Tag: Herbal/Fruit Infusion

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Tealish’s Chocolate Mint

Chocolate Mint by Tealish
Rooibos / Flavoured
$9.50 for 50g

Tealish’s Chocolate Mint came to me as part of The Sugared Teacup’s December themed subscription box.

First Impressions

I did not know that Chocolate Mint was a rooibos blend at first, the packaging for this sample packet was lacking information regarding the ingredients as well as steeping instructions. Chocolate Mint does come in a sealed, and resealable, white foil pouch. It’s described as an herbal tea/tisane, and I found it under “Rooibos Tea” on the Tealish website when I went hunting for information. Of course, as soon as I opened the bag I could see that it was a rooibos blend.

Chocolate Mint is an excellent name for this blend, it does smell like chocolate and mint. I reminds me a lot of my dad, actually, since he loves all things chocolate mint and he always gets a lot of chocolate mint goodies around the holidays. Surprisingly, I cannot really smell the rooibos base – which is a pleasant surprise since I don’t really like rooibos… at all. Chocolate Mint consists of: rooibos, apple pieces, peppermint leaves, cacao nibs, natural flavouring, and orange peel.

Preparation

Tealish recommends steeping Chocolate Mint in boiling (100°C/212°F) water for 4 to 6 minutes. I opted to do an initial steep of Chocolate Mint for 5 minutes.

First Taste

Chocolate Mint steeps to a very bright orange colour. It has a fairly strong chocolate mint aroma to the tisane, although I can make out the rooibos base in the background although it is very mild compared to the chocolate mint goodness. Taste wise, I found that the chocolate mint flavour wasn’t strong enough to hide or overcome the rooibos base. I’m not a fan of the medicinal flavour of rooibos, and that is unfortunately present in Chocolate Mint. I can taste chocolate notes and minty notes, but it’s just not strong enough to cover up the rooibos for me. If you’re a fan of rooibos though, you might like it!

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Chocolate Mint once. I found that the flavour of the rooibos was the only thing I found in my cup, I couldn’t taste the chocolate mint notes at all.

My Overall Impression

I thought that Tealish’s Chocolate Mint was just okay. I think if I was a fan of rooibos, I would scored this tisane a lot higher. I found that the aroma of mint and chocolate in the dry leaf was excellent and very close to the ‘real deal’. I was pretty underwhelmed by the initial steep because I was really hoping for the chocolate mint flavours to be a lot stronger to overcome the rooibos base in Chocolate Mint. That said, the rooibos base does stand out and if you’re a fan of rooibos you’ll probably really enjoy this tisane. Because of my lack of love for rooibos (and most rooibos blends aren’t really well-loved by me…), I’m just not a fan. If you love the flavours of chocolate and mint together and you’re a rooibos drinker, I think you’ll really like Chocolate Mint!

Curious about the cup rating system? Click here to learn more.

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New Moon Tea Co’s Relax and Renew Tea

Relax and Renew Tea by New Moon Tea Co
Herbal Infusion / Straight
$12.98 for 24g

First Impressions

I can’t remember when I got this tea, I’m pretty sure that I received this tea as a gift and it got lost in my stash because I don’t remember having bought this one – and I am aware that New Moon Tea Co’s packaging and logo has changed since this one was made. That said, properly stored tea and herbal tisanes do keep well provided they are stored properly and in sealed containers! Relax and Renew Tea came in a kraft paper pouch that is plastic lined and resealable.

All of the ingredients in Relax and Renew Tea are very much visible. This blend consists of organic: chamomile, lavender, lemon balm, and cornflower petals. The first thing I really smelled was the lavender. I had to really focus to smell the lemon balm because the lavender was just that strong. It does make me want to relax though, I think lavender has that effect on a lot of people.

Preparation

New Moon Tea Co recommends steeping Relax and Renew Tea for 5 to 6 minutes, with no temperature listed. I opted to go with 100°C (212°F) water, which is a common temperature for herbal blends, for 6 minutes.

If you’re ever in doubt about how long to steep a tea for or what temperature of water to use, you can refer to my steeping guide.

