Category Archives: green teas

Green Tea Shortbread Cookies

Posted on May 8, 2013 by | Leave a comment

… just in time for Mother’s Day!  Remember folks, it’s coming up THIS Sunday.  I’m sure you have planned something super great for the wonderful moms in your life, but how about adding one more little thing?  These unique and delicious shortbread cookies:

Cooked Cookies

The recipe comes from Martha Stewart (of course) and can be found here.  While making these cookies we did not video ourselves, but you can check out a video of Martha and chef Ellen Greaves making them.  I assure you that in our kitchen we looked equally as gracefully and tidy as these talented bakers look.  Promise.

Tea two

First you will need tea!  Green tea powder to be exact.  This powered is easy to work with and makes these cookies a super cute great color!  Obviously, I didn’t have this at home (when do I ever have all the ingredients for a recipe? Never, that’s when.) So, I improvised.  I used Good Earth’s Super Green tea.  This does have some matcha (a type of green tea powder) in it, so I get points there.  It also has citrus, so I should get points for creativity there too!

GTSB Batter

Then you mix together all the other stuff you need.  Yum!

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Then you do a bunch of other stuff, like chill the dough, cut the dough and roll it out.  All found in Martha’s recipe.  She is much better at describing this sort of thing.  THEN! Then you cut them into your (or your mother’s) favorite shapes.  I like cats, so I made them all cats! Too cute! Then you bake them, let them cool and eat them.  Or package them up and give them to you ever deserving mother. Happy Mother’s Day!

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Posted in green teas, recipe

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Review: Tenota Organic Sweet Green

Posted on May 2, 2013 by | Leave a comment

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Please note that while we were sent free samples of this tea to review we are just as critical of free tea. If we receive something we don’t like we give an honest review or skip it all together!

Overall Rating:

Taste: 4.5 of 5 leaves – Quite a good cuppa!
Steepability: 3 of 5 leaves – This tea is a bit delicate.

Abby says:

Temperature: @ 190 degrees (below boiling)
Steeped: 2 minutes first steep, 3 minutes second steep
Served: Nothing Added

Tenota’s tea notes are just the cutest things. Delicious tea snail-mailed in a stylish envelop with a personalized message attached! For Katie’s b-day I sent her a tea note as soon as I discovered the Tenota. The website for ordering is super easy to use, and there is a nice selection of teas to choose from.

Their Organic Sweet Green is a classic green tea done right. There are nice big tea leaves in the sachet that match the big tea note! This tea already had points in my book because it is organic. With all of the controversy over GMOs and “where does our food really come from?”, certified organic is carrying more weight. I was delighted to find that it tasted great too. That light grassy flavor is there, which makes for a refreshing hot tea. After drinking the first cup like it was going out of style, I decided to resteep this tea for another cup. The results were pretty good. It was certainly more earthy the second time around and the flavor wasn’t as strong. It was good, though and I drank that up quickly too!

Tenota would make a unique and personal gift for tea lovers. I think a tea note would also make a great thank you note or invitation. Most importantly the tea is good, so you know that your tea note will be well received!

Taste: 4.5 of 5 leaves – Quite a good cuppa!
Steepability: 3 of 5 leaves – This tea is a bit delicate.

Tenota Green

Katie says:

Temperature: @ 190 degrees (below boiling)
Steeped: 2 minutes first steep, 3.5 minutes second steep
Served: Tried with nothing added & with honey

Tea with a note in a card? I’m in! Plus it comes in the mail in a cute little brown envelope so it automatically feels more special than the other mail. As soon as I heard about this I thought it was a great idea and just hoped that the gimmick wouldn’t be better than the tea inside. Happily, I discovered that this tea is delicious! Not only are tea notes a cute idea this is actually quality tea, worth sending to a tea-lover, inside the note. The only drawback for me is that the price for one bag of tea is a bit high, but you’re paying for the their adorable packaging and how easy they make it to send a personalized gift.

