Shanti Tea

The aroma is delightful, a mellow blend of tea mixed with rich chocolate and coffee and a sweet yet slightly tangy kick of strawberry. The smell reminded me instantly of the Strawberry Chocolate covered Espresso beans I used to munch on.

The taste is hard to explain, it certainly tastes like all the ingredients but since they are ingredients I have never thought about mixing it was surprising. It is a perfect cup for a cool rainy day or for snuggling up with a good book…or if you want to be decadent and enjoy chocolate covered strawberries without the eating part.

Per: https://www.shantitea.ca/sthome/product/strong-earl-grey:
Origin: India / Serving: 2.8 grams per cup / Temp. 100*C / Steeping Time 2-5 Min.
“2 min without milk, 5+ min with milk”

“Using a GBOP grade of black tea for this earl grey, and blending it with extra bergamot essence makes creates an infusion especially well suited for london fogs or for those seeking a strong bergamot flavor in their tea. Much stronger than the classic, malty notes, and a lively cup.”

“Ingredients: Tea (Camelia Sinensis), safflower, orange peel, bergamot”
Canada Organic – Biologique Canada: http://www.organicbiologique.ca/en/

Technique: Tea mug with Finum brew basket. 8-oz water with total dissolved solids (TDS) of 26 ppm, heated to 212*F. 2.8 grams – verified by My Weigh Durascale D2 660. No sweeteners, milk or cream were added.

Introduction: The typical Earl Grey tea has a 100% Ceylon base. Some Ceylon teas used in E.G. can be quite astringent. This E.G. is exceptional in that it has an Indian tea base.

Also, most Earl Grey teas are light- to medium-bodied. While my wife loves the aroma and flavor of a well-balanced EG, she typically does not find them to be strong enough. To compensate, she will increase the amount of tea leaves and/or the brewing time. However, you can only increase those two parameters so much. Thus, we were very interested to taste Shanti’s Strong Earl Grey.

Fragrance: This black tea has a strong floral-type bergamot and fresh orange fragrance.
Dry leaf – Dark brown leaves with obvious bits of orange peel.
Liquor – red / brown hue

2-min.: The Aroma follows the strong dry leaf fragrance. The flavor definitely follows both the fragrance and aroma. The strong floral-like bergamot and fresh orange ingredients somewhat overshadows the malty Indian base tea. There was zero hint of tartness, bitterness or astringency – quite an accomplishment!

Impression: This is a very unique, refreshing, full-bodied Earl Grey with a very strong floral-like bergamot and a fresh orange fragrance & aroma that somewhat overshadows the extremely smooth Indian base tea.

My wife, who has a very keen sense of smell, didn’t find this tea to be “The EG” she’s been seeking. While she enjoyed the full-bodied stimulating breakfast base tea, she’d prefer it to have an equally strong Classic EG aroma and flavor.

Suggestion: We’d like to suggest a second version – a “Classic Strong Earl Grey.” This extremely smooth malty Strong Earl Grey would be an excellent match with Southern Italian natural Bergamot citrus.

Thanks to Safiya Motala and Shanti Teas for kindly providing this generous free sample.

Per: https://www.shantitea.ca/sthome/product/Irish-Breakfast:
Origin: China / Serving: 2.8 grams per cup / Temp. 100*C / Steeping Time 2-5 Min.

“What a whiskey will not cure, there’s no cure for!” Same goes for this Irish-strength black tea blend.
A very strong and bold black tea blend, with pronounced earthiness and maltiness. Recommended at a long steep, with milk and sugar to bring out the flavors, this is a real winner in the mornings. The smaller leaf grades allow for greater caffeine infusion into the water. A good coffee replacement."

“Directions: 2 min without milk, 5+ min with milk”
“Ingredients: Tea (Camelia Sinensis)”
Canada Organic – Biologique Canada: http://www.organicbiologique.ca/en/

Technique: Tea mug with Finum brew basket. 8-oz water with total dissolved solids (TDS) of 26 ppm, heated to 212*F. 2.8 grams (My Weigh Durascale D2 660) No sweeteners, milk or cream were added.

Fragrance: Fruity
Dry leaf: Small granular-shaped pieces moderately dark brown and reddish-brown leaves
Infused Leaf: Dark Amber

2-min.: A full-bodied tea with a fruity aroma and malty undertones. I can see why only 2 min. infusion w/o milk is recommended. At the end of the sip there is a bit of bitterness that briefly lingers on the tongue. This is a strong tea. You may not wish to drink it on an empty stomach.

2-min Re-steep: Same flavor & character as the first cup w/o the bitterness.

