Chash Tea: Iron Goddess Of Mercy

I've been fortunate to taste quite a few blends of tea from Chash. And, without a doubt, each one of them has been of a really wonderful quality.

As I was going through my (quite substantial) box of samples, I was intrigued by the name of this tea. Iron Goddess of Mercy - what a cool name for a tea!

In the photograph above the tea is formed into small balls which uncurl into large leaves when they are brewing in the pot, or infuser (whatever you like to use!).

This is a photograph of the tea ready to go in the infuser. You have a better view of the balls that the tea is formed into. What was really interesting is as I poured the tea into the infuser you can hear the little balls of tea clank in the infuser! They are quite hard to the touch and are rather like pellets but would they taste any good?

I love the glass mug that Chash kindly sent me, as I can watch very closely the tea brew. Although this picture doesn't reflect it too well, the experience of watching the tea go from tightly curled balls into large, lush, green leaves was fantastic.

I boiled the kettle and let it cool for a while and then brewed the tea for a few minutes.

Inhaling the aroma of the tea, it smelt to me like melted butter! That was the first thing that popped into my mind but as it continued to brew it reminded me of orchids, the type of flower you often find in green houses. It was delicious, really nice.

I will admit the only other thing I've tasted with the word mercy in it was a extra hot chilli pizza, so I was expecting this tea to be quite strong, overpowering even. When I sat down to try this I had completely the wrong idea about this tea - the old saying never judge a book by it's cover has never been so true.

Iron Goddess of Mercy, far from being a strong tea, is actually wonderfully delicate. It brews into a light yellow colour and has a wonderfully floral aroma to it.

By the time I sat down to try this blend of tea, I was thirsty after having worked out for forty minutes beforehand, so the first sip was greatly welcomed.

This blend is very refreshing. It has a wonderful, almost jasmine like, taste to it. Its very gently scented and the tea is of a high quality, as always, so the two flavours work really well together.

Iron Goddess of Mercy is one of those tea's that is perfectly balanced. The tea is strong enough so that you feel as though you have a really satisfying cup of tea, yet, at the same time delicate enough so you feel as though you are drinking something really special.

I'm so glad I made this tea when the house was quiet and I had a hour or so before I started work as I had the chance to really enjoy the experience of drinking it. It's not a tea that should be rushed, it's blended for you to sit and relax to! It's brilliant for a lazy weekend.

For more information on Iron Goddess of Mercy please visit Chash Tea's website.