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“Traveling Tea Box Tea #5 This is why I love a teabox. I would say a LOT of the teas in the box are shops I have hardly heard of. I would never get to try these teas most of the time, if it wasn’t...” Read full tasting note
“Back in 2021, I interviewed Teko US. Their innovative styling and unique teas set this company far apart from others. But unfortunately, the US distribution is shutting down. Amy, the owner, was...” Read full tasting note
Description:
The traditional Icelandic tea blends are available now. A variety of wild-picked Icelandic herbs blended with sourced green and black tea create intriguing flavors. Icelanders have used the native herbs for teas and remedies for over a thousand years. Staying true to the mission, starting in 2020, Teko is distributed in the United States.
Botanicals:
Birki lauf – Birch Leaves – The birch is Iceland’s only native forest tree. For centuries, we have harvested the virgin leaves in spring. The birch leaves give a unique peppery taste to this traditional Icelandic tea
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Traveling Tea Box Tea #5
This is why I love a teabox. I would say a LOT of the teas in the box are shops I have hardly heard of. I would never get to try these teas most of the time, if it wasn’t for a teabox! Now I see this shop has stopped operating. This looks to be green tea with birch. Other than a Simpson and Vail blend (Glacier), I don’t think I have had many other birch teas. Much like that one, I don’t really notice distinct birch here. So possibly birch tastes a lot like tea leaves? The green tea, if I had to guess, seemed to taste more like guayusa and looked like guayusa…
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug //31 minutes after boiling // 2-3 minute steep
Steep #2 // 30 min after boiling // 3 min
Back in 2021, I interviewed Teko US. Their innovative styling and unique teas set this company far apart from others. But unfortunately, the US distribution is shutting down. Amy, the owner, was kind enough to send me some of her last few samples to savor with the MN Tea Society. Why is she shutting down she did not mention and is not responding to emails anymore. I wish her the best in her future endeavors.
The ingredients say sencha, so we know it is a green tea from Japan. From the flavor of the green, it seems nothing too special. However, that could just be the peppery notes of the birch. Also, I am no expert on leaf anatomy, but the birch leaf (Betula pubesens) and the tea leaf (Camellia sinensis) have enough differences that I can spot some things as I pick through my used leaves. The birch seems to be cut up too much to distinguish, but I feel like I am looking at more sencha than birch leaf. A lot more…
Flavor: Peppery, metallic, a bit grassy,
