After doing my weekly banking, I popped into one of my favorite local cafes to get brunch and couldn’t resist a mug of hot tea. Today’s pick was this Moroccan Mint from Rishi Tea. Though traditional Moroccan mint teas comprise a blend of either Ceylonese or Chinese gunpowder green tea and spearmint, this blend was comprised of a Chinese jasmine green tea and peppermint. So, it was not exactly a traditional Moroccan mint tea.
One interesting thing about this cafe is that they let you more or less prepare your own tea. I steeped approximately one tablespoon of loose leaf material in 8 ounces of 195 F water for about 3 minutes. I also did perform a second infusion. I didn’t really time that one accurately. It was probably somewhere between 3 and 4 minutes.
The dark green tea liquor produced a mild aroma of peppermint and jasmine. There was not much of a tea scent at all. In the mouth, I noted mild notes of jasmine, grass, and straw coupled with an impression of peppermint that gradually grew stronger from the entry through the finish. The aftertaste presented a nice, soothing blend of jasmine and peppermint. The second infusion was mild both on the nose and on the palate. There was more of an integration of peppermint and jasmine aromas and flavors.
This was not the most complex mint tea in the world, but it was very likable. I doubt it would be the type of tea I would choose to keep on hand regularly, but as a cool morning pick-me-up, it worked quite well. I would recommend this tea to those who enjoy more floral herbal blends and/or those who may be looking for a smooth, nontraditional mint tea.
Flavors: Floral, Grass, Jasmine, Peppermint, Smooth