OK, on to the tea itself! We tried the Organic Sweet Green tea. I was intrigued that it was sweet and tried it on it’s own, and with honey. It was powerful enough for a second steep so I was able to try this several ways. First I had it hot unsweetened and while it was nice I decided to add some local honey. Yum! For the second steep I drank more unsweetened, from a longer steep, with the intention of pouring it over ice later. I think iced and unsweetened ended up being my favorite! It had just enough caffeine for an afternoon pick-me-up without feeling too wired. This green tea has a green, almost grassy taste, with a hint of sweetness. If you are careful to not over-steep and you’ll find yourself with a very enjoyable tea.

Taste: 4.5 of 5 leaves – Quite a good cuppa!
Steepability: 3 of 5 leaves – This tea is a bit delicate.

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Review: Good Earth Super Green Tea

Posted on January 17, 2013 by | 1 Comment

Good Earth Super Green

Temperature: @180 (below boiling point)
Steeped: 3 minutes
Served: Nothing added

Super Green tea? Sounds good, right? Right! This tea is a blend of green tea, matcha, sencha and citrus flavors. Though it packed a pretty powerful kick, the flavor remains subtle and relatively light. Matcha is powdered Japanese green tea that is higher in caffeine than full leaf teas, so adding it to this blend adds to the caffeine content. This is great for when you want the lightness of green tea flavor with a stronger boost. I really enjoy the addition of orange as well; it gives a nice balance and adds another element to the flavor.

For me, matcha can be a little intense on its own, but when it’s blended with other types of green teas in Good Earth Super Green tea the taste and caffeine are more muted. I found on Good Earth that this tea is packed with antioxidants, much more so that traditional green tea. Yet another reason to try it! Typically I think this tea is best to drink on its own, rather than paired with food. However it might be fun to try is with some light snacks (I am always looking for a reason to have a little snack). Let us know if you try (or have tried) it with food and let us know what you thought.

Taste: 4.5 of 5 tea leaves – A decent tasty tea.
Steepability: 4 of 5 tea leaves – This tea requires very little effort.

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Posted in green teas

Review: Capital Teas Gone with the Peach

Posted on December 12, 2012 by | Leave a comment

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Capital Teas was kind enough to send us samples of their teas to review.* Thank you!

Overall Rating:

Taste: 4.5 of 5 tea leaves — Outstanding! A MUST try.
Steepability: 3 of 5 tea leaves — This tea is a bit delicate.

Abby says:

Temperature: @180 (below boiling point)
Steeped: 2 minutes
Served: Nothing added

Gone with the Peach from Capital Teas Artisanal Collection – what a fun name for tea! Its a blend of green tea pearls, black tea, peach, ginger and spices. After a quick two minute steep the tea is light amber in the cup. The aroma of peach is strong, but the taste fruity and fresh without being sweet. The peach flavor is crisp and well balanced by the cinnamon, ginger and cloves giving it depth. It is very easy to drink – light enough so it pairs well with food, yet has enough body to drink alone.

Being that its a chilly December day I drank this tea hot, but I am sure it would make a refreshing and bright iced tea too. If you are looking for a delightful, not-too-sweet peach tea, give this one a try! You can find steeping directions for both hot and iced at Capital Teas. Because of the delicate green tea pearls you want to avoid using water that is too hot and steeping it for too long.

Taste: 4.5 of 5 tea leaves — Outstanding! A MUST try.
Steepability: 3 of 5 tea leaves — This tea is a bit delicate.

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Katie says:

Temperature: @180 (below boiling point)
Steeped: 2.5 minutes
Served: Nothing at first then a touch of honey

Yet another beautiful tea, my favorite kind! I just love seeing large bits of nice-looking ingredients in my tea. “Gone with the Peach” is from the Capital Teas artisanal collection. It is made with pearls of gunpowder green tea. Typically I find gunpowder green to be on the strong side (at least for green tea) but this tea has just 5-10% of the caffeine content of coffee. This lower caffeine content, in my opinion, makes it a perfect afternoon tea. The green is flavorful without being bitter and the peach is mild and fresh tasting instead of taking on the fake peachy taste some foods/drinks have. I really enjoyed this tea as a sweet treat with a touch of honey.

