Orange Blossom Chamomille

Let me tell you how excited I am…down to 193 teas in my cupboard! Now, that fully ignores the umpteen packages on their way but I choose to ignore that since i may not see them before i leave lol. What’s exciting is that I still have a few new teas in my cupboard that I haven’ yet gotten around to trying. THIS is one of those teas! I received this one some time ago as part of my Amoda tea box which i HIGHLY recommend, ESP for those of you in Canada. Mostly, because we don’t have too many options in Canada for this sort of thing that isn’t stupidly expensive. With Amoda it’s like 15/month, includes shipping and they do up a nice box and for the 3 months i had it, wasn’t really disappointed with any of the teas and got to branch out a bunch from what my usual comfort level is. The only reason i paused that box was because I decided to treat myself to the Verdant reserve club box during the winter months since I prefer the darker blends. Come spring i’ll likely be switching back to Amoda haha.

Soooo i digress….back to this tea! Chamomille isn’t really something i love or want. I don’t mind having a few non caffinated teas in my cupboard but largely chamomille irritates me with all it’s flower bits that make a mess in my strainer. :)

This tea is like you usual boring chamomile blend but with a hint of something else. I’m not getting orange exactly, though that could just be that i missed getting some into this cup. The flowers and bits are large and hard to get a good sense of a teaspoon. What i do get is the mint, hiding out behind the chamomille taste and it reminds me slightly of lil leapin’ lordy lou from Keen Tea Thyme’s 12 days swap with us. But clearly not as intense of a mint :) Anyway…as far as chamomille’s go, i prefer Butiki’s Citrus Dream but this isn’t a bad little tea.

Thanks Amoda!

Another sample generously sent my way by Sil. My experiences with chamomile tea so far have been good, and orange blossom is a flavour I know I like, so I’m looking forward to this one. My new job is still stressing me a bit, so I’m hoping this will help me to relax a bit after a long and tiring week. The dry mix has generous amounts of whole chamomile flowers, lemongrass pieces, orange blossoms and orange zest. It smells primarily of chamomile — that very distinctive, honey and hay-like scent with a slightly sweet, floral undertone.

Brewed, this still smells primarily of chamomile, but with a definite edge of orange. There’s also something slightly lavender-like in there, although I don’t think lavender is actually one of the ingredients. I guess the taste will tell. One thing that did take me by surprise is the colour of the liquor — it’s bright, grassy green! As the tea cools, it seems to mellow into a more ordinary golden yellow, but it certainly made me question my vision for a few seconds. I’m assuming the purple flower petals (are they orange blossom?) were the cause. Interesting, but unexpected!

To taste, I’m not getting lavender any more, I don’t think. Instead, I’m getting mint. I saw it listed among the ingredients, but I couldn’t see any in the dry mix, and it certainly doesn’t come out in the scent. It’s very subtle and complementary, though, so I’m happy enough with the combination. The taste is mostly of chamomile and a sort of floral orange in any case, so the name is pretty accurate after all. It’s not the over-sweet chamomile I’m used to, though. It’s somehow more herbal, more floral, and more grassy in taste than those I’ve tried previously. While the orange blossom isn’t strong, it adds to the flavour delicately and pleasantly, contributing a fresh, zesty, floral aftertaste.

A very enjoyable evening drink. Thanks again to Sil for sharing it with me!

Another tea I sampled at the Victoria Tea Festival. I was majorly intrigued by the combination. I really like both orange blossom and chamomile, both as fragrances and flavours, and together sounded like a fabulous ideas.

Overall, I found the chamomile to be a little too overpowering. I barely tasted anything else in this. There is supposed to be mint in here? Had no idea. I detected a hint of citrus in the back, but it wasn’t distinct at all. I guess in a way, the other flavours pulled the chamomile back a bit without allowing one to actually taste the other flavours, if that makes any sense. Because while the chamomile was the star flavour (practically the only flavour) it wasn’t as loud as it usually is.

I got this as part of a sampler set from amodatea.com – full disclosure, I’m not a big fan of chamomile on its own. Having said that, this tisane is lovely. The dry tea is just gorgeous: chamomile blossoms, pink and blue petals, lemongrass, lots of colours. The scent both dried and brewed is a pleasing blend of chamomile and citrus with a background of floral/tangy/sweet. To taste, it’s very smooth and pleasant to drink, with the same complex blend of flavours. The predominant flavours are definitely chamomile and citrus, but they’re very well-balanced. Lovely bedtime tea.