79 Tasting Notes
I got 1oz because I wasn’t sure if I’d enjoy this tea — I’ve got a love-hate relationship with jasmine. I tend to find it bitter, astringent, too perfumey, etc. I’m just getting over a chest cold and my sense of taste & smell has JUST returned, so I decided to try this blend with a fairly open mind and clean palette. The jasmine is gentle and not at all bitter or harsh, and it leads into a more mellow & soft vanilla flavor on a fine base of black & green tea. I sweetened it with raw echinacea honey and am drinking it from a small teacup which cools it down perfectly. The small amount in the cup doesn’t have an overwhelming jasmine aroma before you sip, as I found my heftier mug did.
It certainly has enough jasmine to please the people I know who are floral-fanatics, but it is gentle enough for people who AREN’T jasmine-connoisseurs to enjoy. :D
Started my day with a little bit of Matevana! I had just run out of Teavana’s “My Morning Mate” and was left with no other mate blends in my cupboard. Having woken up about 3 hours earlier than planned … I definitely needed a bit of a boost. This just doesn’t satisfy me as much as some of their newer mate blends do. It seems like the flavor is a bit … watered down, even though I had JUST ordered and opened the package. It was still pretty tasty with the addition of some raw honey, but I didn’t find it as satisfying as I used to. Got the job done but wasn’t as flavorful as I recall it being. Maybe I got a bad batch, or maybe I’m just used to different mate blends now.
Today I decided to make a sort-of chai latte with this. I don’t own a milk steamer and I find that steamed milk will sometimes give me a stomachache, so I improvised! I brewed some of the Kama Sutra Chai and added the last of my meadowfoam raw honey (which has a taste of marshmallows — goes VERY well with this tea) and let that sit while I prepared milk. I poured some 2% milk and added to it a few drops of vanilla extract. I put it in a lidded container and shook it until it was rather foamy. I then added the tea, stirred thoroughly, and had a perfect little easy “latte” to enjoy. I think it would work BEAUTIFULLY with almond milk or vanilla soy as well!
I actually love this tea. I enjoy Earl Grey, but this is a softer version of it. The bergamot isn’t overpowering and the vanilla is a delightful accent to the flavor of the ceylon and green teas. I drink it with a local autumnal wildflower honey and sometimes mix it with Upton’s Rose Congou.
This is a malty dark chai, but with something sweet lingering in the background. It brews a deep reddish amber cup and is somewhat bitter if over-steeped. I sweetened it with a rosewater sugar cube. Smooth flavor and highly enjoyable. At the bottom of each teacup I found a thin layer of powdery spices. Very interesting.
Preparation
I had the opportunity to try this tea while I took photos for a friend. He even heated the water up in a kettle that had a setting for green tea! Going to order it soon.
It had rather large tea leaves, and many of the spices were present as a fine powder. When it was brewed in a teapot I found most of the spices dissolved, and what didn’t left a decent layer which settled to the bottom. A little bit gross, but could be avoided with a finer mesh when steeping.
It was a light tea, sweet and complex in flavor. I could tell if it was more floral or more spicy — all I know is that the flavors blended together very well. There was little bitterness and no need to sweeten. Really enjoyed this. :)