Category: Review

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Necessitea’s Licorice Mint

Licorice Mint by Necessitea
Herbal Infusion / Flavoured
$6.00USD for 2oz

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Necessitea has provided me with Licorice Mint for the purposes of providing an honest review.

First Impressions

Licorice Mint came to me in a resealable silver foil package. I like the minimalist look of the labelling – not too much information on there. The dry leaf has an unmistakeable minty aroma – just the first sniff made me feel as though my sinuses were clear (even though I was not sick when I tried this tea). I’m not entirely sure what licorice root is supposed to smell like – however, I don’t smell anything that reminds me of licorice candy and whatever licorice root is supposed to smell like, it reminds me a bit of lemongrass. Just an overall burst of freshness, although it is overpowered by the mint.

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Licorice Mint consists of licorice root, mint, and rosehips. All three ingredients are quite visible in the dry herbal blend.

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Preparation

There were no preparation instructions on either the packaging of the sample I received or on the product page on the Necessitea website. I opted to steep Licorice Mint at 100°C (212°F) for an initial steep of 4 minutes.

First Taste

Licorice Mint steeps to quite a bright yellow. I found the minty aroma from the steeped herbal infusion to be strong. The flavour of this tisane did not disappoint. Each sip began with the freshness of mint, and tapered off into something a bit citrus-tasting, although I attributed that to the licorice root. There’s a sweetness to this herbal infusion that I wasn’t really expecting. However, I did do some Googling on licorice root and found out that licorice root is actually really sweet and doesn’t taste a thing like the licorice candy! (Lucky for me.) There’s something quite soothing about sipping this tisane that’s quite calming to the senses. I think it’s the combination of the aroma of the steeped tisane and the flavour that’s just very pleasant.

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A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Licorice Mint and found it to be a very watery version of the first steep, I would say that Licorice Mint is good for one steep only.

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My Overall Impression

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I liked Necessitea’s Licorice Mint. I did find myself a bit apprehensive at first, but this was my first exposure to licorice root and I found it surprisingly pleasant. I’m not usually one for herbal infusions, unless it’s fruit based (and iced!), but I did enjoy Licorice Mint. I found the calming effects of just inhaling the aroma of the mint and licorice rot to be quite soothing. It’d be a great drink for late night since it’s naturally caffeine free. I wish it had done decently well for a second steep, since it does smell so good from the initial steep.

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JusTea’s Purple Jasmine

Purple Jasmine by JusTea
Green Tea / Flavoured
$10.00 for 90g

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First Impressions
Purple Jasmine was tea that I received for free from JusTea because they offer free teas to people on their birthday when they sign up for their newsletter. Luckily, Purple Jasmine is tea that I haven’t tried yet so I was pleased to receive it in the mail. It came to me in a resealable bag that is paper on the outside and foil on the inside, which is nice for tea packaging because keeps out moisture, air, and light.

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This green tea blend smells just like a jasmine green tea, which is one of my favourite types of tea blends. It has a sweet floral fragrance that is familiar. Purple Jasmine consists of jasmine green tea, Kenyan purple tea, jasmine blossoms, and cornflower blossoms.

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Preparation

JusTea recommends steeping Purple Jasmine in near boiling water for 2 minutes. Their product page for Purple Jasmine suggests a temperature of 175°F (80°C), which is lower than “near boiling” in my books.

First Taste

Purple Jasmine steeps to a light golden yellow. This green tea blend has a bright floral aroma that instantly makes me think of jasmine flowers. I found that it has a sweet jasmine/floral taste, and there’s the subtle undertones of the green tea base. I noted some grassy notes that I attributed to the green tea base since the jasmine can be a bit overpowering in comparison.

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As it is a purple tea, I opted to add a little bit of lemon juice to my cup of tea. I found that the colour turned to a very light grapefruit-esque pink. However, I found that the lemon juice didn’t do much for the taste as it muddled the jasmine flavour. I much preferred it without the lemon juice.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Purple Jasmine twice. I found that the flavours were still quite strong for the first resteep, but found for the second that the sweet floral flavours were much more dilute. I would say that Purple Jasmine is good for one more steep.

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My Overall Impression

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I loved JusTea’s Purple Jasmine. I really enjoyed this jasmine blend and how fragrant this tea was in both the dry leaf and the steeped tea. I wouldn’t recommend doing the colour change with the lemon juice unless you’re a fan of lemon in your tea, because I just don’t like what it does to the beautiful jasmine flavours in this tea blend. Because of the natural sweetness, I would pair this tea with a savoury breakfast to offset the heaviness in a hearty breakfast, or with any other meal to provide a contrast.

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Golden Tea Leaf’s Dung Ting Oolong – Traditional

Dung Ting Oolong – Traditional by Golden Tea Leaf
Oolong Tea / Straight
$21.99 for 100g

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Golden Tea Leaf has provided me with Dung Ting Oolong – Traditional for the purposes of providing an honest review.

First Impressions

I got a small sample packet of Dung Ting Oolong – Traditional roast from Golden Tea Leaf. There isn’t really anything remarkable about the packaging. I love a good oolong, so I was really looking forward to trying this one from Golden Tea Leaf! The dry leaf is mostly a dark brown with some golden parts to the leaf. There’s an overall nutty aroma with mild vegetal notes. Generally, I find that it reminds me of chestnuts.

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The leaves are rolled tightly. Like with most of my rolled teas, I don’t use a full spoonful because I know that the leaves will expand a lot when I’m steeping the tea.

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Preparation

Golden Tea Leaf recommends steeping Dung Ting Oolong – Traditional at 95°C (203°F) for 2 minutes (initial steep), 2-5 minutes (for all subsequent steeps). My initial steep was for 2 minutes.

First Taste

Dung Ting Oolong steeps to a beautiful golden yellow in a short period of time. There’s a nutty aroma to this tea, with a slight sweetness in the background. When I sip this tea, I note sweet plum flavours as well as some earthy mushroom flavours. I really like the differing flavors, it adds a level of complexity to this tea that’s a pleasure to drink.

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A Second Cup?

I resteeped Dung Ting Oolong a total of four times, adding an extra 30 second per subsequent steep. I found that the oolong became a darker golden yellow with each steep. The plum flavours become stronger while the earthy flavours start to subside by the second resteep. There’s a mild astringency at the end of each sip that I didn’t find in the initial steep.

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My Overall Impression

3cups-2

I liked Golden Tea Leaf’s Dung Ting Oolong – Traditional. I found this oolong to be quite enjoyable in it’s initial steep. The plum flavour is delicious, and I really enjoyed the earthiness of the mushroom flavours. For me, the initial steep was more enjoyable than the other steeps of the same leaves because of that astringency I noted with the subsequent steeps.

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