Tea: When Life Gives You Lemons Add Mint & Ginger
A Flavored Green Tea from Trader Joe's
Brand: | Trader Joe's |
Style: | Flavored Green Tea |
Region: | Blend |
Caffeine: | Caffeinated |
Loose? | Loose |
# Ratings: | 2 View All |
Reviewer: Tchuggin' Okie
✓ 401 teas reviewed
✓ 32 of Flavored Green Tea
✓ 140 of Flavored Tea
✓ 27 of Trader Joe's
✓ 202 of blends
Review of When Life Gives You Lemons Add Mint & Ginger
March 28th, 2018
Aroma | Flavor | Value | Total |
6 of 10 | 4 of 5 | 4 of 5 | 72 of 100 |
Good | Good | Good Value |
Teas with ridiculously long names seem attracted to me. Whether that's an attraction of the pleasant and fortuitous variety, or more akin to flies swirling around steaming dung heaps, is another story. This blend is one of the few loose-leaf offerings I've seen at TJ's, and contains several dried ingredients that vary from likeable to tolerable for me (peppermint, ginger, orange slices, lemon peel) as well as "natural flavors" and sunflower. Sunflower? That's a new one for me, and even after chugging this tea, I don't know what sunflower is supposed to contribute.
Regardless, this is an enjoyable blend—not in my top 10% for anything resembling daily consumption, but quite savory and pleasant on occasion. I'd get tired of it daily. Still, this should make a wonderful comfort beverage when sick or otherwise unsteady of physical or mental well-being, especially on a cold day. It pours a clear amber that turns a cloudy tan/brown color with time. Essential oils float finely on the brew, too, which I always like to see as a sign of authenticity.
WLGYLAMG (an acronym longer than some tea names!) has an unmistakable, though not particularly intense, ginger aroma. Ginger also dominates the flavor, though the citrus and green tea are readily apparent. I'm impressed that this contains true orange slices, some cut in classically radial shape from rind to center, that shrink to about 1/2–3/4 inch long in dried form. Though at the front of the ingredients list, the peppermint car is closer to the sunflower caboose than the ginger engine on this tea-taste train. The best way to detect the mint is to mouth-inhale after a sip, when the cooling aspect takes hold. The total flavor is warmly spicy and sweet, but with a greater level of bitterness than I'd expect from the ingredients as listed. Maybe "natural flavors" do that.
As with a few other loose-leaf tea-herb blends I've tried, your flavor may vary noticeably from cup to cup, based on the number of the bigger pieces that fall in. In this case, it's orange slices and ginger strips. Since green tea is several ingredients down the list, I'm just guessing the caffeine level is fairly low.