Winter Tea Party--Edibles #2 and #3

Left to right: Hemlock, Mint Hemlock, Mint Pine, Sweet Birch, and Eastern White Pine

Tonight we held a tea taste test. Having had hemlock and pine tea before, we both remembered their Christmassy flavor being quite similar and so wanted to compare the two. We also wanted to see if adding some mint might temper and improve the flavor. So we threw a tea party!

And the verdict is: one member of the party stopped tasting after the first two! Another loved the hemlock but really disliked the mint combinations. Thag and I both preferred the mild flavor of the pine to the hemlock and felt that the mint overpowered the pine and fought for power with the hemlock. We added sweet birch (which we both love) as a palate clenser. The birch needed a longer steep, but its Pepto Bismol aroma (yes, we like the pink stuff--but if you prefer, you can call the smell wintergreen) and anise flavor left us longing for a root beer.