Some new samples from Sencha Naturals

Recently I received a most welcome gift in the mail, a wonderful assortment of products from the good folks at Sencha Naturals, including these delicious tea leaf-shaped mints! Some of them I had tried before, but a few of the flavors — Tropical Mango, Yuzu Ginger, Pink Dragonfruit — were new to me. Made with green tea, these mints were simply wonderful and exceedingly fruity. In fact, the minute I tasted one of the Tropical Mango mints, I actually said "Wow!" *out loud* because I wasn't expecting the flavor to be as mango-y as it was. I also love the Yuzu Ginger (it's sitting on my desk as I type), and the Pink Dragonfruit mints (my favorites) are in my coat pocket so I can sneak them during church when I get a tickle in my throat.

The other fun item in the box was a folder containing some samples of their new Green Tea + C Effervescent Drink Mix. While I usually avoid tea products that make health claims, I felt quite comfortable trying this drink mix since I have been enjoying Sencha Naturals' products for years. I tried the Original flavor, and it reminded me of what you'd get if you mixed matcha powder and Alka Seltzer. I happen to like Alka Seltzer, so I liked this drink! (I forgot to take a picture of it, but it's bright olive green, just like matcha.) And while I can't say this is entirely why, I can say that two days after I drank this, I stopped taking the allergy tablets I've been popping like M&M's all fall. So my experience was good. Your mileage, as they say, may vary.

Because a couple of the mint flavors were ones I have already sampled (Moroccan Mint and Bombay Chai), I figured I should give them away! So I'm going to send these extra samples of mints and one of the Green Tea + C packets for one of you to try. Just kindly leave an "Enter me" comment between now and 7 a.m. Friday, Dec. 13. (U.S. entries only, please.) And if you'd like to go ahead and check out Sencha Naturals' offerings for yourself, click here. I've also seen their products in tea shops and at World Market stores, in case you want to be on the lookout for them!