Mountain Rose Herbs

This is so yummy! Definitely a tad different than other Jasmine teas I’ve tried – has a bit of a roasted flavor, I’d say. Very flavorful, but not at all bitter. Heavily recommend.

So lucky to have inherited this tea. For the longest time, I was not a fan of spicy teas, but this one changed my mind. Mmm, it is delicious! Definitely want to check out some of the other teas this company has to offer.

I need a weekend from my weekend.
My mother was rushed to the hospital on Saturday and it has been a roller coaster of a weekend.
But, she is now stable and the Doctors are figuring things out and things are looking better.
All weekend I was drinking Lapsang Souchong, it seemed to give me the jarring perk I needed to be alert.
But, today, I am emotionally drained and really wishing for a spa visit.
But, a Jasmine Pearl taste testing sounds like the next best thing.
This is the first tea in my tasting of all 4 of the Jasmine Pearl Teas I own, that I will be doing for you all today.
Dry, the pearls smell more of honeysuckle than jasmine, with a bit of a bread or starchy background note.
The tea smells of jasmine but there is also a sweetened milk smell too.
This tea is both lighter in taste and smell than some jasmines I have tasted.
Also, that slightly creamy/milk smell transfers into the taste.
Jasmine first hits the tongue but then that creaminess.
I do not get a strong green tea taste with this tea.
If you are not into highly perfumey jasmine teas, then this tea might be for you.
Overall, this is a lovely delicate tea and very nice price too, at $15.50 for 4 oz!

This is a delightful afternoon tea.
If you love Jasmine Pearl tea but do not want to drink it all the time due to the price, this is a great way to get your Jasmine fix.
The fragrance is heady and the taste is floral and honey.
Feels very much like an indulgence, however at 7 bucks for 4 oz, this is a indulgence that can be afforded to be drank often.
This tea is a beautiful honey color.

This is part two of truly attempting to understand the herbs and flavorings that I think I know. Spearmint.

From the bag, the loose leaf smells less potent than peppermint. It is a softer, more luxurious smell. It’s cool and refreshing, but with less of the bite that you receive from the peppermint. More relaxed, it attempts to impress rather than intimidate.

Steeped, the liquor is a yellow-amber, almost golden. I was still expecting green. Call me crazy.

The flavor has a sweet, foresty taste to it. It is lush and smooth, but without the pine tang of the peppermint. It’s softer. Flavorful, but not powerful. There is a light, soothing coolness to the flavor, and a sweet candy flavor to the finish.

Part of my whole basis for these experiments I am doing is to make myself more aware of when I “guess” at flavors, instead of actually experiencing them. One of those “guesses” that I think I need to throw out of the window… is my love for spearmint. I’ve always thought spearmint was my favorite. But really, after having a steaming cup of peppermint vs a steaming cup of spearmint, all alone… Peppermint definitely takes the cake.

Part of this has to do with the fact that… spearmint is evidently more prevalent in most of my dental products than I thought. As much as I sat and tried to drink this with an open mind… I thought of mouthwash. I thought of toothpaste. I thought of mint waxed dental floss. I swear in my head that flavor was a candied peppermint, but no, evidently it’s spearmint.

Now, I’m not saying this flavor doesn’t belong places… but I really think that I want it in a slightly lesser abundance than the peppermint. Maybe 60/40.

I think you would be hard pressed, especially in the tea-drinking community, to find someone who was not at least passably familiar with peppermint. Maybe not a fan, but at least familiar.

I’ve decided that there are certain blends of herbs, teas, other such things that I wanted to try my own hand at making. However, I’m pretty self-aware in what I’m lacking, which is a base understanding of what particular ingredients truly taste like. And if I’m going to do this, I need to do it right, and that starts at the basics: stop and understand, truly understand, what each ingredient tastes like.

And what better to start with than something as ubiquitous as peppermint?

