Shanti Tea

Backlog:

This is a really interesting tea. It starts out smooth and sweet, but by mid-sip, you get that sharp bite! Interesting contrast! It really enlivens the palate.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/04/04/green-elephant-tea-from-shanti-tea/

Backlog:

A delightful flavored green tea where the green tea comes out first and foremost. That is to say that this is a green tea that’s been flavored, not an overly flavored green tea. I can taste the green tea here!

Lovely vegetative tones that are not sharp, Smooth, sweet, grassy note, with a hint of rose and hint of citrus. Overall, a very nice cuppa.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/03/21/midnight-magic-green-tea-from-shanti-tea/

Backlog:

Yummy!

I like the Irish Cream flavor here, At first I thought this might be another Irish Breakfast with a vanilla cream note (I love those as well) but I was happily surprised to find that this has delightful, subtle Irish Cream Liqueur notes. Very nice.

Strong, malty, and delicious tea base (don’t oversteep it as it may result in a bitter cup). Very enjoyable.

Backlog:

Thank you TeaEqualsBliss for sending me some of this tisane to try.

this is a very minty cuppa – so minty that it nearly overpowers the rooibos flavor which, in my opinion, is not a bad thing because I prefer the taste of mint over the taste of rooibos. There is a hint of “something” in the background … slightly nutty and sweet, but, not a strong, distinguished flavor.

A really nice tisane, here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/03/10/dragon-mint-rooibos-blend-from-shanti-tea/

0.75 tbsp used for 375 ml

Jasmine flavour present. Slight vegetal green tea tone. Orange flavour is present.

Thanks to Sil for sharing this with me!

Backlog:

I enjoyed this chai tisane … it was spicy and sweet, and I loved the way the basil notes of the tulsi came through and highlighted the spices. Hints of mint gave this a very refreshing taste. The best part for me was the licorice tones from the fennel. A really nice chai with which to unwind.

Here is my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/02/10/tulsi-india-chai-from-shanti-tea-2/

Thank you TeaEqualsBliss for sending me some of this tisane. It is making a wonderful ‘good night’ tisane for me. Sweet, delicious, basil notes, herbaceous … and a light lemon-y note. I am kind of wishing there was a tad more lemon to this. It’s more like a sweet, creamy hint of lemon from the lemongrass, and I think that a stronger lemon note would be nice.

I see that Shanti Tea isn’t offering this one any longer, though, so I guess it doesn’t really matter! It’s enjoyable, regardless.

This is the last of my sample and it’s still super bitter. Not sure what I did to make it so creamy and wondeful the first time, but I guess I’ll have to knock my rating down a little because it’s so inconsistent for me. :|

I would try it again though. Because when it works, it REALLY WORKS.

I made this again today and it was too bitter. What went wrong? Maybe I used a lower temperature yesterday? :| Will try again.

My first Irish Cream! After smelling it I was pretty eager to give it a try. It’s not really an afternoon tea though – it’d be better suited as “slap-me-in-the-face-to-wake-me-up morning tea”.

I love how strong the aroma is. Malty, and creamy. When I sip it, I find it to be a little astringent, but not undrinkably so (thankfully because I can be a wimp that way). Mostly I’m getting astringent malt in each sip, with a creamy finish and some earthy notes.

I would never have bought this on my own (although I shouldn’t really let $9 shipping deter me as that’s starting to be the standard with the new US rates too) so I’m happy I was given this. I need teas to be dropped in my lap otherwise I might miss out on something wonderful.

This is the tea I should have had on St. Patrick’s Day. Oh well. Having it now, and it’s absolutely delicious. No idea if it’s irish cream flavoured, but it’s fantastic. Unlike any tea I’ve had previously, the flavouring is along the lines of nutty, but… not quite. It’s hard to describe. Base might be a CTC with lots of flavour/not too tannic. I’d really like to purchase more of this, though. I have one cup left and the temptation to hoard it is quite strong. Upping rating from 84 to 88. I’d keep this one stocked for special occasions.

On that note – not sure if it’s just me, or my tea selections, but I have been having a string of great tea days, where most if not all of the teas I drink taste absolutely fantastic. Maybe it’s from having a cold for a while? I’m not sure, but this is definitely why I drink tea, for these utterly delicious moments. (Or maybe it’s because I’ve been subjecting myself to teas where the coconut is borderline? Haha.)

ETA: Looks like it’s still available! This temptation may be too hard to resist.

ETA2: And they’re in Canada. And I can get 25g. And they have other delicious-sounding teas. It’s over. Ha.

Oh man. When steeped right, this is just delicious. It’s a touch more astringent than I would like… I should go for 1.5 minutes, but the irish cream flavour is sooooo good. I was intending to add milk and sweeten this, but opted to have a sip straight first, and I’m glad I did, if only to remind myself how tasty it is. There’s enough astringency for me to still add both, though (and I remember it tasting divine when doctored up). This will definitely be on the re-purchase list in the future.

