Chamomile Citron

So I got my AMAZING Foodzie box from LiberTEAS today, but due to the insane heat and my lack of AC this afternoon it was pretty much the worst possible day to get it in the mail. But it was an absolute joy to go through, and took me a full hour to sort out. Very few things beat the happiness of having an entire living room table full of tea! I can’t wait to start digging into them, and I have to admit that I have already started planning out my “tea schedule” for the next week or so.

It’s cooled down quite a bit now and I finally have AC in the bedroom, so I thought I’d dip into one of the samples. However, it’s far too late for anything with caffeine, and I was about to just reach for some Sleepytime instead (because I’m lazy and wanted a bag) when this caught my eye. As a side note I have really bad insomnia (I fell asleep at 8 in the morning yesterday) so anything with the ability to make me tired is an instant win, which is probably why I’m rating this higher than everyone else!

As other people have said, this does taste a LOT like Sleepytime. In my book that’s a good thing though! There’s more citrus (lemon mostly) and a bit less mint, with the dominant flavor definitely being chamomile. It’s also a tiny bit tart from the hibiscus, but definitely not overwhelmingly so. It’s just a tiny bit at the front of your mouth, but it’s quickly covered by the awesome herb-y tastes. And, best of all, it’s definitely making me a bit drowzy! I’m not sure if I would add this to my permanent collection as Sleepytime is just so darn easy to get and I already have another loose-leaf bedtime blend, but if I place an order at Tea Forte I think I’d definitely throw this in just for a bit of variety. Do I need three teas that make me sleepy and taste similar? If I have room for them… the answer is probably yes.

Tea Forte sent me a few free samples (including this one) along with their Kati brewing system to review. The samples are designed to be the exact right size for the 12 oz brewing system. Just open the packet and dump the tea into the filter.

I think really nice. It tastes a lot like a Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime tea… but much much better. It’s minty. The minty flavor leaves a nice cooling feeling in the mouth. It also has chamomile and lemongrass flavors. I kind of wish I’d saved this one for my evening cup instead of mid-afternoon. It’s so nice and calming that I might just fall asleep while working!

As for the brewing system (http://www.teaforte.com/store/tea-accessories/other/kati-loose-tea-system/), it is a ceramic double-walled mug without a handle. It has a very fine mesh loose tea strainer and a brewing lid. I really like the Kati. It did not get overly warm for me as AmazonV’s did. That could be due to the difference in our brewing temp. Since I am at high altitude, my brewing temp is somewhere between 198-199. My mug just got nicely warm on the outside. Just warm enough to wrap my hands around and warm them (it’s snowing here and a bit cold).

One thing I didn’t like about this particular sample with the brewing system is the amount of leaves that got through the filter. I think other types of tea will work in it very well, but the herbal left cruft. I am a big hater of tea cruft and will usually use a paper filter for teas that are very fine. Since the system is designed for newbies to the loose tea scene, I think this will be a concern for them too. I can’t wait to try my rooibos tea in this cup because I think the strainer is fine enough to catch the rooibos.

Update – all the fine leaves settled to the bottom of the cup after a few minutes so the cruft wasn’t so bothersome after all.

Link to full review and pics:
http://parkcityvegan.blogspot.com/2010/04/tea-fortes-kati-loose-tea-system-and.html

I am soooo not a fan of chamomile. ugh. I was offered this tea at someone’s home and accepted out of politeness. Some people are really uncomfortable with the idea that you just want to drink water. People seem to think water is what you drink when you have no other choice. But honestly, water is often my first choice. But anyway, this was gross. I didn’t get a chance to see the ingredients, but I tasted mostly chamomile and a bit of mint. I didn’t really notice any citron flavors, which I had hoped would mask the chamomile. Why do I hate chamomile so much? :(

Steep Information:
Amount: 1 loose tea single steeps! just rip open the packet and dump into the strainer
Water: fill to line with boiling water
Tool: Kati
Steep Time: a little over 5 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: lemongrass, floral, mint
Steeped Tea Smell: mint, lemongrass, floral
Flavor: sweet, lemongrass, mint
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: tingly, minty, lemongrass
Liquor: translucent reddish-yellow

The tea was a nice zippy herbal tea to sip on. You had better like lemongrass and mint as they are the predominant flavors here.

Now here is my thoughts on the Kati system’s goal – introducing bagged / pyramid tea drinkers to loose tea with minimal fuss – I think it does a great job.

I was able, with only boiling water and a timer (a clock would do) to make loose leaf tea. It’s simple – place strainer in cup, dump in packet of pre-measured leaf, add hot water to fill line, wait the designate (on the packet) number of minutes, set strainer on lid and enjoy.

My number one and only complaint is I think a handle would improve the cup. It now is 3 for 3 on being too hot to pickup after steeping herbal teas for 5 minutes with boiling kettle water.