The smell of the dry leaf is truly wondrous and powerful. Though, it is an 8 oz bag, so it’s a LOT of mint (think if you stacked three bricks on top of each other, and that’s the approximate size of this bag of peppermint). The smell is sweet, lush and foresty. It feels cool on your nose at first, but with a sharpness at the end. Invigorating.

While steeping, that aroma begins to fill the room, and I find myself challenging my first preconception: the liquor is not green. It’s actually a reddish-amber color, that deepens to an auburn-brown as it steeps. Darker than I expected, more of an earthiness to the color.

The smell of the brew is significantly less powerful than the smell of the dry leaf. It is still sweet and foresty, but the cooling sharpness has mellowed to a more agreeable level.

The taste is sweet and pleasant, Sharp, fresh, cooling. The taste has similar qualities to pine, but less abrasive, muted, like a pine forest after a rain. Powerful from start to finish, from the moment it crosses your lips, to the lingering chill that it leaves well after you’ve swallowed.

This is so amazingly good. I’ve never had fresh, straight, high quality peppermint tea before… and this really blew me away.

I think I’m going to have fun with this.

This is the first Matcha Tea that I have ever had.
I made this about a dozen times and I still never really loved it.
At first, I think the water was too hot and it was terribly bitter, finally got that figured out.
Over all the best taste I can get out of this one, is when I am on the tractor when we are baling and alfalfa particles get in my mouth.
Which is not terrible, but I am not sure I want to drink that regularly.
I was not overly impressed with my first Matcha experience.
Thank goodness I am all about second chances…

I try to always have a Chai around the house.
I believe that there is not a better tea for fighting a cold or warding off nausea than a Chai Tea.
I prefer traditional Chai Black Tea, but if you are ill you are not supposed to have too much caffeine, so I when I saw this Chai with a Rooibos base I thought that I would give it a try.
I have been drinking it the last few nights as a dessert tea.
It is a very spicy Chai, which I personally like.
Last night I did a bit of experimenting and actually added a sachet of Vanilla Comoro to the teapot.
I thought that was a very nice additive for a dessert experience.
Overall, a good tea to keep around the house.

Backlogging from the last two days…and a sipdown!

First three cups of the day…just because…see other notes…

A bit bolder than my first attempt…it fits my morning…see previous notes :)

Special Thanks to Hesper June for this one!

This has a lot of personality! I can pick up on gentle smoky notes – almost like leather, hay-like flavors, sturdy black tea that turns semi-bakey, There are hints a black tea, green tea, and oolong tea type notes!

This is very tasty and very much a conversation-piece. I like it!

My tea of choice for the morning so far.
I have had four cups of this so far today, and each cup is still a delightful burst of smoke and honey.
I do believe that this is my favorite LS I have tried so far.
Grace Tea Co. is my second fav.
I just want to let all my dear Steepster friends on the East Coast know that you are in my thoughts and prayers.
I will continue to pray for you all till nasty Sandy is done having her fit and moved far away from you all.
Take care!

Yesterday afternoon, I needed a energy boost.
But, I was also heading out the door.
I just received my tea order from Mountain Rose Herbs, so I reached my hand in the box blindly and pulled this out.
I had forgotten I had even ordered this tea.
I actually ordered it for my Hubby.
He likes black teas, when he does drink tea and I thought this tea would appeal to him.
I almost groaned inwardly when I grabbed it though, I have had a terrible Lapsang Souchong experience.
But, there was no time, brew it up and stick it in a mug and out the door I run.
Ten years ago my father was experimenting with new flavors of tea and bought a Lapsang Souchong from somewhere…I wish I could remember where so I could avoid it.
But, it tasted nothing like this tea, it was so highly smoky it caused me to have a headache when he brewed it.
It was a chemically smoky smell, like someone had dumped liquid smoke into a cup.
Enter me taking a sip of this tea.
Well, Hello There!
Surprise was so written over my face yesterday, that the person I was talking to asked me if I was all right. (I mean, I did just take a sip from my cup, then my hand flutters to my chest and a look of complete surprise on my face… I think I should try new teas at home and not in front of others from now on:)
It is lightly smoky, not intense, the odor is like a campfire across the canyon rather then sticking my face in a trash burner (what I would say the other tea tasted like)
The tangy smoke hits the tongue and then a well rounded sweetness emerges.
In fact it is a earthy sweetness, like honey.
Last night I went to bed thinking of this tea, so much so, that I had to tell myself, like a child waiting for Christmas, that the sooner I fall asleep, the sooner morning will come and then I can drink more of this tea.
Brewed in my Libre, it has a lovely rosy red color.
It holds up to a second infusion well.

