Welcome to Twinings Tea Taster classes – for this month’s edition we are exploring Lemongrass & Peppermint. A fragrant, colourful loose leaf herbal infusion of sublime flavour.
Today we are tasting a very fragrant and colourful infusion. Infusions are slightly different from tea in that tea plants contain caffeine whereas herbal infusions are caffeine-free.
With this particular blend, the sweet taste of peppermint perfectly blends with the smooth citric character of lemongrass to create a delightfully zingy and fragrant infusion.
Peppermint is a hybrid of water mint, mentha aquatica and spearmint mentha spicata and is easily identifiable by its crisscross profile down the stem. The menthol contained within the leaf gives it that characteristic minty, peppery taste.
Lemongrass is a naturally occurring grass indigenous to South Central and South East Asia and thrives in sub-tropical/tropical climates. It’s a very sharp-leafed grass with quite long leaves. However, it’s the bulbous end of the grass that are used for this infusion. Lemongrass with its fresh lemony aroma is a very versatile ingredient adding fragrance to many flavour combinations and Asian inspired dishes.
We believe that how you make your tea is equally as important as the tea you use, so here’s how we like to make this infusion:
When you smell and taste your tea, why not use the Twinings flavour wheel and see what aromas and tastes you can come up with. First of all, before your nostrils come close to the tea liquor, just smell the back of your hand as this helps to cleanse your palette.
Assam tea is characteristic of the area in which it’s grown. These tea bushes love to grow at sea level, where temperatures range from about 35 to 38 degrees in the summer, and regulated by monsoon rains which keeps everything nice and cool. What most people don’t realise about this region of India, is that in the winter months, temperatures drop way down into single digits.
Take a moment to inhale the aroma and look at the beautifully vibrant colours of your lemongrass and peppermint infusion. Flavour is sometimes described as a journey through the mouth. Some flavour components come quickly whilst others establish themselves as an aftertaste. Initially you get the zingy character of the peppermint then the gentle warmth of the lemongrass and peppermint working together. We hope you enjoy this fragrant, colourful infusion as much as we do.
Our master blender Mark talks us through the wonder of Lemongrass & Peppermint.
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