Yes, Hawaiian Tea Time! Well, technically caffeine free tisane time. Let’s try out a Hawaiian Mamaki Tea sold by Mama-kii!
I ran into Mama-kii at the World Tea Expo this year and this is where I first learned about mamaki tea. I love trying new teas!
Mamaki is native to Hawaii and has been consumed for centuries by Hawaiians. Mama-kii‘s mamaki tea is grown on a state certified mamaki plantation. The growing conditions for mamaki is amazing with fertile volcanic soil, rainfall water and high elevation of 2,000 to 6,000 feet.
The leaves are gigantic too! WHOA!
Dry leaf
Mama-kii‘s Hawaiian Mamaki Tea is sold in sachets.
Of course, I always will crack open a tea bag – let’s see the leaf! The mamaki tea is grey green light weight leaf with a lightly sweet herby scent.
Steeping Instructions
Mama-kii steeping instructions has lots of room for experimentation. They suggest to use 8oz of boiling water for a 5 minute steep, however you can steep it for longer than that. A traditional cup of mamaki tea is steeped for 1 hour!
During the steeping, the mamaki turns a lush green!
Tasting of Mama-kii’s Hawaiian Mamaki Tea
5 Minute Steep: The 5 minute steeping of the mamaki tea gave me a golden cup that smells sweet with a hint of herbal. Mama-kii’s Hawaiian Mamaki Tea sips in very unique in flavor – smooth creamy sweet, sweet potato, hay, and yam notes. The flavor is a little light here, but good.
15 Minute Steep: I added the tea back in and steeped for a total of 15 mins. The Mamaki Tea is a bit more brown gold in color and much more richer in flavor. There is roasted corn notes, sweet potatoes with a buttery cream mouth feel and a sweet finish. After each sip there is a slight leafy herbal sweet after taste.
1 Hour Steep: For this steeping I started with a fresh bag of Mamaki Tea and used my tea thermos to keep the temperature nice and hot. After 1 hour the tea was one step darker more brown than gold. The flavor was rich – cross between roasted corn, barley. With a stronger sweet finish than the other infusions. Hot yet refreshing! Mama-kii’s Hawaiian Mamaki Tea kind of has a korean barley tea / light roast Houjicha vibe to it.
No bitter or dryness even though it has been steeping for an hour!
A discovery! I left the rest of my cup to cool for a few hours and the color changed to a dark reddy brown! Whoa! Maybe the air tight tumbler didn’t let the tea oxidize or something. Iced, is really good too by the way. The iced tea is similar in flavor to the hot version.
Comments
Mama-kii‘s Hawaiian Mamaki Tea is a great caffeine free tea to leave in a tumbler and let it steep while you sip away at it, with the flavor getting richer the longer it steeps. I had a tea pot of mamaki tea in the evening while I worked at the compter, without being worried I’m oversteeping the tea, at it was pretty nice.
Totally give Mama-kii‘s Hawaiian Mamaki Tea a try if you are looking for an exotic caffeine free tea!
(tea provided for review)
