Tavalon | Jasmine Dream

Many years ago, I tried my first green tea that was jasmine flavored, and I quickly realized what a powerful complement jasmine was to green tea.  To me, jasmine has a balance (sweet and flavorful without being too fragrant) to it that makes it appealing to those of us that don’t always enjoy floral flavored beverages.  Some floral and fruit flavors can simply dominate the flavors of the tea rather than complement the tea.  Having said that, this is totally my opinion and many people still think jasmine is too flowery for a cup of tea – as always, the consumer is the final judge.  If you don’t like jasmine, don’t buy jasmine infused teas.

Tavalon’s Jasmine Dream unfortunately didn’t have the balance I was expecting.  Since it was called “Jasmine Dream,” I was anticipating more jasmine flavor.  However, the lack of jasmine power was not my main problem with this tea.  The green tea used in Jasmine Dream, for my taste preferences, was too smokey.  A rough, smokey, and slightly bitter flavored green tea mixed with jasmine just didn’t appeal to me.  I made several cups of this tea trying to get the most out of it.  It’s very important that the tea be steeped in water that is 180°F for about three minutes.  In the end, I needed more jasmine in the mix.  I enjoy smokey flavored green teas, but it didn’t fit with this mix.

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Tavalon | Purity

Purity by Tavalon: “A detoxifying blend of premium Ceylon black tea with peppermint leaves and ginger root”

This was a fun tea to drink.  I wasn’t certain if I was going to enjoy the peppermint leaves mixed with Ceylon black tea.  I really like the overall presentation of the tea.  It has a nice mix of dark tea leaf and vibrant peppermint green colors popping out at you.  The scent is just as inviting as you can imagine (unless you absolutely dislike peppermint, ginger root, or black tea).  The peppermint is the absolute dominate scent from the dried product.  Having said that, you can still detect the black tea and a little ginger root on the nose.

I typically steeped the tea for about 3 minutes in water that I let cool slightly from a boil (around 200 degrees).  The liquor is very dark.  The peppermint leaves float to the top of the pot while the Ceylon tea leaves rest on the bottom during the steeping process.  The first sip is full of peppermint flavor.  It really awakens the senses – must be part of the detoxifying experience.  It’s interesting to me how the black tea supports the peppermint.  The Ceylon is not totally lost in the flavor despite the strong flavors of peppermint.  The ginger flavor accents the black tea and peppermint well.  The ginger is present in a mild dose and  it’s not too intrusive to the overall tea.  The Ceylon flavor continues to shine through as the tea cools.  I really like this tea…  I don’t add anything to it.  There are plenty of natural flavors that make this tea a great option for me.  It is perfect to help get you going in the morning.  I find it enjoyable any time of the day (keep in mind it does have caffeine).

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