A Nice Cuppa

Green Tea Tropical is another delightful whole-leaf artisanal offering from Mighty Leaf, a blend of green tea leaves, colorful cornflowers, and tropical fruit.

Pulling the silk tea sachet out of the foil envelope, I was immediately struck by how pretty this tea is. The green of the tea leaves was speckled with flashes of blue and red flower petals. The aroma was the second thing that captured my attention. Straight from the package, the tea gives off a lively fragrance that reminded me of nothing more than fruit punch. Clearly, this is not a fuddy-duddy tea!

I steeped the tea bag for the suggested three minutes in very hot — not boiling — water, then removed and discarded the tea bag.

As with other Mighty Leaf tea blends I’ve sampled, I found that Green Tea Tropical did not require any sweetener to enhance its flavor or mitigate bitterness. In fact, there was no hint of the bitter notes that sometimes characterize green tea. The brew was full-bodied without being cloying, and the flavor was bright, with well-defined notes of pineapple and guava.

Because this tea has such an unusually vibrant quality, I would take care when selecting food to pair it with. Although I didn’t have an opportunity to do so, I would try it iced, and serve it with salads or seafood. Hot, I think it would make an excellent stand-alone dessert tea. If serving with sweets, I would not match it with any kind of elaborate or rich dessert, but would offer only a simple pound cake or sugar cookies, or perhaps grilled summer fruits.

Green Tea Tropical does contain some caffeine, but less than black tea, and provides beneficial antioxidant compounds.

For more information or to order Green Tea Tropical or other Mighty Leaf teas online, check out the Mighty Leaf Web site.