Frontier Natural Products Co-op
Edit CompanyPopular Teas from Frontier Natural Products Co-op
See All 67 TeasRecent Tasting Notes
Experiments continue with this one; particularly what it blends with in order to tone down its weediness. Half-and-half with some bulk bin green tea worked well with a short steep—which is kind of self-defeating; herbs need to be stewed well to soak out all the health benefits. But it’s a nice savory cup.
Had an after-dinner cuppa with a squirt of experimental honey. It worked. The honey toned down the barkiness and made it taste more like the rough-shod cousin of a cup of chamomile. I’ll let you know if it makes me healthier. :)
Chickweed, eh? :P
LOL… Chickweed does not sound appetizing. ;)
That stuff grows all over the place in my garden…
Hahahaha, I was thinking… new source of income – selling chickweed tea! Or dandelion. Thistle? Haha.
I eat the dandelions in the spring!
I get thistles sometimes…
It’s very Beatrix Pottery, isn’t it?
Yup, all the way down to the bunnies hopping around!
Updated to the correct supplier; it’s a bulk buy from my local bulky herb place. Cheap; $1.79 for 2 ounces.
Have been wanting to give this a try since I heard about it on Dr. Oz as a good appetite suppression/diet companion tea. (I don’t take Dr. Oz as a final authority; that’s just where it came to my attention.) However, it does sound like I’m drinking a cup of vitamins: Fresh chickweed contains high amounts of vitamin C, as well as vitamins A, D and B. Iron, calcium and potassium can also be found in chickweed.
So, there you go. From a health standpoint, it sure can’t hurt. From an enjoyment standpoint, it may take a little massaging. Straight up, it tastes like green wood soup with a little dandelion thrown in. Savory, not sweet. I’m thinking something fruity or flowery (apple? tulsi? lemongrass? lavender?) might tone down the barkiness.
Neat! what is green wood?
It’s what my imagination says it would taste like if you run out to the nearest tree, snap off a twig that isn’t dead yet, peel off the bark and lick it. (Not that I would ever try that ;)
LOL I wouldn’t do that either, but I can certainly imagine what you mean!
I have spent many hours in my hands and knees pulling chickweed. I should have been making tea…
When I was surfing to get a feel for the health benefits, I read something about it being used in salads…
I love your description!! I can totally taste it!
A two minute conversation I had with a stranger the other day about coffee turned into a conversation about tea. Well duh. When I mentioned how obsessed I am with loose tea, he mentioned a cafe that I’d never heard of which was not too far from me. How did I not hear about it before?! He said they have all kinds of loose tea and is also a chill place to hang out. I immediately looked the place up and the front page of their website has a pretty painting of a tree on it which made me even more excited. www.yourbigpicturecafe.com
After a visit to the everglades today where I had some VERY close encounters with some very large alligators, me and my friend went to the cafe.
Its definitely a nice place to be. It’s comfy and quiet and has a great selection of herbs and lattes but the tea selection was unfortunately disappointing. As was this tea, which was even more disappointing. I picked it thinking it’d be strong, as I needed a bold tea after biking 15 miles at the everglades preserve and was dying from tiredness.
The tea was so boring and lacking and didn’t have any flavor at all. It also tasted like it was three years old. The only good thing about this cup of tea was the awesome mug it came in. It was the steeper mug by Tea Spot http://theteaspot.com/tea-steeping-mug-steepware.html?catid=251 and it was so nifty that I wanted one but I have enough teaware right now.
This is the brand that the local Sprouts Grocery Store has in the bulk bin isle. The only flavor that smelled good enough to try was the California Chai which was full of spices and OK and inexpensive.
Ugh… alligators. I’m terrified of them. I am afraid to visit Florida because of them. Yeah, I’ve got an irrational fear of them.
Some Frontier stuff is pretty good, but I wans’t very impressed with the Assam, either. Inexpensive (bulk) but pretty nondescript.
@Bonnie funny I didnt even think to smell it before trying it. They had big glass jars at the shop that I could’ve easily opened to sniff, oh well.
