7 minute brew time with boiling water

Very pretty blend. Green and yellow “grass” like cuttings are sprinkled throughout this lemony blend.

Champagne colored brew.

Lemon grass is the dominant flavor. This blend would be great added to another tea for that just right lemon addition.

As I neared the end of my cup, I noticed the astringency of this herbal blend, which makes me really think that using this as a mix in with another tea would really be the best use for this one.

Overall, a good lemony cup of herbal tea.

You can purchase the Lemonade directly from the Shanti Tea website.

If anyone’s been following my reviews, they would have noticed a pattern by now. I tend to review teas with any or all of the following ingredients: lemon, ginger, and ginseng. Not to deviate from that trend, this review will be on Special Tea Brew’s Lemon Ginger Snap. Dry leaf is made up of Chinese green tea, lemongrass, lemon myrtle, and ginger. Upon opening up the package, the aroma was a piercing ginger smell. Ginger was the only ingredient I could smell. I steeped 5g in 600ml of hot water for 3 minutes. The aroma coming off the steeped liquor was now more lemony than ginger. Funny that the ingredient that is dominant for a chosen characteristic does not show up as the predominant ingredient in other characteristics. For example, although the dominant ingredient in the aroma is lemon, the taste is predominantly ginger. It was like a lemony swamp, like lemon mixed with muddy grass. It did not smell very appetizing. As for the taste, you are wham smacked in the face with ginger at every sip. It is very overwhelming. Then after you swallow, you can taste the lemongrass and lemon myrtle which in this combination makes it taste dirty. It certainly is more herb than tea. Ginger swamp are the words I would use to describe this tea.

However, having said that, I am glad I gave this tea a second chance by tasting it cold. It tasted much better, not like you’ve just had a face plant in a muddy soccer field of prior, but a subdued bitterness with a much more tolerable level of ginger taste. It is much more drinkable this way I found.

You can purchase the Lemon Ginger Snap directly from the SpecialTea Brew website.

There’s a smell that you get from cold lemonade on a hot day. It’s the smell of sweet refreshement, a tang of sour and a scoop of sweet. It’s a smell of people outside at a country fair, sweating in unison, but happy to be there because of the gorgeous day, the riot of color and activity around them and the ice cold glass in their hand.

This tea – has that smell. The leaf for this herbal tea smells more lemony than lemons – it smells like the distilled essence of lemonade. And not just lemonade – but outdoor, perfect refreshement on a special occasion lemonade.

The flavor isn’t the same, it’s not lemonade, but it’s really good in its own right. It’s more lemon grass than lemonade, and has a warmer, mellower taste that the crisp, lemonade tang. It’s lemony, smooth and naturally sweet.

Hot, this tea is soothing and relaxing. Iced, this would be a summertime refresher. This is an amazing tea. Lemon-lovers, TRY THIS TEA.

You can purchase the Lemonade directly from the Shanti Tea website.

I wish I was at home, reading a book on a nice summer afternoon, because this tea deserves that. Or at least it deserves a little more than sitting in my boring cube at work in the middle of winter. A nice light tea, with strong ginger and lemon tones. While mild, this cloudy sage-green brew is not subtle. It is definitely GINGER and Lemon. Ginger is the strongest element, and comes out more in the flavor while the lemon flavor comes out more in the scent. The herbal element here is more to the fore than the tea element; it really feels more like a herbal than a flavored green tea. The blend works well both sweetened and unsweetened. I also bet this would be lovely iced.

You can purchase the Lemon Ginger Snap directly from the SpecialTea Brew website.

The name of this blend is really inviting, who doesn’t love lemon, ginger and snap? Really. The only concern I have with this one is whether or not the herbs will balance with the Chinese green tea. The dry blend is really pretty with the bright lemon grass contrasting with the dark green tea. The dominant scent is definitely the lemon myrtle, having trouble isolating the scent from the tea and the other herbs.

Ready to steep this tea but I’m a bit torn about how to steep it because it appears to be mostly herbal but it’s categorized as a green tea… Going with green tea method, guessing that steeping it any longer or with hotter water will ruin the green tea in it. So it’s brewing up at 175 degrees for two minutes.

The scent of the lemon myrtle didn’t mellow but that’s okay because I love lemon myrtle. It’s an almost clear brew, just slightly golden. Tastes wonderfully tangy with the spicy hint of ginger. The green tea is crisp and fresh with no bitterness.

You can purchase the Lemon Ginger Snap directly from the SpecialTea Brew website.

When I opened this golden package, I smelled the spice notes of the turmeric, citrus from lemon grass and the exotic warmth of ginger. The golden colour of turmeric is amazing, like a brilliant yellow autumn leaf. The texture of this tea consists of bits of ground ginger and shredded fibres of licorice and lemongrass. It all smells so clean and wonderful, not powdery. It is true that our eyes and nose must be entreated before we will eat or drink. In this case this all certified organic herbal tea works overtime!

