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Cold brewed for 3 hours this time. The result is smoother and less bitter than when I made it iced after first brewed hot. I think I’ve finally found the sweet spot for making this one perfect for these balmy late spring days…

I’ve been very curious about this one ever since I heard of it…

While I wasn’t sure whether I would like it before trying, I’m happy to report that it’s pretty enjoyable if you know what you’re getting. The aroma smells most strongly of mint, with a hint of tea underneath. The taste itself includes vegetable stock with a significant pepper kick, a bit of tomato tang, and again, the tea flavor somehow manages to not be masked by everything else. On the whole, it’s light and flavorful, not as salty or intense as a regular tomato broth can be, and a good accompaniment to a small meal. So while I just expected an average vegetable broth, it’s tea-like enough that I think it would be good for cooking a (slightly unconventional) batch of tea eggs or other savory dish that originally includes tea in the recipe.

Mighty Leaf has a special place in my heart as the first tea through which I discovered, a couple of years ago, that good teas in a bag or sachet could be just as fantastic as loose leaf. So I tried this one when I was getting breakfast at a cafe this morning. Unfortunately it’s a little bit of a letdown compared to some of their other black teas like Orchid Oolong. The tea was both very robust and mellow, but there wasn’t anything unique about it. In fact, I’m having a hard time coming up with anything further I can say to describe it. Still, it’s pretty decent as a breakfast blend.

We’ve been in a heat wave all week, and today is supposedly the last day of it, so there was no better time to make iced tea with this one. I ended up liking this much better iced than hot. The green plum flavor is very delicate and easily lost in a hot brew, even if the aroma is still intact. But in an iced tea the flavor is vivid and refreshing, the tea itself is light enough to work with it, and as a plus the liquor is a lovely clear chartreuse color. A perfect summer drink. (What, it’s still spring?)

[Revised rating up from 78.]

Smells like summer in a cup. The green plum/apricot aroma is very crisp and refreshing, and this would be a great iced tea. Brewed hot, it’s still pretty good, though the green tea itself isn’t something I would go out of my way to buy. Still, out of the flavored teas I’ve tried, it’s one of the most unique and least likely to offend. As the weather’s getting hotter, I’ll definitely try it iced when I have the chance.

A no-nonsense black tea, the bergamot oil is veryyyy prominent and comes right to the forefront, but does smooth out the tea a bit, making it less astringent even when brewed strongly. There are better Earl Greys out there, but for getting a kick start early in the morning this is not bad.

This is a nice surprise after the moderate disappointment of the last few Tea Forte teas I tried. It has a mild, pleasant aroma, and unlike many tea blends with citrus, doesn’t become too tart in the cup. The core of this is a strong and fairly good black tea.The orange is definitely there, and it goes well with the tea without overwhelming it. It’s a natural, orange-peel zest, and doesn’t taste like an added flavor. As a plus, I could see some of the orange peel pieces in the tea sachet.

It seems like with some of these flavored teas with fancy names, it’s high praise to say that I can taste the tea itself! Maybe it’s time to go back to pure teas for a while…