Fun fact: Capital Teas is a fifth generation, family-owned specialty tea merchant. They offer more than 175 varieties of the highest quality loose-leaf teas and herbal infusions. They also offer artisanal honey, jams, and tea-infused chocolate. Wait, did someone say tea-infused chocolate? YUM! I’ll need to get my hands on some of that ASAP!

Taste: 4.5 of 5 tea leaves — Outstanding! A MUST try.
Steepability: 3 of 5 tea leaves — This tea is a bit delicate.

*Please note that we are just as critical of free teas as the ones we purchase. If we get a sample we don’t like we won’t include it on our blog.

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Posted in black teas, green teas

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Review: Numi Gunpowder Green

Posted on November 28, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Overall Rating:

Taste: 4.25 of 5 tea leaves – Quite a good cuppa!
Steepability: 4 of 5 tea leaves – This tea requires very little effort.

Katie says:

Temperature: @200 (below boiling)
Steeped: 3 minutes
Served: Nothing added

Quite a tasty tea! This is a very nice green tea, especially for bagged tea. Even in the bag I could tell that there were large pieces of leaves so I cut open a bag to see. You can see the little gun power curls!

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I just love when there are big pieces of leaves inside a tea bag. Seeing leaves so small they are dust is the worst! Luckily the inside of the bag did not disappoint! This tea has a nice robust typical green tea taste. Great for on the run, just don’t over steep or it will get bitter!

Taste: 4.5 of 5 tea leaves – Quite a good cuppa!
Steepability: 4 of 5 tea leaves – This tea requires very little effort.

Abby says:

Temperature: @200 (below boiling)
Steeped: 3 minutes
Served: Nothing added

As you know from previous blog posts we love Numi tea! Not just because the tea tastes great, but because it is also organic. Typically, gunpowder green is a beautiful tea to watch while it steeps. However, we sampled Numi’s bagged version, so we were unable to watch the unrolling process this time. Even with bagged tea, you can still see the transformation of the tea leaves just by looking at the tea bag. It is called gunpowder because the tea leaves are rolled into tiny balls in order to preserve qualities of the tea leaves. When it steeps, those leaves unroll and the delicate tea leaf flavors are released. Cool, right?

Numi’s gunpowder green has delicate, earthy flavors that give it a distinct taste. A great option for quick and pretty easy (careful not to oversteep) green tea for people with no time to prepare loose leaf. It is easy to drink and can be re-steeped at least once. On second steep I left the teabag in my mug for about 3.5 minutes. The flavor wasn’t quite a potent. It was lighter and still good tasting.

Taste: 4 of 5 tea leaves – Quite a good cuppa!
Steepability: 4 of 5 tea leaves – This tea requires very little effort.

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One Year Anniversary and Giveaway!

Posted on August 21, 2012 by | 10 Comments

***UPDATE*** After much delay (sorry about that folks) we have a winner!!! (Drum roll, please…) And the winner is: PurpleLarkspur!  Thank you to everyone who entered and PurpleLarkspur we will be contacting you about receiving your winnings!

True Random Number Generator Result: 3    Powered by RANDOM.ORG

 **UPDATE** Thank you so much to those of you who have commented. To give a few more people a chance we’ve extended the giveaway another week. A winner will be chosen on 9/3. Comment for a chance to win.

First of all, happy 8/20! Last August we were just starting the blog and now we’ve been posting for a full year! You may find it odd that we wish you a happy 8/20. Well, in one of our first posts we talked about how in college all of the roommates bought a big basket of tea as our holiday gift to each other. That house was #820 on the street. Our friends at Syracuse would refer to houses by the # instead of saying ‘so and so’s place.’ As college students always looking for a reason to party we’d often celebrate the house’s day. An odd little story, but that’s the truth and why I’ll always have a big smile on August 20th. (And to your guy friends who lived around the corner…happy almost 8/29!)

