The Simple Leaf's Shanti Review

Type: Green
Origin: Abali Estate in Arunachal Pradesh, India
Price: $4.95 for 1oz; $13.95 for 4oz.
Vendor: The Simple Leaf
Brewing Method: 1 teaspoon of leaves (2.5-3.0 grams), 1 cup of filtered water, heated to 170°F-180°F, steeped for 2-3 minutes.
Overall Score: 4.0 out of 5

Shanti is an organic green tea from India. The first thing I notice is that the leaves are huge. They are long, curled, whole, windy strands with a mix of light green and dark green colors. The aroma of the leaves is very fresh, crisp, and clean.

The aroma while brewing is nutty and buttery, with the typical green tea smell in the background. The smell of this tea overall is quite earthy. The liquor is a yellowish-green color.

The taste of this tea is… different. It has kind of a toasted flavor along with the nutty, buttery flavor. It is very earthy. It is slightly grassy, but I taste more of the toasty nuttiness more than anything.

This brew is not bitter, however, a little astringent. It has this briskness or sharpness to it. I wouldn’t call this brew smooth, but it is still pleasant to drink.

Normally it’s the oolongs that win 1st prize in the biggest wet leaves contest, but the green tea leaves in this blend are huge! I stretched out some of the wet leaves to show you how big and whole they are. There is absolutely no dust here – only whole leaf flavor.