Feeling incredibly stressed today. Thesis is progressing, but so slowly. Going to miss the deadline of next Friday. And I have so much other stuff to do as well… I need clothes for Mexico, and to pack up my stuff since I’m moving once I get home from my travels. Ugh. Can this be March again, please?

Since I enjoyed this one with milk so much a few days ago, I decided to brew up a big mug of it since I’m being indulgent and don’t particularly care if I’m drinking something that’s doctored, as long as it tastes good. Result? Delicious, though I wish it was a bit stronger. Should have left the infuser basket in longer.

Clearly overleafed this one tonight, so added milk and sweetened… delicious! The tastiness of the tea itself is not overpowered, which is really awesome. I may drink the rest of it like this.

Well… Teaequalsbliss’ note sure makes me eager to try this one! This is the second of my three teas in the March Amoda tasting box.

The tea smells like a deliciously flavoured black… ahh, screw it, I want to try it now. Please hold.

Ok. Well… this one is STRONG! Definitely astringent; I’m going to try 2.5 minutes next time. However, I’m liking the flavour. It’s malty and rich, flavoured without tasting flavoured, if that makes sense. I think it would be fabulous with a bit of milk, but that requires too much effort (i.e. going downstairs) for me to bother with right now.

In some ways, it reminds me a bit of Lupicia’s Cookie. I wonder if they have the same base tea or something. I can’t say that I know what Irish Cream tastes like, but I really am enjoying this tea. Not really getting any mintiness from it (should I be?). Yum!

ETA: Second infusion wasn’t too shabby! I’ve gotta remember to try this tea again on Sunday for St. Patrick’s Day :)

Backlog:

Thank you TeaEqualsBliss for sending me this one.

I was kind of expecting the ginger to be over the top, but it isn’t. It is quite gentle and well balanced with the flavor of the Sencha. It is really a nice combination. It is warm and soothing but not spicy or hot. Quite lovely!

Here is my full-length review of it: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/01/25/ginger-sencha-from-shanti-tea/

Ozli was right. There’s little to no maple flavour in this. It’s good, with the slightest touch of sweetness, but compared to 52 Teas Pancake Breakfast, or that other maple tea I just had this might as well be a strong black.

I did steep it for an extra minute – will try it for 3 minutes next time and see if that helps.

The base tea is so very smooth and I love it for that. I’m a wimp when it comes to astringency.

I’m glad I held off on rating this – I’m enjoying this far more this time around. Actually, with all the berry notes, and the ultra-smoooooth base, this is very comparable to Adagio’s TARDIS Blend! Except maybe smoother. And cheaper to buy/ship.

I love the golden amber liquor. This is a pretty tea, and and it tastes as good as it smells. I could see this becoming a regular.

I wonder if the extra 30s brewing helped subdue the bergamot, or if I was just ‘off’ when I tried it before.

Thanks ozli!

I think I’m too sensitive to bergamot right now. This one tastes like perfume a little too. I can smell the raspberry, but I’m only getting a bit in the infusion. Will rate later on.

I was afraid of the hibiscus but it’s not too bad in this one. The Cranberry and Orange paired with the rooibos works well. It’s not as tart as I thought it would be considering the ingredients. I’m not sure if I would have called this one Santa’s Little Helper but then again I don’t know what I would have called it either.

It’s tasty. I think it’s mostly the cran-orange as to why I am digging it. It’s pretty good.

I kind of thought this was a green tea at first. It even sort of tastes like it or at least a cross between a green and oolong. While being still true to the base it has a nice flavor…sweet, gingery, apple, NICE!

It also reminds me of a Scentsy Flavor of Wax Melt I have burning in my house at the present time.

This is delightful!

This is so different but darn tasty!
It has both black tea as well as pu-erh notes to it (enough tho I don’t see pu-erh in the actual ingredient list). It has lovely creamy-vanilla notes but also various spices. The spices aren’t overly spicy tho. There are beautiful orange highlights as well as perfumy floral touches thru-out the sip. It’s also reminiscent of egg nog at times, too!

Super creative!
I like this more than I anticipated.

Oh.My.Gawd!
YUMSVILLE!

The aroma of this is amazing! Juicy-sweet strawberry, Smooth and Sweet Chocolate, Hearty Mocha/Coffee! WOW!

The flavor is wonderful, too! All of the above in addition to semi-smoky Oolong!

It’s sweet, it’s juicy, it’s smooth, it’s slighty smoky, it’s coffee-bean, it’s a DREAM.

This is TOP NOTCH and takes you on a flavorful RIDE! LOVE it!

Sipdown!

Goodbye Winter Wonderland! Maybe I’ll see you next year! That and your creamy spicy vanilla goodness…. Mmmm