This tea is Quirky.
I have had Genmaicha Tea before, but a long time ago.
I remember that tea tasted like popcorn.
This tea has a lot more going on.
Dry leaves smell like fresh cut hay drying in the sun.
As soon as the water hits it I am overwhelmed with childhood memories of saying to my mother “Mumsy, can I have a snack?” and then to be handed a Rice Cake.(You all remember Rice Cakes? For some reason in the early 90’s they were the latest health craze and my Mother was all about them)
So, A Rice Cake Nose with a bit of that grassy hay smell too.
Then taste!
Well,A Rice Cake covered in Salty Seaweed comes to mind.(not that my mother served this to me as a child)
A little bit of popcorn at the back of the tongue.
You might think after that sort of review that I will rate this low.
Well, you would be wrong.
I said the tea was quirky, and so am I.
I like it.
Brewed in my Bodum.
Very pale greenish yellow in color.
The flavors only stay strong for a couple of infusions.

This tea is lovely!
I almost did not get it.
It was an afterthought as I was finishing up the order, I thought “Hmmm,well, I guess this tea might be good for cold brewing this summer” and added it to the order.
I have not even tried it cold brewed yet, I have been enjoying it to much hot.
Opening the tin (a tin I placed the tea in, the teas come nicely packed in bag and box, but for long storage transferring to a tin is best:) is a treat.
Now, it is fruity, but not sugary candy like fruit, I would say it is more sophisticated than that.
Its dry leaf smells of a lovely Ceylon, than a Smokey Tropical Fruit.
Add water and inhale and it becomes even bolder!
This dark amber brew is a good Ceylon, nice and bright, but add the Mango and again that underlying smokiness to this tea and it is a delight!
The mouth has a bit of tang on the back of the tongue.
The Mango is very soft, kind of in the background, but not overpowering the Ceylon at all.
Sniffing the infuser basket of wet leaves and you can really smell the Mango, and again not overpowering or ultra sweet, just like you had cut open a fresh mango.
I will return to let you all know how it is cold brewed, but for now, I think I shall sit on the Veranda (the back porch) and pretend I am someplace exotic while sipping this tea.

Update
This tea is delicious cold brewed.
Very Refreshing and thirst quenching.
The Mango has become slightly more pronounced, which I like for a ice tea.

Tea of the morning for me.
For some reason, as soon as I awoke, I knew I wanted this tea.
A dark amber brew with a nice rounded flavor.
There is a bit of Smoke and Leather to this tea that I really enjoy.
The tea is almost Manly.
It is Strong without being harsh, it satisfies with simplicity and it knows how to wake me up in the morning….everything a girl is looking for in a Man…Er, In a TEA, yes in a tea;)
Brewed in my Bodum.
The first two infusions stay about the same, after that it starts getting milder.
It was drank without milk or sweetener (how I drink most all my teas)

Tea of the morning…. (and my daily hard core black)

I picked up some of this on my recent order to Mountain Rose Herbs. The price was very good for an organic and fair trade tea at $4.50 for 4 ounces I was really wanting it for smoking up my Franken Breakfast Blend a little. (And the Assam at a similar price will be used to kick it up a notch….by the time I am done blending, I will be smokin’ and jittery.) I needed to try it on its own, though, just to see how the flavors would blend.

