This has to be one of the older blends in my cupboard…it’s been there more than a year, maybe closer to two? The fact that I can’t remember isn’t a good sign. I think I bought it off the back of a 52Teas cucumber blend that I really enjoyed a couple of summers ago…and then promptly forgot about it. It’s been sealed, though, and the scent is still good, so today it finally sees the light.
The dry leaf looks a little crusty, but at this point I’m really not surprised. There are pieces of dried lime zest and small cubes of freeze-dried cucumber, a lot of peppermint, plus the green tea base (apparently both straight green – sencha? – and jasmine green). It’s pre-sweetened with stevia, which I’m usually against, but if it helps to create a mojito kind of vibe then I might be on side…
I used 1 tsp of leaf for my cup, and gave it 2.5 minutes in water cooled to around 175 degrees. This blend reminds me a lot of Bluebird’s MojiTEA, which is a good thing because I like that one. On the other hand, they’re not sufficiently different for me to want to keep both around, and I wouldn’t replace the Bluebird with this one because (for me, in the UK) Bluebird is more readily accessible anyway.
This one has strong lime notes, followed by cool, dank peppermint. There’s an edge of sweetness from the stevia, but it’s not overdone and it doesn’t strike me as “artificial” in any way. It’s just a touch of (welcome) background sugariness. The green tea base is smooth, a little vegetal. I can’t taste the jasmine at all, which is a bonus for me because I’m not over keen on floral greens. I’m guessing this one would be better iced or cold brewed, but it’s hardly the season for that at the moment. I might try and hang on to some leaf for next summer…but then this one really will be an antique by then, so maybe not.
I’d like to get to a place with my cupboard where most of my tea is less than a year old, and where the amount I’ve got around seems manageable rather than overwhelming. I’m conscious that I’m neglecting stuff, which makes me feel bad, and I don’t want it to be like that. I’ve been pretty good at not buying anything new lately, but the temptation is growing as it always seems to once my cupboard gets under 200. I’d like it to be under 100…maybe within the next year? I guess we’ll see! And at least I know what my New Year’s Resolution is going to be…
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Haha good luck! We seem to have the same issues.
Good luck! I have a similar goal with wanting my stash to be circulating and fresh.
We are perpetually trying to drink up the oldest teas! Best of luck! I don’t know if I will ever get under 100 teas truly. I don’t even add small samples or swaps to my cupboard and still it stays over 100. I would love to figure out thirty teas and pare down to that many and stay around that mark.
Ashmanra – that’s ambitious! My goal is 100 and I’m still almost 330 teas off target :’)
Haha good luck! We seem to have the same issues.
Good luck! I have a similar goal with wanting my stash to be circulating and fresh.
We are perpetually trying to drink up the oldest teas! Best of luck! I don’t know if I will ever get under 100 teas truly. I don’t even add small samples or swaps to my cupboard and still it stays over 100. I would love to figure out thirty teas and pare down to that many and stay around that mark.
Ashmanra – that’s ambitious! My goal is 100 and I’m still almost 330 teas off target :’)