LiberTEAs’ Tomato, Basil & Black Pepper

I think this might actually be my first savoury tea, which is exciting enough on its own, but what’s more exciting is that it’s composed of three of my favourite flavours – tomato, basil, and black pepper are some of my favourite things in life. I’m really glad Anne decided to reblend this one, otherwise I’d have been forever wondering…

I used 1 tsp of leaf for my cup, and gave it 2.5 minutes in boiling water as per the recommended parameters. Brewed, the scent is soup-like and a touch smoky. The taste is similar – there’s an initial note of tomato – sundried rather than fresh – that’s almost sweet in its intensity. The mid-sip is dominated mostly by the basil – which is really clear and well defined (yay!), and which cuts through some of the sweet tomato, adding an almost-vegetal, herby freshness. The pepper comes out at the end of the sip and lingers a little in the aftertaste, adding a touch of welcome spiciness. All in all, pretty perfect for a savoury tea! I can taste a hint of smoke, but it’s not overwhelming and it doesn’t drown out the other flavours – it was unexpected, at first, but it fades at the cup cools so there’s no fear if smoke isn’t your thing.

As a first experience with a savoury tea, this was a good ‘un! Another I’d happily repurchase if it became available again in the future. I’d really like to experiment with some more savoury teas now…

So a friend of mine is getting married next week. I missed her bridal shower, so we went out for dinner to make up for it. For any Toronto peeps who have never heard of Scaddabush, you MUST go. They make mozzarella cheese onsite! and because it is so fresh, they don’t need to refrigerate it. The appetizer version comes in a soft gooey ball that you can cut up and squish on to bread. We had the one with honey and truffle oil on it. Best cheese I’ve ever had in my life. Seriously. I won’t go on about the other food as that would lead to a very long note!
Anyhow. I figured a packet of this tea would be the perfect fit as part of my bridal shower gift. We were at an Italian restaurant after all :P
She was very intrigued, and I did warn her it tasted kinda soupy, but that I’m kinda addicted. Oh and total agreement, it fit right in with the evening’s theme :D

Guess what tea I am in the process of reblending?

One of our VIPs from our start-up Kickstarter campaign selected the incentive to create a VIT and choose a reblend and he told me to choose my favorite reblend to reblend.

Okie Dokie – this one was one of my all time favorites and it’s one I selected because – well, I wanted to reblend it. Fortunately, my VIP was very excited with this choice – so this is the tea we’re going with. Instead of using sun-dried tomatoes in this blend, I used freeze-dried tomatoes so it looks a little different than the original batch.

This is my first taste test of the tea – and I still have some tweaking to do on it. I want a stronger tomato flavor and a more prevalent pepper flavor to it. I went really light on the Lapsang Souchong – so I’m smelling more smoke than I’m tasting so I might add just a little bit more to this to enhance that smoke a little. Or perhaps I’ll add a touch of Keemun to round out the body a little more.

Anyway – this one’s being reblended – so watch for it – it should be done within the first week or so of July (I hope)!