Orange Ginger

This is a sample that I purchased from Samovar a while back… and just now getting around to trying it.

This is one of the better tisanes I’ve ever had. Generally, I prefer tea to tisane, although, there is a place in my life for tisanes – especially later in the evening (and since it is 12:30 in the am, I think that qualifies!) when I’m starting to think about heading to bed.

The flavor is very fresh and vibrant, yet the tea is very soothing. It is a very nice tea to have at the end of a long day. I suspect that this would be very refreshing as an iced tea too. Now that I’ve had a chance to really try this, I wish I would have gone ahead and bought the 2 ounce tin, rather than just the sample package… this is one that I would like to enjoy again, and also share with friends.

Perhaps I will have to remember that when I get around to placing another order with Samovar!

When brewing, this smells like my Tangerine Ginger, but it looks like a slightly more upstanding citizen. There’s a bit more… maybe sweetness? in the smell of this one, too. But while they are both citrus + ginger, I imagine that it is the difference in the other ingredients the two have that will be the deciding factor. It smells insanely comforting. The ginger is warm and cuddly. I like that.

And it does initially taste a lot like the Tangerine Orange. But it’s the ending note that makes all the difference. No tartness, just a smooth and warm continuation of the front tastes. But not in a single-note-all-the-way-through tastes. More in a mulled cider spice sort of way – the spices are all through the entire taste, running around, mingling and dancing on my tongue.

I love the orange and the ginger, but I loved that in the Tangerine Ginger. It’s the end of this that makes it so delightful. This is citrus love.

My taste buds have always been overly sensitive to spices, so this one was just a little too gingery for me. It could have something to do with my getting distracted by the latest episode of Desperate Housewives and steeping it for a couple of minutes longer than I meant to…

My second steep was about half the time of the first, and the ginger was much more manageable — though I can’t tell if it’s because I steeped it for less time or because the ginger is naturally more mellow on the second steep.

More experimentation is required! I may try mixing this one with the oolong I just bought.

This is a very light herbal from Samovar. I’m used to them being a little heavy on the hibiscus or licorice root that they use as a base or to “sweeten”. With some of their other herbals the licorice can sometimes over power the tea. With this herbal it does not over power. This tea reminds me of my Aunt when I was little. She would always cut up some fresh ginger root and lemon peel and simmer it on the stove for hours. It would make the whole house smell great. I swear that just the smell would help me get rid of the cold that I had. This tea taste just like it without the ginger BURN in your throat and chest. Although I do like the BURN…:)

I’ve got through several tins of this. It’s my before bed tea. It’s warming, soothing, and doesn’t stain my teeth like a rooibus. (No chamomile. Many people, myself included, are allergic to chamomile.) I steep it 2 or 3 times. The first steep is very sweet and tastes strongly of licorice. The second steep is more firey with ginger. The third is a more gentle ginger. The orange lingers and is more like a Lemsip citrus to me. Again, soothing! Tonight I’ve added a little Wei Chi Cha, which I don’t really like on it’s own, but here it’s adding even more sweetness and warmth. I’ll be fast asleep very soon.

This is my favorite night time tea. Very soothing and full of flavor. The ginger helps digestion and goes great after a nice dinner. I usually drink a cup of this before bed to help me relax. Try it with honey, and you’ll forget about chamomile.

I love ginger teas and this one is pretty damn good. The ginger is warming but not overly spicy and the orange is sweet and mildly tangy. The berries kick in a little sweetness too. Good dessert tea. Good tea for an upset stomach. Good tea to cuddle up with. It’s becoming a regular in my caffeine-free lineup.

Full Review: http://www.tea-tank.com/?p=59

I love this tea. This was my first Samovar tea, enjoyed on a cold San Francisco evening after a long day at work. The pep and bite was exactly what I needed.

I bought a tin of this some time ago and when it was empty, I got sad. I’ve finally gotten around to replenishing it and I’m grateful to have one of the more delicious herbal blends out there once more.

My favorite caffeine-free herbal blend. Just spicy enough.

Ruh roh, Steepster. I’ve been away from you for a few days because I didn’t have internet access and I drank a LOT of tea. In the interest of accuracy [and…ahem…the school work I put on hold to log in briefly], I’m only going to write about this one because I am also drinking it currently.

I usually try to set a timer [like this one, that I believe steepster themselves tweeted out – http://steep.it/ ] when I’m steeping something like a green or a white tea, especially when I’m doing other things [like studying or rooting around for things online] and know that I might get distracted. Herbals are ones that I usually let go because I typically like them with the fuller flavor. One time I let this one sit for Thor knows how long and when I remembered to take it out and try a sip the ginger decided that it was going to give me a nice punch to the tonsils.

Since then, I steep this one a little more carefully. It doesn’t take too long to get a nice, deep flavor. [Trust me on that one.] I love just about everything there is to love about citrus fruits. It often is incorporated into my favorite perfumes, shampoos, drinks, and foods. This tea is no exception, and I love that little puff of warmth the ginger provides [when I’m not oversteeping it like mad]. I actually do drink this after yoga sometimes [like the description suggests] and it’s wonderful.

Also, I drank this on a recent evening after some good friends and I stuffed ourselves with tarte tatin [recipe from the fabulous Molly Wizenberg of Orangette, to be found here | http://is.gd/136Ki ], and I think I may have foodgasmed. TMI?