@LiberTEAS haha I understand that. I love alligators. They’re actually one of the very few things I like about florida. They are everywhere in the Everglades where I was, even in the middle of the bike path, but they didnt bother anyone, and you won’t see them outside of the Everglades so you don’t have to worry about that. Not that I would recommend a florida visit for any reason of course lol.
@gmathis oh really? Which ones are good?
That was one thing I thought was neat driving through that area a couple years ago – alligators just off the side of the road. That and all the small heron type birds were so pretty!
oh yes, the herons are really pretty. I picked up some nice big feathers of theirs that were on the ground while I was there.
The Irish Breakfast was better than the Assam. They have a white tea with tangerine (had, anyway; it’s been a while since I’ve looked) that was really nice. Where I buy bulk, they don’t always have things brand-labeled, so there may be others I’m not aware of that I’ve had. This little store also does a lot of San Francisco Herb Co. bulk teas. Both brands inexpensive and good—not superlative, but pantry good.
I want a tuffy tea steeper because it is dishwasher safe :D I hate cleaning infusers :D I usually cheat and use a DT tea filter (T-Sac)
http://theteaspot.com/tuffy-tea-steeper-steepware.html?catid=251
@gmathis Good to know thanks, I saw the Irish Breakfast, ill try it if I ever get back there.
@Helena Oh they had those too. Seems perfect for travel!
I have a tuffy and like it, but it will perminantly retain tea flavor after awhile so be careful. A finum infuser or the Forlife Stainless infuser both are dishwasher safe. The Finum one I clean with baking soda to get out flavors like pu-erh or chai if I don’t put it in the dishwasher. T-sac’s, well…I can taste the paper…and they are something I use to infuse Lapsang Souchong tea smokiness in my broccoli. (I know I’m rude huh!)
This one of the cheapest and most comforting teas available to me. Literally pennies per cup. Which is perfect given my sinuses have rendered all olfactory, mental, and gusatory functions impossible. This is a rough and earthy tea that always gets a tad astringent and tastes like home. It’s hard to completely ruin it, though. Minor oversteeping doesn’t show. I’m grateful since I’m very out of sorts…
Preparation
Hooray for inexpensive bulk buys! This smells great dry and has huge leaves—all leafy and lawn clippingy. The tangerine is light and pleasant. Had my trial-run straight up, but I’m thinking I might actually toss in a little sugar to see if the citrus kicks up a little.
My favorite local store carries Frontier bulk teas, which currently make up the bulk of my “everyday stash” collection—the ones you snag when you just have time to grab and go.
It took me a while to get the hang of them, but I think the secret with the Frontier black teas is a good long steep to bring out the strength. (If I pulled up previous reviews, I would probably find I was complaining about the weak flavor. Just wasn’t patient enough.)
In the case of this one, five minutes brought out the velvety maltiness that makes Assam taste like an Assam. It’s still a little thin on the tongue, but for an inexpensive off-the-shelf selection, that can be overlooked. Recommended if you need to fill a big tin with very few dollars.
Another find in the bulk jars at the local store. One-sixty something for an ounce, this Assam leans more to the brighter/brassier spectrum, but without milk, if you wait for it, the good Assam wheat-toast-crust vibe is there. A good pantry basic when you need Tea of Very Little Brains.
We’re in the middle of huge April warm front/cold front temperature swings, and hit with the warm front today, tried icing down the rest of the pot I made this morning. I believe I like this variety cold better than I do hot. Just a good, stiffish, versatile pantry tea.
Overindulgent snack days at work call for something light and mildly medicinal at home. Straight up lemongrass, no additives, clean and mildly sweet to compensate for too many Lil’ Smokies in barbecue sauce and Chex Mix.
Like chamomile and peppermint—it’s pretty hard to distinguish any major variance in lemongrass flavoring, so my Cheapster Steepster recommendation is to buy it loose and inexpensively at the health food store instead of boxed, bagged, and branded.
Several ounces of this were in my Valentine treat bag from hubby—he’s started a pattern of getting me several ounces of blendable herbs for special occasions. Very nice and clean and lemon-limey on its own.
However, my first blending experiment wasn’t one I’ll repeat … I paired it with dark Zimbabwe, thinking the light would balance out the heavy. I’m drinking it on principle, but they’re way too different to combine well. (Blending disasters…there’s a discussion thread…hmm….)
