Author: Michelle

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Snapdragon & Thistle’s Iron Goddess of Mercy

Iron Goddess of Mercy by Snapdragon & Thistle
Oolong Tea / Straight
$8.50USD for 2oz

Snapdragon & Thistle has provided me with Iron Goddess of Mercy for the purposes of providing an honest review.

Use coupon code INSTA02 for 10% off your order of Iron Goddess of Mercy from Snapdragon & Thistle! Coupon code valid for May 2019.

First Impressions

I love trying oolong teas because there’s just something so lovely about a tea that’s been so lovingly created and can resteep well, so when Snapdragon & Thistle asked if I wanted to try some of their tea, I jumpd at the opportunity to try their Iron Goddess of Mercy. This oolong tea came to me in a sealed, resealable plastic-lined kraft paper pouch. The front features a logo stick from Snapdragon & Thistle while the back of the bag had a sticker that outlined the steeping instructions for this tea.

Iron Goddess of Mercy is an unflavoured oolong tea from the Fujian Province of China. There are light and dark brown leaves, all bunched up. There is a light nutty aroma from the leaves, with a hint of fruity notes when I take a deep breath. It’s amazing to think that these leaves will open up so much after being steeped! I always like to encourage people to resteep their oolong teas because there’s so much flavour in them.

Preparation

Snapdragon & Thistle recommends steeping Iron Goddess of Mercy in 200°F (93°C) water for 2 to 4 minutes. My initial steep was for 2 minutes.

First Taste

Iron Goddess of Mercy steeps to a light yellow orange for the initial steep. I found that it had a light nutty aroma. On first taste, I can taste a buttery cream flavour, with hints of stone fruits (think apricots, plums) with a toasted nutty background at the tail end of each sip. It has a nice sweetness to it that is really enjoyable.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Iron Goddess of Mercy a total of six resteeps, adding an additional 30 seconds for each subsequent steep. I found that as I continued to resteep these leaves, the tea got creamier with a heavier butter flavour while the fruity notes got a bit weaker. It was a nice shift in flavour with each sip. The toasted nutty flavour that I found at the end of each sip to stay fairly consistent throughout.

My Overall Impression

I loved Snapdragon & Thistle’s Iron Goddess of Mercy. I really enjoyed the complexity that I found in this tea’s flavour profile. It was just a very pleasant experience, and I enjoyed how the flavour shifted with each steep because it felt like the flavour got more decadent with the strong buttery notes. I think this tea would pair very well with both savouries and sweets, and might highlight afternoon tea really well because the butter flavours would play off of scones nicely.

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Oteas’s Moroccan Mint Tea

Moroccan Mint Tea by Oteas
Herbal Infusion / Straight
$6.95 for 24g (12 sachets)

Oteas has provided me with Moroccan Mint Tea for the purposes of providing an honest review.

First Impressions

Moroccan Mint Tea has a very strong minty aroma – and that’s without me even removing the plastic wrap from the cardboard box! Once I peeled off the shrink wrap, I was welcomed with a strong mint aroma to breathe in, which is really quite pleasant. This minty tea comes in tea sachets that are biodegradable – which is awesome! I can definitely seem some nice big pieces of mint leaves in the sachet, which is always a treat to see in a sachet product.

Moroccan Mint Tea consists of Moroccan mint. The smell is vibrant and inviting. It reminds me of summer days when my dad used to mow the patch of mint that was left to grow unattended in the backyard (as a side note – don’t let your mint grow unattended because it will spread because that’s just what it does).

Preparation

Oteas recommends steeping Moroccan Mint Tea in 100°C (212°F) water for 5 to 8 minutes. Because this is a tisane, I opted to do an initial steep of Moroccan Mint Tea for 8 minutes.

