This year, I want to try and pair each of my reads with a tea in my collection (which is so large that I can’t even call it a stash anymore). So far, it’s been pretty fun, and also quite useful as it helps me shop my stash rather than go out and buy even more tea that I definitely do not need. Since the “Beach Read” characters drank quite a bit, I wanted to find a fun alcohol-inspired blend to match. Surprisingly, I had quite a few, but decided to try Tea Runners’ Juniper Tonic, as I love a solid gin & tonic.
I’m not quite sure when I got this blend (but also I’m too lazy to go through my emails for the receipt), but it was a pleasant surprise to find. Honestly, this is one of the reasons why I love the “Shop What You Own” challenge – I always forget what I do own and it’s always a pleasant surprise to find an intriguing blend to try. This particular blend was made for gin & tonic fans, and is “at once throat warming and soothing, but also sophisticated enough to serve as an alternative to a cocktail,” according to the blend’s description. I mean, I love a bit of spice and I love gin & tonics, so I figured, why not try this as an apertif or with dinner in place of my usual cocktail.
So when the label said “vibrant gunpowder green tea gets a helping hand from juniper berries, with hints of ginger, cardamom, lemon, and cinnamon,” I guess they meant the blend got a heavy helping hand, as all I saw were juniper berries. Which, honestly, was a good sign as juniper berries are quite essential to gin. I’m also not sure if the green tea was crushed due to my improper storage (this was in a bin that I used to just dump tea packets into), or if I just got a heavy juniper blend – either way, Juniper Tonic was quite interesting.
Pre-Brewing Thoughts
- SO MANY JUNIPER BERRIES.
- Hmmm… I don’t see a lot of tea. Maybe I’m just blind and it’s time for new glasses anyway…
- Curious as to how you get tonic flavor into this. Also, I don’t think I’ve ever had a spicy gin & tonic? That could be an interesting experiment…
- Maybe this would be a good base for a new spicy gin & tonic. It does smell warming/holiday-ish.
Tasting Notes:
- TYPE: Green | Flavored
- DIRECTIONS: 1 tsp / 8 oz | Steep at 175ºF/85ºC water for 3-4 minutes.
- I ended up using 2.5 teaspoons for my 16 oz mug. I also waited for my freshly boiled water to cool for about 10 minutes before using it to steep the tea for about one song (~2-3 minutes).
- BLEND: Gunpowder green tea, juniper berries, ginger root, lemon balm, cinnamon, star anise, cardamom, lemon extract
- SCENT: Similar to a warming/spicy holiday blend. Kind of like a hug in a mug.
- TASTE: Very warming. Didn’t quite remind me of a gin & tonic though.
- RATING: 3.5/5 – Honestly, if the blend didn’t say “for gin & tonic fans” I would’ve rated it higher… but I honestly couldn’t get any gin & tonic feeling from this. Maybe my palate just sucks. Still a solid blend.
End Thoughts:
Overall, this was a solid blend. It was nice, slightly spicy and warming, and a rather lovely after dinner treat. Did it evoke gin & tonic for me? Not quite. But maybe my palate isn’t as nuanced as other people’s 🤷🏻♀️. I don’t know if I’d purchase a full sized version of this particular blend, but I’m definitely planning on drinking it constantly this week with my meals or as a digestif.
Side note – for safety (and liability) reasons, I do not recommend drinking teas past their “best by” date – so please don’t follow my example and drink teas way after their best date. And don’t be a tea hoarder like me either.
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