First Taste

Relax and Renew Tea steeps to a clear golden yellow. The primary aroma that I get from this herbal infusion is the lavender, which is not a surprise considering that it’s the strongest aroma in the dry leaf as well. On first taste, I have to say it’s incredibly floral – the lavender flavour is strong compared to the rest of the ingredients. I found it to be very relaxing though, it makes me think of other lavender scent things and the calming effect that I get from the scent in general. I don’t really taste the chamomile though, which is a shame because I really enjoy chamomile, and I find the lemon balm is mostly present in the tail end of each sip.

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Relax and Renew Tea again and found that it was quite weak compared to the initial steep. The lavender is still the predominant flavour. I found that chamomile was still lost in the blend.

My Overall Impression

I thought that New Moon Tea Co’s Relax and Renew Tea was just okay. If you’re a fan of lavender, I think you’d really enjoy this blend. The lavender is very strong and it lends itself to a very floral cup of herbal tea. That said, if you’re hoping to get more of the chamomile or lemon balm, those flavours aren’t strong enough to overcome the lavender. I found that the lavender was a bit strong for me, which is why I’m not rating it higher. I think I would like it more if the chamomile or lemon balm played a stronger role in balancing out the lavender.

Curious about the cup rating system? Click here to learn more.

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kyth + kyn’s Glow

Glow by kyth + kyn
Herbal Infusion / Straight
$11.99 for 1 bag (5 servings)

First Impressions

I was first introduced to kyth + kyn in November, at the 2018 Vancouver Tea Festival. The idea behind kyth + kyn is to modernise traditional Chinese medicines, in particularly when it comes to the teas and soups. This concept really spoke to me because a lot of the ingredients being used in kyth + kyn’s tea blends were familiar to me. They’re ingredients that I grew up drinking (begrudgingly…), but now that I’ve grown up, I’m more appreciative of the flavours and the purpose behind the ingredients.

The ingredients for Glow are in separate plastic bags (resealable), which come in a sealed paper pouch that is also resealable and is plastic lined. Glow consists of dried red date and dried goji berries – each in separate bags. The aroma of the ingrediets are sweet, they remind me of walking into Chinese medicine shops as a child in Chinatown – there’s just something really familiar about it. Red dates have more of an aroma than the goji berries do, but I think that is par for the course.

kyth + kyn lists some of the positives about the ingredients on their product page for Glow. Red dates are high in vitamin C, help to regulate blood circulation, and contain flavanoids and sapoins (which promote sleep and relaxation). Goji berries have been in the news a lot lately because they are a super antioxidant, and they also help to promote healthy liver and kidney function, promote healthy skin, and also help to relieve stress and anxiety.

Preparation

kyth + kyn recommends combining 1 tablespoon of red dates with 1 teaspoon of goji berries in hot water, and then allowing it to steep for 15 to 20 minutes. I did measure out the ingredients and then tossed it into my teapot. I used 100°C (212°F) water since the temperature wasn’t specified. I let Glow steep for 20 minutes (and nearly forgot about it because it’s such a long steep time!).

First Taste

Glow steeps to a beautiful bright yellow, although it’s more of an orange in the teapot. It reminds me a bit like sunshine. The aroma from the tisane is mildly sweet and smells like dates primarily. The flavour of Glow is a nice balance between the red dates and the goji berries. There’s a slight tartness from the goji berries that is off-set by the sweetness from the dates, which lends itself to be quite tasty. I found the flavour to remind me a bit of apples, it just has that freshness to it that reminds me of biting into an apple.

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Glow. It is an herbal tisane, so I found that it didn’t resteep well at all – which was to be expected. The first resteep was very watery compared to the initial steep, I would say that Glow is good for just one steep.

My Overall Impression

I loved kyth + kyn’s Glow. Perhaps it’s because this tisane blend reminds me of my childhood, or because I just really enjoyed it – but I’m giving Glow a full four cups for the flavour, the balance between the goji berries and red dates, and for just being a good cup of tea. I love how kyth + kyn outlines the properties of the ingredients so I know what I’m drinking and what it’s good for. Pro-tip, you can eat all the ingredients if you want to (or toss them into a soup to get more out of it).

Curious about the cup rating system? Click here to learn more.