Petali Teas

This blend is very chunky with large pieces of dried apple, cinnamon bark, and chopped nuts. The aroma is amazing, like a freshly baked apple spice muffin. The color and flavor of the steeped liquid are light. I think most of the teaspoon I used was made up of chopped hazelnuts. I added a little too much honey to this cup so that is a prominent flavor but I can still taste the spices. I think this might make a really good iced tea too.

Second Steep
8 ounces + 195 degrees + 8 minutes

Before steeping, this smells ultra sweet like candy. After steeping, there is a roasted quality. I’m really enjoying the taste of this one. I added just a little honey and it’s really bringing out that candy sweetness. I’m not sure what violets are supposed to taste like so I can’t say for sure that I’m tasting them, but they certainly are pretty while steeping. White teas are not my favorite, but this is definitely one of the better white teas I’ve had.

I’ve never had anything before that has been flavored with violets. I don’t even know what they are supposed to taste like. The dry blend has brightly colored royal purple flower petals plus long dry stems and some torn green leaves which I’m assuming are the blackberry leaves. It’s so fragrant and sweet-smelling, like candy. Surprisingly enough, I can smell tobacco also. I’m guessing from the tea leaves themselves.

The color of the brewed tea liquid is interesting. It’s a purple sort of black at first then it becomes the reddish color I would expect from a black tea. After steeping, I can see the small berries mingled in with the broken twigs, earthy tea leaves, and sage green blackberry leaves.The flavor is definitely fruity, also like candy, and it actually reminds me of a grape-flavored tootsie pop. It is equally good both hot and cold. There is a real juiciness to it.

Second Steep
8 ounces water + 175 degrees + 13 minutes

I was distracted and left this one my desk for far too long. The color is dark, that blackish purple I mentioned before. It is almost as flavorful as the first cup though not quite and now it’s a little astringent.

I saw this tea get advertised and I immediately had to try it. Jasmine, mint, yerba mate. Sounds like a caffeine dream on a hot morning. Brewed hot, this blend has a strong focus on the nutty green rooibos and dry grass yerba mate flavors, all wrapped up in almost-medicinal mint. Cold brewing this blend brings out the jasmine more, and the more honeyed tones of the green rooibos. This blend has such a smooth feel and flavor in all its forms, sugar optional. I prefer this as a cold brew for the gentler mate and mint tones, and I would have loved to have an even stronger jasmine blossom presence in the blend. This is a delicious nutty, grassy alternative to a high caffeine black tea or coffee on those mornings when you really need a kick.

I’ve had a yerba mate blend once before and I remember that I didn’t like it very much, but I’m actually pleasantly surprised by this one. The fragrance of the dry tea is an herbaceous mint. There are whole flower buds mixed in with the chopped mint leaves and woody rooibos. The liquid looks like that of a straight mint tea, maybe a little lighter, and the taste is mint as well. I can definitely feel the caffeine, even after just a couple of sips.

Second Steep
8 ounces water + 175 degrees + 5 minutes, 30 seconds

I’ve read online that mate can be re-steeped several times, but I’m not sure how well the rooibos and mint will hold up. There is still flavor here though the mint is lighter.

From the Amoda Monthly Box – February 2015!

I finally got around to finishing my wee sample from last month’s box! Now that this month’s is probably on it’s way :P
I really like how balanced this is! There is a distinct profile for each flavor in the title, as well as the base tea. The gunpowder lays down the light and sweet, almost nutty greenness for the profile, like a picnic blanket. The dishes set on that blanket are arranged in a way that makes sense together. The green tea base leads up to a lovely and distinct hazelnut flavor, with all it’s buttery sweet goodness and a spiced pear note. The pear is quite distinct, I can even get a sense of a spiced poached pear, with it’s tender flesh melting in my mouth.
The last time I brewed this tea, it definitely overstepped it. But I think I happened to be eating a bit of something chocolately while drinking it, which made it that much better :)
I was bummed to have ruined the last cup, but hey, it was really good the first time around! I am happy to have tried it. I don’t know if I would be in the mood to repurchase, but I sense a sample coming back my way in a future Amoda order.

So I’m just going to start off by saying that this tea smells Ah-mazing. The praline scent is so rich and decadent that it makes for a pretty mouth-watering experience. Luckily, the creamy nuttiness does transfer over to the taste making for an almost caramel-like flavor. Underneath it all, is a sweetness that is more apple than pear for me and though that is disappointing, the tea as a whole is still pretty great.

Sipdown (117)!

POTENTIAL SPOILERS…

…for anyone who hasn’t received their February Amoda box yet – this is only my second month with a subscription, and I don’t know if there’s Steepster “protocol” with when it’s ok to post reviews? I am the first review for it, after all…

I must say though, for a company I’m only familiar with because of Amoda, Petali Teas is now 2/2 with me. And honestly, I had some serious reservations about whether or not I’d like this one; it’s got a green base and has cardamom in it. Not that I don’t like cardamom, but it’s definitely not something I see paired with a green base. I cold brewed my sample though, because pear usually comes out really nice cold brewed and it’s really tasty.