First Taste

Moroccan Mint Tea steeps to a brownish orange, with the most inviting mint aroma. The flavour is undoubtedly mint, I found it to be bright, refreshing, and sweet from the natural mint flavour. Traditionally, Moroccan mint tea is made with green tea (typically Chinese in origin), with mint leaves and sugar. This tea sachet is straight Moroccan mint, which makes it naturally caffeine free. If you want the more traditional option, you can always pair it with a green tea (Gunpowder would be preferred) and sugar. I found that the Moroccan Mint Tea had a lot of natural sweetness to it, which made it quite palatable – but as a person with a sweet tooth, I can see why adding sugar to a int infusion would also be delicious.

A Second Cup?

As Moroccan Mint Tea is a tisane, I found that a resteep of the same leaves yielded a weak cup of tea compared to the initial steep. I would recommend steeping it for the full recommended 8 minutes and sticking to just one steep.

My Overall Impression

I loved Oteas’s Moroccan Mint Tea. As the weather warms up, I’ve been really enjoying ‘cooler’ drinks – and even though I had Moroccan Mint Tea as a hot beverage, I found that the refreshing nature of the mint to be quite cooling. The flavour of the Moroccan mint is delicious, and I can see it being both delicious hot and iced but I really enjoyed it hot and think that others would like it this way as well. If you’re looking to make this mint tea a bit more in the traditional manner, I would pair it with a Chinese Gunpowder green tea and some sugar (and steep in a silver teapot!).

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DavidsTea’s Cherry Blossom Matcha

Cherry Blossom Matcha by DavidsTea
Green Tea (Matcha) / Flavoured
$9.98 for 50g

First Impressions

Cherry Blossom Matcha was a tea that my local DavidsTea shop was promoting the day that I went in, so I gave it a sniff and opted to buy a small amount to try at home. Like with previous matcha blends that I have purchased from DavidsTea, this one is also a drink mix with the first ingredient being cane sugar. It is a bit disappointing because there’s so much education and information out there about the obesity epidemic out there regarding how much sugar people are taking in on a regular basis. That said, moderation is key!

Cherry Blossom Matcha comes in a silver foil bag that is resealable. The printed label has the information for the matcha blend – including the description, ingredients, and steeping instructions. The powder itself has a light floral aroma to it, and I can smell the matcha. The description suggests that there’s a cherry flavour but I can’t smell that at all. Cherry Blossom Matcha is a pretty green colour and has a light sparkle to it that comes from the cane sugar. The ingredients for this matcha blend are: cane sugar, matcha green tea, and natural cherry blossom flavouring.

Preparation

DavidsTea recommends preparing Cherry Blossom Matcha with 85°C (185°F) water. I opted to sift the powder into my matcha bowl prior to preparing it with my bamboo whisk. If you need some tips for preparing matcha, click here for my Basics of Preparing Matcha article.

First Taste

Cherry Blossom Matcha whisks up very easily, and it was quick to produce a layer of foam on top of the matcha. There’s a sweet, floral aroma from the tea. The first thing I noticed when drinking it is the sweetness. I would say that is very sweet, and the floral notes come in second. There is a touch of grassy flavour from the matcha base, but the sweetness from the cane sugar is the most prominent flavour.

I think Cherry Blossom Matcha would be a great option to have as a matcha latte, as the milk would help cut down on the sweetness.

A Second Cup?

As Cherry Blossom Matcha is a matcha (suspension!), there is no ‘second cup’ with the same powder.

My Overall Impression

I thought that DavidsTea’s Cherry Blossom Matcha was just okay. I’m beginning to think that I need to stop buying the disappointing matcha ‘drink mixes’ (although the Chai Matcha – which is now discontinued – is still a favourite of mine as a latte). I think they did a great job on making sure that the matcha didn’t come across as being too floral or perfumey – I’m not sure why the description suggests “ripe, juicy cherry” for this blend when cherries are not the same thing as cherry blossoms, and cherries are not mentioned in the ingredients list at all. I’ll be finishing off the rest of this small bag as a latte, most likely, to help temper the sweetness of all the sugar in it.

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