I was lucky enough to get some review samples from Nature’s Tea Leaf and they came in TWO DAYS! Talk about fast shipping! Not only that, but they’re all one ounce which is pretty awesome. I wanted to dive in right away, and this one called to me just because it’s so darn pretty. Tons of whole, intact flowers and leaves, it’s really gorgeous. And it smells good, too!
I wasn’t exactly sure how to steep this: it’s a pu-erh blend but there are more herbal elements, so I did boiling water for 6 minutes. Thankfully that seemed like the right choice, since no one flavor is too overpowering or under-represented. There’s a lot going on here: I don’t think you could pick out any one flavor and say “it’s dominantly x!” There’s chrysanthemum, which I find to be kind of like a tastier version of chamomile. Then there’s mint, but it’s not so pervasive that it reads as a mint blend. There’s a hint of earthiness running through the cup, from the pu-erh and I suppose the lotus as well? Floral elements peek in from the rose, and there’s a bit of tartness (though not overpoweringly so) from the hibiscus. Oh, and a bit of citrus too from the lemon!
There is a LOT going on, but it all balances out into a very tasty blend. It’s a good “I don’t know what mood I am in” tea since it’s got a bit of everything: floral, earthy, tart, mint, citrus-y. It also seems like it’d be a good, calming night time tea. I think I’m going to be running through my ounce of this pretty quickly!
