Tea type
Black Tea
Ingredients
Black Tea, Calendula Petals, Natural Flavours, Sunflower Petals
Flavors
Grenadine, Raspberry, Vanilla, Astringent, Cherry, Sweet, Fruity, Strawberry, Burnt Sugar, Cotton Candy, Malt, Sugar
Sold in
Bulk, Loose Leaf
Caffeine
High
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by Anlina
Average preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 45 sec 10 oz / 295 ml

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40 Tasting Notes View all

From Metropolitan Tea Company

MONKS BLEND (Black Tea with natural flavors)

Country of Origin: Sri Lanka
Region: Nuwara Eliya, Dimbula or Uva districts
Shipping Port: Colombo
Grade: OP (Orange Pekoe)
Altitude: 4800 – 7600 feet above sea level Manufacture Type: Orthodox

Cup Characteristics: Medium bodied and flavoury with piquant Ceylon character. Blended with natural flavor oils of vanilla and grenadine, which impart a smooth and unique heavenly flavor.

Infusion: Bright and Coppery.

Ingredients: Luxury black tea, Calendula + Sunflower petals, Natural flavors.

Information: Certainly a ‘mysterious’ blend despite being a delicious mixture of grenadine and vanilla. Perhaps first created by Tibetan monks – infused with universal life energy, this tea is a perfect all day treat; sweet and toasty with a touch of dryness and a subtle bouquet. Originally, it is believed that this blend was developed by monks to support their life’s desires, especially the work that they did all by hand. Tea is an item that these monks considered good for the soul. Franciscan monks used to drink this tea to keep them awake during long periods of meditation. It is fair to say that this is an ancient and harmonious blend, as it is also used by Buddhist and Taoist monks.

What type of tea do we use, how do we flavor the tea and why do we use natural flavors?

Firstly… we only use high grown teas from the top 3 tea growing regions of Sri Lanka – Nuwara Eliya, Dimbula and Uva. These three high-grown districts produce flavorful teas that have classic ‘Ceylon’ tea character which is noted by floral bouquet and flavor notes, touches of mild astringency, bright coppery color and, most importantly – perfect for use as the base tea of our flavored teas. (We have tested teas from various other origins around the world as base stock for our flavored teas, but none of these teas made the grade.) Dimbula and the western estates of Nuwara Eliya have a major quality peak during Jan/Feb, whereas Uva and the eastern estates of Nuwara Eliya have their peak in July/Aug. This ‘dual peak period’ allow us to buy the best for our flavored tea blends several times during the year, ensuring top quality and freshness.

Secondly… we use flavoring oils not crystals to give the tea drinker an olfactory holiday before indulging in a liquid tea treat.

Thirdly… we specify natural flavors. High quality tea tastes good and natural flavors do not mask the natural taste of the high grown Ceylon tea. (The norm for many making flavored tea is to use overpowering artificial flavors, which can be used to hide lower quality tea). Natural flavors do not leave an aftertaste giving the tea a clean and true character. It should be noted that natural flavors tend to be somewhat ‘soft ‘ and the flavors slightly muted, but for many this is a refreshing change and one of the desired attributes of our naturally flavored teas.

About Metropolitan Tea Company View company

Company description not available.

40 Tasting Notes

95
15575 tasting notes

Tonight this blend made an appearance outside of the closet! Because I’m running low, I’ve been hoarding/savouring what I have left of this – but I felt like after a sort of “mediocre” tea day I really needed a pick me up, and this is what stood out tonight.

It brewed up lovely; sweet grenadine and almost “raspberry” fruit notes and a brisk black base with a touch of astringency, but in a good way.

Definitely the best tea of the day, and I think the perfect one to end the day on.

VariaTEA

Oh Monk’y Blend, how I miss you.

VariaTEA

And by “Monk’y”, I of course mean “Monk’s”. Perhaps this is a sign I should sleep because y and s are not even close on the keyboard :P.

Sil

Eeewwwwww monks blend. We are not friends

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78
6444 tasting notes

So I didn’t know “Monk’s Blend” was a thing until very recently. Every time I saw it, I just assumed it was some company making a particular blend. However, when I finally realized a Monk’s Blend tea was a black tea with vanilla and grenadine I was all for it. I LOVE grenadine. Prior to deciding to be healthy, I would actually add grenadine to coke (the soda, not the drug). So when I had the oppurtunity to try a Monk’s Blend tea via my frequent swap pal, Roswell Strange. I jumped at the chance.

Even though this cup has cooled slightly, I still think this a great introduction. This tea is almost creamy in how smooth it is (likely from the vanilla). And the grenadine flavor really shines. This tea actually captures everything I love about grenadine syrup and leaves out the calories. It is like the tasty tea version of a Shirley Temple…YUM!!! Thank you Roswell Strange!!!

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 15 sec
__Morgana__

Sounds yum.

Courtney

Love the clarification.

Roswell Strange

Glad you enjoyed! I might go make a cup now. And laughing so hard at the clarification.