2nd Cup: same as above except: 2.8 g/ 8 oz. / *185*F* / 2 min
This is now a full-bodied tea with a fruity aroma and malty undertones without any obvious bitterness. “Now we’re talking!”

Impression: A full-bodied, invigorating, organic breakfast tea. “Not for the faint of heart.”

Thanks to Safiya Motala and Shanti Teas for kindly providing this generous free sample.

Per: https://www.shantitea.ca/sthome/product/ancient-forest-black:
Origin: China / Serving: 2.5 grams per cup / Temp. 100*C / Steeping Time 2-5 Min.

“A full bodied, earthy infusion typical of high quality Yunnan black teas. Cultivated from the ancient protected tea tree forests of Yunnan Province, China, this rare and exquisite black tea makes a full-bodied and earthy infusion with a rich and penetrating aroma heavy with age and collective wisdom. The flavor of this deep amber infusion is unlike any other black tea available. Truly exceptional.”

“Directions: 2 min without milk, 5+ min with milk”
“Ingredients: Tea (Camelia Sinensis)”
Canada Organic – Biologique Canada: http://www.organicbiologique.ca/en/

Technique:
Tea mug with Finum brew basket. 8-oz water with total dissolved solids (TDS) of 26 ppm, heated to 212*F. 2.5 grams (My Weigh Durascale D2 660). No sweeteners, milk or cream were added.

Fragrance: Earthy / hints of sweet tobacco
Dry leaf: Moderately dark brown leaves with some gold tips
Infused Leaf – Deep Amber

2-min. Initial observation: Not yet strong enough will step another min.
3-min.: Rich and full-bodied with a pleasing earthy aroma and not a hint of bitterness or astringency. My cup was empty before I knew it – Excellent!!

4-min Re-steep: Not yet strong enough.
5-min Re-steep: Improving
6-min Re-steep: Just as enjoyable as the first cup.

Impression: A smooth, rich, mellow, relaxing, and very satisfying cup of organic tea! An excellent weekend morning experience not to be rushed, and not to be missed!

Thanks to Safiya Motala and Shanti Teas for kindly providing this generous free sample.

Per: https://www.shantitea.ca/sthome/product/strong-assam:
Origin: India / Serving: 2.7 grams per cup / Temp. 100*C / Steeping Time 2-5 Min.
“2 min without milk, 5+ min with milk”
“Ingredients: Tea (Camelia Sinensis)”
Canada Organic – Biologique Canada: http://www.organicbiologique.ca/en/

Technique:
8-oz water with total dissolved solids (TDS) of 26 ppm, heated to 212*F.

2.7 grams verified by My Weigh Durascale D2 660. No sweeteners, milk or cream were added.

Fragrance: This black tea has a fresh earthy moderately strong fragrance.

Dry leaf – Short broken moderately dark brown leaves

Infused Leaf – Clear & coppery

3-min.: Initial observation: Not yet strong enough will step another min.

4-min.: Mild, pleasant, earthy aroma. A strong, malty character, however there was noticeable bitterness and a very dry finish.

Next I tried: 8 oz. / 2.7 grams / 195*F (verified w/DAVIDsTEA digital thermometer):
3-min: Not yet strong enough.
4-min.: A smooth, strong, malty character, without any bitterness or astringency.

5-min Resteep: Just as enjoyable as the previous cup.

Impression: A smooth, strong, malty, invigorating organic breakfast tea when brewed at 195*F.

Thanks to Safiya Motala and Shanti Teas for kindly providing this free sample.

Correction due to new scale: What I thought was 2.7 grams was actually 27 grains. I was in the incorrect weight mode due to the very small font used for the grain abbreviation (gn). Using a Grains-to-Grams conversion, the actual weight was 1.75 grams.

I just brewed another cup: 8 oz. / 2.7 g / 3-min. / 195*F.
With the proper weight in grams three minutes was sufficient for a very enjoyable full-bodied cup of tea. At 195*F there was no hint of bitterness or astringency.

Backlog:

I had this tea a few days ago. I think I made it a tad too strong, because the flavor was very strong and astringent and concentrated. Like it needed to be diluted.

It was not a bad tea … but, Shanti has many other teas that I prefer over this one. Not bad, not great … and this one is not on Shanti’s website any longer, so either it’s sold out, or they agree with my thoughts on it.

But because I may have made the tea too strong, I’m not going to rate it numerically, as it may have been taster’s error and not the fault of the tea.

Aww, oversteeped my last cup! I even used a timer… and then forgot to follow through and actually take the leaves out. #winner

Had a big pot of this for games & Kelly this afternoon. Played Crazy Eights, a Harry Potter trading card game (oh yes), Lexigo and Crib. FUN. I always forget how much I enjoy games and usually have be dragged into them… what a dummy :P :P

Anyway, this tea is a great tea! Simple and yum.

