Shamrock Tea

This is my favorite minty tea! I like that it’s a green tea. Call me silly, but I really don’t need another black tea. (I definitely would never turn one down though!) This is a nice change of pace and thus far has earned a permanent place in my tea corner – or until it is no longer revived.

Confession time: I did cheat on this a little. I had read before that JacquelineM added a finely chopped up vanilla bean to ATR’s Vanilla Noir. Because it worked so well for that, I threw caution to the wind and did the same for Shamrock, balancing out the mint just a bit more.

Brewed really strong for iced tea and still got a few more steeps out of it – 3 if I remember correctly. When I cold brewed the last steep overnight, I was greeted with a punch of mint the next day. I was really surprised the mint lasted that long. It was, dare I say, a little too minty, but still drinkable with a healthy dose of sugar and ice.

It’s heaven with a splash of vanilla-mint simple syrup!

This tea is verra verra minty, yet smooooth. You have to reach to taste that vanilla, but it’s there. It flirts with being almost too minty but it never gets there. My partner is reminded of the Moroccan Mint we had at Dobra Tea in Madison, WI. That was some yummy stuff, sweetened with honey. I would keep this Shamrock Tea in my cupboard all the time if it were possible!

I am getting mostly spearmint and vanilla with a light green tea base. It is refreshing hot… I would like to try it iced! I think it would be very refreshing in the summer iced. I think I may make a batch of this iced to take to my grandparents over the holidays since it is always 110 degrees in their house :)

This was very delicious and fresh. I think I would have liked a bit more of the vanilla flavor, but I love how this tea was refreshingly minty without having much bite. Just a nice tingle, like I just brushed my teeth. Super yummy, I am glad I got a bag of this before it disappeared.

Waiting to rate because it’s been a couple days since I had it, and I’ll rate it the next time I drink it.

Overall this is a very surprising mint blend. Normally a sencha base would turn me away however it really pairs well with these flavors. I found that the peppermint and spearmint combined really nicely with spearmint being at the forefront of the mix. I really enjoyed this as most mint teas are peppermint based which made this one stand out from the rest of the pack. The little touch of vanilla flavoring is just there in the background to add a smooth finish which I believe cuts the bitterness of the sencha as well as the mint. As the tea cools the vanilla flavoring does become more pronounced which is tempting me to try this one iced once its warmer outside. :) All in all, if you enjoy mint teas this is a MUST have for your cupboard.

This is so sad….this is my last cup of this tea :’-( Such a good mint tea! Oh well.

Backlogging this from yesterday… this is by far the best tea from my 52teas order. With that said, it wasn’t terribly impressive. I was just surprised that I liked it, considering that the other three teas were not really my kind of thing. I can’t say that there was all that much vanilla, but I could tell that something was tempering the peppermint and green tea flavours and I’d guess that vanilla was the reason. Overall, a smooth blend, but I’ll have to try again to get more of a feel for it.

For some reason, there were a ton of floaty bits left after I pulled the strainer out so there must be some smaller elements than usual in this blend. I had to spoon some of them out because they weren’t willing to settle on the bottom of my cup.

The dry aroma is sweet but minty, almost like a stick of mint chewing gum. It’s fresh and piquant. The sweetness I would guess comes only partly from the vanilla, and somewhat from the spearmint.

The brewed concoction presents a golden liquor where the aroma is mostly of spearmint though a hit of vegetal freshness also emerges.

Once on the palate the brew is excitingly fresh. Its mint mixture produces just the right amount of palate activity to draw a long tailing finish without overwhelming your tastebuds. The vanilla does seem to soften the brisk excitement caused by the mint as well.

There’s no drying of the palate or real astringency here. There is however a twinge of vegetal bite while the brew swirls in the mouth. However, it lasts just long enough to be replaced by the minty infusion.

I would recommend this to to fans of Senchas, flavored teas and mint teas. Fans of fresh Muscatel Darjeelings may also find this brew enjoyable.

I didn’t taste any of the vanilla flavor, but there’s no denying the mint! This tea is STRONG in the mint department, and has a wonderful aroma in the leaves that lasts through, and may even be stronger in, the final cup.

It’s also a smooth tea that goes down cleanly and doesn’t leave a lot of aftertaste. There’s a hint of mint that leaves you feeling clean and fresh, but it’s pleasant, and doesn’t overpower your taste buds like the aroma would lead you to believe.

All in all, this is a great tea for any mint lover, and a nice green tea to drink if you’re looking to become one.

I am not sure what I did wrong….I was thinking there would be a strong mint flavor (sorry did not get mint flavor). I will try again in a few days and then give my review.
Oh well ….I will make another tea to enjoy (Lord knows I have enough samples to try).