Keep reading to learn how you can win TWO bags of Greek Mountain Tea and a mug from Klío™!
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Klío™
Tea Description:
Greek Mountain tea (pronounced “Tsy-Too-VooNoo” in Greek, accent on the “voo”) is made from the dried flowers, leaves and stems of the native Sideritis plant which grows throughout the mountainous regions of Greece at very high elevations – typically over 3,000 feet. It is known for its high levels of antioxidants and contains large amounts of essential oils and more than 60 other compounds, including saponines, flavonoids and polyphenols.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I was a bit apprehensive (and yet, excited!) to try this tea/tisane. To my recollection, I haven’t yet tried Tsai Tou VouNou – or Greek Mountain Tea – so I didn’t know what to expect from the flavor.
The dry leaf aroma is interesting. It’s herbaceous, earthy and somewhat floral. I am picking up on hints of something that makes me think “eucalyptus.” The appearance of the dry leaf reminds me (as a tea drinker) of a White Yabao type tea. Or perhaps a Yabao with lots of LARGE white silver needle tea leaves. The leaves feel like a silver needle too, they’re soft and covered with a fluffy down-like fuzz.
Because this tea is totally new to me, I decided to check out the brewing parameters recommended by Klio. I figured, hey, if I want to adjust it after that, I can always brew another pot. But for now, I thought it was a reasonable and maybe even a good idea to go with the people who know this tea just a bit better than I. From what I could gather from the brewing instructions on the back of the pouch, it looks like I should boil the tea leaves in a pot on the stove for 3 – 5 minutes and then allow to steep for an additional 3 – 5 minutes. OK.
So, I grabbed a small pan and brought 12 ounces of water to a near boil and then tossed in a “small handful of flowers and stems” (as stated in the instructions) into the pan and then I allowed this to come to a boil and boiled for 3 minutes. Then I covered the pan and took it off the heat. I allowed it to steep an additional 3 minutes.
I let the tea cool for a few minutes before taking my first sip. This was mostly out of fear of what I was about to taste more than it was out of fear of scalding my taste buds. Finally, I plucked up the courage and took that first sip. Then I took another. And another. Hmm … this isn’t so bad.
It’s actually pretty tasty!
It has a distinct herbaceous quality to the flavor. It’s sweet and a little grassy, with notes of earthiness. Notes of a lemon-y flavor. It has a little bit of a honey-esque note to it. It’s a warm taste, not abundantly “spicy” but it has a warmth to it that reminds me a little bit of sage.
It’s quite unique from anything I’ve tasted before, but at the same time, the herb-y flavors taste somewhat familiar. It’s a comforting and cozy drink, I feel it warming me inside and there’s more to it:
It has a very soothing quality to it too, as I sip it, I feel it relax me from the inside out. I have anxiety disorder and I feel the anxiety starting to slip away as I sip this, WOW! I really like that. I feel the anxiety leaving my body. I like that I can accomplish that while drinking something that is pleasant to taste.
I highly recommend trying this – it’s something that is well-regarded in Greece for it’s health benefits. Here’s something that I found on the Greek Medicine website:
Shepherd’s Tea is a very warming, stimulating beverage most known for its beneficial effects on the upper respiratory tract in relieving coughs and lung congestion. It also benefits the stomach and digestion, as well as the immune system. Scientific studies have shown that Shepherd’s Tea has considerable immunomodulatory activity in reducing excessive inflammation and edema, as well as antimicrobial activity. Shepherd’s Tea also relieves mild anxiety and contains many antioxidants.
Overall, I’ve had a very enjoyable experience with this tea from Klio! And check this out … you can WIN some of this amazing tea!
GIVEAWAY
This week’s giveaway comes to us courtesy of Klío™! They are offering a very generous prize package: TWO bags of Greek Mountain Tea plus a mug!
How to enter: It’s simple, just comment on this blog post! Include in the comment a way for me to get in touch with you if you’re the lucky winner!
Bonus entries: And of course, we’ll offer you a way to get bonus entries in this giveaway!
- Follow us on twitter!
- Follow Klio on Twitter!
- Tweet about this contest. Be sure to include #SororiTeaSister and #KlioGiveaway in the tweet so I can see it.
You’ll get a bonus entry for each of these.
This contest will run through December 4th. I will contact the winner on December 5th to obtain shipping information that will be forwarded on to Klio.
Good luck!
Blue Ginger Black Tea Blend from Harney & Sons
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Harney & Sons
Tea Description:
For years, we have been honored to supply the tea to Ming Tsai’s famous restaurant: Blue Ginger. This blend is a heady combination of Fujian black tea and floral lychee fruit with a hint of ginger.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
The first thing that was noteworthy to me about this tea was the aroma. Typically with a lychee tea, I get that overwhelming scent of lychee from the dry leaf which … is nice, but sometimes it’s a bit TOO much and can often come off as somewhat chemical-ish, you know what I mean? But with this Blue Ginger Black Tea Blend from Harney & Sons, the lychee notes seem somewhat subdued, which is possibly due to the fact that there is also ginger in this blend.
The brewed tea is wonderfully aromatic with notes of lychee, ginger and a rich black tea base. And that’s exactly what the flavor delivers!
The black tea base is a hearty Fujian black tea which provides a good, solid background of flavor that is rich and full-flavored. Typically with a pure Fujian black tea, I will note hints of caramel and cocoa in the flavors, and I’m picking up on those here. It’s much more subtle than I’d experience from a pure tea, but, it’s still nice that I’m tasting them!
The lychee and ginger seem very compatible. Lychee can sometimes taste a bit “perfume-y” and the ginger seems to tone that down enough so that the lychee tastes sweet and fruity without tasting so much of the perfume-like qualities of the aromatic fruit.
On the other hand, ginger can sometimes come off as a bit too spicy and hot, but in the presence of the lychee, the ginger tastes warm and slightly peppery without experiencing the fire that ginger can sometimes deliver.
Like I said, these two ingredients work very well together! Overall, I really enjoyed this Blue Ginger Tea. According to the Harney & Sons website, this tea is one that is supplied to Chef Ming Tsai’s restaurant by the same name – Blue Ginger. A very cool and delightfully unique tea to feature in a restaurant. I guess I’ve been offered one too many generic tea bags in restaurants becaus I know that I’d be excited to find something like this tea in a restaurant!