So, on to the part you’ve been waiting for, right? The giveaway! What can you win? The prize , shown below, is Stash’s 13 iced tea sampler.*

 

Mandatory Entry: Do you have any made-up holidays like 8/20? What are they?  (comment to tell us)

(One Extra Entry for Each – comment once for each entry to let us know!)
-Follow @Delecteable on Twitter
-”Like” DelecTEAble on Facebook
-Sign up to receive our blog via email. Click on the right column link.
-Tweet this giveaway. (Once Daily) Feel free to copy/paste:
I entered the @delecTEAble giveaway for a chance to win free iced tea! You can enter too: http://wp.me/p1LDej-is #giveaway #teatime Please RT
Remember, each entry must be left in a separate comment. A winning comment will be chosen at random. Winner has 48 hours to reply and claim their prize before a new winner is selected.
Giveaway ends on Monday August 27th, 2011 at 8 PM EST. Only U.S. residents can win but others are welcome to comment.
 
This giveaway  prize is provided by Stash Tea. We will notify the winner and put them in touch with Stash Tea to have the prize mailed directly to you!
Want to know more about what you could win?  We’ve already reviewed Stash Decaf American Iced Tea. We’ll also give you some tasting notes on two of the other flavors included in the sampler.  This week is Lime Green and the 3rd tea review will be posted next Monday when we list a winner.

Review: Stash Lime Green Iced Tea

Katie says:

When I was steeping this tea I immediately noticed a strong lime scent. At first I was afraid that it would overpower the green tea. However, once I tasted the tea over ice I found the lime and green flavors to be a nice balance. I didn’t even add any sugar! This iced tea is a great alternative to pre-mixed iced teas because it packs in a lot of flavor without the need for the added calories of sweetener.

Taste: 4 of 5 leaves: Quite a good cuppa!
Steepability: 4 of 5 — this tea requires very little effort.

Abby says:

The Stash Lime Green Iced Tea is an interesting twist on the typical green iced tea. Instead of the traditional lemon that is often added to iced tea, this one has lime flavor added for you. It is always fun to try something a little different and with the ease of making this iced tea, why not!

Taste: 3.5 of 5 leaves: A decent tasty tea.

Steepability: 5 of 5 leaves: This tea is easy to make!

*Sampler includes: American, Decaf American, Lemon Ice Green & Black, Lime Green, Moroccan Mint Green, Orange Spice Black, Peach Black, Tropical Fruit Black, Lemon Blossom Herbal, Mango Passionfruit Herbal, Peach Herbal, Wild Raspberry Herbal, and Orange Cranberry Herbal

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Posted in decaf or hearbal tea, Easy to make, giveaway, green teas, iced tea

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Review: Stash Ginger Peach Green Tea

Posted on July 25, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Overall rating:

Taste: 3.25 of 5 leaves: A decent tasty tea.
Steepability: 4 of 5 — this tea requires very little effort.

Katie says:

Temperature: @180 (below boiling point)
Steeped: 3 minutes
Served: nothing added

This tea is a nice alternative to a traditional green. The peach and ginger add enough flavor that I didn’t add any sweetener. I will say that I can taste the spicy of the ginger much more than the peach flavor. It is a very pleasant tasting blend, but it is more ginger green with a hint of peach than an equal mix of the two flavors.

I happen to love the combination of green and ginger. Since green tea is typically lower in caffeine than black tea this makes a nice choice for an afternoon pick-me-up that won’t keep you up later. Also, ginger helps to cleanse your palate so this would be nice after a meal as well. This particular green tea holds up better with a little extra steeping than other greens. This is due to the matcha powder that is meant to be disolved in the tea not steeped and removed. So instead of deeming this tea fussy, as some greens are, this is still easy to make.

