Numi Organic Tea

Too smoky. And sometimes it tastes like cigarette butts. The only way this is drinkable for me is if I add lots of water. Three times more than for most cups. Then it tastes like any other green tea.

As far as bagged teas go, Numi does tend to have better than most in their quality. This pu-erh tea (and its counter part: Ginger Pu-Erh) are relatively smooth and full bodied though I do typically have to steep them a bit longer than my other higher quality loose leaf pu-erh teas. However there is a highly beneficial aspect of them being portable. I tend to enjoy many pu-erh teas and while this one is definitely not the same caliber as my other pu-erh teas it is still enjoyable enough.

The aroma from the container is slightly floral, but not overwhelming. I can still smell the sweet, grassy scent of the green tea. The color of the brew is nice and golden. The jasmine scent is more present after steeping and can be noticed as you are nearing the cup to take a sip. I love that the jasmine doesn’t dominate this tea; it is perfectly scented. The sip starts with the jasmine then ends with the grassy dryness of the green tea. This is THE jasmine tea I want in my pantry.

10/29/18

I decided to try making the Jasmine green tea again. I had ordered the package from Amazon for the first time that I tried it in September, and I definitely did not want the rest of the tea to go to waste. Because I was not a huge fan of the very strong floral taste the first time that I tried it, I decided to make it a bit differently this time. I steeped the tea for less time, and also used less tea leaves. I have really been enjoying drinking my tea outside if the weather is nice, so I decided to take a stroll outside with this tea to appreciate nature. I think that being outside with the nice weather definitely helped me enjoy the Jasmine green tea better this time. I also think that I liked it better with steeping the tea for a shorter amount of time, because there was more of a bland taste without the strong flower flavor. If I make this tea in the future, I will definitely steep it for a shorter amount of time again.

9/6/18

This was my first time making jasmine green tea. I ordered this looseleaf off of Amazon. I have heard great things about jasmine green tea, and I was very excited to try it. I looked up recommendations for steeping time and amount of water/tea to use. Without knowing what to expect, I was a bit underwhelmed with this tea. It tasted very flower-like to me which did not seem to suit my tastebuds. It smelled delicious though, but I guess I am not a fan of this kind of tea. I wonder if I would prefer regular green tea over the jasmine. I would be interested in making this tea again, though, to see if I feel any differently.

A little follow-up note.

I bought a sampler box of Numi teas and Amber Sun was in it. I’m guessing it’s fresher than what I had from my aunt’s stash. I can taste a hint of cardamom now and a little sweet vanilla that in combination with the rooibos and honeybush, kind of smooths the earthiness of the turmeric, which isn’t overpowering in this blend. Neither the cardamom nor the vanilla is still as strong as I was hoping for and I still can’t taste the cinnamon but I’m inclined to bump up the rating.

Boring, might be old.

The turmeric is tempered by the rooibos and honeybush which some people will appreciate. They also change the color of the brew considerably, from the typical powdered turmeric golden brown to more amber brown. Unfortunately, the cinnamon, cardamom and vanilla bean are barely perceptible. Texture is very thin. I was looking forward to this one. Oh well.

One last drink to review for today.

It’s turmeric tea, so no surprise, it’s earthy, spicy and bright. Added to this blend are:
1) ginger, which provides its own less significant warming and spicy note
2) licorice, which gives the liquor a moderately sweet finish
3) rose, which adds a slight airy and floral taste, keeping the rest of the tea from going too medicinal.

I do notice an active, stimulating feeling on my tongue and a warmth radiating from my chest.

The four ingredients are blended in good proportions. This turmeric tea, compared to the other two I’ve had from Numi, seems to be the most medicinal tasting, which makes sense considering the majority of the ingredients are roots. All together, it’s a decent and warming nighttime cup.

After drinking this tea and Numi’s Moringa last week, I can say I really like lemon myrtle.

Compared to the Golden Tonic Turmeric Tea, either this one:
1) was fresher,
2) had ingredients that worked better together, or
3) was simply more suited to my palate.

The turmeric wasn’t terribly muted and the citrus quality of the lemon myrtle accented the brightness of the turmeric. Chamomile seemed to be a faint background note that tied the other two ingredients together and kept them from going too far in the spicy-earthy-bitter turmeric direction or the citrusy-grassy lemon myrtle direction. Well done and I think it would appeal to a lot of people (unlike myself) who like a more approachable, less medicinal turmeric tea.

It’s a decent Jasmine-not super floral but floral enough. I usually take it to work in a mason jar to help get through the day. Not too much caffeine to where it prevents me from sleeping later on. It’s not
Amazing- but it will do. If you are into organic and need a bagged tea I would
Recommend it. The only thing is, it’s pretty pricey!

These tea leaves are hand-rolled during processing. I love the way they look. The smell is smokey, which caused me to be a little apprehensive since I am not a huge fan of smokey teas. For drinking, the tea has a light feel and a nice yellow color. There is some smokiness when you drink it, but it is light and mild, very much in the background. This is probably the first tea with this flavor profile I have been able to enjoy. I usually expect grassy notes from green tea, but it is absent here for me. I don’t mind, though, and rather like the idea that not all green tea has to taste that way.

