Monk's Blend

I received a bag of this in a valentine’s exchange (not the SweeTea exchange on Steepster). I thought for sure I had reviewed this previously, but I guess not.

A good Monk’s Blend. It’s better as a loose leaf than as a teabag, but, that’s true of all teas. Light vanilla taste with a hint of grenadine, and good, solid Ceylon flavor in there too.

I have been absent from Steepsterton for way too long simple because I HAD NO TEA. Living at the tip of James Bay (northern Ontario) for two months with a 25lb weight limit for baggage to get up here has put a major cramp in my tea drinking style. The only thing available to me has been bagged Tetely Orange Pekoe (drinkable but not really postworthy). But (drum roll please!), courtesy of my amazing friends down south, and my birthday, I received no fewer then three packages of delicious looking loose leaf – one of which is this blend that I’ve been wanting to try forever (being a huge fan of grenadine-filled Shirley Temple’s as a child).

YAAAAAAAYYYYY! happy tea dance

So expect postings fellow Steepsterites, I’m through with lurking!!

Oh, and to make this slightly about the tea, while I haven’t gotten to brew it up yet the dry tea smell is just lovely – sweet-sweet melded with a nice black tea nippiness and warm vanilla notes – YUM!!

I received a few sample bags from the lady who owns the store here locally that sells Metro. Tea…YAY!

This is my first time trying this flavor by them. It’s nice.

It ‘brews’ a deep brown and is fairly bold and malty for a bagged tea! I think I just might have to purchase a box to have on standby when I am in a hurry or too lazy to do loose leaf! LOL

A great tea day!

Fell asleep late, overslept, and am still having trouble feeling alert late this rainy morning. It is time for caffeine. (Actually I should have had some hours ago!)

Since I just tried Paris with sugar and no milk last week, and found it surprisingly pleasant, I decided to do the same with Monk’s Blend.

This one was so yummy yesterday morning, I had to drink it again this morning. Firstly, I don’t require that my black teas have THAT much crazy flavoring, but it’s nice when they have a little something extra to add another dimension to the taste. This tea fits that description exactly—the vanilla and the grenadine are mellow and light backup flavors, while the black tea truly does take center stage. The smell of the leaves as well as the brew, as it says in the tea description, is very pleasant and relaxing.

Now, just so I can have a teensy bit of criticism in my review, it’s not all that special, except that it seems to go well with just about everything. I don’t think I’ll keep it as a constant supply (although the husband seems to like it quite a lot), but it satisfies that craving I get for sweet black tea. :)

I have decided to pass this one along to a friend. Something about the black tea base in Metro Tea varieties are coming across a little bitter for me. I am sure I could figure it all out if I wanted to invest the time in finding the perfect brewing parameters for this tea, but I have only about an ounce left and it is not on my repurchase list. Maybe milk would have helped, but I seem to be getting away from teas that require milk these days.

4tsps for 3 cups of water. The leaves were long and rolled with little flower petals. They smelled very good. You could faintly smell the grenadine and vanilla.

The liquor is coppery in color. You can smell the cherries a little more when brewed. There is a lingering flavor that I just can’t point out. I think this might be a characteristic of black teas but I’m so new to reviewing teas that I might be wrong. I feel like I have something still in my mouth, like there wasn’t a clean finish. I do like this tea and will drink it again but I will be adding something to sweeten it up.

I prefer this company’s Monk’s Blend tea over Teopia. This is smooth, slightly fruity and sweet, though not overly sweet. You can taste the hint of vanilla and that unifies the overall flavor. It has a very nice fruity fragrance too, which makes it lovely to stick your nose in your cup for another sip. Best enjoyed hot.

You cannot buy this tea from the company itself or a retail outlet. I think they only sell it commercially, so you have to pick it up at a tea room or restaurant that sells it. I live in Peterborough, Ontario and there are two places to pick this up here; The Magic Rolling Pin and the tea room based out of The Whistlestop Café. You’ll have to look around for a place in your town that sells it.

I received this tea from The Metropolitan Tea Company this week, in a package of several samples of their great tea. The blend contains Ceylon tea with natural vanilla and grenadine oils to add flavor and character to the black tea. It also contains calendula and sunflower petals. Story goes that Tibetan monks invented this blend, to keep them alert and ready for their daily toils, and as a stimulant for long periods of meditation and reflection.