I met the Rishi folks at the Toronto Coffee and Tea Show in September 2010 and they were interested to know about my review of their tea as it was a bit of a departure for them. Rishi Teas are well known for their excellence and are well-deserved award winners.

I went to the Rishi web site for instructions on how to steep this herbal tea. The sample was 6.2 grams, exactly 1 tablespoon, perfect for the recommended steep using 8 oz. boiling water and a 4-5 minutes wait. I realized that I would need a tea pot that would be able to sit on a heated source for at least 5 minutes to maximize the benefits. I chose my trusty glass teapot so I could see the colour and keep the liquor warm with a tea light. I poured off a golden brew and smelled the lively ginger and lemon grass notes. Rishi claims that ginger and turmeric are an ancient Ayurvedic formula for longevity, stamina and balanced circulation. Modern research confirms these benefits.

My first sip proved what I expected – the spicy fire of the ginger, the flavour of the lemon grass, the sweetness of licorice and the smooth fullness in the mouth from the turmeric. This tea is expertly blended with a fascinating balance between all flavours. Strain well and remember to swallow all the last bits of turmeric that settles in the bottom of the cup.

I would love to serve this healthy cocktail to accompany a meal with Indian food, as a digestive after a meal, as a health toddy for those with colds or flu, or as a tonic for those suffering from inflammatory issues such as arthritis or bursitis or sinus problems…

The cost of this herbal blend seems a bit high when using 1 tablespoon per 8 oz cup. However, this organic tea taken daily will surely stimulate the body’s energy and will provide healthy benefits if taken consistently. I do recommend this tea for that reason.

You can purchase the Turmeric Ginger directly from the Rishi Tea website.

Described as: “A profoundly flowery blend of select green teas, rare blossoms and aromatic lemon myrtle leaves”.

I was anxious to try this tea because I am a huge fan of lemon myrtle and it did not disappoint. It was difficult to wait the full three minutes for it to steep because the smell of the citrus and rose oils was so alluring. It brewed to a nice golden color, almost like liquid honey and tasted just as smooth. Lemon myrtle is sometimes overwhelming in a tea but this blend has just the right amount to perfectly compliment the taste of orange and the green tea. Couldn’t really pick out the lemon grass in the first steep but it came through in the second. A nice tangy aftertaste, refreshing and pleasant, with enough sweetness on it’s own. It went through three steeps perfectly and has earned a place at the front of my tea cabinet. Can’t wait to try this one iced…

You can purchase Rishi Tea Orange Blossom directly from their website. ]]> http://www.itsallabouttheleaf.com/363/tea-review-rishi-tea-orange-blossom-take-2/feed/ 0 http://www.itsallabouttheleaf.com/124/tea-review-mighty-leaf-chamomile-citrus/ http://www.itsallabouttheleaf.com/124/tea-review-mighty-leaf-chamomile-citrus/#comments Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:32:27 +0000 Melanie http://www.itsallabouttheleaf.com/?p=124

Category of Tea: Herbal Tea Company: Mightyleaf (website) Ingredients: Rosehips, orange peels, chamomile flowers, lemon grass, lemon myrtle, nana mint, hibiscus flowers, natural citrus flowers, natural flavors Vendor Suggested Preparation: Boiling (205-212 F), 5 minutes

Chamomile Citrus is a Mighty Leaf signature blend of rosehips, orange peel, Egyptian chamomile, lemongrass, lemon myrtle, nana mint, hibiscus flowers and various other flowers and flavors that are only identified as “citrus” and/or “natural” (it always makes me wonder when there is only a vague reference to ingredients). Mighty Leaf describes it as “a refreshing infusion perfected to curl up with and savor by the sip…”.

I find that people either love Chamomile Tea or they don’t like it at all. Personally, I love a good cup of Egyptian Chamomile. I love the subtle taste it has and how it smells softly of strawberry. Chamomile grew wild in the neighborhood that I lived in as a child and I can remember crushing the flowers between my fingers to release their scent; happy memories recalled are likely the reason that I find Chamomile so relaxing and enjoyable. I also like all things citrus so based on the name and description I was really looking forward to trying this tea.

I steeped it for 5 minutes and the resulting tea was a nice light gold color. I really wanted to like this tea but I have to say that I was disappointed. I found that the simplicity of Chamomile was overwhelmed by all of the fruits, herbs, flowers, and “flavors”. All of the citrus tones from the orange peel, lemongrass, lemon myrtle, and citrus flowers seemed to result in a too sweet combination – it almost tasted sugary to me. I guess that the rosehip, mint and hibiscus were meant to balance this sweetness but I just didn’t like the taste.

The sample that I tried was in a bag from Mighty Leaf that they call their “Tea Pouch”. It’s a very nice presentation which looks like a hand stitched square of semi-opaque silk that allows you to see the tea inside. The Chamomile Citrus is visually lovely with green, orange and red tones and unbrewed it smells just as good as it looks.

You can purchase Mightly Leaf Chamomile Citrus directly from their website.