My recent hiatus has mainly been due to the rut (albeit an enjoyable rut) I've been in. Huang Shan Yellow tea, Teaspring Bi Lo Chun, and some various Shui Xian's have almost exclusively been in my cup. I could probably go the rest of my days with only those three teas and be quite happy, they cover the spectrum (for the most part) and more importantly my tastes and moods well. But in the interest of my blog and trying new/different things I've begun to forcefully break my cycle. So here's my latest post:
Well, there had to be a bad egg at some point, it's just unfortunate that it had to be with something I love as much as chamomile. My sister offered me two bright yellow packets of "Sweet Chamomile" teabags by Leaves pure teas. The ingredient list is: "Finest chamomile flowers, licorice root, spearmint and peppermint leaves." The smell of the teabag was very nice, you could catch hints of all of those ingredients but in a nice balance and subtle to the chamomile scent. I brewed it in near boiling water for about 3 minutes and the aroma was phenomenal! I took the first sip and the flavor was actually incredible, and then the strangest thing happened. From my throat up came a sweet taste that only lingered in the throat and very back of the tongue. It's strange in that it is an intense sweetness but not in the proper area of the tongue for sweet and really not the tongue at all but the back of the throat almost like a coating. Apparently this sensation is what she enjoys, and to some it may either come across as a different sensation altogether or else it is actually enjoyable to others. I didn't like it.
The terrible thing is that I love the flavor of the tea and the mixture of herbs, but a second or two later the hit of sweetness in such an odd way ruins it all for me. It is the licorice root doing it since licorice root's name is derived from Greek for "Sweet Root," So I think I'm going to have to try to blend my own spearmint/peppermint/ chamomile minus the licorice root from my fresh chamomile flowers. Stay tuned there's been some newcomer's to my cup lately... although truthfully it has mainly been Huang Shan Yellow, Bi Lo Chun, and Shui Xian daily for weeks with no end in sight.
- Dominic