Cinnamon Anise Rooibos 2011

Name; Cinnamon Anise Rooibos

Type; Infusion, Rooibos (South Africa) along with Cinnamon, Star Anise, and Jasmine Blossoms

Price; £ 1.50 for 50 grams from Anteaques.

http://anteaques.co.uk/infusions/cinnamonaniserooibos

“The subtle sweetness of cinnamon, the floral notes of jasmine blossoms and the gentle spiciness of star anise are blended together with the rich honey tones of rooibos. A smooth blend which can be enjoyed all day and late into the evening.

Each flavour is wonderfully balanced with the rich and mellow rooibos base. Naturally caffeine free and low in tannins, this is a heavenly infusion, both purifying and lush.”

Review; Its not often that I review rooibos, or flavoured “teas” for that matter. But Cinnamon Anise Rooibos has been on my “to review” list for too long. I don’t really like rooibos, its…blah. I drink it when I want something warming, without the caffeine (I have a very low caffeine tolerance…which when I get around to reviewing Matcha will provide evidence of). That being said rooibos has some very interesting characteristics to it. This malty honey flavour that is almost a bit like Mead and a fruit juice mixed.

Add cinnamon, anise, and jasmine blossoms and you get a bizarre mixture. I wouldn’t say its possible to detect the jasmine blossoms on their own, which is what really adds to this blend, but provides this floral background to providing the harmony of the other spices. Sweet, and yet still spicy, reminds me of an oriental night with a cool breeze. Its very pleasant and impossible to over brew, which leads to a guilty pleasure of mine. Cooking with tea. I know I’m not the first to do this by a long shot, but cooking with the liquid tea I find quite pleasurable. Rooibos I find goes wonderful with a wholemeal loaf with a couple spoonfuls of honey, or instead of boiling rice in water, boil it in a green tea infused with jasmine blossoms.

And over the summer, I shall be doing over brewed Jasmine teas mixed with gin!

Enjoy!

-Tea Fan

Jasmine Pearl

Jasmine Pearl

Type; Green (Chinese), Flavoured with Jasmine

Price; £ 12-13 for 100 grams (shy of 4 oz)

Reasoning;

While this tea is techincally a green flavoured tea, I often times feel that the flavoured teas should be in a class all by themselves. Different production methods do make all the difference, and with different elements added, this adds a new complexity to tea.

Jasmine pearl is perhaps a beginner’s tea. I do not mean that it is simple; merely that it is a classic. Jasmine has long been used as a flavour to chinese teas, and the element is magnified in the pearl structure. I have seen many variations of this tea, and the one that struck me as the most fascinating, was in each pearl, a jasmine flower lay.

The effort and mount of time that is spent on the Jasmine Pearl, usually mean it is a bit pricier, but one can taste the difference in comparison to a simple jasmine tea. The essence is added to the teas by laying layer of tea, silk, jasmine, silk, tea, silk, and jasmine. Rarely letting the elements be mixed. The effort that is spent assures a well flavoured tea that is often strong, but not over powering. In a high quality Jasmine Pearl, each individual pearl is rolled, into its shape with just 2 leaves and a bud. One can judge the quality of the tea by the appearance of the pearls, the leaves once they've unraveled, and of course the taste.

I often times enjoy having a Jasmine Pearl as a way to gauge how serious a tea place takes their tea. Once you have had a nice, crisp, fresh, tasting Jasmine, you can tell which shops focus on their tea, and which ones focus less. I know it is overly harsh to judge a tea shop on a single tea, but the advantage is that Jasmine Pearl is becoming/is so popular that most shops carry it. And while one always has their favourites, there are so many different teas it is nice to see a variant on a fairly stable type.

I enjoy watching a good Jasmine Pearl in a glass tea pot, as it is always fascinating to watch them unravel. Unlike blooming teas, (a blog post hopefully later), these are rolled for their flavour, not for beauty, and yet it is striking to see them as they transform.

I will admit my bias, that Jasmine Pearls were my introduction into the world of teas, and as such, will always hold a place in my heart. (overly cheesy yes?) Though I will admit to be cautious and not to let this one over-brew, as there can be a thing as too much Jasmine.

-Tea Fanatic