I stepped into this whole tea thing because I wanted to do tea pairing, so it started out strictly as a flavor endeavor. Then the world of real tea is so vast I can’t get enough of it, so I don’t try anything but real tea, and by that I mean tea from Camellia sinensis, aka the tea plant. Not chamomile, not chrysanthemum, not corn, not barley. Those are “herbal teas”. Infused teas like jasmine white or rose hong cha also don’t make my to-try list because my hands are full and the infusion, although can be good, overpowers the Camellia sinensis. But if I were to stick to my original goal, I shouldn’t discriminate.(*)
Today I tasted one cup of Lavender Mint. Darius said that this version contains French lavender and Greek mint. I’ve had lavender tea before (or lavender-infused white tea, I didn’t know anything at the time and the store owner didn’t say much), it was like water with a whiff of lavender scent, extremely extremely gentle. This Lavender Mint knocks my nose out. Mainly, the mint knocks my nose out. It has the intensity of the first split second of a chew of a mint gum, and the intensity lasts what seems to be eternity. (It took only a minute to gulp down, but it was just that strong.)
The color: deep purplish brownish red (close to a Chinese red tea)
The flavor: too strong not to write about. Too strong to drink again, unless I have a cold and want to instantly clear my air passage for 1 minute.
Steeping time: like all other herbal teas, no worries about oversteeping.
(*) Or should I? People wouldn’t pair a bourbon, no matter how good it is, in a wine pairing, would they? So why should I consider chrysanthemum when I pair teas?