Tea Reviews | It's All About The Leaf

Posts Tagged ‘Cardamom’

When doing a little background digging for this blend, I ran across an interesting factoid. Bamboo isn’t actually a tree, rather it is part of the grass family; “true grass” or Poaceae, to be precise. The shrubs or tree-like specimens in this family are called bamboo. To think of any part of the Orient is to think of that particular plant, whether as building material, weaponry, or culinary additions. In terms of tea, bamboo is often used as a storage device to “compost” maocha, the proto-form of pu-erh tea. I had heard of bamboo included as an ingredient in blends, but hadn’t actually tried it. TeaFrog had such a product that could potentially sate my morbid curiosity.

Ingredients for their Bamboo Shoots blend included genmaicha, green tea, ginger, cardamom, bamboo shoots, red peppercorns, papaya pieces, shredded coconut, and pineapple. Dear Bamboo Buddha, what did I get myself into? I was turned off at first by the mention of genmaicha. Some people like the Japanese “poor man’s green tea”, I’m not one of them. I prefer my tea and rice separated by serving ware. The inclusion of ginger, cardamom and pepper was also perplexing. Was this trying to be a chai? Papaya, coconut and pineapple begged to disagree…and disagree they did.

This smelled like neither genmaicha or chai, and for that I was eternally thankful. Rice and spice just didn’t sound that appealing. Instead, the dominant aroma was “TROPICS!” – yes, in all caps. Everything about this blend screamed “Hawaii” for some reason. Smelling it livened my mood. (It also helped that it was sunny outside, but I digress.)

On appearance, I could make out all the different ingredients. The most common sights – other than the rice and green tea, that is – were the papaya and peppers. White coconut innards peaked out occasionally, but not in a lasting fashion. As for bamboo? Well…I didn’t quite know what I was looking for. Beyond the Chinese sencha, and Japanese genmaicha, I didn’t see ‘em. A few twigs caught my eye here and there, but I assumed those were part of the genmaicha garnish.

Brewing instructions, alas, weren’t present on the site. The usual approach for a green tea blend – as far as I was concerned – was a 180F(-ish) water temp for three minutes. I went with exactly that; 1 round teaspoon-worth in 8oz.

The liquor infused to a bright yellow color – not gold, not green, prime yellow. The steam aroma was an oddity. On the one hand, there was genmaicha toastiness; on the other, spice and tang mixed with tropical death. It was a difficult smell to pin down. If I were to choose an analogy, I’d compare it to sniffing the inner bark of a palm tree. No, I don’t know what that actually smells like, but if I did…it would probably be this. The taste, thankfully, was all fruity magnificence with only a mild spicy lean – as if the hot water only took the good part of the ginger and cardamom. The loud tropical fruits did their part in masking any of the rice-y/toasty aspect. There was a bit of a woody finish, but I didn’t mind. Heck, I drink dandelion root.

For a green tea blend, it was a trifecta of what-the-hell. None of the ingredients made any sense, nor did they seem like components that would mesh. However, like any good chimera, it roared with life on taste. As for the bamboo? I still don’t know what that tastes like. For an introduction, though, this was blessedly batty one. I’ll happily steep it again.

You can purchase the Bamboo Shoots directly from the TeaFrog website.

Organic herbal blend, caffeine free.

5 Minute infusion reveals a medium brown brew.

The package is really neat, a silk pyramid filled with cacao, cinnamon, fennel, licorice root, cardamom, ginger, cloves, black pepper. After the 5 minutes, the silk pyramid is full except for just a teeny bit of space at the tippy top of the pyramid. What I really like about Tea Forte is the attention to detail, the pyramid is like a work of art with a cute little green leaf that wraps delicately over the rim of my favorite tea cup.

Smell after brew time is of cinnamon and chocolate (like a really nice expensive chocolate).

First sip revealed a hot cocoa taste with melted chocolate inside. This tea would make a great dessert tea and an even better before bed kind of drink.

Rich and yummy, a dieters dream come true… all the taste of chocolate with zero calories!

This is definitely going on my shopping list, good job Tea Forte.

You can purchase Tea Forte Coco Truffle Tea directly from their website, and in various high-end establishments around the world.

From what I can tell of the leaf, it contains cardamon, what looks like yerba mate, pu-erh, and cocoa. The aroma has chocolate, cardamon, and ginger notes.

The steeping instructions call for one cup of boiling water, one cup of boiling milk, to mix in the ingredients and to let it steep for 3 to 5 minutes. Sweeten to taste.

I did not add any sugar; the taste was fine as it is and I think better without it. The chocolate notes rounded out the ginger and spice that peeks through ever so slightly. It has a sort of grounded, chocolate, round, creaminess with a bit of hui gan bitterness at the end after you swallow which I think can be on account of the pu-erh bits mixed with the cocoa. I think adding sugar would ruin the taste as it would give it a sharpness which does not complement the taste of this beverage. The rounded, soft taste without the edge suits the creaminess and milky mouthfeel, with only the peeks of spice and ginger.

I would recommend only letting the ingredients steep in the milk and boiling water for the suggested 3-5 minutes then strain out all the ingredients from the pot. Do not let the ingredients sit in the solution as it will make the beverage taste very gingery and strong hui gan bitterness.

I like this blend. When I first read chai with pu-erh I thought that it would be a catastrophe but it works! If steeped correctly, it’s like a creamy (unsweetened) cocoa, with hui gan bitterness and the occasional peeks of spice and ginger to liven up your taste buds but still overall a soft and round beverage.

You can purchase the Chocolate Chai directly from the Rishi Tea website.

The smell from the package reminds me of Christmas: Cinnamon and spice fill my nostrils. I can hardly wait to follow the directions on the package: bring 1.5 cups of water and 1 cup milk to boil. Reduce heat. Add contents of package. Let simmer 3-5 minutes. Sweeten to taste, strain to drink.

I simmered mine for 4 minutes. The smell is heavenly to me. I did not add sweetener the taste seemed find to me without an addition. Wow, this is still really hot to drink, I have burned my tongue. And I will gladly burn it again to taste this tea. The spice is still lingering on my tongue. This warm milky, brown brew is delightfully spicy. Ginger is hitting my tongue and playing against the black pepper, the cinnamon is still a major player much to my delight. I find myself wanting to really drink this down, but the temperature is restraining me to small sips. I finished drinking this brew as a cold chai. Good and spicy to the last drop!

Bottom line: The price point is doable at $3.50/ounce and if you like spice, this is one chai you need to try.

You can purchase the Masala Chai directly from the Rishi Tea website.

I made this tea according to the directions on the package: 1 1/2 cup water and 1 cup milk. Bring to boil, add contents of package. Simmer for 3-5 minutes.

The dry leaves look like lemongrass. The smell is vegetal with spices. With this Green chai, you do not get the traditional brown color of Chai that you would get with a black tea base. This tea is much less spicy than Rishi’s Masala Chai which makes this a good choice for a green tea fan who wants a chai.

You can purchase the Green Tea Chai directly from the Rishi Tea website.