Taste: 3.5 of 5 leaves: A decent tasty tea.
Steepability: 4 of 5 — this tea requires very little effort.

Abby says:

Temperature: @180 (below boiling point)
Steeped: 3 minutes
Served: nothing added

Lets start out by talking for a minute about how much I love peach anything – the color, the fruit and the flavor. If you put peaches in anything you can bet I’ll be lining up to give it a try. I love eating juice-running-down-your-arm ripe peaches and of course I love peach flavors in my tea! Peach fruit on the bottom yogurt? Yes, please. Peach crumble? Right again! But there is one thing I don’t love about peach – fake peach flavor. No thanks, none for me. So, I am always a little leery when trying things with “peach flavor”. What is that? Real peach stuff or something else? Though, I’m still not sure what it is, in this case, it worked out! This tea is a great blend of the bite of ginger and a sweetness of peach! The peachiness is subtle and blends well with the spiciness of the ginger and the earthy taste of the matcha. If any of these flavors are your thing I would highly recommend this tea.

I haven’t had the chance to try it iced yet, but I bet it would be really refreshing. There goes one more thing added to my “to do” list! Have you tried this tea iced? If so I’d love to hear how it turned out.

Taste: 3 of 5 leaves: A decent tasty tea.
Steepability: 4 of 5 — this tea requires very little effort.

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Review: Steven Smith Teamaker Fez

Posted on July 11, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Overall Rating:

Taste: 4.25 of 5 tea leaves – Quite a good cuppa!
Steepability: 4 of 5 tea leaves – This tea requires very little effort.

Katie says:

Temperature: @180-190 (below boiling)
Steeped: 3 minutes (as recommended) 4-5 minutes on 2nd steep
Served: Nothing added

I like the complexity in this green tea. It is not simply green with mint but you can also taste the notes of lemon from the lemon myrtle. What is lemon myrtle? I’ve more commonly heard it referred to as lemon scented verbena, which is described as having calming and uplifting qualities. Smith Teamaker says of this tea: “Fez artfully evokes old Morocco, and tastes best when shared with friends while lounging on pillows.” Sipping tea while lounging on pillows with friends? I’m in!

This tea is plenty strong enough to make 2 large cups and looks beautiful in it’s translucent tea sachet. As you know if you’ve read our other posts…big beautiful pieces of tea leaves earn bonus point in my book because they usually result in better & stronger flavors. Once again my theory that “big leaves = big taste” holds true.

Taste: 4.5 of 5 tea leaves – Quite a good cuppa!
Steepability: 4 of 5 tea leaves – This tea requires very little effort.

Abby says:

Temperature: @180-190 (below boiling)
Steeped: 3 minutes (as recommended)
Served: Nothing added

The combination of blended Chinese green teas and a touch of spearmint give this tea a wonderful complexity and charming earthy flavor. What’s so great about this blend is that you are able to really taste the green tea and the spearmint separately if you try, but together they make a great blend. Another thing that I really like about this tea is that the flavors aren’t too strong like many teas with spearmint. This is a drink it all day kind of tea!

Green tea drinkers and spearmint fanatics alike with appreciate this tea. As neither piece is overly strong this tea will work for a variety of palates. As always, with green teas, remember to watch your steep time!

Taste: 4 of 5 tea leaves – Quite a good cuppa!
Steepability: 4 of 5 tea leaves – This tea requires very little effort.

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Posted in Easy to make, green teas

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Review: Tazo Plum Pomegranate Green Tea

Posted on June 12, 2012 by | Leave a comment


Overall Rating:

Taste: 4 of 5 tea leaves – Quite a good cuppa!
Steepability: This tea is bottled!

Abby says:

Temperature: Cold
Served: Over ice, in a glass

What a tasty treat for a hot summer day! I found this tea to be quite refreshing with great flavor. Although I liked drinking it very much and will certainly seek it out again, there isn’t much tea taste. Katie, could you taste the green tea among the plum and pomegranate juices? It seems that plum and pomegranate juice go really well together to create a sweet and light summer drink!