Whoops, forgot I was steeping something again. This tea smells so wonderful. I’ve been running all over the house today and am now having a kickass procrastination computer break. WITH TEA.

I brew this one really strong. I like that it’s not a sweet tea. It’s easing the pressure in my chest, augh. At least I am not boogers-sick.

With my apple crisp! Tried this tea again to make sure it was boring and yep, still very little maple flavour.

Can’t taste the maple at all, but it smells nice. I waaay oversteeped this so I’m not going to rate it until I try again.

My experience with the first steep of this yesterday was not really pleasant. To me it tasted salty, soapy, & hinted of bleach. Bleckckck

I’m giving it a 2nd steeping, & there is more flavor, but it still isn’t something appealing to me.

I gotta go run around all day. Maybe I’ll try one more this afternoon.

Thank you, Ms Bonnie, for this interesting sample!

First, I don’t know what brand this is, but when I entered blue unicorn, Shanti Tea came up, & the picture looks right, so I’m just going to go with it.

It’s a cool looking tea! I love the ‘horns’, they remind me of those catapillar crysallis thingies that I used to see when I was a kid in California. They didn’t smell like anything to me dry.

I had 2 horns, so I put them in my little glass teapot & added hot water. They took turns floating up & down & releasing little air bubbles. I’m sipping the first steeping now, really just killing time before I meet 2 of my kids & my Man for lunch.

This is Ceylon tea, which in my mind means not particularly exciting. I get that Ceylon is the Champagne of teas, & is suppose to have a light & bright flavor. Call me unsophisticated if you must, but I tend to lose interest quickly.

The taste? I’m only on the first steeping, which honestly has kind of a salty & soapy vibe. When I get home I’ll run it through a few more steepings, as the horns have only barely started to open. For now, I’d rather drink water.

This is a tea I got from TeaEqualsBliss awhile ago thank you very much. Backlogging I did like that this was cute looking and did look like horns and had a black tea smell to it. Taste wise a light black tea with abit of oolong to it. This is a good tea when you want something alittle lighter and not to wake you up. I thought this was pretty good.

Thank you to TeaEqualsBliss for a chance to try this tea!

This is really good. I am currently on my second infusion, and I like the second infusion better than the first. More of the fruit notes present themselves in the second infusion. It is sweet with a savory note towards mid-sip, a pleasant toasty taste with hints of butter. The fruit notes here are quite delightful, like honey-drizzled apples. Yum!

SIPDOWN!

also..it really sucks when you’ve had such a crappy day that you miss reading a tasting note that says don’t over steep it! soooo yeaaah.. steeped this for 3 mins and it’s a little on the astringent side. however if i ignore that initial taste, i can spot the delicious tea that this would be if i hadn’t goofed on the brewing sigh There’s a malty creaminess to this tea that screams DELICIOUS!

Thanks to kittenna for letting me try this…even if i did screw it up.

25/28 sipdowns

i think this one came to me from missB this wasn’t quite drinkable for me today – something about the floral notes just turned me right off it. I’ve had it before though and didn’t mind it for a floral oolong so maybe just an off day today

Ok so I tried this again as a cold brew on a white thinking that might help. Not so much. I it don’t like floral teas. I’m SURE there is someone out there who would love this tea but it is not for me. At least I can say I gave it a fair shot and drop it into my trade box. Yes…I now have a box of teas I need to get around to trading lol

AMODA TEA Sampler

So this is one of the 3 teas in the October 2012 Tasting Box from Amoda Tea. I opted to try this one first because I generally dislike floral tea and I’d already had an oolong tonight. Opening this tea bag I was intrigued because it wasn’t overly floral. The citrus cut through the floral notes to leave behind a really nice scent. I was a little more hopeful that I’d like the steeped tea.

Upon steeping the tea, the colour is a really nice mellow gold colour. The scent however, has lost the citrusey notes and smells like a green floral tea :( The taste?

Well given that I dislike floral teas more than i dislike oolongs, I’d say this is a pretty decent tea. lol I likely won’t drink much more of it because of the floral taste, but the citrus in the tea gives it a unique taste, that I’ve never experienced before. There isn’t a heavy aftertaste of flowers either, so that helps. Overall, not a bad little tea.

Drinking this hot but I think it would be better cold.The orange and apple mesh together but the apricot is a bit stronger than that and the hibiscus is even stronger. The hibiscus level throws it off for me – it’s not bad but I would have loved to try it SANS the dread hibiscus.