Northern Tea Merchants: Fine Cut Cuban Peppermint Leaves

 

 (Unwinding this evening with a nice cup of Fine Cut Cuban Peppermint Leaves)

I do have quite an important announcement to make. And it's one I never thought I'd find myself writing. The big news is ... Laura is now a drinker of peppermint tea. Yes, I never thought it would happen and I guess those of you who read regularly probably would feel the same too! 

These past couple of days I was lucky enough to visit Northern Tea Merchants for a tea tasting (I will be writing more on this later!) and one of the tea's I tried was this refreshing, relaxing and utterly pleasant peppermint tea.

Throughout the tasting process I had explained to James Pogson, who was hosting the tea tasting, that I didn't like peppermint tea. Absolutely hated the stuff. But, with any tea, I'm willing to at least try it. And oh my, am I glad I did.

The problem I have with so many supermarket mint tea's is that they don't taste quite right. For me it's like drinking hot water infused with Wrigleys finest mint chewing gum. Or a melted down Extra Strong Mint. Rather then settle my stomach, they tend to upset it, leaving me feeling nauseous, with a strange "heavy" feeling in my stomach. Not a pleasant experience at all. And I suppose that is why I've avoided mint tea for years. 

Now, I will repeat the mantra that I've mentioned on here quite often lately. Quality, quality, quality. It's as simple as that. And in this case, it has meant the difference from me really enjoying the tea rather then walking away still disliking the stuff!

So, the blend I've tried is Fine Cut Cuban Peppermint Leaves. As the name suggest the leaves are cut extremely finely. As you can see in the photograph above some of them have slightly leaked from the infuser, however, this was not a problem at all and didn't distract from the enjoyment of the tea.

The leaves are a glorious green colour and are extremely attractive to look at, but what strikes me most about this tea is the aroma whenever I take the caddy lid off. It's gorgeously minty, present but not overpoweringly strong, and enticing. 

I put a rather generous, (perhaps a little bit too generous as I experienced some difficulty in placing the lid on the infuser, but hey ho you only live once!) into my trusty Yellow Submarine infuser, poured overly freshly boiled water and stood and waited for the tea to infuse.

The aroma of the gorgeous mint tea filled the kitchen. I had to pop into the living room to say hello to a visitor. Upon stepping back into the kitchen I could really smell the infusion, almost as if I had just cut the mint myself. 

Taking the tea up to bed and settling down to watch the television I took my first sip and loved it as much as I did at the tea tasting. 

What I love about this blend is the fact that although it's a mint tea, it's not overpowering. It's refreshing enough to enjoy without being so strong that it becomes undrinkable. It's mellow and gentle, but at the same time deeply tasty and almost addictive. 

Though this tea is sparky and makes an impression, it's lovely to take to unwind at the end of the day, too. I find this tea as relaxing as any lavender based blend that is often used for those end of the day drinks. And this blend is also caffeine free too, so it won't cause you any problems with sleeping. 

A little fact that I found interesting is that Cuban peppermint is said to contain more peppermint oil in it's leaves then any other type of mint!

This peppermint tea  stand's head, shoulders, (and pretty much everything else) above anything you will purchase in the supermarket. 

It lacks that strange oily element that some mint tea's can contain. When you drink this you feel like you are drinking something completely natural, healthy, and good for you. 

I have just finished another mug after a hectic day and I feel completely relaxed and comfy. It's almost like it's easing you to sleep with it's comforting charms. 

So, now I can stand up and say "I'm Laura, I love mint tea". And I'm proud of it!