Tea Reviews | It's All About The Leaf

Posts Tagged ‘Aversion’

First let me say that I have an affinity to almonds. Love them especially hot almond milk tea. Roasted almond just sounds that much better. Not too sure about the red rooibos as I’ve only had rooibos a handful of times.

Remember my review on Shanti Tea’s Cherry Sencha and how I said that Cherry scents always remind me of Cherry Children’s Tylenol? Well, this tea’s dry leaf smelled even more potent than that and I felt a little dizzy. It reminded me of my aversion to Cherry scents.

Anyway with regards to the taste, I think I must have some kind of allergy to rooibos or something because after every sip I got a headache. It was getting to the point that I just did not want to drink anymore. That combined with the heady, dizzying aroma did not make it a good experience. It felt like a mini hangover. It must just be me because my co-worker liked it and did not experience the dizziness or headache I did. I’m sorry I don’t think I can offer a fair review for this. Well, at least I now know that I must stay away from rooibos. Imagine that, me being allergic to a tea…well technically rooibos isn’t a tea, but you know what I mean. It just puts a damper on things.

I have read the reviews on this tea and they all seem favourable What I can say is rooibos and almond are both quite potent and the combination makes it very rich and bold. There is no subtlety here, packed full of flavour. As it cooled the taste started to develop a sort of minty taste. I tried to drink as much as I can for this review. It is right for some but I can’t take it. I have another East Pacific Tea I have to review (White Jasmine) and I am looking forward to that. Onwards and upwards as they say…

You can purchase the Roasted Almond directly from the East Pacific Tea Co website.

I hate the word mouthfeel. Hate it. Because it feels so pretentious to me. Per the Random House dictionary, it was developed in the 1980′s, which tells me it was likely developed by a Yuppie. Possibly in response to an overpriced wine. As I was child in the 80′s, I have a yuppie aversion almost as strong as my shoulder-pad aversion, my hyper-color shirt aversion, and my aversion to electric pink.

Even after all that, I still use this term. Because it’s such a good descriptor. One of my favorite things about the green rolled oolongs are the ways the liquor can feel like liquid silk rolling around on your tongue.

All that being said – the mouthfeel of this tea was amazing. One of the most silky and creamy textured teas I’ve had. I was however a little disappointed with the rest of the tea. The aroma was fairly mild, and the flavor was a little too delicate for me. But, oh, I would drink this a lot just for the mouthfeel. So nice.

You can purchase the Four Seasons directly from the Tula Teas website.

First let me preface this review by saying that the flavour cherry has been instilled in my mind and forever associated with the cherry flavour Children’s Tylenol I had to take as a child for cold and flu. Smell and memory are connected in such a way that if you smell something that is connected to a strong emotion that you felt the first time you encountered that aroma then you will have that same emotion whenever you encounter that aroma again. Today everytime I smell cherry flavour it invariably reminds me of cough syrup. Shanti Tea has a tough task at hand but they have succeeded in leaps and bounds in turning my aversion to cherry flavour around with their Cherry Sencha.

When I first opened the package, it was a scent of cherry but I admit I smelled a dizzying cough syrup scent. The appearance was appealing though. Long, jade green colour sencha leaves with tiny slim, red petals and dried cherry fruit sprinkled throughout.

Steeping instructions are to use 1 tsp. of leaves per 8 oz. cup letting water cool first after boiling. I waited until the temperature was 80C before I poured it into the pot. The scent that emerged from the pot was a more soft and subtle cherry scent that awakens the senses as it fills the air.

The taste is very natural and soothing, with a hint of cherry rather than in your face like some flavoured teas. Although the sencha could be more vegetal, there is more tea than flavour in this beverage which is what I prefer.

Shanti Tea likens it to cherry blossoms in bloom, the first sign of springtime in Japan. One feels the imagery of a sea of delicate pink and white flowers with soft and subtle fragrances emanating from the field. This tea is in one word – satisfying.

You can purchase the Cherry Sencha directly from the Shanti Tea website.

My general aversion to bananas goes back to one greasy teenage summer schlepping banana splits at the Dairy Queen; I’d come home with fiber under my nails and reeking of overripe peels. (To this day, I won’t eat one raw—playing the “it’s a texture thing” card.) Thus, you’ll understand why I approached this tea with a bit of caution.

The first thing that struck me was how pretty this tea is. Heavy on the chamomile flowers, it would be pretty in a potpourri jar. (If you’re a fan of Adagio’s Foxtrot, it’s similar in character, minus the peppermint.) A test sniff didn’t turn me off; didn’t seem too heavy on the banana, so I gave it a go–about a teaspoon per cup, an approximate boil, an approximate five minutes, and …

…wow! The chamomile, banana, and coconut work really nicely together–you can’t really taste where one ends and the other begins. It’s difficult to pick out the other goodies individually, but they blend to make a really pretty red cup of herbal sweetness.

I downed half of my first test batch to prime myself for mowing the lawn; then iced down the rest to reward myself for doing so. Of course, the tea lost a little bit of strength on ice, but that can be remedied next time by upping the steeping strength. I can see Banana Dulce as a base for some add-ins–maybe orange juice or pineapple juice–for some nice, cool summer sipping.

You can purchase the Banana Dulce directly from the Art of Tea website.