Super Spearole

Tea blends come in all tastes and remedies.

Dr Red's Spearole Tea falls into the remedy category.

Apparently scientific tests have been done on this tea which proves that provided you drink enough of it, you can eat whatever you want and not get fat!  Now wouldn't that be super!

Somehow I imagine that you would have to drink so much that you wouldn't actually ever be hungry and that's how the effect would work...just a theory.

Anyway, on my mother's recommendation I picked up a packet of this new miracle tea.

For tea, it is actually pretty expensive. At my local health food emporium, 150gm sets you back almost $30.

I open the foil bag and take a huge whiff - smells like chewing gum.  The spearmint kind.

It is actually a blend of gunpowder green tea, olive leaf, spearmint oil, olive skins, grape seeds and spearmint spouts.

I pop a teaspoon full into my infuser after letting my boiling water cool a bit.  After a minute, I whip out the infuser and inhale deeply.  It smells, nose-clearingly like spearmint.  Yum!

The taste is quite strong and quite astringent.  It is a darker colour green tea.  It has the lovely minty finish which is rather nice.  Maybe suitable for a little after dinner tipple for those of a healthier disposition.

I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either.  It was a little strong for my liking and I imagine if you left the leaves in for longer than a minute, the astringency would deck you.  I don't know if it is really endowed with magical waist-whittling powers but it is a good one if you like a strong green.

Dr Red also does another tea blend called Purple Carrot Tea.  I think I'll have to work my way up to that one.

Madame Flavour does Pear

Green tea now comes in so many flavours it can be a minefield to work out what you like.

One I tried some time ago now is the Green, Jasmine and Pear from that divine teahouse, Madame Flavour.

I first got into Madame Flavour teas about a year ago.  I was wandering along George Street near Martin Place in Sydney when I had thrust into my hands by some marketing people three tiny boxes.  Each contained a beautifully presented cornsilk teabag with each of English Breakfast, Sultry Chai and Green,  Jasmine and Pear.  I headed back to work and immediately tried out the tea.  It was lovely!  The taste aided by the beautiful presentation: each in a tiny cardboard box with a silver lining and containing a little note explaining how to enjoy the tea.  It was so beautiful, I immediately hunted down Madame Flavour online (http://www.madameflavour.com.au/) and ordered a box of the English Breakfast.  A few days later it arrived with a handwritten note from Madame Flavour herself thanking me for my kind words and including a huge box of all different types of individually boxed teas!!!

The combination of the quality of the tea, the presentation and the generousity of the owner mean that I simply cannot say how much a love Madame Flavour!

Anyway, she does a mean Green, Jasmine and Pear.

It smells fruity and very strongly of jasmine.

The taste is of a traditional jasmine green tea however it has a mellow sweetness which introduces the pear.  It is more an aftertaste than the main fanfare but I rather like it.

It is a strong tea so those that find green teas a little too strong or astringent would probably prefer a lighter green tea flavour.

I, for one, am a fan.  So Green, Jasmine and Pear has been featuring as the green of choice in my tea box for the last twelve months and it has been very well received by my tea guests.

I would highly recommend checking out Madame Flavour's website.  Even if you don't particularly care for tea, you will still enjoy the beautiful graphics and words.  For the standard tea lover, I highly recommend the English Breakfast.  For the herbal tea lover, I recommend the White Tea with Rose (I know it is still a real tea but it is so light and sweet that you would never know).  She has also recently introduced some real tisanes to the mix.  I have not yet tried them but I be sure to report once I have!