Peppermint

I’m not entirely on speaking terms with my tummy at the moment. Or rather, it is not entirely on speaking terms with me. That seems to be a trend around Steepster at the moment. I was catching up on people’s posts and there were a number of you that mentioned having tummy troubles.

Luckily Fleurdelily sent me a bag of this stuff in her parcel, so I’ve got me a weapon to deal with it. And I still haven’t got a return parcel put together. Really, it’s getting both embarrasing and ridiculous. At this point, however, I will probably have to say that it has to wait a little while longer, and then I solemnly swear I will have one in the mail before mid-January! It’s all due to Christmas and some other things going on right now meaning I try to be frugal and spread out extra expenses a little bit. (On the upside on that front, it looks as though January will be the last payment on my student loan! YAY! And Husband has just finished paying his as well. Those are some excellent expenses to get over and done with.)

Anyway, I’m having this peppermint tea in order to try and mollify Mrs Tummy a little bit, so I really ought to tell you about what it tastes like and whether or not it’s working.

Gosh! Minty! A bit strong too. And that’s really it. What else is there really to say about peppermint? I honestly can’t think of anything. I’ve been sitting here sipping and trying to analyse the flavour like I do with regular tea, but all I’m coming up with is ‘mint.’ So I’m throwing in the (tea) towel and moving on.

As for whether it’s working, I inhaled as I slurped the first sip, and I could feel that menthol-y feeling all the way down in my esophagus. It’s still there. It feels like breathing in frosty weather. I had a slight bit of acid burn, which seems to be soothed slightly by this, but it’s still there. It’s too soon to tell whether the tummy will become less rumbly, though, but I hope so. We shall see.

As it is, I think soothing the acid burn, even just a little bit, is worth a load of points, because that feeling is really very irritating indeed.

(I really do need to stock up on a few herbs for medicinal purposes. We haven’t got very much of the vile-but-soothing Throat Tea left either, but since that’s only chamomile and licorice root, I expect it’ll be cheaper to mix it myself.)

I really need to try to space out my tasting notes. I tend to not write any for 3-4 days and then do a whole bunch all at once. Sorry for clogging your dashes, everyone! I just get in the mood to write about tea every few days.

Okay, so this note isn’t really about tea. Last night I went to our local diner, it’s my dad’s birthday week (yes, in my family you get a whole week!) and he requested a diner trip one night. We ended up going after Survivor (another family tradition), so we got there at about 9:30. But it’s a diner, they’re 24 hours! We got a really weird mix of food: my mom (who cares only about dessert) got greek yogurt, my dad got banana pancakes and I got spaghetti & meatballs. Which were totally phenomenal.

I was hesitant to get tea with my dessert (a totally divine cannoli) because, well, it’s a diner. But I saw some brightly colored boxes on the back wall that I immediately identified as Harney & Sons. What, H&S in my local diner?! Awesome! Since it was rather late I just got peppermint, which while simple is one of my favorite herbs. It’s just so naturally sweet and refreshing and relaxing.

It’s kind of hard to rate peppermint teas—I mean, it’s just one ingredient! But this was a really nice one. Smooth and naturally creamy, with a strong but not overly strong bite from the peppermint and that great natural sweetness. That’s why I love peppermint and not spearmint! Bleurgh, spearmint. My arch mint enemy! This, though, was the perfect after-dinner treat.

Now this is what I’m talking about! ALL the peppermint! I find the peppermint tisanes I’ve tried have a natural creamy component to them, and this one is no exception. So glad I stumbled upon this tin in the grocery store today. Harney & Sons have very pretty tins and tea bags- I couldn’t resist. I also bought mint leaves. I’m stocked up.

Today was a bad day, panicky and strung-out. I went out, drove about an hour just to get away, stopped in a Barnes & Noble for a drink. The B&N by my house has a Starbucks attached to it; they share an entrance but it’s a Starbucks. This one was actually a Barnes & Noble Café. I don’t know what it is – it might just be that I’m absolutely terrible at poker faces, or maybe just that I notice it more – but whenever I’m having a day like this the cashiers and random strangers around me all seem so much kinder than they do ordinarily.

