Peppermint - Herbal Tea

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ingredients: Oregon peppermint leaves

subjective analysis:
When I poured the hot water onto the tea bag and smelled the first wave of fumes wafting up from the steeping process, I knew this one was gonna be good. The mint flavor is nice and strong, and leaves the subtlest feeling of coolness in your mouth. I prefer that this tea be served hot (the contrast of the tea's warmth and the mint's cool is great) and steeped for at least five minutes or more; it would also be great with fresh lemon juice and/or unrefined sugar (or honey), but that's really just for variety's sake as I ideally prefer this tea just as it is. The only reason I wouldn't give this tea a *perfect* score is because I've been spoiled: my family used to grow mint right in our backyard and we'd boil tea with the fresh plants, and consequently the flavor of the Stash Tea version isn't as fresh and sweet to my tongue, even if it's just as strong and pleasing (the fact that our mint plants were most likely spearmint and not peppermint also has to do with the incongruency in the tastes). However, if you don't have mint in your backyard, and if you don't have a good Middle Eastern or North African restaurant in your area that will serve tea made with fresh spearmint, this Stash Tea version is definitely your best alternative. Stash claims that Oregon-grown peppermint is considered the world's finest, but I'm not sure how much of that is truth and how much is just nice ad copy. *L* ^.^; Still, this tea is wonderful regardless of the claims made about it. Rating: a hit!