Artisan du Vivant

Iced!

This was a gift from Marika – and I’ve liked everything else I’ve tried from Artisan du Vivant so I was excited to try this too. I’ve gotta be honest though that I made it as an iced tea because I thought I saw hibiscus in the dry leaf, but turns out there’s not hibiscus in this blend and I just mistook that deep red/pink colour for a different type of dried out flower in the blend.

Steeped this was very light, both in colour and in body. However it did have some distinct and more savory leaning notes – in particular, very thyme forward with a gentle citrusy note. I found it super refreshing, and it’s the kind of very crisp, natural and not too savory profile that does work for a summer-y iced refresher. Like, a step up from lemon water but a step below something excessively sweet and fruity. I could see this being the kind of refreshment served as a really nice cafe with an upscale outside seating area in the summer.

A very sweet gift from Marika!

I enjoyed this a lot! I’m not usually super into Labrador Tea (which seems to be the base), but everything else was so amazing that I ended up not thinking about the Labrador at all while drinking this. It reminds me heavily of another herbal blend I’ve had recently that I picked up from the Toronto Tea Festival, but I’m blanking on the name right now. Both were really fresh and forest-y with loves notes of spruce tips and “black licorice” that was really a mix of anise/fennel/etc. This one was almost a little bit creamy, but not excessively so. Just clean tasting, smooth, and of the earth. Definitely needs a long steep time though as many of the ingredients take some time to fully infuse.

Geek Steep S3E9 – The Matrix

Gongfu!

This is what I drank while watching the movie!

It’s made from Quebec harvested willowherb, which is then processed as if it were Camellia Sinensis – not unlike the “tea” produced by Ivan Chai! I first came across this company at festival du the and I was really impressed with the samples I tried. Though the infusions are definitely discernable from true Camellia Sinensis, I find this quite enjoyable. The liquor is fairly full bodied and rich with syrupy notes of raisins and red berries to support more seaweed-esque and vegetal herbaceous undertones and a light but persistently present woodiness.

Though what I drank was processed as black tea, Artisan du Vivant also carries willowherb processed as other teas as well; their specialty is oolong. Definitely a really unique experience that plays with the mind a little bit; maybe that was one of the several factors that made this feel like a really nice pairing for yesterday’s viewing of The Matrix!!

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr8-NfnO60H/?img_index=1

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2Nf1EBCB-c