Thistle Tea

Oh my did I overindulge on Superbowl food. (I’m not going to talk about the actual superbowl because the reffing was so bad I want to tear my hair out poor 49ers) Usually I make burgers and guacamole and halftime, and we have chips & dip in the first half. This year I decided to forgo the burgers and make bacon cheeseburger dip—I thought if I replaced regular dip with that and skipped the burgers, it’d be lighter. But the dip was so good, and I made so much… and then guacamole… and then cookies… urgh. So I needed something light to combat it—I’m really in the mood for some genmaicha or a nice sencha, but I’m at my parents’ house for the game so I only have what I brought with me.

I decided instead on something herbal, and lo and behold I have a bag of this from KittyLovesTea! Well, it’s not exactly 100% herbal, but there’s some thistle in it so it counts.

This is an interesting blend. At first sip (and sniff) it smells just like your average Indian black, ctc, nothing special. But the thistle adds a really nice herby dimension, almost floral and with a hint of pleasant bitterness. Not overstepped black bitterness, but more like… grapefruit rind bitterness. Refreshingly brisk, this is really doing the trick! Thanks fellow Kitty!

It is already great to be off from work until the new year, but having a new Christmas present tea to taste makes life even better! I was fascinated by the name of this tea.

Being of direct Scottish heritage (my mother was born and partially raised in Scotland), and having spent a month and a half in Scotland myself, I was intrigued by the inclusion of Scottish thistle in this tea. Heather, I could understand. After all, heather is a sweet and dainty little flower that grows on the Scottish hillsides. Thistle, on the other hand, has painful thorns. According to legend, the invention of the kilt was necessary to allow Scottish soldiers to be mobile when marching through fields covered with this prickly plant. So, thistle is not an ingredient that I would expect to find in my beverage.

When I opened the hinged tin and pierced the bag inside, I noticed that the short tea leaves were like coffee grounds. Also, many red and yellow thistle blossom pieces were mixed with the leaves. The aroma of the unbrewed leaves was standard African tea with something extra, although the smell was not flowery.

I brewed the leaves for five minutes at 212 degrees, the maximum recommended time and temperature. The color was a brownish gold. The brewed aroma was again standard tea with something else.

I hate to be repetitious, but the flavor of this tea also was…you guessed it…standard tea with something extra. The best way to explain it is that the sweet overtones and astringency that I’ve often noticed in flowery teas were present in this tea, but not to the extent where I could classify them. I can only identify the taste by calling it STANDARD AFRICAN TEA PLUS.

This is a pleasant tasting tea. It is not bitter. I liked drinking four cups of it. I just did not find the flavor easy to pinpoint. Maybe that doesn’t matter. Perhaps I should just shut up and enjoy it.

very very traditional tea with a nice twist. the good quality black tea is rich and warm with a slight chocolaty flavour thats nicely paired with the thistles. its slightly flowery but just and undertone bc the shining star is certainly the good quality tea leaves. its a strong brew with vanilla and chocolate tones that go well with afternoon cakes and desserts. Its also got enough caffeine to replace coffee and its always good to replace that bean juice with the worlds REAL favourite beverage…

I received a few samples of this tea from a friend in Scotland.

A nice refreshing tea with a ceylon flavour boosted by a floral/herbal after taste. Lovely for something a little different, it almost reminds me of a jasmine taste but without so much floral bitterness in flavour.

A lovely, flavorful tea with an exotic kick to it. Picked it up while on vacation in Edinburgh, and every sip is reminiscent of the lush, fecund, highlands.

A tea from Kelmishka!

I’m not quite sure what thistle tastes like, but I will say that this tea is quite smooth. I was fully expecting a bit of astringency, especially considering it was a sachet, but I was pleasantly surprised. There’s a hint of neutral herbal-like flavour in the background. There’s nothing wrong with this one. A nice black tea to enjoy without really having to focus on it.

235/365

Another Scottish-themed tea, and another I’ve tried before. It’s one I’m developing a particular taste for, though, since it combines a decent, malty black base with a twist of the unusual. I find thistle rather like nettle – kind of piquant, a little peppery, just a touch floral. The aftertaste is lightly herbal, reminiscent of sage and perhaps rosemary – not strong, but distinctively herbaceous and “green” tasting. It’s heading towards chlorophyll, but not quite there.

I like this one. It makes a change from a plain breakfast-style black, while retaining the qualities I most enjoy in those. The thistle adds an extra flavour dimension that’s distinctive without being too in-your-face or over strong. A good balance, well struck.

Tea Swap Tea

Another tea I had at work tonight. The flavor profile wasn’t present within the first few minutes while the tea was hot. Although, I noted that a subtle hint of malt comes forth as the tea cools. That’s all for that.

I was really hoping to find out what thistle tasted like, but it looks like I am going to have to wait a while longer. This tastes like a straight up black tea to me. If I hadn’t know which tea I was drinking, it just as easily could have been Scottish Breakfast.

The base is Indian, and rather mild. The malt and astringency are toned down to the point of this almost tasting like a darjeeling, but with a bit more power behind it. Overall, it’s not bad for a bag, but really nothing special.

2/6/2015 mid day cuppa 3 teabags/12oz/190F/too long.

I always like the aroma of this tea – it’s nice and ‘strong tea’ish with a nice rosehip/hibiscus thing. Sorrowfully, I way over steeped this cup, and it’s hella bitter. The tea is also showing it’s age (I’m sipping it down cause it’s over a year old, bad for teabags) and has a note of cardboard.

I’m not rating it because I know that the flaws in my cup today are flaws in my storage and brewing, not in this tea.