The Simple Leaf uses an interesting approach to sell tea. Rather than saturate their website with dozens of teas to purchase, they offer merely 14 varieties. I was intrigued by this idea and wondered if the tea they offered was truly “special” enough to warrant selling so few teas. After drinking a cup of Shanti, I’m no longer a skeptic; the tea was delicious.

The dry form of the tea is made up of twisted long, green leaves and is beautiful to behold. The scent was grassy, but also had a smoky quality to it reminiscent of pipe tobacco; it was very pleasant and not at all overpowering. After this first smell, I sat back to think a bit as the scent reminded me of something very familiar, although I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

I prepared my cup using just over one teaspoon of leaf per 8 ounces, in 170-degree water. I allowed the tea to steep for 3 minutes and gave it another smell. The smoky quality was still present and as soon as I tried my first sip, the familiarity I couldn’t quite place became clear. The tea reminded me of a green pu-erh. The light flavor of tobacco filled the cup and the grassiness I noted in the smell, all but disappeared in the brew. This is a wonderful tea and I would recommend it to fans of green pu-erh or green tea in general. It is a very delicate tea but also provides plenty of flavors to keep things interesting.

— To purchase The Simple Leaf Shanti, or for more specific information on ingredients or the story behind this particular tea, click here to go directly to the manufacturer's web site.

Erika Teaviews.com Reviewer » Read more about this reviewer on Erika's profile page. » Find a list of recent posts by Erika.

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