh as well. It tastes rich and smooth like a black tea, but it has a light, almost creamy/airy texture and flavor that I’d attribute to the white and green teas. I taste hints of mint and basil that I attribute to the peppermint and Tulsi. And yes, I taste the warmth of the spices, and the sweet, creamy finish that I attribute to the vanilla.
I wouldn’t say that I taste specifically any one of these ingredients, instead, I taste the combination of them all. I taste hints of sweet licorice, I taste the sweet warmth of the cinnamon and little peppery kick from the ginger and pepper. I don’t know that I taste any one ingredient more than the others, they all seem to come together in such a way to provide a very solid taste without one overpowering the others. Some might seem a little lost along the way but at the same time I can’t say that this blend would be the same without any one of these ingredients.
And while there are a lot of flavors to explore here, I am really enjoying the challenge and the journey this tea offers. It is warm and energizing, just the kind of cup I want on those mornings when I need a little motivation.
I like it!
Special Savings: Now through July 22, you can save 15% off of Climber’s High Tea from The Tea Spot. Use the code climbsister in the coupon field at checkout to receive your special discount!
Guayusa Tea with Yerba Maté and Ginseng from Stash Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Guayusa and Yerba Maté
Where to Buy: Stash Tea
Tea Description:
GUAYUSA (gwhy-you-sa) is a rare herbal tea produced from the leaves of a holly tree (ilex guayusa) native to the Amazon Rainforest of Ecuador. Guayusa is naturally caffeinated and has an awakening effect similar to coffee and yerba mate. For this signature blend, Guayusa is paired with yerba mate and ginseng for an invigorating brew that is sure to awaken your senses.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This blend really surprised me. It doesn’t really taste at all like what I expected, which was a very earthy and vegetative/herbaceous kind of taste. I didn’t really get that at all. This tastes more like a very smooth, sweet coffee.
It has a warm, nutty kind of taste: rich, slightly earthy and sweet. I taste very little of the ginseng. I also taste very little of the yerba maté … or at least, what I’ve come to recognize as yerba maté. I taste Guayusa, but, it tastes sweeter than the Guayusa I’ve tasted in the past … perhaps a result of the combination of the other components. It’s really quite tasty!
It’s invigorating, too. I woke up much too early this morning, and found myself unable to get back to sleep. So I was very drowsy when I started this cup … but not any more! I’m awake and ready to go!
I am really glad I got the opportunity to try this blend. When I received this sample, I wasn’t all that excited about it … but the taste has won me over! This is really good!
Mexican Mango Chili Maté from Capital Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Yerba Maté, Rooibos & Green Tea
Where to Buy: Capital Teas
Tea Description:
A superior blend of green mate, rooibos, and green tea forms a perfect canvas for infusing the brilliant colors and flavors of chili peppers and mango. Inspired by Aztec recipes blending chili with fruits, we’ve also added a dash of coconut and an energizing pop of ginseng for the perfect combination. Try over ice for a spicy cold treat on hot days or enjoy its lingering warmth when brewed hot on a cold day.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This tea has a lot going on, but, I’m enjoying the way the flavors come together.
The title suggests that this may be a spicy blend, but, it doesn’t start out that way. A gentle warmth, perhaps, but, I really thought that this would be spicier right from the very first sip. The spiciness gradually builds, starting with a gentle, cozy warmth and building to that spicy tickle that hits the back of the palate and throat. By mid-cup, it is much spicier than at the start, and my palate is quite warm long after I’ve taken a sip.
I think that the sweetness of the mango counters the spicier notes of the chili … softening the blow, so to speak. The mango adds a distinct sweetness, but this doesn’t taste overwhelmingly MANGO. By mid-cup, though, the mango is much more distinguishable. The coconut adds a creaminess to the taste as well, which seems to smooth out all the flavors and bring them all together into one unified flavor. This is not a mango tea, or a chili tea, or a coconut concoction … it is a seamless beverage that offers pleasing notes of many different ingredients, like a treasure chest of flavor, offering many surprises along the way.
The background flavors are earthy, with barely-there notes of vegetation. I don’t taste a lot of flavor from the Yerba Maté, green rooibos, green tea or even the ginseng as individual components, but, I do taste their collective input. It becomes more of a medley of collected flavors rather than specific flavor notes that I can pick out and say “this is the Maté” or “this is the green tea.”
From the very first sips as a mild, intriguing set of tastes to the last drop where the flavors are zesty can even be categorized as hot … this is a very enjoyable cuppa. I really like the way the flavors present themselves, a mass medley of tastes that allow the drinker to discover the various flavors.
Definitely a fun and creative cup!
Ginger Ginseng from The Persimmon Tree
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: The Persimmon Tree
Tisane Description:
A beautiful blend of ginger, ginseng, chamomile, rose hips, orange peel and mint that soothes with every sip.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I know I’ve said this before, but I’m going to say it again. I’m apprehensive when it comes to herbal teas (or tisanes). Most that I’ve tried, I’ve actually quite enjoyed, but there seems to be some programmed automated response built into my hard drive that recoils when I receive an herbal tisane to review. So, I tend to put off trying it, and then when I do finally try it, I end up irritated with myself for not having tried it sooner.
As is the case with this tisane. It actually tastes really good. But, as I’m naturally hesitant when it comes to herbal tisanes and I am not all that fond of ginseng, this tisane had already been marked with a double whammy. But, I managed to talk myself into trying it tonight, and I must say that I’m happily surprised by the flavor of it.
While it does taste herbaceous, it doesn’t taste overly medicinal. Every ingredient is masterfully balanced here to deliver a flavor that is not only gentle and soothing, but palate-pleasing as well. The ginger is sweet with just a hint of spice. That spice tone is mellowed with a touch of mint and chamomile. I can even taste a note of orange in this which is really nice. I don’t taste much from the ginseng, which given my dislike for the herb, I consider the lack of ginseng flavor here a real plus. Additional bonus points should also be awarded to The Persimmon Tree for refraining from using hibiscus in this blend. It doesn’t need it, and I’m glad that they didn’t add it.
It has a very calm, relaxing flavor, perfect for after a big meal, or later in the evening when its time to settle down and prepare for rest.