Blog Archives
Drink Me: Rishi Tea, Mystic Mint
When I received Mystic Mint from Rishi Tea in one of my Tea Runners boxes, I wasn’t sure whether I would like it or not.
Mystic Mint contains organic peppermint, organic cardamom, organic licorice root, essential basil and clove leaf oils.
It is available in a variety of sizes: teaser for $2.00, 1/4 pound for $14.00 and a full pound for $49.00.
On one hand, just reading the ingredients this sounded like something I would like since I really like both spicy teas and licorice. I was a little skeptical of the combination of flavors, but thought I’d give it a try. Then this week due to the change in the weather I had a bit of a sore throat, and I though the licorice root and a bit of honey would help so I brewed this one up. In general, this one was okay, but it isn’t the first tea I’d grab. The peppermint was refreshing, there was only a hint of sweet licorice at the finish, and even though it was a tea of strong flavors it wasn’t overwhelming. However I didn’t find it as smooth a blend as I might have liked; the flavors didn’t all meld and enhance each other. If I’m looking for a mint tea, I’d probably stick with Upton’s Moroccan Mint and if I wanted mint and licorice I’d hands down prefer Teapigs’ Liquorice & Mint.
Drink Me: Teapigs, Liquorice and Mint
In my neverending quest to find a licorice tea that I love, another selection I added to my last Teapigs order was their Liquorice and Mint tea.
This blend contains liquorice root and peppermint leaves. That’s it. I love the simplicity of these teas.
Liquorice and Mint is available in a sample size for $2.50, 15 tea temples for $9.99 and a pack of 50 tea temples for $24.99.
When I opened this one, the smell of both mint and liquorice came through. When I tasted, I first got the mint flavor, but then I could feel the warm liquorice heat and spice almost at the back of my throat. I didn’t use any sugar for this one; it was sweet and perfect without. This might very well be my favorite liquorice tea that I’ve had – it might even beat out the discontinued David’s Tea, Licorice Twist, which I’m hoarding because there is no more.
Drink Me: Tea Market, Double Mint
Two weeks ago I went to my local tea shop, Tea Market. Another summer blend that I wanted to try was Double Mint. After all, what sounds better on a hot day than a cool glass of mint iced tea!
The Double mint blend is a blend of peppermint and spearmint. I bought the seasonal sampler with 5 teas for $20, but you can also purchase the Double Mint tea for $4.70 per ounce.
I brewed the tea hot at work and then poured it over a tumbler of ice. I added just a bit of sugar. The tea was strongly minty, but cool and refreshing. Again, I like mine with a bit of sweetness, but I think this would also work without as well. Maybe even a fresh mint leaf if you have some?
Drink Me: Republic of Tea, Orange Ginger Mint
I recently placed an order with the Republic of Tea, which is one of my favorite sites. I rarely get a tea from them I don’t love. Recently I have been enjoying their Orange Ginger Mint at a local cafe, and I wanted a stash for my desk.
From the website, Orange Ginger Mint contains ginger, orange bergamot mint, lemon thyme, anise hyssop, anise seeds and blackberry leaves.
It is available in a variety of sizes (and also as loose leaf) but this time I opted for the tin of 36 teabags for $10.25.
When I open the tin I get a healthy dose of the orange, the ginger and the mint. I really enjoy this one with just a bit of sweetener to sip on in the late afternoon, or as an after dinner drink. I find that the ginger is a good stomach soother, and the citrus and mint also feel good when allergies hit. All in all, this is going into the desk drawer and into rotation.
Drink Me: Tea Market, Vintage Christmas
Since this is the month for all things holiday, I was thrilled when I stopped in at Tea Market a few weeks ago and found their winter blends available. I was totally intrigued by “Vintage Christmas.”
While Tea Market doesn’t have an official ingredient label, I know this tea contains chocolate, mint, sprinkles, silver balls and popcorn, among other things. It is available for $4.65 per ounce.
Opening the package was amazing – if you love chocolate and mint it smells just like chocolatey minty Christmas. I loved the sprinkles and silver balls in the blend, even if they don’t add anything but a bit of pretty sugar. I was most skeptical about the popcorn, but I didn’t even notice it in the tea. The taste was great – actually very simple and sweet. It would be delightful on a cold evening.
Drink Me: Upton Tea, Moroccan Mint
I’m still working my way through my last box from Upton Tea, and today I’m reviewing the Moroccan Green Mint. The ingredients to this one are simple: green tea and peppermint leaves.
It’s available in the following sizes: 15 sample for $1.00, 125g packet for $5.40, 250g packet for $9.72, 500g packet for $18.50 and 1000g bag for $35.20.
The only thing I smelled when I opened this tea packet is the smell of peppermint. As a side note, I love how the green tea leaves are curled up in the packet (from the drying process) and then how they unfurl when you place them in hot water. This one was strong and pure. I added a bit of sugar as I like my peppermint tea sweet. This afternoon is cold and damp and this was the perfect tea to enjoy.
Drink Me: Smoke Camp Crafts, Appalachian Mint
The second tea I picked up on our road trip was Appalachian Mint, again from Smoke Camp Crafts.
Per the packaging, this tea contains mint, persimmon, strawberry, sassafras leaves and sumac berries. I purchased 3/4 oz for $3.50.
On first sniff, all I really got was sweet mint, which was fine by me. The tea was tasty, again very mild despite using a generous amount. I think with these teas you probably want to use extra if you’re looking for a more potent brew.
Drink Me: Tea Market, Chocolate Mint Rooibos
When I visited the Tea Market, I really wanted to try a Rooibos tea. One of the options is a Chocolate Mint Rooibos which boasts “a blend of age-defying Rooibos, vanilla, chocolate, mint and apples.”
It was also so pretty!
When I first opened the package I smelled the sweet smell of chocolate and mint, and you can easily see the mint leaves in the mix. I brewed the tea for only two minutes. Once brewed it had a sweet mint taste. I still got pops of chocolate, but mostly it was a nice mild mint tea. I bet this would be delicious iced during the summer months!
Since it is a Rooibos, this blend is naturally caffeine free, though I cannot speak to whether some caffeine was added back in with the chocolate flavor.
