It seems like forever ago that I won Offblak Squeeze Me tea in an Instagram giveaway. Of all the Offblak teas, this one enticed me the most. I love jasmine green tea and orange is another of my favourite flavours, so I was intrigued to find out how they would merge together in one cup.
This review covers the flavour of Offblak Squeeze Me, how I brewed it, a little info about the company (Offblak are a really fresh and newly emerged brand), and a link to buy it on Amazon. At the time of writing, this tea is available for both my US and UK readers.
Offblak Squeeze Me Tea at a Glance
- Blend: Green tea with lemongrass, orange peel/flowers, jasmine extract and flavouring
- Flavour: Cleansing green tea with smooth and sweet juicy orange floral pops
The quality of the tea wasn’t all that Offblak made it out to be, but the flavour was delicious nonetheless. The juiciness of the orange goes so well with the subtle floral notes and fresh green tea.
Full Review – Offblak Orange & Jasmine Flavour Green Tea
- Type: Tagged pyramid sachet
- Tea: Green tea
- Additives: Lemongrass, orange peel, orange flowers, jasmine extract, flavourings
- Flavour Notes: Cleansing, smooth, sweet, juicy orange, floral hints
- Aroma: Orange blossoms, jasmine soap, astringent green tea
- Milk or Lemon: Neither
- Where to Buy: Amazon
Each pyramid sachet is sealed inside a foil wrapper, to keep it fresh. But more about the packaging below. The initial aroma coming from the dried tea is a bit astringent – the green tea isn’t overly smooth at this stage. However, the orange blossom and jasmine scent is strong and very nice.
It brews into that classic golden jasmine green tea colour that you expect. The aroma is far more complex though. The hot water has smothered the green tea a little and pushed back the astringency – it’s smooth, fresh, and has these juicy orange highlights. The jasmine is less present, unfortunately. My readers already know how much I love jasmine.
The flavour is cleansing and super refreshing from that very first sip. The green tea is smooth and naturally sweet, then these bright (and slightly tart) pops of juicy orange burst in your mouth. Jasmine comes in later and is very subtle – I wouldn’t describe this as a floral tea. In fact, it’s best described as an orange green tea with gentle floral hints.
Overall, this is a really smooth and calming tea that hits the spot perfectly.
How to Brew Green Tea
Offblak provide great tea brewing instructions – 80°C water and 2-3 minutes. This is perfect for green tea and if you follow it, you’ll get a perfect cup every time.
I followed their instructions with 250ml of water, for a small teacup. If you’re brewing a larger mug, brew for the full 3 minutes to get a good flavour.
You should definitely save this tea for quiet moments when you need to unwind. Meditate a little, read a book, or just unwind in the afternoon. Offblak list the caffeine level of this tea as medium (20-40mg per serving) so don’t drink it too close to bedtime.
My cut-off point for caffeine is 8pm, but your cut-off may need to be earlier if you are extra sensitive to caffeine.
Why Offblak?
Let’s start with the good things about Offblak – they want to inspire creativity and healthy lifestyles with delicious teas that have awesome health benefits. Their packaging is mostly eco, with recyclable boxes and individual wrappers.
But I also have some problems with Offblak. First of all, they say that they only use whole leaf. But their definition of whole leaf and mine is apparently quite different! They have some large leaf pieces floating around in those pyramid sachets, but the majority of it is made of smaller, broken pieces.
Compared to some loose leaf teas I’ve had, this doesn’t even come close to “whole leaf” and don’t forget that Offblak use flavouring too. The jasmine – which is jasmine extract rather than oil or whole blooms – is only 1% of the ingredients.
The quality isn’t any better than other pyramid tea brands in the market. Zest Tea, English Tea Shop, Basilur… they’re all on the same level of quality as Offblak.
Summary
Overall, this is a delicious and well-blended tea. The flavour and aroma are delicious – it’s more than good enough to make up for the discrepancies with leaf size and quality. I highly recommend you give it a try, especially if jasmine green tea is one of your regular go-to beverages.
Tea Recommendation
Drinking this tea was a really calming and soothing experience, which made me think of another pyramid sachet “whole leaf” brand that I adore. Bion Chamomile tea is caffeine-free and made with natural, organic chamomile flowers grown in Cyprus where the tea company is based.