VariaTEA

I did not want anyone to get the wrong idea about me.

VariaTEA

Plus, I don’t think adding syrup to cocaine would work very well. Just saying.

yyz

I like grenadine too. In Montpellier they used to add it to lager. It’s actually surprisingly nice.

VariaTEA

There is a brewery here in Montreal (though it is a chain so I know there are ones in France as well as one location in Toronto) that makes beer cocktails. I used to like to get the one with grenadine because it was really quite tasty. I honestly love the stuff.

yyz

They are quite nice!.. We drank a lot of them because there was a beast wave that year. It was 38 at the end of April and it was the cheapest thing to drink. But the beer cocktails were fun.

OMGsrsly

I know what you mean, yyz, but I might include “beast wave” into my vocabulary. :D

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84
6768 tasting notes

Gets a little bitter when cold or iced. This was my last bag of this…

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2977 tasting notes

last serving of this, with milk and sugar because I’m feeling contrary this morning (yesterday I liked it best iced with sugar only).

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 30 sec

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85
226 tasting notes

I decided this tea would be just the thing to help me feel better today, as I was feeling a bit faded and wilted, not to mention having stuffy sinuses, but I was a bit disappointed. The warm liquid did help, but the taste wasn’t quite the same as it usually was. I guess probably my taste buds were a little wack, as they can be when you’re sick. Anyway, I’m kind of wishing I had chosen a tea that had a little eucalyptus or something in it to break through the gunk in my sinuses, but I still do love this tea. :)

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 2 min, 30 sec
SimpliciTEA

I hope you feel better soon. : )

Indigobloom

allergies? eeeyuck! get well soon

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1040 tasting notes

Tea #7 Great Canadian Traveling Tea Box

I don’t mind this, it’s a decent fruit/vanilla black tea. I wish the base tea wasn’t Ceylon (now that I’ve learned about the different styles of black, I can say that). It’s a little bit too sharp, or astringent for me. This description says pomegranate, I think it’s more cherry ish. The vanilla is really subtle, doesn’t come out much until the tea cools.
There is quite a bit of this in the TTB, I’m going to play with steep times and see if I can get it to my liking. All in all not bad, would be up to trying Monk’s Blend from other companies.
Reserving rating until I’ve played with it.

Sil

Monks blend usually has grenadine flavouring in it….which makes me annoyed because it generally ruins the vanilla black part. Of the tea I like haha. I have some vanilla sky from steep city I can send youto try – basically it’s their version of monks blend

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31 tasting notes

I have been absent from Steepsterton for way too long simple because I HAD NO TEA. Living at the tip of James Bay (northern Ontario) for two months with a 25lb weight limit for baggage to get up here has put a major cramp in my tea drinking style. The only thing available to me has been bagged Tetely Orange Pekoe (drinkable but not really postworthy). But (drum roll please!), courtesy of my amazing friends down south, and my birthday, I received no fewer then three packages of delicious looking loose leaf – one of which is this blend that I’ve been wanting to try forever (being a huge fan of grenadine-filled Shirley Temple’s as a child).

YAAAAAAAYYYYY! happy tea dance

So expect postings fellow Steepsterites, I’m through with lurking!!

Oh, and to make this slightly about the tea, while I haven’t gotten to brew it up yet the dry tea smell is just lovely – sweet-sweet melded with a nice black tea nippiness and warm vanilla notes – YUM!!

Batrachoid

Grenadine is in Shirley Temples? O= I thought it was cherry. Wow, now I know what to look for for a “shirley temple tea.” It’s something I’ve been wondering about for months!

And your friends are awesome. I understand the literally no tea dilema.

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84
4843 tasting notes

I received a bag of this in a valentine’s exchange (not the SweeTea exchange on Steepster). I thought for sure I had reviewed this previously, but I guess not.

A good Monk’s Blend. It’s better as a loose leaf than as a teabag, but, that’s true of all teas. Light vanilla taste with a hint of grenadine, and good, solid Ceylon flavor in there too.

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985 tasting notes

I have decided to pass this one along to a friend. Something about the black tea base in Metro Tea varieties are coming across a little bitter for me. I am sure I could figure it all out if I wanted to invest the time in finding the perfect brewing parameters for this tea, but I have only about an ounce left and it is not on my repurchase list. Maybe milk would have helped, but I seem to be getting away from teas that require milk these days.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec

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65
28 tasting notes

4tsps for 3 cups of water. The leaves were long and rolled with little flower petals. They smelled very good. You could faintly smell the grenadine and vanilla.

The liquor is coppery in color. You can smell the cherries a little more when brewed. There is a lingering flavor that I just can’t point out. I think this might be a characteristic of black teas but I’m so new to reviewing teas that I might be wrong. I feel like I have something still in my mouth, like there wasn’t a clean finish. I do like this tea and will drink it again but I will be adding something to sweeten it up.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec
Jacque Scott

I just added some stevia and that lingering flavor went away. I can really taste the cherry now.

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