152 Tasting Notes
Richly flavored yet light, naturally quite sweet, toward malty. Minimal, if any, new notes on the second steep, just muted flavor. This is a no-brainer for a go-to breakfast tea that will gently and smoothly bring you into the day by awakening your taste buds with a kiss.
Note: may come in bags, per Ethos much earlier review, but I purchased it from the bulk tea bins.
Light yet still a well-rounded flavor and enough smoothness and body to drink it straight… I sometimes add almond milk to black tea to accomplish that. The slight caramel sweetness was just right but there was also a little perfuminess that was just a note or two too much for me to make this a staple, though I’d be happy to drink it in a restaurant.
This has a pleasantly subdued mint flavor; it’s not a strong mint tea. The flavor notes beyond the mint are what subdued, but they’re not clearly discernible to me. It’s a stretch to find the cocoa peel flavor, though it’s there in the fragrance and in the roundness of the flavor, but this isn’t a tea I’d reach for if I were looking for chocolate/cocoa, itself. The mate, meanwhile, is muted by the mint but it’s there.
Overall it’s a nice smooth tea and it could definitely grow on you if, like me, you’re not big on the brightness of mint tea, or if you enjoy bright mint teas but are looking for a little change-up of more complex, rounded flavor.
Looking forward to trying this iced this summer.
This is a tea to drink if you’re in a hurry or focused on something else and just want some organic green tea, because while it’s inoffensive, neither is it lingering/savoring-worthy. If it weren’t organic I’d rate it lower because it really has very little personality but it’s also clean and its production doesn’t contaminate the environment so I enjoy that aspect of it.
As I was scouring my mind for a taste descriptor besides buttered popcorn (unsalted), something to describe the particular vegetal note, edamame emerged as the answer, and I was pleased that I’d locked it. Then I read the description from Verdant of the growing process: “Rows of soybeans grow between the tea bushes to distract insects, and the beans are used as … fertilizer.” Whoa, floored me. Here I was thinking I’d pulled out this abstract analogy and it was totally concrete, if the tea absorbs any of its neighbor-plant through air or roots. Like scenting tea with jasmine flowers. I’m clearly no botanist but it seems plausible, and if true, makes me wonder if I’ll ever have such a bulls-eye in future reviews ;) I will not go so far, however, as to start consuming different kinds of worms, soil and fertilizer to further develop this skill.
The tea is smooth and savory, very pleasant, low-key, mild astringency.
Preparation
Spring’s first grass freshly mowed then gently sauteed with butter, that’s this tea. It’s a soothing, just-barely-sweet and savory green. A lot of flavor and very smooth, no edge whatsoever. Many thanks to Teavivre for the generous samples, it has been a fun tasting journey!
This is a tea I would be delighted with if it were served to me in a restaurant… smooth and full-bodied with natural notes of simmering caramel sweetness. Just a slight astringency adds a little extra interest without being puckerish. Noteworthy dropoff in character and flavor on the second steep — making it a less remarkable cup, but the first steep is worth the price of admission. Very nice overall, thanks to Angel at Teavivre for the generous sample!
I don’t know what “Organic Caramel Flavor” is and that makes me a bit leery of this tea but just drinking it blind, on flavor characteristics alone, I’ve gotta say this is very enjoyable. Caramel apple but not that sweet. There’s a nice, fresh fruity-apple taste. It has ginger, clove and cardomom among the ingredients but they are played down entirely – this is not at all a spicy brew, but soft and fruity… those ingredients are likely what prevents the overall flavor from being too sweet. It’s a savory sweetness. Did I say yum? Smooth. This would also be excellent iced, no need for adding sugar.
This has a nice flavor palette, naturally mildly sweet… the addition of banana is a nice touch, rounds it out. If it were only less ‘thin’… and I actually brewed it with 50% more tea than WTH advises. If I doubled it (next time) it’d possibly still not be sufficient. Adding a bit of almond milk didn’t help much in this respect, either. So it loses a few points for that. It’s otherwise a very pleasantly flavored gentle tea to wind down with in the evening.
