Company: New Mexico Tea Company

Type: Flavored Black, loose

Cost: $9.60 for 4oz

Tea Notes:

• Dry tea is a beautiful mix of tea, orange peels, cinnamon and rose petals with a subtle spicy aroma.
• Steeped in boiling water for 4 minutes.
• Aroma of steeped tea is similar to dry aroma but with a hint of fruit and flowers.
• Taste includes cinnamon with an interesting mix of rose and citrus.

Tea Thoughts:
This week I am featuring some spicy teas that are wonderful for the colder months but would be nice any time of the year as well!

Before I talk about the tea I want to clarify what I mean when I say ’spicy’.  Coming from New Mexico I normally view the term spicy as meaning hot.  I eat a lot of hot foods, which includes the wonderful and amazing green chile, but when I’m talking about spicy tea I am referring to the spicy qualities of a chai.  That said, Sandia Spice is not a chai but can still be put in the spicy tea category because of the cinnamon.  However, this is unlike any cinnamon tea I have had.  There are apple pieces, orange peel, almonds, and rose petals in addition to the cinnamon bits.  All of those ingredients mesh together with the black tea to produce a truly unique taste.

I found myself spending a lot of time with this tea trying to figure it out.  After a whole pot of it this weekend I finally had to decide to just drink and enjoy it rather than pick it apart or analyze it.  The cinnamon is obvious in the taste but there is an orange taste as well as a rose taste that peek out every so often underneath the black tea and cinnamon.  It seemed like every sip tasted different and special.  I happen to love teas that have a cinnamon punch to them, but this one is softer than other cinnamon teas and has such unique qualities that I can’t imagine anyone being turned off or afraid of the cinnamon in it.  If overly spicy teas aren’t your thing, you might give this one a try.

The product(s) included in this post were purchased by myself or sent as a free sample along with a purchase.

Name: Coconut Black Tea

Company: New Mexico Tea Company

Type: Black, loose

Cost: $9.60 for 4oz

Coconut Black Tea is a flavored tea.  I’m not sure what kind of black tea is used for the base, but it isn’t an overly powerful one.  The coconut flavor is very interesting to me in this blend.  I happen to love the fragrance of coconuts and so I was really excited to try this tea.  However, the coconut is not the artificial fragrance a lot of people are familiar with.  It is a much more natural, almost earthy coconut smell.

The leaves are very dark reddish brown with little pieces of coconuts throughout.  The flavor of the coconut is not completely obvious, but it is most definitely there adding a special taste.  At times I can tell it is a coconut flavor and other times I’m not sure what I am getting.  But it is tasty none the less and wonderfully not artificial in flavor.  I have not experienced this tea going bitter at all which means a great deal to me.  I steep this using 1 teaspoon per cup in boiling water for 4 minutes which seems just perfect.

This is such a nice tea to start my day with or really a tea that would be great at any time of the day.  It isn’t too complicated that I can’t enjoy it but just complicated enough that it surpises me.  This will become a tea that I must have often.

The product(s) included in this post were purchased by myself or sent as a free sample along with a purchase.

Name: Temple of Heaven Gunpowder

Company: New Mexico Tea Company

Type: Green, loose leaf

Cost: $6.40 for 4oz

Somehow I ended up with a lot of this tea.  OK, I know how I ended up with a lot because I purchased it.  I am a big fan of Gunpowder green teas.  There is something about the hint of smoke that really pleases my senses.  It is an interesting tea and unique all on its own.

This particular gunpowder tea is no exception.  It is neither too strong or too soft.  There is just the right amount of smokiness to allow it to be enjoyable.  I can’t say that this really tastes like a green tea because I have never thought that Gunpowder greens taste…green.  They don’t to me.  I don’t detect any vegetal or grassy notes in this one.

The dry leaves are tightly rolled and dark green.  They look like tiny gun pellets.  I normally make this with water that is 180 degrees and steep it for 3 minutes.  Because the leaves are rolled I think it would be acceptable to use less leaf than you normally would with other teas.  However, I like this tea to actually be a little bit stronger so I use a full teaspoon per cup.  I have tried using less leaf and found that I would rather use a larger amount of leaves to bring out more of the taste.  This tea has not gone bitter on me yet and I greatly appreciate that.  I hate bitterness in teas.

I don’t think this kind of tea will be to everyone’s liking.  But if your looking for a unique taste that is unlike the normal green tea taste, give it a try.  And especially try the one from New Mexico Tea Company.  Great price and great taste has made this tea take a permanent spot in my tea cabinet!

The product(s) included in this post were purchased by myself or sent as a free sample along with a purchase.