Holy Basil Green Leaf (BH06)

This is my final variety of Upton’s Holy Basil choices for the night (am getting a bit holy basil’d out). Upton now has a new/fresh batch of this in, and is re-numbered (BH08).

Dry leaf is much bigger than previous ones (BH02 finely chopped dry leaves, BH03 more so than BH02). They also instruct using more (2-3 tsp … used closer to 3). Can sense a mint in there, but spice too.

First sip is mostly clove, like BH02. But this overall has a “fresher” feel, and is stronger (but hey, they said to use more). Pondering the taste, for the first time I’m remembering (Beemans?) Clove Gum, with that little bite that it can have (was favorite gum, when I used to chew gum, many moons ago). Stand alone, this tastes a wee bit better than BH02. But keep in mind, that I LOVE the clove flavor. If I had a lot of the other, and pondered ordering more of this, not sure I’d need it though. Will see how they blend another day/night.

I bought a bunch of samples from Upton, and this certainly seemed intriguing. I used about half the 6g sample packet in a mug of 100°C water, steeping for 8 minutes.

Given that this is just an unblended single herb, the aroma is incredibly complex. There are notes of mint, cinnamon, and other spices. Brewing the tea mellows it out somewhat, melding these different notes. It’s an okay evening brew, but it won’t be replacing peppermint tea in my cabinet anytime soon.

I’m going to try the other half of the sample with some sugar to see how that works out.