Peppermint

I’m not entirely on speaking terms with my tummy at the moment. Or rather, it is not entirely on speaking terms with me. That seems to be a trend around Steepster at the moment. I was catching up on people’s posts and there were a number of you that mentioned having tummy troubles.

Luckily Fleurdelily sent me a bag of this stuff in her parcel, so I’ve got me a weapon to deal with it. And I still haven’t got a return parcel put together. Really, it’s getting both embarrasing and ridiculous. At this point, however, I will probably have to say that it has to wait a little while longer, and then I solemnly swear I will have one in the mail before mid-January! It’s all due to Christmas and some other things going on right now meaning I try to be frugal and spread out extra expenses a little bit. (On the upside on that front, it looks as though January will be the last payment on my student loan! YAY! And Husband has just finished paying his as well. Those are some excellent expenses to get over and done with.)

Anyway, I’m having this peppermint tea in order to try and mollify Mrs Tummy a little bit, so I really ought to tell you about what it tastes like and whether or not it’s working.

Gosh! Minty! A bit strong too. And that’s really it. What else is there really to say about peppermint? I honestly can’t think of anything. I’ve been sitting here sipping and trying to analyse the flavour like I do with regular tea, but all I’m coming up with is ‘mint.’ So I’m throwing in the (tea) towel and moving on.

As for whether it’s working, I inhaled as I slurped the first sip, and I could feel that menthol-y feeling all the way down in my esophagus. It’s still there. It feels like breathing in frosty weather. I had a slight bit of acid burn, which seems to be soothed slightly by this, but it’s still there. It’s too soon to tell whether the tummy will become less rumbly, though, but I hope so. We shall see.

As it is, I think soothing the acid burn, even just a little bit, is worth a load of points, because that feeling is really very irritating indeed.

(I really do need to stock up on a few herbs for medicinal purposes. We haven’t got very much of the vile-but-soothing Throat Tea left either, but since that’s only chamomile and licorice root, I expect it’ll be cheaper to mix it myself.)

I really need to try to space out my tasting notes. I tend to not write any for 3-4 days and then do a whole bunch all at once. Sorry for clogging your dashes, everyone! I just get in the mood to write about tea every few days.

Okay, so this note isn’t really about tea. Last night I went to our local diner, it’s my dad’s birthday week (yes, in my family you get a whole week!) and he requested a diner trip one night. We ended up going after Survivor (another family tradition), so we got there at about 9:30. But it’s a diner, they’re 24 hours! We got a really weird mix of food: my mom (who cares only about dessert) got greek yogurt, my dad got banana pancakes and I got spaghetti & meatballs. Which were totally phenomenal.

I was hesitant to get tea with my dessert (a totally divine cannoli) because, well, it’s a diner. But I saw some brightly colored boxes on the back wall that I immediately identified as Harney & Sons. What, H&S in my local diner?! Awesome! Since it was rather late I just got peppermint, which while simple is one of my favorite herbs. It’s just so naturally sweet and refreshing and relaxing.

It’s kind of hard to rate peppermint teas—I mean, it’s just one ingredient! But this was a really nice one. Smooth and naturally creamy, with a strong but not overly strong bite from the peppermint and that great natural sweetness. That’s why I love peppermint and not spearmint! Bleurgh, spearmint. My arch mint enemy! This, though, was the perfect after-dinner treat.

John Harney Appreciation Tea #10

This peppermint tea from Harney & Sons is a the perfect illustration of the principle “less is more”. Take a simple, natural ingredient and allow it to express its natural beauty and complexity.

Now this is what I’m talking about! ALL the peppermint! I find the peppermint tisanes I’ve tried have a natural creamy component to them, and this one is no exception. So glad I stumbled upon this tin in the grocery store today. Harney & Sons have very pretty tins and tea bags- I couldn’t resist. I also bought mint leaves. I’m stocked up.

Been drinking this every morning as I recover during what’s now the 3rd week of the flu/strep. Good flavor and holds up well to long steeps and multiple infusions throughout the day. Helps the throat and settles the tummy. I don’t think there is a ton of variation among straight peppermint teas, but this one is solid.

I have been sick for the past week with tonsillitis, again…. 8th time in 2 years. I hate it. So this tea was a life saver and has been my rock. What I love about this tea is that it isn’t just peppermint. Its a mixture of so many soothing elements…its a must have if you are a peppermint tea lover or just to keep on hand when you are sick. Peppermint Herbal gets two thumbs up from this girl:)

Eurgh. I do not feel good. Here’s to hoping this settles my stomach down a bit.

New tea, and great experience so far! I love the packaging. I’m thinking up alternative uses for the tin already. Also, the sachet is very smooth feeling and you can tell its good quality. It has the greatest amount of full leaves I’ve ever seen in a tea bag! So I steeped this in 16 ounces, which was recommended on the package, and my first impression was that this was a very beautiful peppermint. The liquid stayed a pretty green color for a very long time before settling into a greenish color color (prettier than it sounds). Drinking it, however, the flavor is not as strong as I would have liked it to be, which is surprising just giving the sheer amount of leaves in the sachet. Anyway, next time less water and more flavor!

Sidenote: Does anyone know why the instructions say to boil water until the pot is hot and then discard the water? o.O

ETA: a later second steep of this tea was a no-go. Very bad :(

I was out this morning, at Cucina and Co., a place where there’s lots of gourmet food, but it’s usually high-priced. I really wanted tea to go along with my breakfast, and the options were very, very slim. There was only Bigelow-everything, Twinings English Breakfast, and this. Since the tea was going to cost me $1.67, I figured that I’d pick out something that I hadn’t tried yet. And since I’ve heard great things about Harney & Sons (and have really enjoyed their Decaf Ceylon when I had the chance), I gave this one a shot.

I wasn’t disappointed. This one was the best peppermint I’ve ever had in a bag. It comes fairly close to loose leaf, I’d even say. The taste was incredibly fresh and light, with a great, great minty kick. That menthol feeling coating your mouth was sublime. It didn’t have any of the bitterness that I sometimes taste in peppermint. I really enjoyed the entirety of my cup. Was it what I planned on drinking originally this morning? Nope. But for on-the-go, it definitely worked in my favor.

Out to a bookstore/tea/coffee place with some friends late on Saturday night. Caffeine is out for me. I notice that Harney & Sons teas are being sold.

This is a post-prandial cup of tea and I’m stuffed to the gills. Plain peppermint seems like an excellent, simple, uncomplicated choice for the occasion.

I ordered a “medium” and they put two tea bags in the cup. I am quite certain that their water was about 50 times the temperature of boiling—maybe their water was about 2500 degrees on the Kelvin scale. So my tea steeped for a good ten minutes before I could take a taste.

Finally I was rewarded with a big, single-note peppermint tea that was more flavorful than other peppermints I have had. I don’t feel a need to keep this at home, but if I ever wanted a straight, strict peppermint, I would turn to Harney & Sons. This refreshing tea kept me perky and also permitted me to descend into the arms of Morpheus when the time came.