I grabbed one of everything in my aunt’s herbal tea drawer to take home except for the fancy stuff.

The dry bag strangely smells just like… sticking you head in a pillowcase full of Halloween candy. That’s the only way I can describe it adequately. It’s pleasant. Brewed up, it smells strongly of lemon myrtle mixed with some sweet, chocolatey chicory in the background. The taste is making me think of eating a Tootsie Roll followed up with a roll of lemon PEZ. I don’t know what role moringa plays in all of this. Overall, this tisane is citrus bright and a little earthy sweet. Very clean. Nom.

It might be old but it’s just another dull powdered turmeric tea to me. Earthy and tart but doesn’t have any of the brightness or spiciness that I appreciate about turmeric. Nothing to see here.

I’m spending the night at my aunt’s so I’m raiding her herbal tea drawer. I don’t think I can get through all 50+ though.

Bamboo leaf is the first ingredient but I can’t say I’m getting anything from it. Rather, this tastes mostly like an earthy tart lemongrass, which I don’t typically care for. Faint flat spearmint with no cooling quality. It tastes pleasant enough, I guess. It was nice to have on a warm day as the sun slipped behind the mountain.

I didn’t get much sleep last night. The apartment was shaking all night from passing busses and the old elevator. Some nights the shaking, vibrations and rattling are worse than others or maybe I’m just on edge. Anyway, I’m tired and lying in the sun on a patch of dying grass with yellow jackets on the last days of their prowl before most of them die off when the colder weather comes. They’re fierce this time of year. I swear I had some PTSD from mindlessly sticking my hand in the entrance to their ground nest while working on a crumbling mountainside. I had no time to think and no option to get away from the emerging death-swarm besides literally throwing myself several hundred feet down a steep grade I had no traction on and then side-hilling it for another 60 ft. I still did not come out unscathed. I had to stop work for the day and lock myself in the work van because those duckers track you with pheromones in their venom.

But genmaicha and lack of sleep make me not care about about their current buzzings around me. Heck, I’m rambling.

First tea of the day at 2pm. Genmaicha == comfort. This teabag is stuffed full of chopped toasted rice and sencha. I tore open the spent bag to check out the ratio and it’s about 50% of both. It looks like tabouli. So it’s a little heavy on the rice imo but it’s very fresh in aroma and taste which makes up for the heavy toastiness. A mellow yellow-green, smooth brew that’s obviously savory, a little sweet, a little seaweedy, a little minerally. No issue at all with bitterness using 1 teabag steeped for 3-4 minutes in 16oz of unknown temp hot water. I’m finding it very satisfying at the moment. I would definitely buy a box.

Naptime?

My favorite Numi Tea. I go to this great Korean restaurant and they have their own barley tea and I couldn’t for the life of me find a tea that tastes like that. At the time, I mainly bought my tea from grocery stores, health stores. I bought so many “toasted” tea types. The restaurant serves it iced and hot. I can drink it forever. This tea came closest to me.

Simple, refreshing, toasted rice, toasted barley. I steep it following Numi’s instructions.

It’s a beautiful sunny day, warm enough that I can wear a tank top in the western half of the city which is usually foggier, windier and cooler than where I live. Got a bag of this from a food counter at school under the impression that it was a green tea and spearmint blend but it turns out it’s just ‘mint.’ I can taste spearmint but don’t know if there are other types of mint in the bag. Can’t say I really care – it’s hitting the spot. Steeped one bag in 16oz boiling water. This one takes high temperature and long steeping well. Sweetness almost like nectar, spearmint, citrus, straw and maybe some vanilla. Very smooth for a mint tea. Lacks a little punch, though.

I got this tea from my mother along with a few other numi teas and this is the first one I decided to try. It has a smooth taste, and it’s nit very tart. I really enjoyed this tea, no sugar added. It has a nice bergamot scent and an orange color. Bergamot is a mood uplifter and I felt that! Great way to start my day. I would buy this tea.

On workdays, for time, convenience and proximity, bagged stuff is just the better option. (Remodeling at work; have to walk a city block—literally—for kitchen facilities. So I perched a little Hot Shot in a corner of my office.)

Hubby brought this nummy Numi home, where it is welcome. It’s mild and easy to steep. Not sharp or tangy—the bass line predominates here, and I’d swear it tastes a little grapey. A decent cuppa.

No idea where this came from, but I’m not a fan. I likely grabbed it because it’s a white tea blend – rare to find in a teabag.

First few sips are like licking a spoonful of cinnamon. I love cinnamon, but this isn’t great. It’s powdery and tart, not at all appealing.

After it sits a bit and cools it’s a bit more palatable. It’s still tart as all get out, and needs quite a bit of mixing with some form of sweetener to get it drinkable. Only then can I taste the orange, and a few other spices.

Great idea, poor execution. No thanks.

I have never tried Matcha tea. I was excited since it has become such a big trend to try it. I bought this brand off of Amazon. It is organic so it was a little pricey. I expected this to taste really earthy. Mostly because of the pigment rich green color. I expected it to taste like a vegetable drink. When I tried it, it was a lot creamier than I expected. The taste reminded me of green tea. It was a little bitter at first but then I added sugar and it became sweet. It has a slight earthy taste to it but I liked it.