Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Shanti Tea
Tea Description:
It is usually at the strike of midnight that the world begins to unravel into the beautiful and magical creation that it truly is. Sit back, relax, and enjoy this blend while the world’s magical nature reveals itself to you.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The dry leaf of this Midnight Magic Green Tea from Shanti Tea has a strong floral note with a distinct vegetative note and just a hint of citrus. Once brewed, the rose remains strong, and the citrus emerges just a bit.
What I’m noticing immediately with this tea, and what I’m liking best about this particular tea from Shanti Tea, is that it is first and foremost a green tea. That is to say, this tea isn’t a strongly flavored tea where the taste of the tea has to compete with the flavoring.
The vegetative notes of the green tea are strong without tasting sharp. Yes, it is a grassy note, but its not a bitter grassiness. It’s actually quite smooth. It is lightly sweet, but I find that this tea tastes more savory to me than many green teas. It’s pleasantly brothy and my palate finds it very agreeable.
The rose is a faint note – it is much more distinct a scent than it is a flavor in this cup. It offers a touch of floral sweetness, but I’m not finding this cup to be overtly floral. The same is true of the citrus … the orange is delicate … oh, I can certainly taste it and it tastes really nice … but it doesn’t overwhelm the cup. I find that as I continue to sip, the sweet orange flavor reveals itself more, and by mid-cup, there is a really lovely orange-y flavor that accompanies the grassy notes of the green tea. The rose never really becomes more than an accent flavor, but it is quite lovely the way it is.
I found this to be an enjoyable cuppa – sweet, flavorful and one I’d be happy to sip on anytime!
Chocolate Midnight Black Tea from Nature’s Tea Leaf
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Nature’s Tea Leaf
Tea Description:
Chocolate Midnight Black Tea is an exclusive blend of select Yunnan Black tea infused with natural dried vanilla bean and blended with rich Belgian chocolate. The leaves of the Yunnan black tea are black with golden hairs on the buds that provide a strong invigorating aroma and vivid red liquid. The classic combination of tempting vanilla bean and rich dreamy curls of semisweet Belgian dark chocolate will offer your palate a temptingly sweet treat that will keep you coming back for more.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
OK … so you KNOW I had to try this one, right? I think it may have been love at first sight with this tea … I mean, look at all those chocolate curls! *drool!*
And this is definitely chocolate-y! It is a dark chocolate taste (although a splash of milk could make it a creamier milk chocolate if you so desire!) and it tastes really quite … perfect. The vanilla gives it just enough creaminess without making it taste too much like “milk” chocolate – making this the perfect choice for any chocolate lover – whether they prefer milk or dark chocolate!
Oh sure, I’ve had teas with more chocolate flavor, but, I really LOVE the way the chocolate is represented here. It tastes like a dark chocolate truffle that you can buy by the piece in one of those gourmet chocolate stores. Smooth and rich … and oh-so-delicious. It is sweet, but not cloying.
The black tea base is a Yunnan base, and I think this is another reason I find myself so in love with this tea. Yunnan teas typically have a natural chocolate-y undertone going on, and their pleasing natural spice notes enhance the chocolate in a very appealing way. The Yunnan here provides a solid background of flavor: rich, robust and well-rounded. And nicely balanced with the chocolate.
This is one of the best chocolate teas I’ve yet to try (and I’ve tried quite a few!) Definitely in the top five! I love it!
Midnight Jasmine from Shanti Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Shanti Tea
Product Description:
Prepared by infusing green tea leaves with night-blooming jasmine flowers for several consecutive nights, Jasmine tea is one of the best known China Green teas, originating from the Song Dynasty around 1000CE. Cultivated at altitudes over 1500ft, this popular tea has a clean and delicate taste with the subtle yet exquisite aroma of jasmine blossoms, reminiscent of summery evenings and gentle breezes.
Taster’s Review:
Wow! This is such a lovely jasmine!
The green tea is light and slightly grassy, and at the start of the cup, I noticed that it was a little sharp and grassy. Not bitter-grassy, but it had a sharp intonation that hit toward the end of the sip. After the jasmine flavor developed, though, that sweetness washed over that sharpness and softened it, creating the perfect balance between green tea flavor and the sweet flower.
The jasmine starts out rather smooth and delicate, but it develops as I continue to sip. If you love jasmine, you simply must try this tea. It toes the line between intense and just a bit too much jasmine, but it toes that line with such grace and precision. It is NOT soapy to me, but, I can see how others would think that it might be a little too much for their palate, so if you’re one who is particularly sensitive to jasmine’s perfume-y tendencies, this may not be the jasmine for you.
This jasmine is for jasmine lovers! It is delightful hot or iced – this might just be one of my favorite jasmine green teas to chill for iced tea.