Mostly what I smell upon opening the bag is mint. Very, very strong peppermint. If there is sage, spearmint, and lavender in there, I can’t smell it.
This herbal is a deep golden color, verging on rose gold and is clear. The aroma is minty, but also somewhat earthy which is the sage, I think. In the flavor, the sage is there around the edges, too — not overly strong, which is good because it would have been too savory for me.
I am puzzled as to why this is named spearmint sage instead of peppermint sage, though. I taste more peppermint than spearmint, though the aftertaste is more spearmint.
Like virtually every Samovar blend, this has a lot of complexity, but doesn’t come across as busy. It’s definitely got more and better flavor than many mint blends I have had. The mint isn’t too herby, and it isn’t fake tasting — the other ingredients keep it from being that way.
This also has a very refreshing coolness in the mouth that Samovar describes as menthol. I’d say the feel is menthol, but I don’t get the medicinal Vapor Rub-ness I get from methol, which is pretty remarkable.
I’d definitely keep this around for as long as they blend it. It’s the best mint I’ve had since Refresh, and while I adore Refresh, you can definitely taste the quality in this. Refresh makes an excellent every day choice, but this is something special.
Flavors: Earth, Peppermint, Sage, Spearmint
Preparation
People who liked this
Comments
Did you taste much lemongrass? I see it’s listed in the ingredients but I’m really not a fan of lemongrass in teas. Otherwise, it sounds really good and I’m always looking for a good sage blend.
Hm, bonus is it’s local so I can pick it up here! I’m centrally located between the three in the city. Which one to go to??
I don’t taste lemongrass, but I don’t taste a ton of sage either. Everything other than the mint is more of a synergistic effect that adds depth and interest to the mint. Refresh has tarragon in it, but it’s the same thing there —the tarragon is there if I squint but mostly it keeps the mint from being boring or overwhelmingly a one trick pony.
There used to be a lot more locations than there are now. Pretty sure the one in Yerba Burns is gone. I used to go to one in Hayes Valley, but not sure that’s still around.
The one in Hayes Valley was still there when I lived that way. I remember being baffled that they didn’t use samovars… And they had a killer tea broth soup with duck. Looks like Yerba Buena is still open for business fyi.
Really? Wow. I almost never get to the city these days but that’s good to know about Yerba Buena.
Did you taste much lemongrass? I see it’s listed in the ingredients but I’m really not a fan of lemongrass in teas. Otherwise, it sounds really good and I’m always looking for a good sage blend.
Hm, bonus is it’s local so I can pick it up here! I’m centrally located between the three in the city. Which one to go to??
I don’t taste lemongrass, but I don’t taste a ton of sage either. Everything other than the mint is more of a synergistic effect that adds depth and interest to the mint. Refresh has tarragon in it, but it’s the same thing there —the tarragon is there if I squint but mostly it keeps the mint from being boring or overwhelmingly a one trick pony.
There used to be a lot more locations than there are now. Pretty sure the one in Yerba Burns is gone. I used to go to one in Hayes Valley, but not sure that’s still around.
The one in Hayes Valley was still there when I lived that way. I remember being baffled that they didn’t use samovars… And they had a killer tea broth soup with duck. Looks like Yerba Buena is still open for business fyi.
Really? Wow. I almost never get to the city these days but that’s good to know about Yerba Buena.