I have to say I was a little apprehensive on trying this as I am not super knowledgeable when it comes to this kind of tea. I have only tried a few varieties. It is not Hu Kwa, but it is very good. Definitely a campfire smell, but the tea itself is smooth and very easy to drink, like Keemun on overdrive. I am not sure a Lapsang noob like me would need anything fancier than this. It has me rethinking my planned purchase of Lapsang Souchong Black Dragon from Upton in the Fall. Yes, when I sweeten this, I get toasted marshmallows….or maybe I should edit that to read the burned torch-like marshmallows that you blow out before you eat them. Is that more accurate, Cheryl? ;)

The packaging is interesting. It is a cute cubical box with some kind of flip top arrangement. Then inside the box is a cello bag with a long free end that is rolled up and secured with tape. I am pretty sure by half way into this, the tape won’t hold much from resticking. I think I will end up transferring to a tin.

The only thing that really bugs me about this company is the price of shipping. It makes it so I can only shop there about once a year. They are in OR and I am in OH. Shipping starts at around $10 and goes up from there. I do like their stance and business practices. I do recommend having your order well thought out before your submit. I have seen online reviews of issues with returns and they do not allow you to change your order once it is submitted.

Usual mug method.

Tisane of the evening…..

Yes, JacquelineM is responsible for my now having this in my cupboard. Who can resist “Holy Dumbledore’s Lemon Drops” when you love lemon tea and are a Potterhead? I needed a few things from Mountain Rose Herbs anyway, and I am trying to incorporate more herbals in my life. So, when I hear about a good one, especially a good lemon one, I tend to cave. I should be good for a while, now. I did get a decent amount of this along with some Assam and Lapsang Souchong, as well as the ingredients for my Comfort Tea blend.

This is lemony for sure. There are herbal notes, too, but it is mostly lemon. I think my non-tea drinking daughter might have a go with this as she needs to drink lemon tea for her musical pursuits. Yes, even flutists have to manage throat goo. I am giving her a Kati cup with a tree on it in the hopes that she will eventually be taken with tea.

Teapot method, 8 minutes. Lightly sweetened with Splenda. I might try the local honey next time. I need to be doing better at consuming it for my allergies.

I have decided that today is the day for Mystery Tea. That means simply tea we haven’t had before. So I’ve been looking at the very tail-end of my Steepster cupboard and discovered a couple of things I didn’t know I had.

This one for example. Would you believe I’ve been going around for ages being intrigued by this type and wondering if it was one I should try to invest in when next I can allow myself an order, and I had it the whole time?!

That’s fairly typical of me, actually.14444444444444444 Oh look a cat has been by in my absence… (Heavily abridged by cat’s owner so as to avoid horizontal scrollbars)

Anyway, this is one of the samples that I don’t know where came from. It’s from before I started my numbering system so it’s getting on in age a bit.

Let’s start with a little introductory ramble on two things here.

First of all, green tea. For me to be intrigued by a green tea at all is kind of remarkable. I enjoy it when it is served to me, but I rarely make it for myself. It has to come with a certain sort of mood, because for most of the time I’d rather have a black tea, flavoured or au naturel.

Which leads to the second things, which is roasting. Roasting tea is one of those things about the processing that I just can’t get my head around. It’s so amazing that it can be done, really, because inside my head it just ought not logically work. My brain will simply not allow for the possibility for some reason, even though I’ve got the very proof of it right here in front of me. (Well. Slightly to the left, but still)

Therefore roasted tea is extremely fascinating to me, although I haven’t yet had enough experience with it yet to be actively seeking it out.

LiberTEAS posted about an unsmoked LS yesterday, I think it was, and that tea was as I understand made like a regular LS only it had been roasted instead of smoked. She found that more pleasant than the regular smoked variety and therein stems some of my fascination.

