Spearmint (Organic)

It’s been a crazy week at work, with everyone dropping like flies. 2 people essential to our flow are out sick today…and I, as always, am in sick! :)

Covering for switchboard for the second afternoon n the row (I like overtime, but I really just want to go home ON TIME!). So, big mug o’ mint to get me through the afternoon. Good for my throat, too!

This is one of my sick teas. My stomach has been upset all day. I have mostly been ignoring it and just throwing more tea down my throat but I can no longer ignore the fact that my stomache is trying to escape from my body by twisting itself loose.

This is not my preferred mint tea but it is pure mint, spearmint that is, so I figured it was the best one to start with. It tastes like blunted spearmint. I would say it is more towards the peppermint side of things. I am not really getting much sweetness that I associate with spearmint. The smell does not really match the taste. It smells like sweet, delicious spearmint. My favorite kind of mint. But the taste does not deliver the same deliciousness as the smell. I think it could be the type of spearmint it is, I have made my own spearmint tea from spearmint I have grown in the garden and it is usually quite strong and spearminty.

Anyway, we will see what the stomach thinks. Maybe I can coax it to stay in place for a while.

The hubby and I went to Costco when we were hungry – big mistake! We rarely eat junk food but today we ended up coming home with a bbq chicken pizza, and a bag of frozen French fries the size of a toddler. I had originally selected a salad, but hubby found the fries on sale, and we just can’t pass up a deal. So when we got home I baked the pizza and a good portion of the fries and we ate too much while watching a less than mediocre movie. So surprise, surprise, my tummy is fighting back.

Grabbing my spearmint tea was instinctual, in fact I wonder if I subconsciously intended to sabotage myself into needing to try this tea, I mean, I bought it less than a week ago, and it’s the last herbal tea remaining in my untried stash…coincidence?…hmmmm…

This tea is minty and refreshing with an enjoyable natural sweetness. When I drink this tea it feels like a light shower for my insides, no, wait…that sounds creepy. How about, my intestines are smiling? …nope still creepy… Well whatever, just take my word that it’s a welcome feeling after eating too much junk food. The tea tasted lovely hot, and now that it’s cooled I’m still loving it. ahhh…feeling better already!

I am not feeling well tonight. While heading home from school/work, I decided to pick up some thai food for supper, which was great; I got home and watched an episode of New Girl while eating my delicious food. However, when I went onto Steepster right after, I was having trouble reading/focussing on the words, and noticed my vision had weird wavy lines in it. They lasted long enough (~25min) to freak me out a tad, and make me somewhat dizzy, but thankfully they did go away (but not before I panicked about having a stroke/brain tumour – I should mention that I was diagnosed with a blood clot in my leg in January, which I initially thought was a charlie horse, so am now hyper-alert about medical issues). Anyways, I am left feeling tired, a little headachy, and a lot pouty. And I have work to do for tomorrow, but no motivation or energy to do it.

SO. In addition to a few re-steeps, I thought spearmint would be a good choice.

The dry tea smells like potent spearmint. Gum, candies, anything. Delicious. Steeped, still spearminty, but more dilute.

Taste-wise it is definitely spearminty (not pepperminty), and it’s good. A bit chloriney though, which is the problem I have with peppermint. I do wish it was a touch stronger; I will add more leaf next time. I think this would be lovely as a latte, or added to a matcha latte. Spearmint matcha latte? Vanilla spearmint matcha latte?

My one irritation is all the leaf bits floating in my cup though. Wish the tea was less crumbly.

Well apparently my Guayusa and The Killer’s Vanilla mix didn’t do the trick. I was feeling better for a short time, but evidently I just angered it because the stomach pain is back with a vengeance. All I want to do is finish up this assignment and go to bed. Gah. My stomach is not making that an easy task.

This tea is always my go-to for stomach issues. I cannot drink minty teas any other time. Even the scent is giving me hope that I will feel better once I get that first sip. I haven’t tried David’s Peppermint Amour because the scent alone of that one dry nearly took me out. This one has a lovely inherent sweetness.

Update: The second steep of this was also lovely this morning. Not nearly as powerful in the scent, but still lots of flavour in the taste.

After a weekend of camping, eating junk food, and not drinking any good teas, I look forward to drinking good tea again! I thought mint would be a good choice to settle my junk food stomach.

This tea dry really reminds me of mouthwash. Steeped, it isn’t as much as toothpaste or mouthwash, but still a little bit. Otherwise, it is sweet, minty goodness. I really like mint as a flavour, so for me, this is a great bedtime tea.

Maybe try mixing with peppermint.

A couple of years ago, I ordered a mint tea in a Thai restaurant. To my enchantment, the waiter brought a glass full of fresh spearmint and poured hot water directly on the leaves.

The leaves being still attached to the stem, you don’t have to remove them, you just drink and watch those big vibrant green leaves twirl in the water. But the most amazing thing is the taste. Never had I tasted a mint tea so sweet in my life. That summer, I started growing my own spearmint. Iced or hot, that’s the only way I now drink my mint tea in the summer.

For the rest of the year, as a mint lover, I do enjoy pretty much any dry tea with mint in it.
However, I could never find that sweet fresh spearmint taste in any of the dry teas I have tried. But his one from DT is by far the closest! What a treat, I tell you, all mint lovers, you MUST get some-o-that!

And must I say, its angel breath benefits make it the perfect Valentine’s tea!

Love, love, love

I will never not love this tea. Brewed and then poured over ice, it smelled and tasted just perfect. I love all things spearmint…and so do my cats XD

I’ve been away from Steepster for a while. Just wasn’t enjoying hot tea much over the summer. And I was buying too much, but when I stopped shopping….well, a big part of the fun is shopping, ordering, trying new teas…..

Anyways, cool weather, and back on tea…..I love anything mint, peppermint, spearmint, I have peppermint candles, peppermint chocolate patties ( in the freezer-extra good!)…..made a big mug of this spearmint tea…..added in frothy cream and a hammonds peppermint stir stick…..yum! I am not sure i can fairly rate this tea,with all the extra mint, sugar and cream I added…..but it’s good like this! Cool, creamy, sweet! I have had it plain, and it is a good pure spearmint…..but quite a treat with all my extra “add ins!”….

I almost bought some harneys peppermint herbal at chapters today…..wish I had…..then I could compare these two mint teas…..well another day tomorrow….

I had a miserable tummy ache last night at my mom’s show, so I took a little teabag full of this (with a tiny bit of peppermint tossed in). I had three cups, and it was delicious.

I don’t know if it made me feel any better, but it certainly tasted good, and made my painful evening much more enjoyable.