Tag: Mint and Honey

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Metropolitan Tea Company’s Jasmine Gold Dragon Organic Green Tea

Jasmine Gold Dragon Organic Green Tea by Metropolitan Tea Company
Green Tea / Flavoured
$15.00 for 100g

Mint and Honey has provided me with Metropolitan Tea Company’s Jasmine Gold Dragon Organic Green Tea for the purposes of providing an honest review.

First Impressions

I received a sample packet of Metropolitan Tea Company’s Jasmine Gold Dragon Organic Green Tea, courtesy of Mint and Honey. The leaves of this organic green tea are a deep green-brown colour, and you can see light twists in the leaves throughout from the drying process. The aroma is very strongly that of jasmine flowers, which is quite pleasant.

Jasmine Gold Dragon Organic Green Tea is an organic green tea, scented with jasmine. I can’t really make out the aroma of the green tea base, but it is a jasmine tea so I’m not too put off by the fact that I can only smell the jasmine.

Preparation

I wasn’t able to find any recommended steeping instructions. I opted to do an initial steep of Jasmine Gold Dragon Organic Green Tea at 79°C (175°F) for 1 minute.

If you’re ever at a loss for how hot your water should be or how long to steep a tea for, I have an article on a general guideline for how long (and hot!) to steep your teas for!

First Taste

Jasmine Gold Dragon Organic Green Tea steeps to a beautiful golden yellow. This green tea has a strong jasmine/floral aroma to it that is quite inviting. On first taste, I found zero bitterness or astringency to it (a reminder, I steeped this tea for 1 minute at 79°C). There’s a mild vegetal note at the tail end of each sip that reminds me of leafy, dark green vegetables, which just a subtle bit of umami mingling throughout.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Jasmine Gold Dragon Organic Green Tea a total of four times, adding an extra 30 seconds for each subsequent steep. I found that the flavour stayed fairly consistent, only decreasing a little bit with each steep.

I had also set some aside to have cold/iced and found that the flavour was quite pleasant. I found it to be less floral-sweet when iced.

My Overall Impression

I loved Metropolitan Tea Company’s Jasmine Gold Dragon Organic Green Tea. I found the flavour to be really enjoyable, and the floral sweetness of the jasmine to meet my expectations for a jasmine green tea. The flavour of the green tea base shines through once the leaves are steeped, and it has a nice contrast with the sweetness from the floral with its umami flavour. It’s definitely a tea that you’ll get some good steeps out of it, so be sure to resteep the leaves. Just be careful about oversteeping it, because you don’t want to end up with a bitter cup of tea!

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Shanti Tea’s Rest and Digest

Rest and Digest by Shanti Tea
Herbal Infusion / Flavoured
$12.75 for 33g (15 sachets, 2.2g/sachet)

Mint and Honey has provided me with Shanti Tea’s Rest and Digest for the purposes of providing an honest review.

First Impressions

I received a sample package of Rest and Digest by Shanti Tea from Mint and Honey. The pyramid tea sachets came to me in a resealable kraft paper pouch. The aroma from the herbal infusion blend is primarily that of mint, although I can definitely see other ingredients in the blend – including the chamomile.

Rest and Digest does contain more than mint and chamomile though, this herbal blend consists of: chamomile, anise, fennel, lemon balm, ginger root, peppermint and safflower – all organic ingredients. Surprisingly, the ginger isn’t the most aromatic ingredient in this blend, I’m quite used to ginger being very much in the forefront of herbal blends when it’s in there, but this one is more subdued. I really have to concentrate in order to pick it out.

Preparation

Shanti Tea recommends steeping Rest and Digest in 100°C (212°F) water for 5 to 10 minutes. I opted to do an initial steep of 7 minutes.

First Taste

Rest and Digest steeps to a bright, golden yellow colour. The aroma from this herbal infusion is mostly that of the mint. The flavour from the tisane is that of mint, with a slight heat from the ginger. There’s some light floral notes in it as well, with a nice sweetness to it, but I do find myself wishing that the chamomile was more present. There’s some cooling refreshness at the tail end of each sip from the mint with some warming sensation from the ginger.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Rest and Digest once, I found that flavour was okay. It was bit diluted compared to the initial steep, so I didn’t enjoy it as much as the initial steep. The warming flavours from the ginger weren’t just as present.

My Overall Impression

I liked Shanti Tea’s Rest and Digest. I really enjoyed the blend of flavours – the mint, ginger, and chamomile play off nicely together. I found that the initial steep of Rest and Digest was quite tasty and found the contrasting warming and cooling sensations in the flavour profile to be really enjoyable. I do wish it had done a bit better with being resteeped, but it is an herbal tisane so I’m not too surprised that it didn’t do well.

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Metropolitan Tea Company’s Organic Earl Grey

Organic Earl Grey by Metropolitan Tea Company
Black Tea / Flavoured
$15.00 for 100g

Mint and Honey has provided me with Metropolitan Tea Company’s Organic Earl Grey the purposes of providing an honest review.

First Impressions

I was tickled to see Organic Earl Grey in the package that I received from Mint and Honey, if only because I’m a huge fan of this classic black tea. It came to me in a sample packet, a resealable kraft bag with a little window to see the tea. When I opened it, I could smell the bergamot oil. I’m always a fan of bergamot because I find it to be rather inviting. Since I’ve been drinking Earl Grey for so long, I find it to be like a familiar hug in the form of a tea.

Metropolitan Tea Company’s Earl Grey does not disappoint in that department. With the familiar aroma of bergamot that just overpowers everything, it’s pretty much what I look for in any Earl Grey. Organic Earl Grey consists of high-grown Ceylon tea (at 4000-8000m above sea level) with bergamot oil.

Preparation

I wasn’t able to find any recommended preparation instructions. I steeped Organic Earl Grey in 100°C (212°F) water for 4 minutes for the initial steep.

First Taste

Organic Earl Grey steeps to a lovely orange colour. The aroma that comes from my cup is primarily that of the bergamot (so inviting!), with the hint of something that I had difficult identifying just from smell. On first sip, I mostly taste the bergamot flavouring, and then the black tea base makes itself known. There’s a bit of a smoked wood quality to it, a touch of earthiness that mingles well with the citrus brightness of the bergamot. I was a bit surprised by the strength behind the black tea base, especially considering I couldn’t really smell it from the dry leaf or when I was just smelling the steeped tea. At a 4 minute steep, there was no astringency noted.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Organic Earl Grey three times (four steeps total), adding an additional 30 seconds for each subsequent steep. I found that the bergamot oil was noticeably present for the first resteep, and began to weaken after that. In contrast, the black tea base became more and more bolder, perhaps because the bergamot wasn’t as strong.

My Overall Impression

I loved Metropolitan Tea Company’s Organic Earl Grey. It had everything I wanted (and look for) in an Earl Grey – strong bergamot presence and a bold black tea base. I really enjoyed how well this classic black tea steeped up, and the smokey woodsy earthiness was a pleasant quality from the Ceylon tea. I think this tea would do great plain, which is how I drank it, or with the addition of a sweetener and cream.

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