I have to say that the hazelnut is so much, well, more than I could have ever expected from it. The flavouring is really, really strong with a sweet, borderline creamy, richness to it. It reminds me of Nutella or Beuno, except both of those are chocolate and hazelnut pairings and this is just the sweet, creamy hazelnut flavours in those scrumptious treats! And it really works with the green base too, which is very buttery and nutty in and of itself. One of the better hazelnut teas I’ve had to date.

As for the pear, it’s quite rich and creamy too and transitions smoothly from the initial, rich nut flavours. The addition of the cinnamon and cardomom really works to make it taste a little like a supple, poached pear or some kind of confectionery pear dessert. With the apple in here along with the hazelnut and spices maybe it’s like some sort of nutty crumble? I also swear that I taste vanilla and caramel or nougat of some kind too. It really adds to the sweetness of it all.

Delicious, regardless! And really more of a sweet, indulgent dessert tea than a fruitier one. This surprising blend really makes me want to get in on either a Petali tea order or Amoda’s current 20% off deal – but I’m gonna try and hold out. So far, this blend and the other Petali one from the January box are the only ones I’d want to order more of, so I’m just gonna have to wait until I’ve finished trying the other Amoda samples I have and have received my March box, and see how I feel then…

Sipdown (119)!

Man, I drank this a while ago and still haven’t written about it…

Seriously; it was the first tea I tried out from January’s Amoda box!

Anyway, because I immediately noticed some similarities between this one and Della Terra’s Lemon Chiffon blend I decided to try mine out at a cold brew since that’s the way I ended up enjoying Della Terra’s blend the most over all.

This was delicious and very refreshing overall! To me, I registered a very sweet, creamy lemon flavour as well as cream and vanilla and a pastry like flavour as well. It initially came off to me as a lemon meringue pie sort of flavour, but after a little sipping it hit me that this was actually much more like a perfect lemon flavoured sugar cookie! I felt like I should have been dunking it into milk or something; though that’s admittedly hard to do when you’re actually drinking tea and not eating the most perfect lemon sugar cookie ever. Another comparison I made; if anyone’s ever had Hagaan Das’s gelato they’ll know the make a to die for, creamy and smooth lemon/vodka gelato – and the lemon in this blend tasted very comparable to the natural but very sweet lemon in their gelato.

For me, this was a lot better than Leon Chiffon. A lot a lot. The lemon flavour was, I think, better executed and it was creamier, plus Lemon Chiffon didn’t have that awesome sugar cookie/pastry flavour. Another difference; more green rooibos. It was a really good, subtle backdrop for the flavouring.

This is one that I definitely looked up on Amoda’s page to see what the damage to my wallet would be if I picked up more, and now that Amoda’s doing smaller sizes an Amoda order seems closer to reality. Ultimately, gonna have to try all the teas from my three month gift subscription (thanks again VariaTEA) though – because one tea isn’t really worthwhile. Three or more? Totally justifiable in my books.

Backlog:

I really LOVED the holiday tasting box that I received from Amoda Tea. This wasn’t part of the monthly subscription and it’s still available here: http://amodatea.com/collections/the-tasting-boxes/products/holiday-box

The teas in that box are yum!

This tea had a very crisp, minty flavor. It has a bit more mint than chocolate and you know me, I’d be happier if it were the other way around. That said, this is still a really good tea. The black tea base is a solid, robust black tea. It’s nicely round and complements the mint and chocolate notes favorably. It’s a deep, rich, dark chocolate flavor and I like how it goes with the cool mint.

Very yum!

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2015/01/08/chocolate-frost-black-tea-from-petali-teas/

Dry leaf: Lemon Yogurt

Liquor Color: yellow-ish?

Leaves: Dry – finely chopped green rooibos with large pieces of citrus rind. Wet – looks like freshly mowed grass. Smells like hot lemon yogurt.

Notes:

I liked how grassy the green Rooibos is compared to the honey vanilla sweetness of regular red Rooibos. I think the lemon was quite present. I got a creaminess to the blend as well, like thick lemon curd. The vanilla was present, adding to the cream factor. I wasn’t too hot for this tea though, it smelled like lemon yogurt, and tasted like lemon yogurt. Not a big fan of that as a tea.

As per Roswell Strange’s suggestion, I cold brewed the last of this and it tastes much better than the hot cup. I am not immediately running out to restock this, especially when I already have an amazing lemon tea for cold brewing (DTT’s Lemon Chiffon), but at least I am enjoying this last cup. The lemon is sweet and creamy, it’s almost like the part of a lemon meringue pie where the sweet lemon custard just has a touch of the marshmallowy deliciousness from the meringue. Yum! I will be bumping up my rating soon enough

This tea was…a disappointment. It smelled so strongly of pound cake and lemon curd that I expected an amazingly delicious dessert tea. Then I took one sip and all I got was artificial vanilla. It’s sweet and could really have used some tart lemon for balance. Thank goodness I tried this because it was one I contemplated buying in larger quantities and then I would have been stuck with a tea I am not really a fan of.

