I feel a little guilty about not having tried most of the Intelligent Nutrients teas before canceling my Verdant blends subscription. Of those I have tried, some were really good and others were just okay. For the most part, they’ve been enjoyable. I suppose the main factor in canceling was that I was wanting a little more variety. The teas have been different, but each one has contained some type of oil or fragrance and I guess I’m just looking for something with a more diverse selection. I may completely change my mind after working my way through these teas, but I do feel I need to try each one to be fair. So I’m starting with this one today.
This blend is called Attune. The word, by definition, means to bring into harmony or to make aware. The Intelligent Nutrients “aromatic” or oil certainly does have several ingredients or flavor/scent notes. The blend smells good – it’s very fresh and has the cooling quality of mint though not necessarily the fragrance. The tea itself is beautiful with fuzzy mint green buds closed tightly like tiny cocoons. There are also a few berries in the mix. I checked the list and they are juniper berries which apparently aren’t berries at all but are cones. Interesting. I’ve never had these before but I’m interested to see if they have that woodsy, piney scent/flavor. There are bits of rust-colored wood chips and some seeds that look kind of like fennel as well.
I let my boiling water cool for about five seconds then added the tea. The buds seemed to float just on the surface until right before I pulled them out at thirty seconds. The liquid is very light so hopefully enough flavor will come through. The buds look much the same – still shiny, still intact. The fragrance is a bit subdued and the liquid doesn’t have a smell at all. There isn’t really much flavor here. Perhaps I should have rinsed it first? I downed the first cup pretty fast so I can go ahead and start a second cup. Hopefully it will be better.
Second Steep
6 ounces water + 212 degrees + 1.5 minutes
This cup tastes just like the first – bland and watery. What am I doing wrong here? I don’t think I’m going to try steeping this a third time. I’m just not getting any flavor.
