Pique Tea, Mint Sencha Green Tea

Picture Credit: Piquetea.com

Pique Tea Description:
Organic Green Tea. The perfect pairing of Japanese green tea with fresh spearmint. Vibrant and refreshing.

Sample provided by Pique Tea

My Review:
It's raining like crazy outside today. A few days ago we had 3" of rain. It's February. It's supposed to be snowing. Not going to complain. Think I'll just sit back and sip some tea instead.

I have been so super busy of late. It makes me extra appreciative of the convenient and simple to prepare options I have been reviewing recently. The simplest and most convenient that I have found, that still manages to taste like tea that I would want to drink, has been these Pique Tea crystals. I was skeptical when first contacted, but have to say these have, so far, been very tasty.

Pique Tea is a new company offering these individual sized crystallized tea packets through a subscription service. There are five different teas from which to choose. Not to worry, they offer to let you try it for free when you sign up.

The packaging advises to use 175 F water for their green teas and 205 F for all other teas. I'll add that I have used some of the previously reviewed Pique teas in a small bottle of cold water and shook to mix. It worked great.

I heated my water to 175 F. Cut open the packet and poured in a warmed and still wet mug. The powder instantly began to dissolve.

As the water finishes heating, I can already catch spearmint scent in the air. I am not the biggest fan of spearmint in or out of tea but I will proceed with an open mind.

With the addition of the hot water, I get a mug full of a golden amber colored liquor. I don't even need to stir.

Moment of truth time. Interesting. OK, I just admitted that I don't like spearmint, however, something is different here. This may be one of those situations like jasmine, where for years I thought I didn't like it, only to discover I simply didn't like the flavored teas I had tried to that point.

There is no question, this is a mint tea. What I have experienced in the past was gunk that tasted like toothpaste. This does not. The mint is far less intense but still drives the cup. It is followed by an equally intense grassy bite from the sencha.

The bite is reminiscent of that found in Ceylon black tea. Not that they taste anything alike. I mention this because some people like a gentle non threatening mellow cuppa and some of us like a tea that makes its presence felt. This falls into that latter category. It's intense. It's spearmint, and I like it!

You can find Pique Tea Mint Sencha Green Tea here