The dry leaves are nice, tight little rolled up dark leaves with pretty bits of yellow petals. They smell of vanilla bean infused sugar, and a little, I mean a little, light citrus perfume. It sort of reminds me of Earl Grey in its composition, a great black tea with natural oils added for flavor and embellishment. This is very promising.

The infusion is a reddish-coppery, color. The fragrance is intoxicating. A little robust coffee, notes of vanilla, sweet and hints of floral character. Molasses aroma. Right away, I seem to taste a light, very delicious, but subtle creamy cherry flavor. Toasty, roasty, a little nutty. This is an amazing, full flavored, medium bodied black tea. I like every characteristic, every layer of flavor, the lingering finish, the chocolaty undertone…

Tea drinker’s will love this, and even coffee fanatics might fancy this one. It’s rich, robust, highly flavorful. It is spectacular. One of my new favorites. Thank you Metropolitan Tea Company for introducing me to this traditional tea. It is very, very good.

I didn’t really know what to expect from this tea. It didn’t seem a very compelling tea, as I had always seen it sitting on the shelf as I walked past it in the store. I finally broke down and bought a bag, as I had tried all the other teas.

Upon first opening the bag, a gentle and extremely pleasing aroma fills the air. A very fresh and sweet scent of vanilla and fruit blend quite well with the tea, giving a more after hours cocktail feel. The leaves are long, rolled, and handsomely dark.

My initial steep of 3 minutes, with half a teaspoon of rock sugar, gave a brilliant and bright copper toned brew. The aroma very much like the leaves, fresh, sweet and slightly fruity.

The first couple sips gave me a surprisingly bitter flavor, followed by a sweet subtle fruitiness, which was then followed by a hint of astringency. As surprising as it was, considering how much black tea there is here, it shouldn’t be that surprising.

My second steep of 2 minutes and 45 seconds with new leaves, and this time with a whole teaspoon of rock sugar, gave a darker brew with a stronger sweet and fruity aroma.

The 15 seconds makes such a difference, giving a more flavorful brew. There is much less bitterness and a more subtle floral bouquet. There is something very distinguishing about the toasty sweet and dry textures, with a slight astringency that more compliments the overall flavor.

This tea is wonderfully complex, with so many textures, all working together for your complete enjoyment. I believe I have had this tea five times in the past two days now, which officially makes it a favorite.

Decided after the first sip that this would be much better suited to my tastes with a bit of sugar this afternoon. Lovely tea though; I just like it sweet.

Not only does this tea taste great, but it is great for its original purpose, staying up for long periods of religious meditation. I often stay up for hours just sitting and thinking, and this tea makes you feel awake, but not jittery or how caffeine makes you feel. Regardless, this tea is a great blend of sweet and savory (i especially like the hints of vanilla). I highly recommend this to all fans of traditional teas.

Monks’s blend was one of the very first loose leaf teas I ever owned. I am not sure if it was becuase it one the first one, but I have not been able to find a monk’s blend that tasted as good since. This blend is ok. It tastes like generic ceylon tea flavoured with artificial sweet cherry flavour. It is not unpleasant but there is no “pow”. The vanilla becomes more prominent as the tea starts to cool. It leaves a slight cherry aftertaste.

Monk’s Blend is probably one of my favourite black teas of all time. I picked this one up because I had a real craving, but hadn’t had any in a couple of years.
Honestly, at first the scent in the bag put me off just a little. Something I can’t quite put my finger on, but which concerned me. Thankfully, once it was brewed my concerns were completely alleviated. This tea is absolutely delicious, and the flavours work together perfectly. I find it has a good astringency. I rarely drink this with any milk or sweetener.

I was given a bag of this Monks Tea as a hostess gift for Christmas and boy was I pleasantly surprized. The aroma that wafted from the teapot was so tantalizing that I couldnt wait to taste it. A hot cup of tea, no milk or sugar and a few decadent chocolate cookies and I thought that I had died and gone to heaven. The tea is so smooth yet the flavour just captivates your taste buds. One cuppa was not enough, had to drink a second cup to to see if the flavour was real. This is truly a delightful tea, a must try for all who love tea.

A truly mysterious blend of flavors, and richly comforting at the same time. This is a medium-bodied tea that beckons reflection and dare I say a smidge of solitude. While not yet tempted to enter a deep meditation with this flavorful tea, it deserves the attention of one who is not in a rush for their caffeine fix. Any time of day is the right time for this tea.