Purity (Tavalon)

Purity: being undiluted or unmixed with extraneous material. Nah, that doesn’t sound right. Purify: remove impurities from, increase the concentration of, and separate through the process of distillation. That’s more like it! That’s what this Sri Lankan black tea, peppermint mix from Tavalon Tea does!

I’m not entirely certain what it is about peppermint that makes it so imbibable. It could be the invigorating tingling we feel on our tongue when we drink it. It could be the exciting clarity to the nostrils it brings. Maybe it’s the relaxing lull after it’s been consumed. Or maybe it’s some combination of all those things.

All I can say for sure is that we use peppermint in all kinds of teas, tisanes and drinks. It’s amazingly flexible and accomodating.

This Ceylon (Sri Lankan) black tea blended with peppermint and ginger root blend together for for a palate inspiring brew!

The leaves are a dark combination of brow-black tea leaves roughly 1/16 an inch in length (BOP) blended with bright green mint leaves and occasional small white ginger root pieces. The dry aroma is minty and fresh with just a hint of ginger zing. There’s no real sense of the ‘tea’ in this mixture.

Once brewed the liquor turns out a honeyed red-orange. The aroma becomes almost equal parts tea and peppermint. It’s not nearly as minty as when the leaves were dry, but equally sweet smelling and a touch of something extra, I presume to be the ginger.

The flavor is very well balanced as well. The peppermint is clearly there, but not as forceful as I’d expected. The black teas’ puckery astringency somes through nicely but subdued just enough. The ginger comes through in the finish, but still only lightly. The menagerie of flavorful textures is very well done.

I would recommend this tea to any fan of peppermint teas. Also, fans of hot chocolate, mocha coffee drinks, malty Assam teas and muscatel Darjeelings may enjoy this brew.