Refresh (Filter bag version)

I drank this tea last night to help soothe my stomach after it had a “run-in” with a tea that didn’t agree with me. This refresh tea eventually helped to ease my discomfort. I finished the last teabag and I plan on purchasing another mint tea, but not necessarily this brand. It was pretty good while it lasted, but I’m just too curious to pass up the opportunity to try something new.

So today was my engineer ceremony woot! I am now officially an engineer (in training, but an engineer nonetheless). So a pretty exciting day, busy, but they did have some tea there, a Tazo assortment. I had a cup of this and it wasn’t too bad, my stomach was a bit yuck from waking up so early but this tea helped calm it down for the rest of the day. A standard mint taste, but you can’t really go wrong with mint in my opinion. Now I’m thinking of what tea to celebrate with now that I am home!

Bought this last winter when I had a really bad cold. I like it better now that it is more leaf in a sachet than the prior tea bag form. Nice minty relief. Great relief for a sore throat and stuffy nose.

Decupboarding this tea today.

Today my tea making experience was the epitome of teamwork! I poured soy, boyfriend poured water, I added mate bags, he topped me off with mint bags. I was too delighted he was helping to comment on how you’re supposed to pour The water OVER the bags not dunk them IN it… But before you get all “aw” about him helping, it was 4:15am and I am 99% sure he just wanted me out the door so he could go back to bed Haha. Anyway, the tea:

Had a date with my mommy last weekend and we found ourselves at Whole Foods for lunch. I cruised down the tea aisle to see what caught my eye. Saw BULK yerba mate tea bags, 75 for $12! Last time it was $6 for 25! This was like buy 2 get one free!

Anyway, since my morning blend has been 4 mate bags and 2 mint bags, I had to refill on mint. Tazo was on sale, so Tazo it was! I had been using Trader Joes mint which tasted more like authentic mint. This one is a little sweeter, but also a more aggressive mint. It definitely makes my mouth feel more refreshed. I don’t like the almost sugar aftertaste, though.

No rating since I mixed it up!

Edit: I reviewed the ingredients… Pretty sure it’s the tarragon giving it the aftertaste. I thought that before, too, but I didn’t know if I was spelling tarragon wrong so I had to check Haha

Look at me with a tisane! Be sure to pay attention, Steepsterites, as this is not something that happens that often, but it’s too late really for tea when I’m trying to re-learn getting to bed at a proper hour, and I wanted to try something else of what TeaEqualsBliss sent me.

I dipped my sleeve in the cup (no, not on purpose), so it’s not starting well.

It smells strongly of spearmint and I can’t really find any tarragon. It’s like a mix of toothpaste and that chewing gum that my mother prefers. Daunting… Maybe it can help on my stomach reflux though. (Oh avocado… so yummy, yet so deceitful!)

It tastes a bit like that chewing gum too, but it’s not as overwhelmingly spearmint-y as I had expected. I think it’s because the tarragon is lying down a base and controlling it. It’s just spearmint-y enough to give me that prickling on the tongue and brief fresh mouth sensation. The latter doesn’t seem to last very long after swallowing, but then again, it’s a tisane, not a tooth-paste replacement.

Tisanes don’t really interest me at all, and I don’t buy them unless for someone else or because I want to mix with stuff. Although I’d be unlikely to purchase this if the brand was available here, I still like it rather more than I thought I would.

My Starbucks was all out of the China Green I usually get when I’m there, so I decided to try something new. I was under the impression that this was a mint green; but I found out when I tasted it that it definitely was not. First whiff: the sharp, cold smell of peppermint. My Starbucks has the full-leaf satchets, and the leaf pieces were small but uniformly cut, bright green and very fragrant.

Brew: mid-range, green/brown, very warm.

Taste: the peppermint hits first, and then there’s the licorice flavor from the tarragon, and then its followed by the coolness of the mint.

I really don’t like licorice – it just upsets m stomach. It was palatable when hot, but as it cooled, the licorice flavor became much stronger and I couldn’t finish the cup. I won’t be trying it again, I don’t think, but at least I tried it.

Got this (along with a few other) tea in a box my mum sent over for Christmas!

Holy crap is this tea minty. Almost numbs the tongue! I wish I would have had this a few days ago when I had a nasty flu. This would have cleared everything right up in a jiffy. It’s nice, though. Refreshing… so I guess that’s why it’s named Refresh. Would be nice mixed with a little bit of green tea and some honey!

I enjoy my mint in tea, but up until recently it has been fresh spearmint from my garden in my iced tea. Since discovering loose leaf teas early this winter, I have come to really enjoy peppermint in teas, but haven’t had too many with spearmint yet.

Last evening my stomach wasn’t so happy with the pizza I’d had for lunch, so I decided a mint tea mint be good thing to try. I got a box of this at a “white elephant” Christmas exchange with my family, and a sample from hapatite – Thanks :)

I used a big mug with this and probably should have used 2 tea bags, but went with one and a long steep time. The result was nice, mild, and minty. As it cooled a bit, I noticed an aftertaste that I was familiar with.. not a great taste, but not offensive. I recognized it as the flavor my iced spearmint tea gets if we don’t drink it fast enough and it sits in the fridge too long… so it must be a residual flavor from the spearmint. I haven’t noticed it with peppermint blends thus far. I think this a great tea for when you need to grab something easy, refreshing, and caffeine free.

I think I’ve decided that I need to plant a peppermint patch somewhere on our property… far enough from the spearmint so as to not cross each other. I could dry the leaves and play with some of my own blends next winter, and of course use it fresh during the summertime :) I might even seek out a chocolate mint plant to experi"mint" with… Sorry! Couldn’t resist!

I’ve been experimenting with different mints and I really like this one. I didn’t expect to like it as much as I do, but right now it’s leading the pack on the mint front.

The mix of peppermint and spearmint, unexpectedly (to me anyway), seems to have a synergy that makes this tisane more enjoyable than a straight peppermint or spearmint, without tasting like Wrigley’s Doublemint. The spearmint smooths out and mellows the peppermint, and the peppermint gives a jolt to the spearmint that keeps it from being too passive and dull. The tarragon is just a touch, fortunately, as while tarragon has a place in my spice pantheon I don’t love it if it is too overbearing. But it is present and may be what prevents the Doublemint effect — if so, I’m grateful to it.

I’m drinking the “full leaf” Starbucks tin version of this, using two bags in 16 oz of water.

Finished my stash of this today too…in a mug while ringing bells in the freezing cold…