Sanctuary T

This was a purchase from way back when I was in “buy all the teas” mode, and I bought a groupon for this company. Most of the teas I ordered were misses and I’ve long since swapped them away, but this one I always liked.

I don’t usually like green mate all that much, but I like it here. The jasmine tames it a bit, without subduing the kick of energy it provides. It’s possibly not as jasminey as it once was, but it’s still tasty. I need to remember this one for energy jolts when I need them.

I am considerably more awake than I was an hour ago. Thank goodness for tea. I still wish I was a tiny bit more energized, though, so I grabbed this one from my cabinet. Now I am drinking maté and listening to modern tango, which is appropriate.

I don’t have a lot of maté blends, but I am thinking maybe I should explore them more. I definitely enjoy this one, even if it’s pretty simple blend. It’s definitely an easy blend to recreate: green maté and jasmine pearls. Simple, and yet brilliant. The jasmine goes so well with the herbaceous quality of the maté, providing a hint of florals and smoothness.

I had this earlier today when I felt like I was going to die from exhaustion, but Steepster just would not load the tasting note page.

Man, the period between 3-6pm was rough. I started getting that overly exhausted feeling and then slightly ill… not totally, because I wasn’t actually really sleep deprived, but a bit. I was not feeling a black tea because I felt a little over black tea-ed. But I desperately needed something that would give me some energy, so I grabbed this, which is a blend of maté and jasmine dragon pearls. In the past I’ve only steeped it 2 minutes but because the page wouldn’t load I didn’t realize that and I steeped it 3 instead. Fortunately there was no ill effects on this, it was nicely jasminey with that slight mintiness I get from green maté. Even the maté wasn’t bitter at all. I really do like this blend a lot, and it does give me a little energy boost. I’m thinking I should try more green maté blends in the future.

I woke up tired this morning, and it hasn’t gotten much better. I had to run all around the university this morning to get my freaking parking pass renewed, so this morning was a total loss. Still tired, so I thought maybe I needed some dragon flames in my life. Last time I had this jasmine pearl/maté blend I ended up with tons of energy, so here’s hoping for today! I really like this blend, which is almost minty along with the jasmine. It really works as a flavor combo!

I usually don’t drink green tea in the morning, but this isn’t your regular green tea… this is jasmine pearls blended with maté. I recently had a groupon-style deal for Sanctuary T that was expiring, so I went shopping to figure out what teas to buy. They offer samples for a few of their teas, but none that I was really interested in, so I had to go for a couple of 2oz teas. They had a number that sounded interesting until I took a closer look and realized that I had tried a bunch of them under different names from other companies. This was one that I had never seen anywhere else before and it appealed to me.

The dry leaf smells minty and green, with a hint of jasmine underneath. I think that maté can smell a bit minty, and it definitely reminds me of my recent travels to Argentina. The tea came without a temp for steeping, but I used a green tea temp because of the jasmine pearls. Also, I don’t know how hot the water is that Argentinians usually use for their maté, but I’m pretty sure it’s not actually boiling (at least, it wasn’t for one girl I stayed with). I steeped it for 1.5 min (based on their 1-2min recommendation), but I’m pretty sure I’d be happy with 2 minutes.

The tea smells more jasminey after steeping, though not overwhelming. Still green minty and that herbaceous maté aroma. It’s pretty faithful to that in the taste as well, though the jasmine is just a hint. Looking in my infuser it looks like the jasmine pearls didn’t get much chance to expand, so I guess I’ll be resteeping this one! The flavors remind me of an Argentinian herbal tea I brough back with me (not a maté blend), actually. It’s not a combination that I would expect to like, but it’s pleasant and I do really like it.

Second steep was a tiny bit hotter (180°F) and for 3 minutes. The jasmine pearls are really unfurling now. It’s decent but I liked the first steep better; there seems like there’s less flavor in this one. I think using these parameters for the first steep might yield my perfect cup of this tea.

Backlogging

_Experience buying from Sanctuary T http://steepster.com/places/2940-sanctuary-t-online-new-york-new-york?visit=1642

Age of leaf: Unknown; received this as a free sample after a mishap with shipping.

Packaging: simple transparent bag with a thin cardboard top with the company name and the name of the tea.

Aroma of dry leaf: Very aromatic.

Brewing guidelines: In sixteen-OZ ceramic cup with metal basket strainer; stevia added.
……….1st: Just off the boil; 3’
……….2nd: boiling; 5’

Color and aroma of tea liquor: looks like the color of chocolate and smells like chocolate.

Flavor of tea liquor: Tasty, chocolaty, but some flavor in here doesn’t quite go well with the chocolate.

Overall: It’s, OK, but not what I was hoping for. I like their straight rooibos better than this. Still, not a bad tasting tea.

The flavor in this tea was very slight. I could taste the black tea undertone and the strawberry. I got none of the pepper notes. I will try this again as I generally like flavored black tea but this was just kinda meh.

Mixed this with some assam black tea and half a teaspoon of rock sugar.

This tea is delicious, a very fresh and juicy taste that splashes in your face.

It is especially great that I can recall memories of mid summer when we usually start buying large quantities of watermelon and end evening Summer picnics sharing slices with everyone.

What a treat!! Thankyou QuiltGuppy for so generously sharing this sample with me. I quite like it.
The Oolong comes through very nicely, but also takes on the accent of tangerine quite well. I’m on my second steep now, and noticing the orange flavour more and more. It’s very delicate and reminds me of a white tea in some ways.
The sweetness is also very round, lasting until long after I’ve taken a sip.
I wouldn’t want this one all the time but when in the mood for a fruity oolong tea, this will definitely be on my “to crave” list.
I think I’m most impressed by the fact that it’s a fruit oolong. Most that I have tried are overpowered by the added ingredients.
Oh and it’s very smooooooth. The consistency (not the taste) of butter!!!

This was probably the most surprising tea I tried in 2011. Totally crave-worthy. But I only have a 1oz sample, so I’ve been drinking it sparingly. I’m going to have to break down and buy more eventually. Today, with GF gingersnaps, it’s the perfect way to get through the afternoon slump on the first workday of the year, and coldest day of winter so far.

I am loving this with Ginger Snaps. It’s my new favorite afternoon pick-me-up!

Mixed with assam tea, this maintains its sweet, almost buttery taste.

It is a nice light tea to start your morning mixed with a proper black tea.

This is barely chocolate and/or chai, the honeybrush overpowers everything and gives this tired rooibos taste.

I am extremely disappointed with this, as I was expecting some kind of chai flavor.

Because I love chai tea, this tea seemed perfect, as it is the right amount of spice.

The flavor is quite smooth with a creamy & buttery finish, and everyone kept noting that it smells like coffee.

I add an equal amount of rock sugar to one teaspoon in 16oz of boiling water to compliment the buttery taste.

For chai lovers, or coffee drinkers that want to wane themselves, this tea is perfect.

A cold brewed, bold and creamy chai…

Full Review

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