I got this as part of a sampler set from amodatea.com – full disclosure, I’m not a big fan of chamomile on its own. Having said that, this tisane is lovely. The dry tea is just gorgeous: chamomile blossoms, pink and blue petals, lemongrass, lots of colours. The scent both dried and brewed is a pleasing blend of chamomile and citrus with a background of floral/tangy/sweet. To taste, it’s very smooth and pleasant to drink, with the same complex blend of flavours. The predominant flavours are definitely chamomile and citrus, but they’re very well-balanced. Lovely bedtime tea.

Another sample generously sent my way by Sil. My experiences with chamomile tea so far have been good, and orange blossom is a flavour I know I like, so I’m looking forward to this one. My new job is still stressing me a bit, so I’m hoping this will help me to relax a bit after a long and tiring week. The dry mix has generous amounts of whole chamomile flowers, lemongrass pieces, orange blossoms and orange zest. It smells primarily of chamomile — that very distinctive, honey and hay-like scent with a slightly sweet, floral undertone.

Brewed, this still smells primarily of chamomile, but with a definite edge of orange. There’s also something slightly lavender-like in there, although I don’t think lavender is actually one of the ingredients. I guess the taste will tell. One thing that did take me by surprise is the colour of the liquor — it’s bright, grassy green! As the tea cools, it seems to mellow into a more ordinary golden yellow, but it certainly made me question my vision for a few seconds. I’m assuming the purple flower petals (are they orange blossom?) were the cause. Interesting, but unexpected!

To taste, I’m not getting lavender any more, I don’t think. Instead, I’m getting mint. I saw it listed among the ingredients, but I couldn’t see any in the dry mix, and it certainly doesn’t come out in the scent. It’s very subtle and complementary, though, so I’m happy enough with the combination. The taste is mostly of chamomile and a sort of floral orange in any case, so the name is pretty accurate after all. It’s not the over-sweet chamomile I’m used to, though. It’s somehow more herbal, more floral, and more grassy in taste than those I’ve tried previously. While the orange blossom isn’t strong, it adds to the flavour delicately and pleasantly, contributing a fresh, zesty, floral aftertaste.

A very enjoyable evening drink. Thanks again to Sil for sharing it with me!

Another tea I sampled at the Victoria Tea Festival. I was majorly intrigued by the combination. I really like both orange blossom and chamomile, both as fragrances and flavours, and together sounded like a fabulous ideas.

Overall, I found the chamomile to be a little too overpowering. I barely tasted anything else in this. There is supposed to be mint in here? Had no idea. I detected a hint of citrus in the back, but it wasn’t distinct at all. I guess in a way, the other flavours pulled the chamomile back a bit without allowing one to actually taste the other flavours, if that makes any sense. Because while the chamomile was the star flavour (practically the only flavour) it wasn’t as loud as it usually is.

261, sipdown!

I finished a cup of this tonight….i didn’t sleep well last night so i’m trying to bust out the sleep type teas and see if that helps. I’m also going to try and get to bed “early” though right now i am totally crazing nachos and salsa so i dunno how that’s going to go lol. This is an interesting tea. The last of it is going in to the swap box, not because i don’t enjoy it but because the pieces getting stuck in my brew baskets have irritated me to the point of not wanting to clean it after this tea ever again! lol

Let me tell you how excited I am…down to 193 teas in my cupboard! Now, that fully ignores the umpteen packages on their way but I choose to ignore that since i may not see them before i leave lol. What’s exciting is that I still have a few new teas in my cupboard that I haven’ yet gotten around to trying. THIS is one of those teas! I received this one some time ago as part of my Amoda tea box which i HIGHLY recommend, ESP for those of you in Canada. Mostly, because we don’t have too many options in Canada for this sort of thing that isn’t stupidly expensive. With Amoda it’s like 15/month, includes shipping and they do up a nice box and for the 3 months i had it, wasn’t really disappointed with any of the teas and got to branch out a bunch from what my usual comfort level is. The only reason i paused that box was because I decided to treat myself to the Verdant reserve club box during the winter months since I prefer the darker blends. Come spring i’ll likely be switching back to Amoda haha.

Soooo i digress….back to this tea! Chamomille isn’t really something i love or want. I don’t mind having a few non caffinated teas in my cupboard but largely chamomille irritates me with all it’s flower bits that make a mess in my strainer. :)

This tea is like you usual boring chamomile blend but with a hint of something else. I’m not getting orange exactly, though that could just be that i missed getting some into this cup. The flowers and bits are large and hard to get a good sense of a teaspoon. What i do get is the mint, hiding out behind the chamomille taste and it reminds me slightly of lil leapin’ lordy lou from Keen Tea Thyme’s 12 days swap with us. But clearly not as intense of a mint :) Anyway…as far as chamomille’s go, i prefer Butiki’s Citrus Dream but this isn’t a bad little tea.

Thanks Amoda!