One of the first Japanese green teas I’ve ever tried was Adagio’s Sencha Overture. For those of you that drink Sencha you know that distinct vegetally sweet flavor that is everlasting. The dark green, thin, dried tea leaves are full of flavor and antioxidants. If you are new to green tea or you want to start drinking real tea that doesn’t taste like a flower, fruit or candy - give this a try. Yes, the first time I drank Sencha, it reminded me of a mix of seaweed and vitamins. After the initial shock, I started to appreciate the grassy flavor mixed with sweet and nutty notes. Adagio’s Sencha Overture is an affordable everyday green tea that is havested during the second flush. The tea comes from the Shizuoka region of Japan.  It’s important not to over steep Sencha.  Adagio recommends a 3 minute steeping time with a water temperature of 180 degrees.  You may need to experiment with your steeping equipment to find your desired flavor.

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It’s time for an herbal tea (aka tisane)… It’s hard for me to step back from tea (aka camellia senensis) and drink a tisane, but I do like to have one on occasion. Companies like Mighty Leaf do an excellent job of blending popular herbs and fruits together to create a healthy and comforting beverage. It’s important to know when you are drinking an herbal tea/tisane, that it doesn’t contain camellia senensis. Therefore, you are not getting the great health benefits of tea. That said, many of the popular herbal blends are known for their own distinct health properties. Although it’s rare that I drink a tisane, when I do I try to find one that is very flavorful. Most tisanes are naturally decaffeinated. So, they are perfect for an evening beverage to help you relax. Many herbal teas are known to help digestion, which makes for a smart after dinner drink.

Might Leaf describes Chamomile Citrus as: Chamomile Citrus is a refreshing infusion perfected to curl up with and savor by the sip. Made with Soothing Egyptian Chamomile flowers and subtle slices of citrus fruit, this vibrant blend will rejuvenate the spirit. From intoxicating aroma to sweet flavor, this Mighty Leaf signature blend with Chamomile, fruits and herbs reflects our vision of the artisan tea experience.

If you are looking for a flavorful beverage, Chamomile Citrus is a great choice. Mighty Leaf is always pulling through with excellent blends. Their signature artisan pouch (biodegradable) makes tisane steeping a breeze. This blend has more of a chamomile flavor than citrus flavor. The citrus flavors helped to reduce the potency of the chamomile. If you love chamomile, this one will be perfect for you.

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I’m not sure why, but I’m not a huge Earl Grey fan. I do like iced tea made from an Earl Grey blend. I guess it’s just not my first choice as a hot tea. I do enjoy it from time-to-time, it’s just like…what are my other options? When I tried Revolution’s Earl Grey Lavender I was concerned for two reasons. One, it was Earl Grey. Two, it was infused with Lavender. Lavender reminds me of the “soap” aisle of a grocery store. Anyway, I’ve had nothing but pleasant experiences with Revolution’s products - so I had no fear trying this one.

First off, the dried tea had a very pleasing aroma. The Earl Grey Lavender is listed as containing Ceylon, Oolong, and Darjeeling estate tea leaves - sounds good. Now, I steeped the tea for a few minutes in water around 210 degrees. I’m trying Revolution’s single serving infusers. You can see the loose leaf tea through the infuser. The scent rising from the dark liquor was very sweet and pleasant. The citrusy scent of bergamot wrapped with a light dash of lavender lingered around the cup. The scent was slightly sweeter than the flavor in a positive way. Revolution has lightly flavored the trio of teas with bergamot oil and lavender. The keyword is “lightly” flavored. Therefore, you get to enjoy the tea that supports the flavors. I highly recommend this tea to Early Grey lovers.  I’m certain this tea would be great if served as an iced tea.

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Dr. Tea is giving excellent advice about tea as only Dr. Tea can in his new podcast.

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Açaí Green Tea is one of The REPBULIC of TEA’s Superfruit Teas. You can purchase a container of 50 round tea bags containing the tea for under $10. The green tea in the bag is finely cut. The berry scent from the tea bag is very fragrant, but the green tea scent was not to be found. I steeped the tea in water that was just below a boil. The bottom of the cup quickly turned red as the bag absorbed the hot water. I’ve had several teas containing Açaí, and I’m always wishing for something more at the end of the cup. I just can’t get the flavor where I want it without sweetener. I find Açaí flavored teas are best when it’s not the only additional ingredient in the tea. Açaí is just not naturally sweet enough for me to thoroughly enjoy in my tea. It’s not that it tastes bad to me, it just falls slightly below my expectations. Again, if you load it with sweetener, it’s good.

The REPUBLIC of TEA describes the tea as: Açai (ah-sigh-ee) berry is one of the most nutritious fruits in the world. For centuries, inhabitants of the amazon rainforest have gathered these berries from the azaicero palm tree for their powerful health benefits. This deep purple fruit has the rich flavors of concord grape and ripe blueberries.

I’m going to continue my quest for an excellent Açaí tea. I’m loving the scent, but the flavor is just failing to impress me. It’s important for me to state that Açaí doesn’t taste bad. I’m just not digging it in my tea.

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I have a few more teas on the shelf to review over the next week, and I’m sitting here trying to decide which teas I want to buy and from whom for future blogs. When I enter the search for what-to-drink-next, I’m reminded of the importance of blogs and marketing. How do you decide what tea to drink next?

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Last Year, I purchased Sweet Leaf’s Sweet Tea. It was one of the sweetest bottled teas I’ve ever tried. This year I thought I’d give one of their unsweetened teas a shot. I’m glad I did…this was a very flavorful and refreshing choice. The lemon and lime flavors give the black tea enough flavor to make you forget about the sugar buzz. The citrus flavors are well-balanced and they are not overpowering. If you are new to Sweet Leaf, they’ve been around since the late 90s, but over the past few years they’ve really started to gain in popularity. The company is located in Austin, Texas. Their brand is easy to recognize by the signature drawing of “Granny” on the front of every bottle. Recently, I shared an article with marTEA.com readers about an 18 million dollar investment that was made to help the expansion of Sweet Leaf (click here for the article). Back to the tea…if you are interested in trying a bottled iced tea that has no calories and a ton of flavor, Sweet Leaf’s Lemon & Lime will not disappoint you. The bottle label gave me a good laugh with the - “Same Love, No Sugar” label next to Granny’s head.

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Here’s another outstanding tea selection from Revolution. The peach flavoring and ginger root blend very well with the Assam and Ceylon full-leaf black tea. I find this one to be a great wake-me-up in the morning. The black tea gives me just the right boost of caffeine and L-theanine that I need to wake up and focus on the day. The ginger and peach flavors get my senses going. It’s hard to eat or drink anything that tastes like a peach and be in a bad mood.

To start the Sweet Ginger Peach experience from Revolution, you’ll immediately notice the pleasant peach fragrance coming from the dried tea. The leaves look full and fresh through the bag. I let the water sit for just a couple of minutes from a boil before steeping the tea for a full three minutes. The tea liquor turns very dark as expected from an Assam and Ceylon mix. The aroma rising from the cup will make you think you’ve landed in Georgia in the middle of a peach farm. The ginger flavor is present in every sip, but it serves more as a compliment to the peach and black tea flavors. I personally like that the peach flavor rises above the ginger, but it’s great that both flavors are present in every drink.

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