I hadn’t tasted any Harney teas before, and the barista was incredibly sweet. She was a middle-aged Indian woman with a soft accent, and she kept recommending me teas and complimenting me on my choice of cookie. Made my night. Thanks, barista!

~Tea!

I like this one. I walked over to the condiment station and tasted it, and it was just the perfect strength, although I’d only left the bag in for about a minute – really, just long enough to pay. It’s minty and cool without much sweetness, and there’s a little hint of herbal flavors underneath it. All I added was about a half-teaspoon of honey. Perfect.

I was out this morning, at Cucina and Co., a place where there’s lots of gourmet food, but it’s usually high-priced. I really wanted tea to go along with my breakfast, and the options were very, very slim. There was only Bigelow-everything, Twinings English Breakfast, and this. Since the tea was going to cost me $1.67, I figured that I’d pick out something that I hadn’t tried yet. And since I’ve heard great things about Harney & Sons (and have really enjoyed their Decaf Ceylon when I had the chance), I gave this one a shot.

I wasn’t disappointed. This one was the best peppermint I’ve ever had in a bag. It comes fairly close to loose leaf, I’d even say. The taste was incredibly fresh and light, with a great, great minty kick. That menthol feeling coating your mouth was sublime. It didn’t have any of the bitterness that I sometimes taste in peppermint. I really enjoyed the entirety of my cup. Was it what I planned on drinking originally this morning? Nope. But for on-the-go, it definitely worked in my favor.

Out to a bookstore/tea/coffee place with some friends late on Saturday night. Caffeine is out for me. I notice that Harney & Sons teas are being sold.

This is a post-prandial cup of tea and I’m stuffed to the gills. Plain peppermint seems like an excellent, simple, uncomplicated choice for the occasion.

I ordered a “medium” and they put two tea bags in the cup. I am quite certain that their water was about 50 times the temperature of boiling—maybe their water was about 2500 degrees on the Kelvin scale. So my tea steeped for a good ten minutes before I could take a taste.

Finally I was rewarded with a big, single-note peppermint tea that was more flavorful than other peppermints I have had. I don’t feel a need to keep this at home, but if I ever wanted a straight, strict peppermint, I would turn to Harney & Sons. This refreshing tea kept me perky and also permitted me to descend into the arms of Morpheus when the time came.

Its a strong peppermint tea that leaves a rough after taste, but if you don’t let it steep to long it can be refreshing. I enjoy a cup every now and then but have found better Peppermint teas since my first purchase of this tea.

Initial Review: http://www.witheringleaves.com/peppermint-herbal-harney-sons

Reasonably mild for a single-note peppermint tea. Might disappoint some who are looking for an extremely fresh or minty taste, though it works for casual sipping.

Bleh. Tastes as though peppermint oil was added back to the leaves. Tastes more like peppermint candy than an herbal tea. The aftertaste was less than desirable and lingered for an hour or so. This is one peppermint tea that I probably won’t be trying again.

I love peppermint herbals and have for many years. I had this tea at Border’s in the sachets that Harney & Sons has in their Royal Palace line. I was meeting the woman who is going to be my wife for the first time. I was a little nervous and peppermint tisanes have always been good for me to calm my stomach and nerves. I guess this tea has a little sentimentality to it for me.

Strong and sweetly minty. It’s hard to go wrong with Peppermint and Harney’s sachet makes a stronger cup than most.

This peppermint herbal (from Oregon) has an exquisite and sweet taste. Some peppermint teas taste like a stale candy cane, but this one is delicious and refreshing. The aroma is wonderful. Expensive but tasty.

Not the best peppermint tea I’ve had. The leaves are very green and pretty, but the flavor is weaker than in others I’ve had.