The recommend a tea thread
So I’m not sure if something like this has already been done, but it’s not on the first few pages of the boards so I figured I’d start one myself. The idea is to basically tell us what you’re looking for in a tea (notes, occasions, tea type, etc.), and maybe someone will be reading and has a recommendation for you.
I’ll start. I have two requests.
1) I’m looking for recommendations for a vanilla mint tea—preferably without too much chocolate, because I’m not a huge fan of overwhelming chocolate flavours. I don’t have too much luck with rooibos blends, although I’m certainly willing to have my mind changed. I tend to like strong black teas, or teas that aren’t too too light (although I get that varies depending on brewing times and such)
2) Night-time teas! Tell me about what you drink to relax at night without the worry of caffeine lurking in the leaves. Notes I don’t like for this tea: chamomile, lavinder, lemon.
Your turn!
I like Tulsi as a nighttime tea. It’s just holy basil and a nice relaxing drink. I get mine from Whispering Pines Tea.
1) It may not be what you’re looking for, but Butiki’s The Killer’s Vanilla sounds like it might work. It’s guayusa-based, not black tea or rooibos, and the vanilla and mint are astonishingly well balanced, at least I think so. It’s not a combo I ever would have thought would work until I tried it. Don’t recall any chocolate notes.
I dont like chamomile or lavender either (kind of limits the non-caffeine selection though, doesn’t it! lol). Lucky for me, my body doesn’t seem to recognize caffeine any more than it recognizes lack of it, so I drink whatever suits me any time of day. But my caffeine-free favorites are flavored rooibos blends. I highly recommend Davids Tea Birthday cake if you want something sweet. Most of my family favors Della Terra’s Winter Nog over all other rooibos blends, but it’s not currently available (I assume/hope it will be back this winter).
Vanilla mint sounds like a fantastic combination! I love mint and I’m not big on chocolate teas either. I haven’t tried any vanilla mint blends, but I they probably exist. I keep a bag of plain mint tea to add to other teas. You could do this too if you already have a favorite vanilla tea.
Sorry I rambled and wasn’t particularly specific with recommendations. I’ll leave that responsibility for the next person. :p
ETA: or the two people that posted at the same exact time as me above. lol. fyi, Killers Vanilla has lavender in it and I didn’t like it for that reason. Tasted like organic bath soap. (I forgot that I tried that already when I said I hadn’t had a vanilla mint combo, oh well)
Zen’s Pu’er vanilla mint is an interesting tea http://zentealife.com/tea/type/chai-puerh/pu-erh-mint.html you’d probably like pu’er since you like black teas.
You mention you’ve not had much luck with rooibos, was that red rooibos? I dislike red rooibos but find green rooibos much more enjoyable.
A few favs:
creme brulee davidstea http://www.davidstea.com/organic-creme-brulee?&TF=5CF374823068&DEID=
Lupicia’s Orzo teas (especially if you want a rich cup) http://www.lupiciausa.com/product_p/22280902.htm
Bluebird Tea Co’s Rhubarb Custard (sooo creamy!) http://www.bluebirdteaco.com/products/rhubarb-custard.html
Harney and Sons Decaf Vanilla Comoro – i heard so many good things about this one http://www.harney.com/vanilla-comoro.html
I would also second the vanilla mint by Zen Tea Life, it is quite a nice minty blend with a nice pu’erh base to make it dark and rich :)
Thanks for all the suggestions, guys. yes, although I don’t know if the lavender will turn me off of the killer’s vanilla, I might ask stacy for a sample with my next order. I might also get peppermint patty just to compare. And vanilla Comoro (in all its caffeinated glory) is on my to-try list!
Feel free to seek recommendations as well :D
Oh, and actually the only rooibos I’ve had any exposure to was dT’s birthday cake, which I used to love but now can’t stand. I’m not sure what colour rooibos it is, though?
looks like birthday cake is a mix of red and green, though pictures of it look mostly red. Red has a strong woody chip flavor that reminds of of that wood stuff people put as trim on their lawns. But yeah, try some green rooibos as the flavor is mild. Also try some honeybush.
Though I have noticed some tea blenders are really good at masking the red rooibos or sometimes the blend does compliment the earthyness.
The birthday cake tea has honeybush in it too, doesn’t it? That’s probably why I like it. I like red rooibos, but not when it takes over. I haven’t had more than a few cups ever of the bday tea because I am afraid of exactly what happened to you (happens too often with favorite teas. . .so hard not to drink them to the point of getting sick of them)
shelley_lorraine, yes it’s true—not liking lavender and chamomile really does seem to drastically limit the number of “relaxing” teas we can have eh? I wish I weren’t so sensitive to caffeine, but I have sleeping irregularities at the best of time, so can’t yet force caffeine upon myself at night.
I think my favourite vanilla mint is Santa’s Secret from Davids Tea which usually comes back as one of the three Christmas teas. Sans chocolate!
Oh, santa’s secret! I’m going to read reviews on that one now. Also the zen tea life vanilla mint.
And if anyone wants the rest of my birthday cake, have at it. :)
If you still have the Birthday Cake, I’ll drink it for you. And the Santa Secret is really good (first David’s Tea I ever bought)
Well, since I seem to be the only one making requests, I’ll persevere in my selfishness and ask for more! LOL.
Why don’t you all tell me your favourite rose/floral teas. I’ve only had one floral, and as far as I’m concerned, it’s probably my number one tea ever, and that’s Butiki’s rose violet calendula (I just ordered 2 oz of it, but I really should have ordered five lbs or so).
I am a major fan of Rose Violet Calendula, so lovely.
For a similarly “soft” rose tea, I recommend Harney and Sons Rose Scented, which is my favorite basic black and rose combination that I’ve had.
I like Verdant’s Bergamot Rose Laoshan Black, it is quite rosy yet chocolatey from the LB and also citrus-y. It makes me feel like I should be in a Victorian dress with lace gloves in a flower garden when I drink it haha :D
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