Now, I like smoky teas. I have a specific balance of smokiness that I prefer, but once in a while it just can’t get smoky enough. Those are the times when, it has occurred to me, it’s not smoky tea I want. It’s roasted tea. From what I have seen here and there on Steepster when people have been posting about smoked teas and/or roasted teas, that smoked tea is generally considered a harsher sort of flavour than roasted tea. For me it’s the other way around.

Smoke comes in a bit prickly and sort of surrounds the flavour in a haze of smoky aroma, whereas roasting tends to be a full-on attack of the tastebuds with pricklyness and charcoal and burnt toast. Roasted tea, for me, is much more violent than smoky tea.

So this is really what I’m expecting. An onslaught of charcoal and some sweetly green vegetation underneath. Like something that has been burnt down and grass and things are just starting to grow back.

This tea brews as dark as any black tea and the aroma is definitely one of burnt stuff. Charcoal and something sweet. Like sugar spilled on a hot plate. So far we’re keeping pretty close to that expectation, there, aren’t we? I quite like this aroma. The more I smell it, the more pleasant I think it is, and the more I smell it the more I also think there’s a note of honey in that sweetness. It’s all dark smelling and brown, but it definitely reminds me a little of liquid honey. Or perhaps more of something which has been honey-glazed.

GOSH! I was not expecting this flavour! It so sweet and sugary and more honey! That’s the first thing I get. The next thing is a sort of cereal-ness. It makes me think of Cheerios. It’s the combination of the grainy notes and honey notes that does it. I can actually even imagine that I can taste milk as well, probably since, if you think about it, milk has a pretty sweet flavour as well. Finally there is something vegetal in it that reveals the green origins. I can’t quite put my finger on that note, but I get a random association to spinach. There that’s because I actually taste spinach in it or whether it’s because spinach is one of the things I just generally connect with green tea flavours, I couldn’t tell.

All in all, this roasting was not at all as harsh as I had expected. I found it quite enjoyable, and I think it’s definitely a type of tea that I need to look into more. I think I rather need this in my life. (Should have a closer look at hojicha as well, actually.)

OK, so Mountain Rose Herbs sells this as a bulk herb rather than as a tea, so the smallest amount I could buy was 4 oz. That’s A LOT of lemongrass! Luckily, it makes a superb tea with multiple infusions. The smell of this herb is wonderful. Just a light, bright, sunny aroma that makes me smile. The aroma of the brewing tea is just as inviting. The lemon aroma is more subtle than the grassy, more vegetal aroma surrounding it, but it’s there, and makes me think of sunny Spring and Summer days. I love to mix this with mint for a lovely blended tea.

I leave it to you to determine the temperature of the water and how long to steep it. I’ve steeped it for 2-3 minutes using boiling water (very enjoyable), and I’ve steeped it using very hot water from my thermos and letting it steep for 3 – 5 minutes- very enjoyable as well. I have yet to sweeten it with anything. This is definitely a favorite for me, both alone and in blends.

For loose-leaf drinkers, this team resembles faintly the smell of a strong green blend of some kind. But rather than a vegetal taste, it carries a more menthol smell that extends to the drink itself. Just not an especially pleasurable drinking experience if you don’t know what you’re getting into. Just a bit too bitter, not especially flavorful in an enjoyable way and certainly not the type of drink to oversteep. More enjoyable than say, Yerba Mate, but…not by much.

This is unlike any other green tea I’ve steeped.

The dried leaves are a dark green, but become a lighter leaf green when wet.

The taste, to me, is rich and full-bodied. Its intensity is well above that of standard green tea, and maybe a slight notch below gunpowder green.

It might sound weird, but I get a hint of hot, cooked bacon in this tea. That’s the best way I can identify the unique flavor of these leaves.

When it goes into the mouth, you immediately sense that this is a “different” sort of green tea. The rich, slightly smoky flavor quickly fills the mouth, and goes down without any bitterness.

1 minute seems like the perfect steep if you prefer a little subtlety, which I do. I wouldn’t go longer than 2 minutes. You’ll get plenty of the bold bacon into the water in that amount of time.