A few months (yes, months) ago I got a little package in the mail. Hmmm…did I black out and order things on the internet I don’t remember? Curious, I ripped it open to find a nice gift from Golden Moon Tea.
The best things come in small packages indeed!
As an avid tea drinker, this was thrilling and I couldn’t wait to try each and every flavor.
They sell a TON of loose leaf teas (black, white, oolong, and green), and with the samples they sent me a bunch of literature about their products. It was SO interesting and funny!! I like this company so much now for the descriptions of the teas alone. I would write it all if I thought you guys would actually read it. I was literally laughing out loud though.
Anyways. All joking aside, they are extremely proud of the quality and finesse of their product – boasting teas that are hand-plucked and meticulously crafted to enhance leaf character, aroma, color, clarity, body, complexity, and above all, flavor (sounds like the 4 C’s of diamonds).
I received a sampler with several delicious teas to try, so naturally I got straight to work…unfortunately, it took me way longer to actually write this post. But better late than never!
First up – ChocoMint. Ingreds: Roasted Mate, Black Tea, Peppermint, Cacao Pieces, all natural Chocolate Vanilla Mint flavoring (all certified organic).
In the past I’ve made it pretty clear that I don’t like mint (with the exception of gum). But now, (apparently) that includes tea too! I tried it and loved it.
It tasted like those candy canes with chocolate (you know, those green and brown ones?), but a bit more subtle. I really really liked it.
And in case you were wondering, I learned that the Chocolate Angel’s job is to make sure smiles never disappear from the world. If you add a touch of milk or milk alternative, it tastes a bit like minty hot chocolate – so yeah, smiles aren’t going anywhere under this tea’s watch.
Next up – Calmation. Ingreds: Green Mate, Chamomile, Lavender, all natural Lavender Vanilla Cream flavorings (all certified organic).
I tried this flavor over the weekend because I am always looking for teas to relax me after my long shifts at the hospital.
It was only so-so. I’m not a huge fan of chamomile, but the GI benefits are great. It relaxes and calms the stomach…definitely an important quality for me and my IBS. The rest of the ingredients aren’t too shabby either, as lavender is an anti-inflammatory and mate is supposed to promote focus. I could use a little focus. Seriously. I just started spelling “use” with y-o-u…oh lord. Yous? Who am I? Some dumba$$ from the dirty Jerz? I digress…
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragonfruit. Ingreds: Green Mate, White Tea, Rose Petals, Siberian Ginseng, Dragonfruit Pomegranate flavoring (all cert. organic).
I was determined to like this flavor because of the name alone. Hi-larious. I’m all about puns.
I’m also all about boosting my immune system (Vitamin C – holler), reducing my cholesterol & arthritis (Yerba Mate). This is like a nurse’s dream tea…the drink of champions for health care professionals. I can’t even tell you how many times I have gotten sick from my patients (practically every shift), by now I have built up antibodies to every friggin’ bacteria under the sun. And although I don’t have arthritis…yet…I have a feeling it’s only a matter of time. I mean, shoot, I’m 27 years old and I have already been through physical therapy for my neck and my back. Thanks nursing.
Ok, but back on track, this tea was tart!
Taro Vanilla Cream. Ingreds: Green Mate, Genmaicha (Green Tea & Roasted Brown Rice), Green Honeybush, Maicha, Taro (all cert. organic).
As per the company’s info, the tea is so healthy that just reading the box will make you live longer. Taro is a tropical plant (I recall seeing it in many a Hawaiian meals) and has mega vitamins and minerals.
How can I describe this flavor…it’s kinda creamy, but not. Kinda vanilla-y, but not. I suck at descriptions apparently.
Coconut Kava Cream. Ingreds: Roasted Mate, Red Roobois, Kava Root, all natural Coconut Cream flavoring (all cert. organic).
I saved the best for last :) This was yummmmmay. Kava is supposed to promote relaxation (it is a Polynesian plant FYI), so combined with the focusing quality of the Mate, I’d say it’s pretty ideal for my lifestyle. The flavor was pretty strong, so I decreased the steeping time the second time I tried it.
So there you have it. My ridiculously overdue review (as you can tell since half of them are from my NYC nursing days).
I LOVE tea. I definitely will check these out. I need something relaxing too.
Thanks for the reviews! The second tea sounds great for its IBS benefits, and I LOVE the sound of the last tea. Is it sad that i’m already making a list of all the groceries I can purchase that are available in the US only when we visit in Aug? Quite possibly…. but I’m ok with that 🙂
i’ll take the choco mint please and thank you.
haha if only this was a giveaway but number 3 comment never wins anything.
So I’m not really a tea girl but a beverage that tastes like those candy cane chocolate mints I think I could manage! At restaurants, I used to hoard those bad boys!
Coconut kava tea – gonna have to look into getting some of that. I worked a brief contract in Papua New Guinea (deforestation problems) and I was introduced to kava as a cultural staple and ritual. Let’s just say that for three blissful weeks, my chronic insomnia was nowhere to be seen. And the dreams that followed were very, very colorful.
Those teas sound yummy! I would have a really hard time explaining the flavors, but I think you did a pretty good job. 🙂
I would really love to taste the choco mint I’m a great fan of tea and chocolate mint and this flavor sounds like heaven to me. I hope I can find it around here.