It’s not a bad idea to stock the fridge with several bottles for whenever you might need a quick, yummy pick-me-up. This tea would be great for anyone, as it is sweet, but not too sweet. To me it tastes more like a full-flavored juice blend. Though, I didn’t find much tea essence, I still really enjoyed this combo. In fact, I think it could easily be used to create a variety of light summer cocktails. I’ll have to get to work on that idea and report back!

Taste: 4 of 5 tea leaves – Quite a good cuppa!
Steepability: This tea is bottled!

Katie says:

Temperature: Cold
Served: Just grabbed the cold bottle from the fridge and drank

I find this tea to be more like a light version of juice than iced tea, that said, it is very good. The clean taste of green tea blends well with the plum and pomegranate juices. When I drink juice, I tend to water it down with sparkling water or coconut water; so I really enjoy this juice/tea blend. Perhaps I’ll have to make some iced green tea to try my own juice blends. I bet white grape & green tea would be quite yummy too. The finishing flavors of this iced tea are a mild version of the sweet/sour pucker you get from eating pomegranates.

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I was, however, sad to see that tazo is longer offering the tea leaf reading (seen under the cap) on their website. It was a cute little gimmick. If you’re missing that fun feature here’s a link so you can do your own tea leaf reading: http://tarotcanada.tripod.com/TeaLeaves.html

Taste: 4 of 5 tea leaves – Quite a good cuppa!
Steepability: This tea is bottled!

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Posted in green teas, iced tea

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Review: Numi Jasmine Green

Posted on May 23, 2012 by | 1 Comment


Overall Rating:

Taste: 4 of 5 tea leaves – Quite a good cuppa!
Steepability: 4 of 5 tea leaves – This tea requires very little effort.

Katie says:

This is a delicious tea. The green had a nice flavor that was not at all bitter. The jasmine added a nice aroma and flavor to this green without being overpowering. Sometimes I find Jasmine teas to have a perfume-like taste and that was not the case with this tea. Green teas are one of the few types that I tend to drink unsweetened but I’ll add a hint of sweet if I find it to be at all bitter. This tea isn’t bitter at all and is wonderful to enjoy just as it is. Bonus, this tea is fair trade and organic!

So, with all of these great things to say, you may wonder why I’m not giving it a higher rating. The only thing that would make me give this tea a better rating is if inside the bag the pieces of tea leaves were larger. I often cut open the bags of teas that we review and inside I did find a little “dust” (tiny fragments of tea). For me to give a tea a 5 I like to find that the bits of tea are large enough to be steeped in an infuser with a tightly woven strainer or small openings.

Temperature: @200 (below boiling)
Steeped: 2.5 minutes
Served: Nothing added

Taste: 4 of 5 tea leaves – Quite a good cuppa!
Steepability: 4 of 5 tea leaves – This tea requires very little effort.

Abby says:

Temperature: @200 (below boiling)
Steeped: 2 minutes
Served: Nothing added

We’ve got another certified organic and fair trade one for you!  I just love how easy it is to find teas that are both organic AND fair trade!  This time it is Numi Jasmine Green.  The aroma of this tea will instantly draw you in.  The jasmine scent is so delicate  and wonderful that it makes you want to keep steeping this tea all day just to keep the smell of it in the air.

The green tea flavor is strong – and I only steeped it for 2 minutes!  The big green tea flavor is well balance by the light jasmine.  This is an easy to drink flavorful tea that is great for drinking by itself or with food.  A perfect springtime treat.  Just be careful not to oversteep – it could easily become bitter.  For this one I recommend keeping a close eye on the clock or setting yourself a timer.  If careful with steeping you are left with a tasty cuppa!

Taste: 4 of 5 tea leaves – Quite a good cuppa!
Steepability: 4 of 5 tea leaves – This tea requires very little effort.

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