Resteep: just as strong and tasty

>> Here is my kati loose tea system review from a loose tea drinker perspective.
http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/04/kati-review.html

>>Images of the Chamomile Citron loose tea single steeps™
http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/04/tea-forte-loose-leaf-herbal-tea.html

Soothing, herbally…nice. I thought I had already left my initial review for this one but apparently I didn’t. Oops! I’m not really a fan of chamomile but I can usually accept it when paired with lemon or mint. This work well here! There is a spec of licorice, too, but it’s barely there. For some reason this hits the spot today.

In the next few weeks I will have some neat announcements HERE as well as over at Sororitea Sisters! Keep an eye peeled! I’m quite excited about this upcoming project :)

I’ve held on to this single steep package that I received along with my Kati cup for some time now, that’s just the way I am when it comes to chamomile. I generally assume I’m not going to like it and then I am surprised at how much I do.

This is pretty nice. I like the strong peppermint note and how it combines with the licorice root and citrus-y notes. I did expect this to have citron fruit in it, and I don’t think it does. I wish it didn’t have hibiscus in it (why does Tea Forte feel the need to add hibiscus in almost all of their blends?), but even with the hibiscus, it’s pleasant enough, and I am enjoying it.

Now this is much closer to sleepy time tea.

Citrus is the takes the lead in this tea. I find to it to be less tart, so no face puckering. Chamomile and peppermint show up to play now. Relaxing and soothing.

There’s a lot going on here! About one taste bud zing to each item in the lengthy ingredient list: pop, pop, pop! Curiously stimulating for an herbal.

Something I don’t like about Tea Forte is that their teas always come with surprises – usually not in a good way though. While for most of the brands, you can predict reasonably well what your tea tastes like with the name of the tea (which makes me feel really secure), it doesn’t work for Tea Forte at all because they always add A LOT OF other ingredients apart from those suggested by the name. :( And seems most of these “other ingredients” are herbs and spices that I don’t like…

I didn’t enjoy the first brew of this tea. I was horrified to find tartness of hibiscus and rosehips PLUS the unique sweetness of licorice in the otherwise soothing chamomile tea. I didn’t notice that much mint, but perhaps it’s just because hibiscus got my attention completely. :( When cooled the tartness became even stronger – ugh!!!

It was late at night and I was thirty, so I brewed the tea for the second time instead of preparing another tea. The tartness was gone and the refreshing flavour of lemongrass was able to stand out. There’s also a bit of mint. It tasted a lot better!

I reviewed the Tea Forté Kati Cup and a few teas on my blog; here’s what I wrote about Chamomile Citron:

…The big surprise for me was how much I enjoyed the Chamomile Citron. I am usually not a fan of chamomile, but Tea Forté’s blend of Egyptian flowers mixed with hibiscus, rose hips, peppermint, lemongrass, lemon verbena and licorice root yielded a pretty pink liquor that was calming, delicious and addictive. I knew after my first sip of the aromatic infusion that I had to have more, and that it would become a staple in my tea chest. This sweet and tart brew was wonderful unadorned, but I added a bit of rock sugar and it was outstanding…

To read the full post: http://glamorosi.blogspot.com/2010/04/review-kati-loose-tea-system-by-tea.html

Thanks tea forte for another free sample. Backlogging. Dry this smells like chamomile,lemon,and abit of peppermint. I steep this up. Smell I can now smell the peppermint more. This taste like chamomile with some lemon and abit of peppermint. Now to me this is decent because the lemon is too strong to me and I prefer spearmint to peppermint,but I think this is a fairly good herbal.

Dry leaf smell: Like marmalade, but with herbal notes. Rather odd but pleasant nonetheless.
Steeped leaf smell: A bit like a wet hamster.
Taste: I’m not a fan of chamomile, but I guess this wasn’t too bad. Kind of tastes like chrysanthemum tea. The aroma was off-putting though. There also seems to be this pineapple-like aftertaste. I can’t decide if it’s a good or bad thing. Oh but I like the mint in the tea!

I’m not usually big on chamomile, but I found this surprisingly enjoyable. The lemongrass and mint gave it a pleasant bit of zing, and a touch of sugar brought out some happy licorice flavor.

Brewed a second time—more licorice, less lemongrass.

The dry leaves smell of lemongrass, a touch of mint and licorice. Also, kind of reminds me of a hay loft because its so floral smelling.

Steeped for five minutes in boiling water. Result was a very clear, golden liquor. The liquor smells sweet and reminds me of butter.

I mostly taste licorice and chamomile with a cool minty aftertaste. Has a very creamy mouthfeel. As I keep drinking, the citron is becoming more apparent. Decent soothing herbal tea.

Details:
Kettle: Breville Tea Maker
Temp: 212
Steep Time: 5 min
Type: Herbal, Loose

I have to say the first time I tried this tea I found the hibiscus to be very overwhelming, but once I sorted out the brew time and got a decent kettle it balanced out fine. Slightly sweet and floral it is just what I want in a evening herbal.

I was given this as a gift, and I managed to get through one whole cup and two partials before realizing that it’s really not for me. The flavor is just too “herb-y” for me; there’s just too much going on in this blend. I don’t think the peppermint and licorice really flow well with the citron, lemongrass and chamomile flavors. Maybe it’s just the particular canister I got, but either way, I’m probably going to have to toss this.